# Need rat paw prints or help getting them



## Kisbell17 (Mar 12, 2016)

I am wanting to get a tattoo with a quote and paw prints of the animals closest to my heart and I was wondering if anyone has pictures of their rats paws or know of any safe ways I can get prints from my own rats thanks for any help!


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## jlhummel (Oct 23, 2014)

I'm not an expert but there are a lot of different edible non-toxic food paint/dyes. If you aren't opposed to a little cleanup afterward I would think you could cover your table or the floor with paper, dip their little feet in it and then encourage them to play!

Sugar, salt, cornstarch, food coloring, water - http://www.inhabitots.com/how-to-make-non-toxic-finger-paint-for-creative-kids/
Flour, oil, food coloring - http://www.learnplayimagine.com/2014/02/rainbow-flour-paint-recipe.html
Flour, water, food coloring - http://theimaginationtree.com/2011/03/homemade-edible-finger-paint-recipe.html

You could also add food coloring to yogurt but mine would probably just try to sit and eat it all. They love yogurt.


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## smoteymote (May 28, 2016)

Seconding what jlhummel said! We used to do this with our hamsters and with our cats! Lots of fun but it does make a mess!


You can make a little playpen out of those trifold posterboards duct taped together and maybe use that to contain some of it if you don't have a good area that can handle a bit of dye. (My old bathroom had grout that soaked up dye like crazy. New place is lino tiles and would work fine).


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## Nieve5552 (May 20, 2014)

You can very easily get rat pawprints from google images  https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=r...xpTNAhWBpZQKHZj5ASoQ_AUIBygB&biw=1280&bih=637


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

That would defeat the whole purpose of getting the tattoo though. They want to memorialize their rats.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I made a paw print plaque of my babies. 2 have passed and 3 are still with me (will be 3 next month!) and I made a special single set of my heart rat who is one of the ones who passed. So now I have a little plaue I can keep forever with their imprints on it, and no dye or anything to worry about on their feet. 

I also want to get a tattoo or scarification of my hear rat's prints sometime soon, I just want to make sure I have the placement and artist fit perfectly, and I'm still decididing on where to put it and what design and little embelishments to represent her children who I kept (she was a pregnant pet store girl).

So, to get the clean prints, I'm using the plaques I made. They're hardened and dry. I imprint gently but firmly to fill all the cracks with something like Sculpey clay to get the 3D version of the little foot. I then bake that clay or keep it raw (whichever) and press the paw into an inkpad and basically use it as a stamp. This way you get the exact little foot print without the rats smearing it it or eating the ink, or wiggling and being super difficult while trying to get them to hold still and press their feet cleanly onto paper.

I hope that helps! Please post a picture of the tattoo when it's completed, I'm so excited for you!! I can't wait to be satisfied with my design so I can get mine!


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## Kisbell17 (Mar 12, 2016)

Thank you all!!! I've never thought of any of those things! I got some pictures off Google for back ups but I'd love for them to be off my babies!


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## Nieve5552 (May 20, 2014)

Fu-Inle said:


> That would defeat the whole purpose of getting the tattoo though. They want to memorialize their rats.


So would getting paw pictures of other people's rats, which is what the original poster also asked for...

I've personally tried inking my rats paws and imprinting on nice paper.. they wriggles so much and it smeared everywhere and just didnt work. 
An idea is using a footprint tunnel (used for pest monitoring). You make a cardboard tunnel, put a piece of paper at the bottom, put some rat-safe ink on both ends and coax a rat to enter. The feet should pick up the ink during entry and prints made on the piece of paper.


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