# Humane Society adoptee age guessing time!



## Kat27 (Dec 20, 2010)

Hey guys!

Happy Easter/ Bunny Day 

I will be getting a new rat from the humane society tomorrow. The reason I chose to adopt and take a chance on health/ age and background is because the only type of breeders around here are feeder breeders. As there is alot of reptile breeders in my region. I got lucky and bought my 5 month old Siamese from a neighbour who has since moved. So I searched around at my local Humane Societys and found this little gem, Stuffer. 

I will probably be changing her name lol.

Anyways, I was just wondering if basing on these pictures if anyone could help me ' guess' her age and just out of curiosity her colour. 

I got her for the sole purpose of after quarantine moving her in with my rat Gizmo- who as like I said, is 5months old right now. 

Thanks for the help!



















There is one more picture on this site here, but it won't let me post the pic.

http://www.nfhs.ca/adoptions_expand.php?key1=Stuffer4199#


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## Jekka08 (Apr 24, 2011)

Awww, what a cutie... 
I'm pretty sure she's a mink berkshire like my girl

http://bettynetch.deviantart.com/gallery/26043449#/d31yzcv 

(It might be a bit dark)

as for her age... it's pretty impossible to tell with rats, she looks quite healthy which makes it more difficult. Sorry for not being able to help you , I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will come along and be a little more helpful. Anyways I wish you good luck with your new rattie and hope she makes a nice friend for Gizmo .


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

She's very cute! Its hard to tell from those pics since there's nothing to reference her to, so I shall wait until you get her home. I don't think NFHS is open tomorrow (Easter Monday) and their adoption hours are just wretched for the average person.

Congrats and I Hope you get her home on Tues


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Cutie!

I can't tell either BUT the only useless help I can give is she is clearly older then 6 weeks xD Since she has no baby fuzz and no baby face.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Did you manage to get her? ;D


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Any word on Stuffer? I had a friend who was interested in her, but since you posted you were going to get her, I told them to hold off, since you wanted her first. But...if you aren't wanting her anymore?...


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## Kat27 (Dec 20, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies everyone 




lilspaz68 said:


> Any word on Stuffer? I had a friend who was interested in her, but since you posted you were going to get her, I told them to hold off, since you wanted her first. But...if you aren't wanting her anymore?...


I do really want her, just had some family issues come up the past few days and haven't made it down to the Humane Society to go and get her. I'm hoping to go and get her soon. I am stunned that by posting on here, someone else would want her as well. Glad to see she's a popular one. But I am excited to get her and hopefully tomorrow I will get her.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Actually they were setting up a transport to get her, but when I saw your post and saw Stuffer, I told them to hold off. There's a ton of sweet homeless girls everywhere, and Kim is fine with getting one of them instead 

I hope things work out and you get her soon


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## Kat27 (Dec 20, 2010)

Stuffer is home! ;D

When I got there, the staff worker told me to go in and have a visit with her and spend some time before deciding to adopt her. He said he had spent alot of time with her in the month and a half she had been there. He sticks his hand in the cage and she will run right up and sit on his shoulder. However he went on to say that she had bit someone a few days ago, so he wanted to make sure I was okay with her before getting her. I sat and visited her for a few minutes before realizing she was a big sweetheart! She lives in a standard rabbit cage, and her bedding was a handful of assorted things like paper towels, paper towel rolls and tim hortons cups and ceder bedding. Which she had all 'stuffed' inside her igloo. Took a bit of sweet talking on my part to get her out of the igloo, but she greets you at the cage door and lets you pet her. She did the same with me as she did the worker, as soon as you open the cage she comes out for a visit. She sniffs an awful lot and sneezed often between that visit and now that I've brought her home. However her eyes and ears are clear, I checked her all out and she looks perfectly healthy. She does have a 1 cm length scratch on her back but they have treated it with cream and it has started to heal and looks great.

I was surprised with how big she is, her pictures slimmed her out a little bit lol. I have no idea at all how old she is now after seeing her or handling her, but when I hold Gizmo, I can barely feel her weight. Stuffer.. well, she's a hanful and a half. I'll weigh her sometime soon and post pictures for everyone to see. I'd like give her some time to adjust and I will be following the Quarantine Rules, not to worry. 

The only concern I have right now, is the size difference between Stuffer and Gizmo as there is a huge difference.

Oh, before I forget. A tad bit of background info I have on Stuffer. She was actually found in a dumpster at Shoppers Drug Mart ( a pharmacy). Someone thought she was a regular street rat and dumped her there, a staff worker was doing garbage and found her, she was very friendly to them and they called the humane society. It's quite sad, and a crazy story. I can't believe the rat I was just sitting holding and visiting was treated that way. I'd like to pay a visit to that Shoppers and say thanks to them for finding her.


I


lilspaz68 said:


> Actually they were setting up a transport to get her, but when I saw your post and saw Stuffer, I told them to hold off. There's a ton of sweet homeless girls everywhere, and Kim is fine with getting one of them instead
> 
> I hope things work out and you get her soon


Thank you SO much for telling your friend to hold off on getting Stuffer. It means so much to me, I felt bad having to wait a week before getting her, but between some nasty flu bugs flying around and finding time to make the drive out there it took awhile. Make sure you tell your friend thank-you for me!


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

the sneezing may continue now that you have her home, but if they become really wet or congested she will need a vet for a possible URI. Poor little love, I have heard and seen such atrocities done to our pet rats...glad that they found her and took her in 

I will let Kim know


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## Kat27 (Dec 20, 2010)

Update time!

