10 Ways to Be Green With Your Rat

For a long time now people have been talking about being green and have been being green (Eco friendly). Some people are even starting to call this generation were in now the, "Green Generation". So I put together a chart of 10 easy ways to be green with your rat.

1. Using paper towels made from recycled paper when cleaning your rat's cage.


2. One of the easiest to do is to use paper shreds from your shredder for litter in the litter box. (If you're not sure if you have a shredder ask your parents, I'm sure you have one.) If you don't have a litter box, I wouldn't recommend it for the bedding you use for the rest of the cage, instead put a little in the cage instead of hey. (the shreds keep them very warm)



3. When you're eating fruits or vegetables, don't throw away the extra, give a little to your rats. But make sure you don't give some to your rats if you added sugar. Or cut off a piece of an apple your eating for your rats. (see "Foods to Avoid)



4. Instead of buying chew blocks, give your rats the middle giant seed in the middle of fruits such as plums, nectarines, and peaches. Rats love them!



5. Plant a garden. Pear tomatoes are full of vitamin C, which helps heal cuts, and are super easy to grow. So are regular and grape tomatoes. And rats love them.



6. Save boxes (tissue boxes from non - toxic items). Rats love to play and sleep in them.


7. For hammocks use an old t-shirt or a knee sock. Tie them to the bars of the cage and you have a hammock.

8. When you're emptying your rat's cage into the trash, instead of putting it in the trash, empty the soiled litter, with waste, in the green waste. The old bedding and waste (even paper shreds) will be made into fertilizer.

9. If you decide to build a maze for your rats, you don't have to buy wood, or a parrot ladder, you can use house held items such as rulers and books.

10. Save toilet paper rolls, rats love to play in them and sleep in them. If your rat is to big for toilet paper rolls, sometimes gift wrap will have wider tubes.

10 Things you probably don't know about rats

1. A really neat thing that most people don't know about rats is that they can hear ultrasounds. Meaning, they can hear things we can't hear because they're too high pitch. The most commonly heard animal that can hear these ultrasounds too, are bats. Some common animals that can also hear ultrasounds are, Dogs and cats (though they can't hear them as well as rats) and bats and dolphins (they can hear ultrasounds a little bit better than rats.)



2. Many rats love to swim. (If you are going to see if your rat likes swimming, do it in a bucket, inside, keeping a close eye on your rat and only filling the bucket with 2 - 3 inches of warm water.)



3. You can train your rat tricks. To learn how see my article, "How to train rats tricks."



4. Another thing most people don't know is that you can potty train your rat. To learn how see my article, "Potty Training Your Rat"

5. Rats produce a red pigment in their eyes called porphyrin. A large amount of porphyrin can be a sign of sickness or stress. Though, the interesting thing about porphryin is they bind metals.

6. Rats are such good climbers they are incapable of climbing a brick wall.

7. Seeing is a problem for rats. The first foot or so, they see clear, while the next 3 - 5 feet they see burly.

8. How do rats get around if they can't see well? Rats actually use their whiskers, their ultrasonic ears, and their super good noses.

9. In San diego, every year a national rat competition is held, where rats are tested on agility, swimming, standards of the rats (how they're built and how well their coat is.) And other stuff.

10. What are rat tails for? One thing they use their tail for is to balance. For example when you're holding rat and its on your shoulder, you may notice that when your rat is trying to move around or go on your other shoulder it will sometimes wrap its tail around your neck or face for balance. More importantly, when your rat starts to overheat, its blood circulation will increase to its tail, thus letting heat leave the rats tail and directly into the environment.

Sorry that's all ten,

Rat Man

" Dear Rat Man, What's My Rat Doing?"

There are some things that rats do, but you don't know why, or if they're doing something because they're sick or something's wrong. In this post I will tell you some weird things rats do, and why they do it.
One very common things rats do is called bruxing. Bruxing is when they grind there teeth together because they're relaxed or stressed, so if you're rubbing your rat's ears it might bruxe because its relaxed. But if something is scaring your rat, like a barking dog, and your rat starts to bruxe, that's probably because its stressed. Bruxing isn't unhealthy or bad for them, and you shouldn't stop your rats from bruxing because it's simply a way of communication.

Have you ever heard your rat squeak? If you you haven't, that's good. When rats squeak its because they're feeling pain. So they may squeak if you pick them up funny and it hurts them. But you can't always assume if another rat makes your rat squeak, the other rat did it on purpose. If you have another rat, they will clean each other and sometimes they accidentally scratch the rat they're cleaning. Butt other times they may actually be hurting each other on purpose. So if you buy two rats, and they fight, not just messing around, butt actually making each other bleed, its important to tell me, and I'll tell you what to do. Because sometimes you may not have to return one of your rats.

