# chewing help plez



## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

i just adopted a lil three month old dumbo from my local petco...u love her so much her name is lena lyn. she just has one problem....she chews constantly. she will chew her hamik she chews her cage bars at night and wakes me up and she will chew my bra strap and clothes when she is on my should..... wht can i do????

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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Some babies are just chewers! Try taking out the stuff in her cage that you don't want her to chew. Then put in toys and cardboard boxes that is ok for her to chew on. Usually things that are made for birds are safe enough for rats. Avoid plastic though! Some wood toys, and things that are made out of grass, hay, or willow should be just fine too. Give her the cardboard box, like a tissue box, to sleep in, and she will probably chew on that too. She may just be bored and going crazy from it, so she finds things to do.

For the cagebar chewing (one of my personal pet peeves, my rabbits do it a lot), Try getting a little spray bottle and give her a little spritz and say NO. Some people dont' like using spray bottles as punishment though, so it's up to you. But it's good for startling them and they will stop and hopefully will associate the feeling with chewing the bars and won't do it anymore. Or if you dont want to do water, maybe a little boop on the nose, or blow a little air on thier face will work.

Does she only chew on the straps of the hammock? You can try using paper clips for the straps instead, that way she can't chew them.

She is very cute! Congrats! Does she have any friends to live with?


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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

i have a big male who doesnt like her too much hes getting use to her though hes one and a half...but other thn that no... she is so sweet though.

i have a cardborad tunnel that i bought for her but she wont chew on that... she flips her food dish over and chews on it instead. she will also chew on my braclets and my shirt and even my phone...she likes to try and text on my phone when i am messaging my friends... she is a kisser and a squeeker... my male has just started to kiss me and he has never made a sound unless i up set him.

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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

but how can i get her to stop chewing on my clothes???

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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Is your male fixed? I would be very careful with them and not let them together since she is probably old enough now to get pregnant. They can get pregnant at about 5 weeks old only, sometimes sooner, sometimes later. I would use this as an excuse to either get your boy neutered or get a second girl to stay with your new baby  (just of course don't let the boys and girls together ever if you have both genders xD)

My girls don't like food bowls either. They would flip them over too, or would take all the food out immediately and stash it somewhere else. I bought a basket for them. You can find them pretty easily at most hobby stores or thrift shops. Just make sure to get the kind that doesn' have a shiny coating on it. Try to find an untreated basket. But I tied that inside their cage and they sleep in it sometimes and I use it as a food bowl now and fill it with their kibbles. It seems to work well as a chew toy too! You can try something like that maybe?

As for the clothes, I don't know  I'm a bit messy so I kinda keep most of my clothes in a pile at the foot of my bed haha. They climb on them and burrow a little, but don't chew luckily. If you're like me, you might have to start putting yours in a box or in the closet or something if she doesn't stop. I'm not sure what else to do to deter her from nibbling those! Maybe if she does it while you're wearing the clothes you could rub some spicy sauce on the areas she chews? Though I know some rats love spicy food, so I guess you should just try it and see if it works. Maybe she'll instead think you're just marinating your clothes to be even more tasty haha.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

addon: oh I just reread it and saw that she is 3 months old now. She is definitely old enough to have babies!  She is so cute. But with that little white dot on her head, it might indicate that she is a high white, so be careful with having babies. I could be wrong about her being high white though. I adopted a pregnant high white girl (in my picture on the left) and 2 of her surviving babies have Megacolon now because of the high white gene. I wouldn't want you to go through that, it's not fun. I can only handle it because I'm a full time student and not working, so I'm able to be home more often to take care of them. They need to be helped to poop every couple hours, fed special foods, and get kinda expensive prescription medications twice a day for both of them just to keep them happy and "normal". They will probably only live to be a few months old too. There's a lot of information online about high white rats and megacolon. If you were thinking about breeding, I would read a lot about it first! 

Also, there's this spray that people use for puppies called "bitter apple" or "bitter yuck". There's a few brands, but I'm sure your petstore will have one. Some people say it works, but my rats and rabbits all think it's very tasty and just lick it off whatever I put it on. lol


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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

what is the high white gene? and no i wasnt thinking about breeding the two as of rite now... he is twice her size...he weighs bout a half a pound to a pound and a half...hes huge lol but hes my teddy bear. thts him in my profile pic and who this account is named after... it isnt even her size i dont want to risk her and my vet doesnt neuter rats.

but i do have my clothes like that i just dont let them run on tue floor without supervision or at all really because i have three cats in the house. two are proven micers.... the third shows way too much intrest in lil lena. 

