Having started so many sad threads in the rainbow bridge section over the last few months, I was long overdue for a happy thread. I've had couple of new arrivals this week, and I've realised that I didn't introduce Sandy and Jack when I got them in the spring.
My current mischief comprises:
George (champagne hooded,18 months), sadly now my oldest rat and the last of my original group of pet store boys. George has bad eyesight and has always been a bit of a loner, but at the same time he has usually been the first rat to sleep with any newcomers during intros. When he was younger he could sometimes react unpredictably to other rats because (I suspect) he was not able to read their body language, and until recently he really did not like to be handled. However, he was ill over the summer and now gets a lot of handling to administer his ongoing meds, and he has mellowed a lot as a result. He is now quite a calm old man, who seems to quite enjoy snuggling in my clothes and being stroked.
Jimmy (white, 9 months) came to me at the start of July, having lived for six months in the pet store and then moved to their adoption centre when he was too old to sell. Further sadness was to come with the loss of his companion Bill after only a few weeks in their forever home. At first Jimmy was extremely skittish and he also struggled to fit in with the other boys. I thought he was terrified of Jack and Sandy despite them not being at all aggressive towards him, however I eventually concluded that Jimmy had aspirations of dominance but was intimidated by Jack and Sandy being vastly bigger than him and confused by their apparent indifference to his posturing. In no time at all Jimmy had learned from the other boys that handling was fine, and he is now perfectly friendly.
Jack and Sandy (7 months) were my first rats from a breeder, and came to me at 8 weeks old. What a difference in confidence and friendliness compared to the pet store kittens! Jack (black) was a big lad even then and he has kept up the pace ever since - his is now over 800g. I knew he was very muscular but I was worried that he must be overweight and consulted their breeder for advice. I decided that I would still enter him in my local rat show in the summer to let the breeder see him and get comments from the judges. Jack won a special prize for "buffest boi", and the pet judge described him as "hench" and in "superb condition", so that answered that concern! Despite being enormous, Jack is a total softie and likes nothing more than being rolled onto his back to have his tummy tickled. I think he is dominant in the mischief by sheer size, as I've never seen him show any kind of aggression toward the other rats.
Sandy (cinnamon) is Jack's half brother, and whilst not as large as Jack he is still a big, muscular boy. He is another big softie, and is extremely affectionate and licky. The top of the cage holds a special fascination for Sandy, and any time the door is open for any length of time you can guarantee he will make for the roof. Despite this, he has yet to work out a way to get back down without assistance! Sandy loves his brother and is his number two in the dominance structure, again without any discernable effort.
And finally, just arrived this week are two juveniles from another local breeder. Monty and Ike (so named because they were born on the anniversary of D-Day) are a black Berkshire and a black variegated respectively, from the same litter, and as you would expect of well bred rats they are friendly and inquisitive youngsters. I got to choose them from eight available bucks, and decided on Monty because he climbed back onto me of his own accord after their breeder had lifted him off, while Ike fell off my shoulder right into the palm of my hand which seemed like a good omen! Ike is the bolder of the pair, and I have started intros today. All has been going well, touch wood!
If anyone has made it through all of that you will be ready for some blurry movement pictures from the intros cage!
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My current mischief comprises:
George (champagne hooded,18 months), sadly now my oldest rat and the last of my original group of pet store boys. George has bad eyesight and has always been a bit of a loner, but at the same time he has usually been the first rat to sleep with any newcomers during intros. When he was younger he could sometimes react unpredictably to other rats because (I suspect) he was not able to read their body language, and until recently he really did not like to be handled. However, he was ill over the summer and now gets a lot of handling to administer his ongoing meds, and he has mellowed a lot as a result. He is now quite a calm old man, who seems to quite enjoy snuggling in my clothes and being stroked.
Jimmy (white, 9 months) came to me at the start of July, having lived for six months in the pet store and then moved to their adoption centre when he was too old to sell. Further sadness was to come with the loss of his companion Bill after only a few weeks in their forever home. At first Jimmy was extremely skittish and he also struggled to fit in with the other boys. I thought he was terrified of Jack and Sandy despite them not being at all aggressive towards him, however I eventually concluded that Jimmy had aspirations of dominance but was intimidated by Jack and Sandy being vastly bigger than him and confused by their apparent indifference to his posturing. In no time at all Jimmy had learned from the other boys that handling was fine, and he is now perfectly friendly.
Jack and Sandy (7 months) were my first rats from a breeder, and came to me at 8 weeks old. What a difference in confidence and friendliness compared to the pet store kittens! Jack (black) was a big lad even then and he has kept up the pace ever since - his is now over 800g. I knew he was very muscular but I was worried that he must be overweight and consulted their breeder for advice. I decided that I would still enter him in my local rat show in the summer to let the breeder see him and get comments from the judges. Jack won a special prize for "buffest boi", and the pet judge described him as "hench" and in "superb condition", so that answered that concern! Despite being enormous, Jack is a total softie and likes nothing more than being rolled onto his back to have his tummy tickled. I think he is dominant in the mischief by sheer size, as I've never seen him show any kind of aggression toward the other rats.
Sandy (cinnamon) is Jack's half brother, and whilst not as large as Jack he is still a big, muscular boy. He is another big softie, and is extremely affectionate and licky. The top of the cage holds a special fascination for Sandy, and any time the door is open for any length of time you can guarantee he will make for the roof. Despite this, he has yet to work out a way to get back down without assistance! Sandy loves his brother and is his number two in the dominance structure, again without any discernable effort.
And finally, just arrived this week are two juveniles from another local breeder. Monty and Ike (so named because they were born on the anniversary of D-Day) are a black Berkshire and a black variegated respectively, from the same litter, and as you would expect of well bred rats they are friendly and inquisitive youngsters. I got to choose them from eight available bucks, and decided on Monty because he climbed back onto me of his own accord after their breeder had lifted him off, while Ike fell off my shoulder right into the palm of my hand which seemed like a good omen! Ike is the bolder of the pair, and I have started intros today. All has been going well, touch wood!
If anyone has made it through all of that you will be ready for some blurry movement pictures from the intros cage!