More things that rats do coming soon.

Other animals in my home.

You might just think that I only have rats. I have more than just rats, I have a whole zoo in my house. But not really, because that would be insane, but I do have a lot of pets. As you all know I have two rats, Chelsey the black dwarf rat and LuLu the blond rat. I also have a 125 pound Bernese Mountain Dog named, Rex. But he's a super nice dog, who's scared of everything, especially things that beep. I also have two desert tortoises, Taz and Oscar, who are around the age of twenty. If that's not enough for you I also have two bearded dragons named Lenny and Carly. Lenny was a rescue animal and has brain problems, so he still tries to run through the glass and eats everything in sight. I also have two goldfish. I also recently got 3 tadpoles from a lake and I am raising them. I pretty much have a zoo at my house. If you think you have a zoo at your house or only have one pet, tell me about you pet or pets in the comment box.

Thanks for reading,

Rat Man

Training Your Rat Tricks!

Probably one of the coolest things you've heard about rats yet, is that you can train them tricks! It sounds really hard, but its actually really easy. Let's say you wanted your rat to when their cage is opened, for it to climb out of its cage and go to you on the other side of the desk, but you want it to climb through some obstacles. It sounds hard, but you can train your rat to do that in front of people without a treat, in sometimes, just about an hour. But first you have to use a treat. Start by having the cage open and just one obstacle set up and some treats (I found out that rats like popcorn the best BUT whatever you do don't use microwave pop corn, ONLY USE STOVE POPPED popcorn, white popcorn is the healthiest and use a really low amount of oil). Place one treat by the rat's nose but don't let it grab it. Start dragging the treat where you want your rat to go and through the obstacle, once your rat gets better, start using a smaller treat. Keep doing this until your rat can do this without a treat. Soon start adding more obstacles until your satisfied. Keep doing this until your rat can do the whole obstacle without treats! When you're not using treats snap your fingers when your rat gets off track to keep it focused - it's important to be able to make a noise that keeps your rat on track, for your rat it might be the rattling sound of keys-. Soon you'll be able to show friends how smart rats really can be. Tell me in the comment box how this worked out for you and your rats and any tricks you might have taught them. Thanks for reading!

-Rat Man

Foods to Avoid!

Not everything that is healthy to humans is healthy to rats. Below are some foods to avoid because they will make your rat sick, even cause death - if you give them to much-, or if you
give it to them when they're old, but that rarely happens.

Green parts of potatoes, potato "eyes" - they contain solanine, a poisonous substance.

Onions - contain substances that may cause blood problems.

Cooked or processed foods - may be deficient in vitamins or may contain food additives and preservatives.

Chocolate - Contains a methylxanthine called theobromine, a substance similar to caffeine and toxic to some animals, also high in sugar content.

Candy - High in sugar content, may cause chocking, can lead to obesity

Unwashed vegetables - May contain traces of harmful chemicals or pesticides

Some peanuts - May be contaminated with aflatoxins, a poison. They are also fatty, and in excess can lead to lethargy and obesity.

Lettuce - Causes diarrhea and some contain laudanum, a toxic substance. Iceberg lettuce has little nutritional value and should be avoided.

Spinach and beet tops - Can cause urinary tract problems and stones due to high levels of oxalates.

One really basic rule, if your not sure if a food is healthy for your rat or not is: If its not healthy for you, or has a chance of making you sick, than its not healthy for your rat. Otherwise, if you're not sure, ask me in the comment box.

My Rats

On this web page I will put only pictures of my rats having fun and sometimes a caption of the picture. Please feel free to put comments in the comment box, it brings no spam at all and there is no email address required.

- This is LuLu, she is a cinnamon pearl rat and is about two weeks younger than Chelsey

- This is Chelsey, she is a dumbo dwarf rat



Recently I found out that my
rats like to play on the corner
of my bed. Its like their little hide out.

Hold me!

Why to Choose a Rat Over Other Animals

When you ask some one "Do you have any small animals?" they usually say that they have no animals or that they have a hamster. Hamsters look like so much fun with their tube trails and their cute faces. But if you've ever held a hamster, you've probably found out that they're restless and they bite. Or you've heard the owner's story of how they get bit by their hamster and have to wear gloves. Hamsters are also a lot less as intelegent as rats and you can't train them. They also don't come out of their tubes when you want to hold them. Rats, on the other hand, are very smart. First of all you can potty train rats. You can also train them tricks for fun or for competitions, you've probably haven't heard of a rat competition, but they're very big and you can win huge trophies. Rats are also very clean, you may notice that when you're done holding your rat, they usually clean themselves. Rats also love people. Rats always want to be held and I've never been bit by a rat. So next time your debating what to buy, a rat or a hamster. Choose a rat as your new furry friend.

