[Poppyseed]

It feels like I waited forever for this little man but he's finally home!

What's a Siggy?

Don't know if I should come out just yet... there's kitties out there!

who be you?

are you mommy?

Sigmund is a co-workers of mines psychology experiment rat. They were learning conditioning teaching these probably tiny just weaned baby rats tricks. I have no idea what he knows but he apparently was the smartest rat of the group. No one in her group could take him so she asked me if I wanted him. I told her if no one else wants him... then the next day I asked 'so no one else wanted that rat right?'

His name is Sigmund after Sigmund Freud. He was so nervous the first day being at this new place but now he's coming out of his shell so quickly. We started playing in the cage hand wrestling yesterday and now he's chilling on my lap. He's a great lap rat already.

Weeks can take forever when your waiting for a new bubs. I'm surprised at how tiny he is. I'm so glad to welcome my first PEW home.

 

[lovemyrats4eva]

Congratulations on your new ratbaby! he is so cute!!

I am pleased you gave him a home, i wonder what tricks he can do? :?:

 

[Poppyseed]

I think he is conditioned to respond to the smell of citrus and the sight of a stuffed animal to pull a lever or something like that. I will have to ask her further and maybe if there are reports involved I could get a copy of that He was the best rat in the class.

He opened up so quickly too. He's so hyper but when he's on my lap he chills and cuddles into my hand. I started introing him (as he has been qted by my work friend and deemed healthy as a horse) to Bert and Bastian in the bathtub yesterday and that went well. Bert seems cautious around him and understandably so as introing him to Morgan and Hobbes went disastrously (they are in a seperate cage and hopefully I can get finances together and get Morgan neutered soon and reintro everyone... but it's going fine like this now).

After that went well I put their cages together overnight and then jumped the gun allowing Sigmund to explore Bert and Bastian's cage and Bert and Bastian to explore his on the same table while both cages were open. It went well but there was some hierarchy wrestling between Beastian (his real name is Bastian but I call him Beastian or Beastie so much I wonder if I should officially change it) and power grooming but for the most part he obeyed like a young rat should. It was a little intense but went rather well. He really seems to look up to Beastie as the dominant male and now that there is three I can see that Beastie is the alpha of the group and Bert is the betta. Bert still seems cautious of him but I was right there petting Bert to calm him down and ready to intervene if necessary. A lot of sniffing there but I think things are going well!

Hopefully within a week or two time I can have them all in the same cage together. It will be fun to have a trio again!

 

[Poppyseed]

Also I want to note that the change of diet to HT blocks has seemed to cause a growth spurt! Only two days later he seems quite a bit larger. I know he was on a block before but no sure what diet. It goes to tell you HT has a LOT more of nutrition requirements then other blocks.

This guy reminds me quite a bit of Joshu for some reason, only more spunky. But I can see a lot of Joshu in him when I look at him. I'm kind of wondering if he is Joshu come back to me... He is quite a bit more spunky but he has the same love for life and me that I saw in Joshu and the same love to be calm in my lap but playful elsewhere. He is fearless like Joshu but seems cautious of the cats as Joshu certainly was not. I think Joshu would of been more spunky had he not had that internal tumor next to his heart ):