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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

High white gene is what gives rats certain color patterns and physical characteristics. My rat Bijou and all her babies were high whites unfortunately. You can click on my profile to see pictures. Blazes, white spot on head, high sided berkshires, white colored with spots, black eyed white, odd eyed (one red, one ruby eye) are just a few of those special and pretty colors. You'd really have to google and look it up yourself to learn more since I'm not an expert. In the US, the HW gene is linked very closely to megacolon, which is painful and fatal if not caught early to treat. In which case, you'll buy the babies maybe an extra couple months, but they will need special food multiple times a day, help pooping every 2 hours or so, tummy rubs to move the bowels and then gently squeeze out the poop (This can be painful for the baby rat, and even if you're willing to do the work, it's not worth it for the baby), they will need a special kind of safe vegetable laxative, stool softeners, and a prescription medication prokinetic called Cisapride to *maybe* help the gut move, you'll need to buy supplies and perform enemas when they seem to get more blocked, this all adds up $$$$-wise, and it will only help the baby live a few extra months if you're lucky before it has to be put down to prevent suffering. it is a very bad and could be painful condition for the little babies to suffer through. essentially from what I've learned, megacolon is when the colon is partially or fully paralyzed and can't move the poop out anymore. The colon can also become inflamed or die and can poison the baby from the inside out. It's no good 

I'm so glad I found this forum after I adopted Bijou. I asked some questions and posted pictures about her and her pregnancy and I was told she was a High White rat and that her babies could have Megacolon. I did as much research as I possibly could, I talked to a few vets and the famous "rat lady" Debbie gave me some suggestions too, and 2 of her babies have it. They've had it since they started eating solid foods and I noticed the signs when they were 2 weeks old. I've been giving them special care every day since then, they are 3 months old now and their condition will never get better.

It sounds like you're thinking about breeding in the future maybe or you even let them play together now? I would really really NOT recommend it. If you let a boy and a girl out together at the same time, they can mate in a second without you even noticing almost. I've heard that boys are very quick and tricky. Or at least do some research and maybe get a different female to have the babies. There's so much stuff to consider for planned (or unplanned) breedings and looking for homes and vet care and all that mess. What it boils down to though is what's best for the babies?

here's one link, and you should look at the pictures too that show megacolon (it's a little gruesome in some) but it's very informative and taught me a lot. http://ratguide.com/health/digestive/megacolon.php
There's more links online, just google and you should find a few good resources like I've used. Good luck!

for the shirt thing, maybe try to hot sauce or bitter apple? I have no idea xD sometimes they like those even though they're supposed to make them stop chewing!


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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

no i had breeding in mind whn i purchased her but i have changed my mind completely. my male is getting over bumble foot and idk if thats a life long handy cap or not....

but u dont think that i would be able to handle if one or all of her kitts died and espeically if she did...as i saidi dont want to risk her and there are plenty of rats already out there.

as fir them being out together, he tryes to bite her and he takes a very aggrsive stance when he smells or sees her...ive had her for a bout three to four weeks and i have only had them in close procimity twice both resulted in seperation due to his aggression 

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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

also she is sneezing but its only like twice or so whn i have her out could that be allergies? andy was doing this for a short time whn i got him and he will sneeze every now and then whn i have him in a walk with me... she does not have any boogies eyes or nose and is very active and healthy.... could she have them? 

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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

If you want babies though, you should look around for shelters in your area and you can see if they ahve any pregnant rats you can foster. Baby rats are fun and it's nice to see them grow up, but finding homes is very difficult (ask Nanashi7 whose rat had 14 babies!!), and there are a couple rat breeders on this forum who have had many litters, and I've read that they haven't yet had a litter where all the babies survived. There are always usually one or more that die. Bijou had 11 babies, but 3 of them died. One was born aready dead. Plus these 2 special needs babies that won't have a lot of time. Debbie the Rat Lady told me her oldest megacolon rat lived to be 9 months old, which is pretty old for an early-onset megacolon case I think. I really hope they can keep going that long! Theyre really sweet rats and it makes me so sad to know they are sick and won't live much longer probably.. But I'm really hoping!!!

You can also try going to a few petshops to ask if they ahve any pregnant rats or are planning on breeding. You can also check craigslist, there are lots of people who aren't careful who suddenly have a pregnant rat or two and then they want to get rid of them because they don't want to take care of the babies. It's sad, but you can maybe find a girl that needs a good home! Maybe you can adopt a pregnant rat like I did!