The Dare Devil Rat

Did you know that rats can actually do some amazing things, that you probably don't know about? Rats can sprint up to 24 mph. That's faster than an Olympic runner. Rats can also tread water for three days, not even a human can do that! And swim half a mile! Don't try this with your rat, but they can survive jumping off of a 50 foot building, I'd like to see you do that. And to think a rat's body is only about five inches, while a grown male human is 6 feet tall. You probably haven't seen your rat do these things, but its possible. Remember, don't try any of what I just told you with your rat.

The Rat's Musical Ear

You probably have noticed that rats have very big ears compared to humans. Their ears are also very sensitive. That's why it's important to put your rat in a quiet area. Loud and high-pitch noises can damage their ears. They also use their ears to help get around. For example, if your coming to pick your rat up, they will hear you coming and hop on your hand. One thing really interesting I noticed is rats really like music. I have a dumbo dwarf rat, so she's one-third size of a normal rat with really big ears that capture sound really well. She really likes music. Whenever I play music she sits on my knee very still and relaxed, she just sits there and listens. Sometimes she's more interested in the sounds, other times she's relaxed, just listening. When I watch American Idol, she's running around during the commercial brakes and right when the music turns on she holds still and listens, right when it ends she's running around again. But you have to be careful the music isn't to loud, if your rat is running from the sound its for sure to loud. You can see if your rat likes music or not too, and tell me in the comment box.

This is a picture of my dumbo dwarf rat,

in this picture you can really see that her

ears are very big and are on the side of her

head.

How Much Play Time Do Rats Need

Rats need lots of play time. Rats need a good four hours of play time a day. Your probably wondering why you have to hold your rat so much. When you think about it, the least a human needs to be outside and moving each day to stay healthy, is a minimum of four hours. So that's why its important to hold your rat four hours a day. That may seem like a lot, but its actually not that much. There are many ways you can hold your rat. One of the easiest, is letting your rat sit on your shoulder. They can sit on your shoulder while your doing homework - if your a kid - or when your working, as long as your inside. Or some rats like to sit in socks, or in sweatshirt pockets. You can also build a sturdy, well constructed, fort for your rat, but always watch them to make sure they don't get hurt, or wonder off. Some rats also like hamster balls. But you have to get a ball big enough for them. Dwarf rats usually need a 7 and half inch ball, while regular rats usually need a 13 and a half inch ball. Make sure all of the doors are shut so none of them get away. If you have two rats they will keep each other company if your busy and you can't hold them. But don't not hold them if your not busy! Teaching your rat how to do a maze or its name is even holding it, as long as there out of there cage. There are numerous ways you can hold your rat and have lots of fun.

My rat loves to sit in washed socks,

she sometimes falls asleep in them.

Some Similarities between Rats and Humans

Rats and humans are very similar. Rats are highly intelligent, social animals that have followed us into cities, onto our turf, and made themselves feel at home. In effect we are competing most aggressively with verminous species like rats because they are most like us. When you think about it, where do most wild rats live? In the attic of your home (I’m not trying to creep you out, but it’s probably true). And who else lives in your home? You! That kind of proves that rats think like us on where to live. Scientists did a test to determine if rats are capable of reflecting on processes. What that basically means is if you taught a rat and gave it a test, would the rat be able to know if it was right or wrong. I recently read an article about this that I made easier to understand, but the opening paragraph did make sense and here is what it said: Let’s say a college student enters a classroom to take a test. He probably already has an idea how he will do on the test, before he even takes out a pencil. But do animals possess the same ability to think about what they know or don’t know?

Here’s where I made it easier to understand: It’s easy to find out if humans believe they do or don’t know the answer to a task or test. You just ask them. With nonverbal animals it’s much harder to find the answer. But somehow scientists found out how to communicate with rats through their behavior. The tests asked the rats to discriminate between a number of responses. Sometimes the choices were relatively easy, and the rats were able to make a choice that generated a large reward. But often the choices were quite difficult, and the rats faced a dilemma: Should they continue and take a chance on the test with the risk of no food reward, or should they just bail out and take the small, but guaranteed reward? As you can see, food is the greatest motivator for all animals, even for a little rat. One part of the test was presenting the rats with a sound and asking them to determine if it was “short” or “long.” When the sounds were more than obvious to if they were short or long, the rats had no problem finding the right answer. But for sounds that that were kind of in the mid-range, the rats found it extremely hard to know if they were short or long. So what should they do: Guess and possibly be wrong, or simply refuse to take the test and get a small reward?

Research shows that rats know when they don’t know the answer to a question. Isn’t that cool? That could open possibilities to more advanced research on rats. So I guess that does prove that you can train your rat.

