# New Ratgirls...Updated - History of the Wildthings incl.



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

My newest 6 ratkids came today. A friend had run into some trouble and had to rehome a few of her rats. I offered to take the 4 Wildthings and 2 older girls. They have just arrived and are settling in now.

I treated them with Revolution (as all newcomers to my home) and of course took the requisite pics. It looks like teh Wildthing girls are identical to Teya. 8O Sooo 5 quick, skitty agouti girls who look alike. Looks like I will be investing in my own coloured Sharpies. :lol: 
I plan on introducing my Wildthings group to this one. Soo it will be 5 little Wildgirls, 2 neutered Wildboys, 2 friendly Bronling boys, the Wildthings mom Rennie, and the 2 old hoodie girls.  Reintroduce the family and extended family. 

Soo meet the newbies.

Here is Shadow the 2 year plus black hoodie with _one_ of the Wildgirls :roll:








Shadow checks things out








"Whats up there Shadow??"








A Wildgirl in the corner








And here she is after enduring cheek and side stroking :-\








Sweet old Maddy (now thats butt sitting splayed feet behaviour)









Soo I took out the older girls for a better photoshoot...








Maddy dived into the baby cereal 
















Shadow's belly...Oooh i wanna kiss it!!








Shadow got a bit anxious...she started making distressed noises and moving around a little frantic. She calmed once I let her onto my shoulder or stroked her gently. I think this lovely old girl is a bit confused and very sensitive. She's wonderful. :heart: They all are!
Shadow comes over and says Hi








"Are you my new mommy?"


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

Oh my gosh! That last picture is way too cute!!!


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

She is cutie isn't she? 

Well the Wildgirls (not named cutely but accurately since they are either 1/4 to 1/2 wild rat in genetics) calmed down after their 4 hour car ride and change in homes. Offering them something yummy helped too. 










Wildgirls top and bottom








Wildthing tongue 








Shadow joins in








"Bring those fingers back here!"


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

I feel dumb, what do you mean by Wildthing?

They all are ADORABLE D:

[edit] you answered while I asked XD Nevermind


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

Do you think the wild genetics makes them healthier in general since they aren't as decended from lab rats?


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

Wow, there gorgeous. How did you find wild rats to breed?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

It wasn't an on -purpose breeding at all. We had had this debate awhile ago about introducing wild rat genetics to see if it would improve things. The consensus is that it would be disastrous. The wild rat has a very short lifespan, and never makes it to 1 1/2 years old or 2 years to see if respiratory or tumours afflicts them the same way. I think a long life for the average wild rat is 1 year. We started with wild rats a long time ago, and kept breeding the most friendly/docile...so why would we want to introduce it back into the domestic lines?

Here is the history of the Wildthings.

A woman posted on another forum that there were pet rats loose in her backyard in Ottawa. I PM'd her and gave her advice since I am in Toronto. She ended up catching the young girl who ended up giving birth to 10 babies. The other rat the young male was in bad shape. Both he and the little Rennie mom, had warbles. (see bot fly larvae infestation). I sent her money to get Rennie taken to the vet. Then she caught the boy, but he was truly wild. So we are not sure if he was the 1/2 wild rat or he was a completely wild rat that found the young domestic female and impregnated her.
Here is Rennie with her litter








This is Hobo the dad while he was still loose

















I sent money for him to go to the vet as well but this poor boy was frightened whereas our lil domestic girl was sweet.
Hobo went to a wonderful experience rathome and from what I hear has not changed one bit.  He is not handleable.

These rats made it to me eventually with a wonderful friend of mine fostering the younguns for awhile until they were weaned. Her mom took 3 boys, and 4 girls went to the woman whom had to rehome her rats just now. I kept the mom, 2 boys (neutered now) and Teya my Wildgirl.
They are totally different than a domestic, you should see their ears move like bats, and they are fast, and jump in the air like no rat I have ever seen. They are trying so hard but you are trying to work against a lot of instincts.

They are beautiful though.


