Ratablog

Bandit update

Just a short update, really kind of off the cuff. Bandit has been out several times, almost daily (though the holidays have cut into that). He is still very nervous, but I can take him out of the cage without using the welding gloves. He stays out on me for at least 20 minutes, and usually more than 25. He's also started climbing up on my shoulders, which I'm taking as a sign he's a bit more comfortable.

OTOH, he did bite me once. He was on my shoulder, and I reached up to scratch his ears and he bit me on my right index finger. It wasn't a deep bite, but it sure got my attention.

I'm still taking him out daily; working with Bandit is a bit like learning how to ride a bike. I can't let the setbacks...set me back.

Misto's pictures

This is Misto's last picture, taken Monday night...I think he looks tired.

This is the picture Eanna did, and it's more like how I will remember our little guy:

Thank you, Eanna. It means a lot to us that Misto touched others too.

Mistoffelees : 18 May 2004 - 28 December 2005

He was one of the strongest and bravest rats we've known.

More later...I can't write about it yet. But many of you have followed his progress these last few months, and we appreciate all of the good thoughts and virtual scritches you sent his way. I'm sorry to have to bring this bad news.

Bandit's backstory

I haven't really had time to post lately, so I wasn't very good about providing the details of Bandit's first week here, and what his previous family had seen with him.

For the first few days Bandit was here, I thought he looked utterly terrified. Every time I'd go to the cage, he'd take the t-shirt and pull it up like he was trying to build a wall between us. I started wondering if he was very defensive and territorial, so any time I needed to take something from the cage, I made sure I left a treat first...if I was taking his food dish out, first I'd put in a bowl of yogurt, that kind of thing.

Then, Holly told me that Bandit used to bite her when she was feeding him or cleaning his cage, which also sounds like very territorial behavior. And, I'd met Holly's other rats...they were all very mellow and social, and when she opened the cage they just came out and started free-ranging the apartment like they owned the place. (We about died laughing seeing one of the boys march right to the kitchen!) Bandit, on the other hand, wouldn't come out of his box.

Not that I'm a rat psychologist, but the picture started coming into focus...I think Bandit is more of a loner than the rest of his pack was, and he bites to defend his space or his stuff. He's also realized that biting gets him left alone, which he prefers.

Last week, everything we did was designed to make him comfortable in his new cage. I think it worked well...after a few days he wasn't putting up the shirt barrier or diving into the box every time we opened the door, and as Victor said, he even took food from our fingers.

I think that on Monday he probably was telling me "You come into my space on my terms, not yours." He wanted to be left alone just then, so he was using his "Get lost" trick.

We have had two other rats that bit (besides George...while his bite was dramatic and costly, it wasn't at all his typical behavior), and they were like Bandit to a degree. They didn't want us bugging them until it was their idea. What we did...and it took a lot of bites in the process...was we handled them until they learned that we were alpha.

Since Holly has a young child, she can't afford to let Bandit hang around biting until he figues out that biting won't get him left alone. We're hoping that whatever makes him this high-strung is hormonal, and we expect to have him neutered next month. That should calm him down, and that's when I expect the trust training to really be successful.

All Bandit, All the Time!

Bandit is improving, save for one setback. Yesterday he lunged at Abita twice, connecting with her thumb once. Up until then, he had been doing quite well: Still very shy and skittish, but he was taking food and blueberries from our hands, with no sign of wanting to bite.

Nevertheless, we continued on with attempting forced socialization, and last night we cleaned all extra items out of one bathroom, brought his cage in, and opened it up. I had to use the welding gloves to get him out, but I managed to hold him for over twenty minutes.

And, yeah, he did some fear pooping. Soft, stinky fear poops.

Tonight, I got him out again. It was a bit easier; I used the glove to pin him but carried him out with my right hand. There was pooping, but it wasn't fear pooping. It happened at about the 13-minute mark. I think he just had to go to the bathroom.

(Pictures and original post by Abita; narration by Victor)

Kanga's Christmas

I don't know why she's still so skinny. Look how she eats!

Bandit

Bandit is a new addition. He's a cutie, but he has a past...in his previous home, he's taken to biting his owners without provocation. When he bit their daughter, they had to face a difficult choice...rehome him, or have him put to sleep.

Hopefully, a change of scene will be all he needs to calm down. We agreed to take him and work with him. I must be honest, though...there are some cases where an animal is too aggressive to ever be a pet...neurological imbalances or something...and if that's his case, we won't be able to keep him either. But hopefully working with our vet, we'll be able to give him a happy home.

Please cross your fingers for us!

More holiday pictures

Misto goes after Santa's cookies. That's ok, he can eat anything he wants.