University of Georgia (2007, March 9). Rats Capable Of Reflecting On Mental Processes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/03/070308121856.htm

Potty Training Your Rat

You've probably been wondering, can I potty train my rat. You actually can. Some rats learn easier than others, and some don't learn as easy. To potty train your rat, you have to be consistent. Rats raised in a small cage with waste everywhere tend not to learn to go potty in a particular area. Other rats will naturally use one spot. When rats wake up, one of the first things they need to do is to go potty. If you watch your rat you should be able to find out if there is a place where they always go potty. If you're there when your rat wakes up, when he goes to relieve himself say a word like "potty". Soon she will start to associate the word with the action. When you are holding your rat outside of the cage and you notice it looking around for somewhere to "go" quickly pick up your rat and rush it back to the cage to the 'toilet corner' repeating the word you chose. You may have also noticed that rats lift up their tail when they urinate, if you gently lift up your rat's tail in the potty corner and say the word you chose, that will help her understand what you want it to learn. For a potty, you can either buy a litter box specially designed for rats or hamsters at your local pet store (or Petco.com), or you can get a tray for your rat to 'go in'. One method of cleaning is to thoroughly clean their cage every weak,but leave a little of the old bedding on the corner or the tray you want them to go in. That helps them signify what it's for. You can also use a different bedding where you want them to go, along with the other methods of potty training.

All of your questions are under Mar. 21. I hope they didn't come too late.

Different Breeds of Rats

There are many different breeds of rats, some might be more appealing to your eye. In this passage I'm going to show you some of the different kinds of rats.

The first kind of rat I'm going to show you is standard. The Standard variety of rat is what most people think of when they picture a rat. These rats have normal ears and tails (neither tailless nor dumbo), as well as short, even coats that lie flat and smooth.

Picture of a Standard rat.

Another common breed of rat is the Rex rat. Instead of a short, smooth coat, they have curls covering their bodies. There coats are thick and evenly curled all over. Even their whiskers are curled.

Picture of a Rex rat.

This next breed I have never seen, but I hope to some day. It is a Tailless breed of rat. Tailless rats are born completely without a tail. They often have a rounded rear, and a shorter, less racy body than their tailed counterparts.

Picture of Tailless rat.

Dwarf rats are a more common bred rat than the tailles rat. Dwarf rats are only 1/3 the size of a regular rat, so they are easier to take care of. I have a dwarf rat, but I'm not going to show her for this piticular breed of rat because she is also a dumbo rat. But if you would like to see pictures of her, see "My Rats". She is the black agouti rat. In this picture below it shows a standard rat compared to a dwarf rat. The dwarf rat is on the top of the photo.

Picture of a dwarf rat compared to a standard rat.

Another breed of rat, that I'm sure you've all heard of, is a dumbo rat. (I have a dumbo rat) The only thing that makes a rat a dumbo rat is their ears. What's different about their ears is that they're on the side of their head and sometimes slightly bigger.

Dumbo Rat

Dumbo Rat

My dumbo rat

A common breed of rat that some might like is the hairless rat. Hairless rats are... hairless. And a little bit harder to take care of. This is because their skin is more sensitive than other rats, so you have to keep a close eye on their skin and how it's doing.

Hairless Rat

These are just some of the different breeds of rats. I will have other breeds of rats on this post or a different post soon, so check back in on my blog sometime soon

30 Fascinating Facts

In this post there is 30 fascinating facts. Information provided by the magazine "Rats" from the article "30 Fascinating Facts" written by Kevin Schargen. But tweaked a little by me so its easier to understand. The facts are separated by classification in which the fact goes under. It may sound a little confusing, but you'll figure it out. The first category is:

Intelligence

1. Rats are capable of learning a bagful of tricks. With dedication (and the right treats), a rat can even learn to respond to its name, use an in cage litter box, and learn many tricks.

2. A 1998 behavioral study tested the effects of music on the intellective ability of the rat. Animals that were raised to the brain-building beats of Mozart performed experimental tasks better than those who were raised in a silent setting. ("Improved Maze Learning Through Early Music Exposure In Rats" Frances H. Rauscher, K. Desix Robinson and Jason J. Jens, Neurological Research, Vol. 20, July 1998, pp. 427-432.)

The next classification is:

Health & Handling

3. Respiratory disease is the most commonly encountered illness in pet rats. A bacterium called Mycoplasma pulmonis is the offending agent in many cases. (for more information on Mycoplasma see "Mycoplasma)

4. A high-ammonia environment (caused by poor cage-cleaning habits) and stress are major predisposing factors to respiratory disease.

5. If a rat is slobbering, it may be suffering from heat-stroke or a dental problem.

6. Rats sometimes produce "red tears." The fluid is alarmingly blood like in appearance, but it actually has a red pigment in it called porphyrin. Healthy rats may randomly give off this substance, but a persistent discharge may be a sign of sickness or stress.

