# i'm such a softie... pt 1. Bree's babies.



## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

i got a new aquarium for the fish in my room, so my mom and i went out to get some more to fill the empty space... we were just going to petsmart like usual, but i wanted to go someplace i've never been before, so we went to jack's. we were looking around and i came across the rats.. big mistake. the first thing my eye went to was the "jumbo rat" bin. there was a small little girl who looked like she was about to pop. she was making a nest and grabbed one of the other rat's tails. obviously, that made the other rat mad and it started getting really rough with her.. i couldn't walk away from her.. i had to bring her home. when i went into the room to get her out, a little nose was sticking out of the bin next to her's.. and it was the sweetest looking girl with only one eye. (i don't even think the eye is there anymore.. it's bloody around it and there's a lot of porphyrin.. i can't get a good look at it right now because she's terrified). the lady put the pregnant girl in the box and we left. i thought my mom would be mad at me if i came out with two instead of just the one.. but when i met up with my mom by the fish, i broke out in tears.. so long story short, i went back and got her too. 

i know what you're thinking... that's the complete opposite of what you should do if you don't like the condition the animals are in. but i could *not* leave them. i know.. 'you can't save everyone!' but i just couldn't do it.


so now we've got momma Bree and (hopefully not momma) Sally. i don't know when she's going to have her babies, but i'm thinking it's going to be soon.. she's huge. and with Sally, you can see all of her nipples, but she's skinny.. how soon would they start to show if she is pregnant? and is it possible that she's just having a really small litter? i hope she's not pregnant as well, but if there's a possibility, i'd like to know for sure. 


thanks!


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*

You might be ending up with quite a lot of ratties in the near future then! Good luck with it all


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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Some rats just have really visible nipples, like my girl Estelle, who's never had a litter in her life 

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg223/rockabilly_rats/Img_3444.jpg

:lol:

However I would keep an eye on her. Chances are, if they let poor Sally get preggers, Bree is no exception  Stupid pet shops...

Anyway, good luck caring for the bubs  Sorry if this sounds ignorant and offencive, but you do know about raising litters and stuff right  ?

Ooooh also will you be getting any photos of them  ? I like dumbo (not jumbo lol) rats, they look so silly with their ears like that hahaha


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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Hallie-Mae said:


> Some rats just have really visible nipples, like my girl Estelle, who's never had a litter in her life
> 
> http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg223/rockabilly_rats/Img_3444.jpg
> 
> ...


Bree's pregnant, not Sally. :wink: i sure hope she's not preggers as well though. let's pray she just likes to show them off like your girl :lol: but as for caring for them, my mom has a lot of experience raising a wide range of baby animals, so i have no doubt that we can handle this 

i'll get pictures of the girls soon. i'm just letting them get comfortable right now. they're not dumbos though.. they were meant to be feeders, so that's why they were in a "jumbo" bin. they seperate by size for feeders. they shouldn't have been in there though.. these girls are pretty small


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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Oh oops well now I'm embarrassed for everything I said in my last post :lol:
Sorry for getting the girls mixed up and sorry for presuming you meant dumbo  ! 

Awwh bless them, I do feel sorry for pet shop rats  Anyway, I wish you look with them and I sincerely hope that poor Sally isn't preggers ! 
Hope everything goes well !


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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thanks! and don't worry, i read a lot of things wrong and get corrected for them all the time


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## Caity (Apr 1, 2008)

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Jack's is awful. I got Sam and Eddie (RIP) there. Sam had a resp. infection that he has since recovered from, and Eddie died of a cause I'm not really sure of, but it was likely megacolon just by the symptoms I remember. I went back once to look at aquarium stuff (and some of their tanks were in pretty appalling conditions for a store that boasts firstly about being an aquarium store). Of course I had to look at the rats. I saw one in the "medium" tank that was breathing very hard and looked just awful. I brought it to the attention of one of the little punks working there (it was mostly staffed by teenagers who stood around and did nothing) and he said "It's because they're scared, we just got them in." 

A couple months before when I got Sam and Eddie the employee picked them up by their tails to put them in the box, one of them struggled going in and she was like "This one's very ornery!" Well, I bet she'd be ornery too if someone picked her up by one of her appendages and bobbed her up and down by it.

Ironically my four pet store boys happen to be the friendliest and most loving, especially Sam, while my four from someone's well taken care of oops litter are still opposed to being picked up.

Good luck with your litter...I'm in Columbus and I'm resisting the temptation of coming to take your babies. Eight is already plenty.  Boo. And think of it this way...you might have put money into this place's pocket and made room for one more rat but you did save 10-15 babies from being born into that mess, however small a contribution that may seem.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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just thought i'd give an update.. Bree has had 10 babies so far that i can see! she's doing so well. but i don't want to bother her, so i'm staying down here. she's so cute with her babies, so i've gotta admit, it's hard for me not to peak. i saw a few of them nurse already, so everything is going great 

i'm already getting homes lined up, but now that i see them.. it's going to be so hard giving some up! :lol: i know for a fact i'm keeping a few, so that's good. at least i won't have to part with all of them!