Sorry, this thread has gone a bit off topic, hasn't it? ^ ^;;


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Was it bijous litter that had the potato babies? That story made me cry

You could also rescue some little squirmies from the feeder pinkies, there was a user on here who did that and the little dear is so cute (named toast, not voltages toast, the little toast) 

For chewing is say just redirect it with toys, finger traps are cool because the rats an just shred them to bits an have a gran ole time


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Yeah it was Bijou's that had the little potato babies  There was the one stillborn, and then the 2 deformed little potato babies that died.

As for the sneezies, it might just be the new home sneezes and she will probably stop in a few days. But if she starts kinda wheezing or making weird noises, it might be an actual URI that you would have to take care of later. Either by getting an OTC antibiotic like amoxycillin, or taking her to the vet. (Don't let the vet give you baytril though, it's bad for babies under 4 months, but fine once she's older). But it's most likely the new home snuffles


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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

Grawrisher said:


> Was it bijous litter that had the potato babies? That story made me cry
> 
> You could also rescue some little squirmies from the feeder pinkies, there was a user on here who did that and the little dear is so cute (named toast, not voltages toast, the little toast)
> 
> ...


That would be phantom's little guy.
Oh my gosh he is just precious. I hope she posts more pictures of him sometime.
One day there will be an army of Toast

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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

finbinits kewl lol i just wantef help with her thats all and i thank you so much for all of it . i hope so too tht ur babies make it that long.

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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

Finnebon said:


> Yeah it was Bijou's that had the little potato babies  There was the one stillborn, and then the 2 deformed little potato babies that died.
> 
> As for the sneezies, it might just be the new home sneezes and she will probably stop in a few days. But if she starts kinda wheezing or making weird noises, it might be an actual URI that you would have to take care of later. Either by getting an OTC antibiotic like amoxycillin, or taking her to the vet. (Don't let the vet give you baytril though, it's bad for babies under 4 months, but fine once she's older). But it's most likely the new home snuffles


my male has an uri plus his bumble foot. i got so scared bc i already had another male who had died from one... but her she will like squeek a little whn she is sniffing and shes just vocal its soo cute. and finnebon im srry about getting your name wrong in my last post.

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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

what is a potato baby?

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Andypan said:


> what is a potato baby?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


There were two babies with partially missin limbs so everyone kind of took to calling them potatoes....


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Voltage said:


> That would be phantom's little guy.
> Oh my gosh he is just precious. I hope she posts more pictures of him sometime.
> One day there will be an army of Toast
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I know he's so cute!!!!! I love the picture you made if big toast and little toast


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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

Grawrisher said:


> I know he's so cute!!!!! I love the picture you made if big toast and little toast
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


??? lol

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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

ive been following batman and her two females and their babies they are soooo cute omg but idk if i could do that plus my family would kill me lol

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

Andypan said:


> ??? lol
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I drew a picture of my Toast teaching little Toast that the world was his to poop on.
Rat forum doesn't let me post pictures anymore otherwise I would show you.
I'm always making poop jokes about my little Toast.

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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

lol ok awesome i bet its really kewl lol...i draw as well but i domt draw too many of my littles

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Voltage said:


> I drew a picture of my Toast teaching little Toast that the world was his to poop on.
> Rat forum doesn't let me post pictures anymore otherwise I would show you.
> I'm always making poop jokes about my little Toast.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'm having the same problem with pictures, it's really annoying because I keep finding threads where people have similar cages and wanna see ways to decorate it 

Anyway little toast is adorable and if you have nothing to do AT ALL for the next 5 weeks I'm betting that raising a pinky would be very rewarding and would result in a very bonded rat


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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

well im currently a college student and i have two jobs so i kinda dont have too much time on my hands....i am just barly able to work with lena and andy is gettn jelly bc im trying to get lena as sweet as he is with people...but whn i boight her she was very good with people. she kisses everyone when she meets them. and im working more towards shoulder training her and getting her to come whn she is called.. so far so good.

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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

also ive been seeing alot about the imersion technique wht is that? is it sort of a socializtion thing or what and how do u do it?

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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Lol Finbinits is a cute name too though xD I agree, the double Toast is awesome. Both of them are so cute!

Here's a link to my thread when I joined the forum. You can read about my experiences and what happened when Bijou had her litter and I have almost daily updates on the growth of the babies for the first few weeks. You can read about the little potato babies here too. http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?89473-Bijou-is-having-her-babies-HELP-deformities-in-babies


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## Andypan (Aug 27, 2012)

also ive been seeing alot about the imersion technique wht is that? is it sort of a socializtion thing or what and how do u do it? 

and yeah ill check that out lol

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Immersion is the best!!!!! Do it do it so it do it......it's a sort of socialization technique that was taugh to rat daddy by fuzzy rat (the true shoulder rat) it based on how rats add rats to their pack, there's a thread about it in the stickies in behavior


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