7. Although wild rats can have dangerous organisms (like Yersinia pestis, the Bubonic plague-causing microbe), domestic rats tend to be free of such infectious agents. However, take routine precautions, such as hand-washing before and after touching your pet, to minimize the chance of spreading an illness to your pet or contracting one from it.

8. Rat urine and dandruff can cause allergies of both the skin and respiratory tract in humans. Concentrated ammonia in the air increases respiratory allergies, so regularly clean your rat's cage to prevent the buildup of this irritating gas.

9. Picking up a rat by its tail is not an acceptable means of transportation. With one hand securely positioned under the rodents chest, and the other hand cradling its hindquarters, the delicate rodent can be safely carried.

The next category is:

Physiology

10. Rats are short-lived: The average life span is about 2 1/2 years. (for other information on

how long rats live see "How long do Rats Live?"

11. A rat's hairless tail serves an important function: When the animal overheats, blood flow to

the tail increases, allowing heat to be released directly into the environment.

12. A rat lacks tonsils and a gall bladder.

13. The retina of a rat has very few cones (special receptors needed to perceive color); as a

result, rats have no color vision.

14. Rats, especially albinos (the rats that are completely white with red eyes), can't see very

well, but this handicap is offset by the animal's great sense of smell and sensitive whiskers.

15. Despite not having sharp vision, the rat is a good judge of distance. It is thus able to leap with

confidence and precision.

16. Unlike humans, rats are able to hear high-frequency noises in the ultrasonic range. Keep this in mind when moving your rat's cage, because certain high-pitched sounds - such as metal-to-

metal contact - may be acceptable to your ears, but extremely aggravating to your pet's ears.

17. A rat's muscular anatomy prevents it from ever vomiting, therefore, it is extremely important to eliminate all indigestible toxins - such as poisonous houseplants - from your pets

environment.

18. Rats have no thumbs, so don't ask the pet shop for a refund if you discover that your little friend has only eight fingers!

The next category is:

Reproduction

19. A rat as young as 5-weeks-old can become pregnant. But it is not healthy at all and your rat can die if it becomes pregnant that young.

20. The gestation period for a rat is only about three weeks.
Sorry, but that is all I have about reproduction.

The next category is:

Behavior

21. "Bruxing" (grinding of the teeth) is a form of rat communication that could mean your rat is relaxed - so if your rubbing behind its ear, it might "bruxe." However, it could mean your rat is stressed.

22. Rats have a strong digging instinct, so provide a generous amount of rodent-safe bedding, such as recycled paper litter, in its cage. (For recondmendations on food see "Recondmendations on Rat Supplies")

23. A rat that has been consistently and gently handled from a young age will rarely bite a human. But be cautious of older, poorly socialized rats, as they are more likely to nip.

24. Rats are nocturnal, (meaning they sleep in the day and are awake at night) but can adjust their schedule to their owner's time.

25. Although rats are often thought of as herbivores, they are indeed omnivores (consumers of both plant and animal matter). Therefore, do not allow your rat contact with small rodents, birds or a tank of prized Madagascan hissing cockroaches.

The next category is:

Radical Relatives

26. The rat's heftiest rodent relative is the South American capybara. An adult can weigh as much as a fully grown human!
These are pictures of capybaras.

27. Another intriguing relative is the gundi, a guinea pig-like rodent that goes through life without drinking any water. It gets all the moisture it needs from its diet and fat stores in its body.

The last category is:

Closing Trivia

28. Hundreds of rat species inhabit the Earth.

29. A "mischief" is the correct term for a collection of rats.

30. If you think your radiant rodent has what it takes, you can enter it into one of the many formal rat shows that take place each year.

Sorry, those 7 categories are all of the 30 facts. If you know some other facts, please write them in the comment box, and if there good I will put it on one of these posts.

Benefits of Having More Than one Rat

There are some benefits of having more than one rat. One of them is they clean each other. That is good because they will be less stinky and more clean. Also if one rat gets sick the other rat will take care of it. For example the healthy rat will bring the sick rat food, clean it more often, and maybe bring it something warm, like more bedding. Another benefit of having two rats is they will give each other attention, but it is still very important you hold them as much as you can every day. They will also keep each other warm and sleep together. But there are some disadvantages. You will have to buy more food and bedding because 2 rats equals twice as much waste. So you'll have to spend a little more money. But there are so many other things you will get to see, like two rats drinking from the bottle and rats bundled up in a ball all sleeping together. I'm sure you'll enjoy having two or more rats.

