Ratablog

Update on the baby boys

Jim, actually, is clearly not a baby anymore, and I'm seeing Jack and George grow right before my eyes. They are still doing great...lots of wrestling, yes, and I'm not at all sure who is going to emerge as the alpha...but they also groom each other and end up snuggling together in Uncle Bob's old hat.

Rat Weights

I've put the Rink Rats on a diet. Basically, I've cut back on the Nutro Natural Lite dog food, and I'm putting more lab blocks and Oxbow Royal Rodent into the food dish. They don't really like the lab blocks and the Oxbow, so I that's my way of making sure they have food they won't eat a lot of. They only get fed once a day, in the morning, and even though they don't like most of what I'm giving them, their bowl is usually empty when I awaken.

Witter--900g +20
Calle--1075g -25 The diet must be working!
Olie--920g -30
Metro--820 no change
Kono--820 no change

The little boys

After one week, the baby boys are right at home. I think they have actually grown some, although they are still tiny compared to the adult rats, and even to Jim. They are also very speedy, making in-focus pictures difficult.

They do scuffle, but I've heard very few squeeks and seen no blood or bullying with the three boys. And Jim actually seems protective of them...I can't take Jack or George out of the cage without Jim checking it out.

Witter the Model

Witter is trying a new career as a model:

Put me in, Coach!

I'm bad!

Howdy, ladies.

Let me put out the flames in your heart...

Kisses for my fans!

Easily amused

The girls play with a plastic practice golf ball, the latest favorite cheap rat toy.

Ratpile

Blurry evidence of how amazingly well the boys are getting along after less than 24 hours!

Introducing George and Jack

The next generation of RAATS rats are home!

Victor and I drove down to Chesapeake today to pick up George:

and Jack:

...two beautiful little bundles of energy we hope will be good buddies for Jim.

Now I need to go unload the car...

Rat Weights

I'm about a month behind on these...sheesh. The rats are getting better about holding still, so I should be able to update these weekly the way I'm supposed to.

Metro 820 g +20
Kono 820 g no change
Calle 1100 g +80 Jeebers, that's a fat rat!
Olie 950 g +70 He gets a "Jeebers!" too.
Witter 880 g +60
Jim 450 g

Witter update

I'm about a month behind on these updates, so I have some catching up to do. First of all: Weight. He's up to 880 grams. I attribute that to the fact he's been getting spoiled rotten since.

It's medically approved spoiling, though. I wrote a note to Dr. K, informing her of our decision to let nature take its course, and she replied It is my medical opinion that the more he is spoiled the better.:). I can't argue with her.

So he gets yogies, Toasties, Raviolos, Cheez Wedges, and other junk food for animals. Not every day--it's probably every day for one of the last three, and a couple of yogies a day. In fact, he's come to expect yogies after his nebulizer treatments.

The very first time I tried to nebulize him, I tried stuffing him into a 2-liter bottle that had the bottom cut off. It didn't work as well as I had hoped (and it was the reason I put on my thinking cap and got the chinchilla bath house, but I've written about that before) and in order to placate him, I tried to give him yogurt drops a very dear friend sent us--we call them Wiley Treats, after her favorite pet rat.

Witter wouldn't take one. I shoved it in his mouth, and it just stayed there, Witter not chewing. Great I thought. I've got a catatonic rat. It wasn't until he was safely in his cage that he finally started eating the Wiley Treat.

After I started using the chinchilla house Witter calmed down, and, I feel, he started to actually enjoy the nebulizer treatments. A few days ago, Abita had to nebulize him as I was working late. She nebulized him, then put him back in the cage and tried to close the door.

He wouldn't get out of the cage doorway. She picked him up and put him in the bottom of the cage, but he ran up the ramp and blocked the cage door before she could close it. So Abita just started gently pushing the door shut, but Witter wouldn't budge, and started shoving back.

It was then she remembered he should get a Wiley Treat after treatment. They're downstairs, so she grabbed some vitamin-C enriched yogurt treats (originally purchased for the guinea pigs, but they don't like 'em) and gave him those instead. Placated, Witter ran down the ramp to his eating spot and enjoyed his post-treatment yogies.

We've yet to figure out who has conditioned who.

Picture time

Witter, just after waking up this evening.

The boys, minus dignified Olie, who prefers to sleep alone is a box.

The girls somehow managed to all fit in a tube, but you can see it's testing the limit of the chains.

I am JIM! Hear me ROAR!

Leather out with me last night. I guess giving them my old clothes to play in wasn't such a good idea; now she loves sweatpants.

Bob tribute

It's taken me a long time to do this...every time I looked at Bob's pictures I was welling up with tears all over again. I'm not sure what was so special about him, but there was something.

So I finally finished: Bob's tribute page.