Stuffer ( new name Winkie) has adjusted well in her new home. Funny, I originally adopted her with the intention of using her as a cage mate for my 5 month old wild child Gizmo. As stated in my other thread in the " Rat Homes" section, Gizmo refuses to sleep in any type of bed- she'd rather attack them. Well, Miss Winkie LOVES her bed, and spends most of her time sprawled out in her bed like a total diva. 

My concern with her is the loud wheezing sound she's making and has made since I brought her home. I can't really describe the noise it is, other then I had a rabbit who had asthma and constantly made a loud wheezing sound and sneezed about 10 times in a 5 minute span. Now all these years later, I have a rat who is doing the *exact *same thing. If you plugged your ears and didn't hear the noise, she would appear to be in perfect health. Nothing has changed, her eyes are clear, there is no wetness, completely dry and her colour is great and she is super active and friendly. Mind you, I'm use to having very hyper Gizmo, so Miss Winkie is more sub dude and laid back, she actually sits still and lets you pet her, she'll lay on your lap and enjoy any attention your willing to give her, but in her cage she's quite the active lady. Easiest way to describe her personality, is I have a respectful classy lady in Winkie, and a wild young teenager in Gizmo. 

One other option I can think of was the bedding she was in. it was cedar saw dust. Could she have lung scaring from that, or developed some kind of allergic reaction? I don't know any of her life history, other then what I've already posted in this thread. So I'm sorry for not being much of a help. She was technically a wild rat, for who knows how long living outside. So maybe it could be a result of that. 

I'm on the look out now for reputable Rat vets in my area, but the search isn't going to well as of yet.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

She is starting a URI, that's how it begins. Where are you located? I can ask my friends in St Catherines and Hamilton, who they use for their rats. Do you have a car and could you drive if necessary? I do know a good vet who isn't expensive in Kitchener.


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## Kat27 (Dec 20, 2010)

I'm in St. Catharines, and would greatly appreciate any tips on vets. Would prefer to stick in the Niagara Region, but would go a bit further if I couldn't find anyone local.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Kat27 said:


> I'm in St. Catharines, and would greatly appreciate any tips on vets. Would prefer to stick in the Niagara Region, but would go a bit further if I couldn't find anyone local.


I have emailed my friend in St. Catherines to see who she uses. Through another friend I have discovered there is one vet in Hamilton but he gives very low dosages so there's no point. My friend ended up going to Dr Gerald in Kitchener who can do most anything, including extreme surgeries like leg amputations successfully. A URI is nothing to him.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

here is the St Catherine's vet, no idea on pricing, but they are qualified.

Martindale Animal Hospital
http://www.martindaleac.com/index.php?view=pageView&pageid=110001035


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## Kat27 (Dec 20, 2010)

I contacted Martindale, and they wrote me back saying that they do not treat rats and recommended Thorold Vet and a vet in Welland. They also said that the Humane Society is at fault, as they allowed me to adopt a sick animal, and they treated her for the cut on her back and not the URI. I contacted the HS, explained the situation and how upset I was. My reply was " aww, atleast she had love for a few days". Thats it, one line reply. 
Not even a " best of luck, or have a nice day". 

I've had bad experiences with the Thorold vet, but I took a chance and called them today, explained her situation and they said it probably would be a waste of money treating her, as it's probably too late.

I've put a call into Welland, and I'll see where that takes me. 

Just getting more frustrated at the humane society as this goes on.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Kat27 said:


> I contacted Martindale, and they wrote me back saying that they do not treat rats and recommended Thorold Vet and a vet in Welland. They also said that the Humane Society is at fault, as they allowed me to adopt a sick animal, and they treated her for the cut on her back and not the URI. I contacted the HS, explained the situation and how upset I was. My reply was " aww, atleast she had love for a few days". Thats it, one line reply.
> Not even a " best of luck, or have a nice day".
> 
> I've had bad experiences with the Thorold vet, but I took a chance and called them today, explained her situation and they said it probably would be a waste of money treating her, as it's probably too late.
> ...


THAT is the reason Kim wanted to get her out of there...I have heard bad things as well.

email me

[email protected]


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## becks1105 (May 28, 2011)

How did Stuffer get on, did you manage to get her treated, or was it too late?


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## Kat27 (Dec 20, 2010)

Hi everyone,

Sorry I've been absent for awhile. Had some family things and computer issues.

I'm sad to say that Winkie pasted away 2 days ago, I was really heartbroken about it and her passing hit me the hardest over other pets that have passed. I had taken her to a vet, but he said that it was too much of a risk to treat her. He said that on top of her URI, it seemed that she had some intestinal damage, from her days as a dumpster rat- maybe eating something metal that caused damage. Also with her age, and being older he wouldn't prescribe meds. Saying with the price, and if she did have lung damage, treating her would have been painful on her. I called and spoke to another vet over the phone for a second opinion, without telling him what the other vet said, and she said the same thing and refused treatment.

What bothered me was the humane society, she was vet checked there and was treated with meds to heal the cut on her back, yet not for the URI or anything else? It took me some time to save up the money for her vet visit, only to pay vet fee's to get told that nothing would help her. 

She was too frail to enjoy the last month and a half, couldn't even put my hand in the cage and pet her as she would get scared and run- only to fall and bang into things. She had no control of her movement and couldn't walk.

Really hard adopting a rat and just watching them live out the last of its life suffering. I also did not move Winkie into the cage with Gizmo, so Gizmo still is going solo. I'm in contact right now with a breeder for a baby, but I have some concerns about it at this time.

Just wanted to update all you great ladies about Winkie and thanks for all of your help.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Kat27 said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Sorry I've been absent for awhile. Had some family things and computer issues.
> 
> ...


I wish you had contacted me when you were going through this  We will find you a REAL vet okay?


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

They didn't even offer humane euthanasia?! I'm so sorry . Do take Shelagh up on that, she will be able to help you find a better vet.


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