Grooming Your Rat and Bathing It

One way to keep your rat cleaner is brushing it. The best brush to use is a freshly opened, never used toothbrush. With that you can brush your rat gently. Washing your rat can be easy and it can be difficult. Some rats are calmer when it comes to water, and some don't even like there tail in the water. My two rats do not like water but some rats love water so much you can teach them how to swim. There is some things you will need to wash your rat. You will need a large size bowl (bigger than a cereal bowl) or a sink with no cleaning chemicals in it. You will also need baby shampoo, or cat shampoo, your brushing toothbrush, and a towel. First fill the bowl to no higher than your rats neck with warm water. Place the towel next to the bowl. Next dip your rat in the bowl, your rat may hate the water and scratch you. Try to relax your rat by rubbing behind its ears, or whatever relaxes it. After you get its whole body whet, but not its head, take him or her out of the bowl and stand it upright with its feet on the towel. After that, rub some soap on her. Make sure you rub the soap in good. Then stick him in the bowl again and rub the soap off, if you can, brush him with that never-used toothbrush to help get all of the soap off. When your sure its all off, dry her off with a new towel, make sure you get all of the water off. If you don't the rat could get cold and get pneumonia. You should do this every week or two. Never let your rat swim in your pool, the chemicals can be harmful! If anything, let him swim in your bath tub. Please be careful and make sure she knows how to swim!

Chattering of the Teeth - and other weird things

If you've noticed your rat kind of chattering its teeth or sort of grinding them, its nothing abnormal. When they do that its just sharpening their teeth, and making sure they don't over grow.
....................................................................................................................................
You might have also noticed a sort of red-crust around your rats eyes when they wake up when you come to visit them. That is nothing to worry about. Rats have a red pigment in their tears, so all that it is, is dried up tears. Nothing to worry about. If you don't like the way it looks, (I don't) just very gently rub them off.

Homemade treats

Homemade treats can be healthy and delicious, to your rat. Recently today I was thinking of a way to make something healthy for my rats. And there sitting on the table, was a jar peanut butter. I then looked at the label to see how healthy it was. On the Nutrition facts label it said that in every 2 tablespoons there was 3 grams of protein. It also said that peanut butter is high vitamin E. Remember vitamin E helps prevent Mycoplasmosis - to learn more go to my "Mycoplasmosis" article. - I also had craisins - dried cranberries - which are also very healthy. So I tried making healthy, rat, peanut butter cookies. First you get a cookie tray and put enough wax paper on top of it to cover the whole tray. Next place lots of flour on the tray. Then on top of the flour, place as much peanut butter as you want. Then sprinkle craisins on top. After that put more flour if needed, as much as the peanut butter can absorb. Put enough flour so its like cookie dough. After that make all the peanut butter in to little balls about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. Make sure there is a craisins in each cookie. After that take the wax paper out from under the cookies. Place them back on the cookie tray and stick them in the oven. Turn the oven to 350 degrees and let them bake for about 8 minutes. After that let them sit for about 30 minutes. See how your rats liked them, my rats loved them. Please feel free to tell me in the comment box how your rats liked them. You can also tell me any recipes that you made up that are good and healthy for your rats in the comment box.
The picture above, is a picture of my rat, LuLu, eating one of the peanut butter treats. She loves them.

(raisins will work just as well instead of craisins)

Answers to Your Questions From the Comment Box

This post is of any questions you asked in the comment box. So please feel free to ask more questions. I'll try to answer you back as soon as possible.


Question #1. Someone asked if that was my dog in the picture under the post, "Me and My Blog" to answer your question. Yes, that is my dog in the picture. In case you were wondering what kind of dog he is, he is a Bernese Mountain Dog. He ways 120 pounds and is named Rex. Here is the same picture:

Someone asked if I have heard of a rat living 7 years (130 human years). To answer your question, no, I haven't, and I don't think it is possible because I don't think a human has ever lived over 130 years. Although my last rat lived pretty long. She live to be about 2 and a half years old, maybe even longer. So she lived to be about 75 human years. The rat that lived that long was named Daisy and she is in the picture above on top of my dog's head. For more information on how long rats live compared to humans click on "How Long do Rats live - really cool" and that is under March 19.

