The ratty girls

[Banned Member 1]

December 2019 we adopted 4 female rats from a rescue centre that we called Miku, Amilyn, Devon and Leia. After Leia passed away we adopted a pair of four month old girls (October 2021) named Harley and Ivy that were a result of someone's accidental litter. They instantly bonded with the three old ladies that we started calling their 'grandmas'. Sadly Amilyn passed away not long after.

We weren't intending on adopting any more rats for a while but I saw a lone five month old girl called Luna in a Pets At Home adoption centre that was waiting for an experienced home due to being a biter. Aggression in rats is difficult because they can easily bite hard enough to cause permanent injuries and sometimes need to be put to sleep because of it. She seemed friendly and inquisitive though so I decided to bring her home to assess her. She turned out to be more a nervous than aggressive biter and though she bit me and my partner a couple of times at first she never bit the other rats and bonded with them really well. She has become such a sweety and is very handleable and loves to hang out on people's shoulders. I think being a red-eyed rat with poor eyesight in a brightly lit store where she couldn't see and have unfamiliar human hands take all her cagemates away traumatised her and she just needed some patience and security.

Devon and Miku passed away in april and august of this year. We were particularly sad to lose Miku because she so enjoyed looking after the young rats and Harley absolutely adored her.

Unfortunately our living situation means we're considering stopping having rats after our current trio. They've always been in good health aside from a few sniffles but Ivy is off to the vets tomorrow because she has noisy breathing. Hopefully they've got a lot more time left to spend with us.

I'll find some photos when I have my other device to hand

 

[RainbowBrite]

How lovely to hear the story of how you came to have your ratties. It is wonderful you found little Luna. I know how animals are deemed aggressive when it is just a case of them being nervous and usually mishandled. I hope Ivy's appointment goes well tomorrow. I know how prone rats are to URI's and hopefully some antibiotics will cure that for her.

 

[Banned Member 1]

This is Ivy. She is a bit skittish about being picked up from her cage but does enjoy a good scritch sometimes and likes being talked to.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Ivy is so beautiful!

 

[Maz]

Goodness Ivy IS beautiful! I don't think I've seen a black rat before.

 

[Maz]

I forgot to ask about the original four. So sad they passed, but you sound to now have quite a close ratty family of different ages. So is Leia still with you as a granny to the others?

 

[Banned Member 1]

I forgot to ask about the original four. So sad they passed, but you sound to now have quite a close ratty family of different ages. So is Leia still with you as a granny to the others?

Luna is only a few weeks younger than Harley and Ivy. She is so much bigger than them though, they're both small rats, particularly Harley.

Leia was the first of our original group to pass. Sadly cancer took her all too soon.

 

[Maz]

I'm so sorry. I've heard Rats are very prone to respiratory things (more so than hamsters maybe). But cancer is always awful. I hope Ivy gets some help at the vets.

 

[Banned Member 1]

Yeah, respiratory issues are very common in fancy rats. The original four never had any issues in that regard but our current trio have been sniffly on and off for a while so not too surprised about this.

 

[Member ID2]

I enjoyed reading about all your ratties and thank you for sharing their stories.

Ivy is beautiful and looks such an elegant rat.
I'm looking forward to see photos of her friends.

 

[Banned Member 1]

The cutest rat pic I have ever taken. This was while I was introducing Harley and Ivy to our three old ladies. Pictures left to right are Ivy, Miku, Amilyn and Devon. I think Harley was behind them with her nose not visible.

Aside from Ivy trying to assert dominance over Devon and Devon saying 'oh no you don't' the intros were very smooth. The day after they first met I had to take Amilyn and Devon to the vet so put Miku in with Harley and Ivy in their temporary cage (with my partner keeping an eye on them). The very next day they all moved in together full time.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Oh how sweet and precious! They must have had such an amazing bond.

 

[Member ID2]

What a lovely photo of happy and relaxed ratties.

 

[Banned Member 1]

Oh how sweet and precious! They must have had such an amazing bond.

They did, particularly Harley and Miku. Harley thought Miku was the best thing in the world. Miku was the most timid of our original four but after Leia passed and Devon lost her ovaries, Miku became the dominant rat of the group. I don't think she was ever as happy as when she had young rats to look after. She wasn't so fond of Luna at first but I think that was because she'd just had an operation and was feeling a bit delicate as well as protective over Harley and Ivy. The initial reluctance to accept her passed pretty quickly though and they also got on really well.

Thankfully Miku was the last of our original four to go so had a lot of time to enjoy playing mum. Harley gave Miku a lot of love and comfort in her final days.

 

[Banned Member 1]

Ivy has been seen by the vet. Good news he thinks she just has a nasal irritation rather than a respiratory infection so she has been prescribed a week of anti-inflammatories to hopefully clear it up.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Ivy has been seen by the vet. Good news he thinks she just has a nasal irritation rather than a respiratory infection so she has been prescribed a week of anti-inflammatories to hopefully clear it up.

That is such a relief to hear. I hope you can rest your poor back now.

 

[Banned Member 1]

That is such a relief to hear. I hope you can rest your poor back now.

Definitely is

My back is definitely improving, just a few more days of taking it easy I think!

 

[Banned Member 1]

The rats' home. The cage is a Ferplast Furat extended vertically using the bars of a Criceti 15 (which is sold as a 'syrian hamster home' but at 580sq inches is best reserved for use as a temporary enclosure or for elderly hamsters that struggle to get about).

 

[RainbowBrite]

That looks great!

 

[Maz]

Lucky ratties! The Furat is a great cage. That is clever extending vertically. How did you attach both cages together? Agree about the Criceti 15!