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

Wow i find this really interesting-keep us updated


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

that's so wierd! my jackson looks so much like your wild boy hobo! please keep us updated this is extremely fascinating!


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## Wench (Apr 5, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

That is really fascinating. I would love love love the opportunity to raise a (half?)wild rat from a kitten. Please keep us udpated.

Your wildgirls, is that sort of lightish brown true agouti? I tell everyone my Doris is an agouti but she is very dark and I've had people tell me she is a black.


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

I was wondering-if the male was wild why is he being kept now?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *



ladylady said:


> I was wondering-if the male was wild why is he being kept now?


This is where we are not sure of the facts. There is no way he is a domestic rat, but is he completely wild? When he was captured he had 5 botfly larvae removed from him, and seemed interested in people but absolutely terrified of them. The woman who had him was a wonderful older lady that knew nothing of rats. A friend of mine was going to be in Ottawa and she picked up Rennie, her ten 3-week old babies and Hobo. She had them all for a week or so. Then they came down to Toronto and vicinity where the transporter took Hobo home. We are not sure if he was an inept wild rat, since he was not surviving well at all or if he was the one partially wild. Hobo would've died out there if we had left him, and once he came back I lost touch with his owner. I have heard that he is completely unhandleable and even though it took months and months to get my little partially wild family to trust me a bit, he never ever came around. I have no say in his future, and I never even met him. 
Poor Hobo, if I had known more I might've said to leave him alone. He sure didn't act like a wild rat when he was loose. Running around during the day out in the open, approaching humans for food, the way he moved, etc. Sadly we only had written reports and even the vet who saw him said he was a domestic.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *



Wench said:


> That is really fascinating. I would love love love the opportunity to raise a (half?)wild rat from a kitten. Please keep us udpated.
> 
> Your wildgirls, is that sort of lightish brown true agouti? I tell everyone my Doris is an agouti but she is very dark and I've had people tell me she is a black.


Agouti's can come very light or very dark there's even cinnamon agouti, or blue agouti. Its a ticked shade, meaning the hair shaft has 3 colours on it. Its the original wild Norway rat colour.

Actually it has not been fun in the least, I would shelve that wish if you can.  I just found out that one of new Wildthings has escaped her cage...sigh. She has no clue who I am, so won't come near me, so I will have to pull out the Havahart trap.  Sigh. I guess I am cage building today...
I had the boys neutered since I have girls here and that was fine, but all the little girls will never be spayed or be able to see a vet. There's no way of holding them ever. I can hold all of them for a short time but there's a cutoff point in their heads (usually 30 seconds where they feel restrained and start to panic). Beni the smallest boy is my love of them all. He will lie in my lap and get strokes, and he's on baytril right now for a neuter abscess and he's so good about taking his meds. But even he has his moments.
I have only been bitten twice, they are usually just trying to get away then biting. The first bite, Ortiz the big neutered male was living behind my TV stand for 3 days and I put my hand back there. I usually watch all my rats bodylanguage carefully but silly me. He must've felt trapped and chomp. Teya my little girl got loose and was on top of Mothra the toe and tail Amputator's cage. I grabbed her since she wouldn't get off and she bit me on the side of the hand, she thought I was Moth trying to kill her.

I have had to use Hav-A-Hart traps to catch Ortiz and Teya a few times now, and often they escape for a couple of days.

All of the 10 Wildthings are exactly the same...they are identical in looks and behaviours.
They are frustrating since they are 8 months old and they don't progress with socialization. I love them all, but I sure wouldn't want to do it again, if I had a choice.
This is where Hobo and Rennie were living








Here are the babies








2ish weeks








4 weeks at their foster home








baby boy 5 weeks (just home with me)
















Baby girl Teya at 5 weeks








Teya at 7 months








Beni in my lap








Ortiz and Beni


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: New Ratgirls...4 more Wildthings and 2 older girls *

Yay, the loose little girl Sophie has been caught!!!

She approached her travel cage








Caught!








They are now in my own version of a Martin's R-685.


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