Someone else asked a question in which I thought was very important. Someone asked, "what should i do to tell my kid that her rat is dying???????" That is a very important question because one of the hardest things to go through when having a rat is if they are dying. Especially if you have to tell it to a child. My last rat, Daisy, was getting old, she was about 2 and a half to 3. And she was going blind, losing her hearing, and had a huge tumor. I hated to see her like this. One day when I came home, I took her out of her cage, and wrapped her in a blanket so she'd stay warm, because I knew she was dying. She soon fell a sleep in my lap. After a little while she woke up, crawled up on my chest, had a seizure for only like 8 seconds, and right on my chest she died. In just 8 seconds. Hopefully that won't happen to your child. But there are some ways to tell your kid that their rat is dying. A good way to tell it to them is to say, "I'm very sorry but your rat is going through a tough time and is very sick and we will do every thing we can to try to make her better." Even if your almost positive your rat is going to die you still shouldn't tell them that, it won't make them feel better. Tell the child "you'll do everything you can to help." If death comes you should tell him or her, "Your rat lived a good and happy life and you took great care of him, but it was time for her to go. And in heaven she's not sick any more and in heaven she's living with lots of rats, and she's happier now." If your child's rat had tumors tell him or her, "Now she has no more tumors and she can walk a lot better now. I'm sure she wouldn't be any happier with another owner than she was with you. You took such great care of her" What I just told you to say shouldn't be the only thing you should say, these are just some ideas. I hope this advice didn't come to late I was very sick for 10 days, but now I'm better.

Thank-you for asking questions and leaving comments. Any other questions I'll try to answer as soon as possible!

Mycoplasmosis

Mycoplasmosis is the most common health problem seen in rats. Mycoplasmosis is basicly an infection that can turn into a respritory infetion. A rat can be infected with this without showing any symptoms. (To abreviate the infection mycoplasmosis I'm just going to call it MS.) But it eventually causes respritory disease in most infected rats. MS can also cause lung damage even if there haven't been any synptoms. MS is contagios and incurable in rats and mice. The severity of a MS infection is increased by cigarette smoke, ammonia from a dirty cage, genetic susceptibility, lack of vitamin A or E, or a concurrent respitory infection of another type. The first symptom of MS is sneezing that might go away then come back. Even if you don't hear sneezing you can look for the results of sneezing: red spatters on the walls or bedding. The red color comes from a pigment in rat tears that run down into the nose and are sneezed out. After several months the symptoms usually progress to wheezing. People sometimes mistake wheezing for "rat talking". Any noise made while breathing is wheezing. Wheezing can sound like grunting, squeaking, and sometimes like "monkey sounds." Eventually the lungs are damaged. The symtoms may then increase to respiratory distress. That causes rats to gasp through their mouths or dash about in panic when they can't get enough air. A rat with MS is usually active and eats normally throughout the progression of the disease. Treatment with antiboitics can be used when wheezing or other severe symptoms occur. Secondary bacterial infections can occur along with the MS infection and can result in an infection that has a more rapid onset of symptoms such as: lethargy, loss of appetite, runny eyes and nose, and labored breathing. But don't worry, its part of nature.

Tumors

Mammary tumors on rats are very common. Although male rats are less prone to tumors. The most common tumors are mammary and pituitary tumors. I'm not to sure what pituitary tumors are and I will research them, but as for now I just know about mammary tumors. My second rat was born at my house when I was watching over my friends rat. He let me keep one of the rats from the litter. Her name was Blizzy because she was a white albino rat that looked like a blizzard. Although in her older days she started to get tumors. She got 4 mammary tumors. Mammary tumors look like big-fatty lumps. You can get them cut off, but they have no affect on your rat. The best way to prevent girl rats from getting tumors is to get them spayed from three to four months of age. I recently read from one of my books on rats, that up to 70% of unspayed female rats get tumors in their lifetime, while only 4% of spayed rats get tumors. I have not gotten any of my rats spayed, because it costs money, and sometimes they will chew out their stitches. But if you get your rat spayed tell me how it worked out in the comment box and if I answered any of your questions on tumors. Please leave comments. No Email address required.

Healthy Snacks

Giving your rats just the peanut assertions from the pet store isn't the healthiest. Giving them your own healthy snack sometimes is better. About a few times a week it is healthy to give your rat fruits and vegetables, instead of rat food that day. But you have to be careful about what kinds of fruits and vegetables you give them. Never give them anything cooked or deep fried, it is to fattening and unhealthy. Its better to give them raw fruits and vegetables. Like broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, bananas, anything healthy. But there are somethings you should be more careful about, if you know that a certain fruit or vegetable has high acids that can upset the human stomach you probably shouldn't give that fruit or vegetable to your rat, like mangoes. Some rats also get upset stomachs easily, so if you have a rat and you try to give it a fruit and they get sick, make note of it and don't feed them that again. When rats are older they can get sick more easily, even an upset stomach can get real bad and lead to extreme sickness and even death when rats are adults. So also be careful of what you feed them. Carrots are also another good food. Rats also love uncooked pasta. Keep your rat healthy, and please leve comments. NO EMAIL ADDRESS REQUIRED!!!

How Long Do Rats Live? - Really Cool

I recently got this book about rats - the book is called Rats by, Debbi Ducommun - and it had a scale of equivalent aging schedule for rats compared to humans. On the scale it had this information:
Rat Age Human Age
5 weeks ................................ 10 years
6 months ................................ 16 years
9 months ................................ 25 years
1 year ................................. 35 years
1 1/2 years ............................. 50 years
2 years ................................ 65 years
3 years ................................ 85 years
4 years ................................ 100 years
5 years ................................ 110 years
6 years ................................ 120 years
7 years ................................ 130 years

I thought this chart was very cool to see and I thought you might want to see it.

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. No Email address required.

Recommendations on rat supplies.

In case you were wondering what kind of food and bedding I use , for I have found what I think works the best. I get all of my supplies at Pet Co but you can probably find them at your local pet store. For bedding I have found a bedding that has the best odor control. It is also brown so their waste isn't so obvious which is good for when guests are over. The bedding is called Green Pet Aspen Supreme Pellets Pet and Bird All Natural Litter/Bedding. You can look for it at the pet store - the package has a picture of birds, a rabbit, a ferret, and a couple other pictures of small animals on it. If you go to PetCo.com you can order it very easily from there for a cheaper price. At the bottom of this passage there is a link to PetCo.com. The food I use also should be at PetCo, PetCo.com, or your local pet store. It is called Kaytee Fiesta Fortified Gourmet Food For Mice and Rats. On the package is a green background, a picture of a sunflower, and a picture of a mouse and a rat. Packaging covers may change through time. Once again on PetCo.com there is usually discounts, at the bottom of this passage there is a link to PetCo.com.

http://petco.com

What to do when I get home right away.

Once you get home with your new rat it will probably be scared. Right when you get home put the rat in a quiet room, in its cage. If you don't do this it will be harder to build a relationship with your rat and it will probably be scared of you for a long time. Leave it in the cage for 45 minutes to an hour by itself, in its cage, in a quiet room. The longer you leave it in there the better it is. After that time you may carefully take him or her out. Be very quiet and stay away from place it might be tempted to run under. Every time I get a new rat I take it in the bath tub with no water or soap in it. With the drain plugged. I also gave it an easy-access hiding place, such as a tissue box and a toilet paper tube. If you do this your rat can't run away and it will be easier for the rat to get used to you. If you do all of this your rat will build a better relationship with you. Feel free to click on the you tube videos. Please fill out the survey, no Email address required.

Picking the Right Rat for You

Picking the right rat is also important. Rats have many different personalities. Some are more curious, while some are kind of lazy. You can get a rat from a pet store or you can get them from a rat breeder. I got 3 of mine from a pet store. But just recently I got 2 from a breeder. Breeders have more types of rats while pet stores may have 1 or 2 different kinds of rats. Girl rats have more energy and are usually more curios than boys. DO NOT GET A BOY AND A GIRL RAT, THEY WILL BREED, unless you want them to. I suggest that you do some research before breeding rats. One test that almost always works for finding the right rat is if you hold out your hand on the bottom of the cage. And the rat that goes on your hand is probably a good rat to think of buying. Pick a rat that you'll never get tired of. Do you want a curios one, a sweet one, or one that just sits there, but loves to be held. Before you buy the rat you like, make sure it is healthy, is it active, does it have all of its hair. If you follow these tips I'm sure you'll pick out the perfect rat. PLEASE RIGHT COMMENTS SO I CAN IMPROVE MY BLOG. NO EMAIL ADDRESS REQUIRED

Should I get a rat? What are the requirements?

One of the most important things you need to know is if you should buy a rat. To have a nice, friendly, healthy rat you need to have some spare time. After you buy a rat you will need to hold it 15 - 30 minutes a day at the least. But before you get a rat you need some things, and will need to be responsible. Depending on what kind of bedding you use you need to clean the cage once every week or two - that takes about thirty minutes. Which means you'll need a little spare money. The bedding lasts about 6 weeks for ten pounds - but I have a big cage, so it will probably last 2 months for a normal cage - and for ten pounds of what I use it costs $8.99. For food you will have to see how much it costs because every rat eats a different amount. But I'd say two pounds will last about 2 months, 2 pounds costs about 8 dollars. Another thing you need to get is a rat cage which for one rat can be from $50 all the way to $100. So as you can see you will need some money and supplies before you get a rat. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF THIS SUPPLIES BEFORE YOU GET A RAT.

Me and My Blog

Rats are great pets to have, but there are some things you need to know to take care of them. I have had many rats. I got my first rat when I was just six. Since then I have gotten many books about rats and have done much research to help my rats be healthier and live longer. Rats are great pets to have and never bite. I have never been bitten by any of my rats and only licked. Although hamsters bite. If you would like to learn lots about rats and how to take care of them,my blog has very good and precise information. Right now I do not have very much information, but very soon I will have a lot mor information. Please post comments so I can improve my blog, no email address required!

This is a picture of my third rat - Daisy - on top of my dog's head - Rex