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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Wow ! Amazing ! I wish I lived near so I could take a few  ! Do you know what variety the mum is :lol: ? Also, any photos  ??


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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Eeek 10 babies, maybe more! I hope Sally isn't pregnant otherwise you'll have a little rattie zoo going on lol. 

Hope things carry on going well


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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of course 

momma about ready to pop;; (Sally is now seperated)


















andddddddd babies!!









i'm not gonna bug her, so that's all i have for now. 
ignore the fact that her nest looks a mess.. it was all nice and made up before she had her bubs :lol:


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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Awwww. I like Bree's markings btw. So has this all happened today, you got them and now the babies? 8O


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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Stace87 said:


> So has this all happened today, you got them and now the babies? 8O


haha. yes ma'am! :lol:


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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MariHxc said:


> Stace87 said:
> 
> 
> > So has this all happened today, you got them and now the babies? 8O
> ...


Wow lol. Rather eventful day for you then! I bet Bree's all "Omg I have a new home and all these babies, what's going on 8O" hehe.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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i'm just glad i got her out of that place in time!


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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MariHxc said:


> i'm just glad i got her out of that place in time!


Yeah was JUST in time to wasn't it . Lucky girl, and Sally too of course.


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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Awwwh they're gorgeous  !!


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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thanks! i can't wait till they start getting fuzzy


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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Heheh are you going to do one of those eeper diary things, where you take a photo a day to show people how they're progressing  ??
Everyone loves them :lol:


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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of course i am! :lol:


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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Yayyyy :lol: ! Hahah I'm strangely excited, can't wait to see what varieties they all turn out to be


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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i'm wayyyy beyond excited. 
i called my boyfriend every few minutes to give him updates on the babies and he just kept saying "marianne... i'm happy for you, but i told you before. i'm busy!"

at least everyone else is excited with me :lol:


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*

congrats on the new babes (both the grandbabes and the momma and "sister"). they look adorable. and i completely understand taking them in. you logically know why you shouldn't but your heart is not always logical and is sometimes more in control of the brain then anything else. :lol:

but reading this and seeing sally's face i think a vet visit is in order for to get that eye checked out. or at least start her on some antibiotics just in case. my other thought for her is about the nipples. if she isn't pregnant she may have just had a litter (and could still be pregnant as they can be impregnanted again directly after giving birth if their is a mature male in with her). the store may have just separated and sold as pinkie food though after birth. they may have already been gone. if you do take her to the vet they may be able to tell if she is still lactating. you may be able to figure that out to if you try to milk one of her nipples. 

when i had two back to back pet store surprises one mom had 13, the other (the next afternoon) had 11. i was able to care for them for the majority of their preganancy though so they got a lot of high protein and goodies for preggy moms to help in the development of the babes. as a result the babes were all HUGE :shock: anyway, what i wanted to say about that (i forget how i was about the segway into it from the story) is that the fav foods of my preggo mommas was scrabbled eggs and strawberries and bananas. chicken and yogurt went fairly fast too. so suggestions for your nursing mom. she's going to need some really rich foods to feed her and the all those hungry little mouths. 

can't wait to see how the babes all progress. don't forget to keep us updated on both bree and sally too eh. we love growing babies but its just as exciting to see how happy an ending sad stories such as theirs have.


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## SamAnthrax (Jan 5, 2008)

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I LOVE THOSE DAY BY DAY PICTURES!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!

I would have done the same thing! You're amazing, you're those ratties hero! 

Thank god you got her out in time, poor sally with her eye.

You are just wonderful.


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## CrazyBones (Apr 1, 2008)

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wow beautiful markings on the mummy.
I wonder what the babys are going to look like.

I just had rat babys a coulple days ago, only 5, good number.
but 10, gee thats a hand full.

Good Luck, hope it all goes well.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*



CrazyBones said:


> I just had rat babys a coulple days ago, only 5, good number.
> but 10, gee thats a hand full.



nope.. not 10. she surprised me.. 12!!
i don't have a picture of them today, but i'll be sure to get one 


and i can't even get close to Sally. she's terrified of me. but i think i'm going to just have to hold her down today to look at her eye. i got a close look at it today and it almost seems like it looks worse than it really is. but, we'll have to see. she'll most likely be on her way to the vets soon though.


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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You should also really complain to that place, I mean they could atleast keep the poor things out of harms way... :?


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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Hallie-Mae said:


> You should also really complain to that place, I mean they could atleast keep the poor things out of harms way... :?


honestly, i'm sure they could care less. they just throw them all in those breeder bins and sell them as feeders. if they get pregnant, more profit for them. the lady said little Sally was lucky.. not a lot of their rats go as pets.. and the ones with messed up eyes, ect go straight to snakes. luckily for Miss Sally, the people didn't notice until i pointed it out.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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MariHxc said:


> honestly, i'm sure they could care less. they just throw them all in those breeder bins and sell them as feeders. if they get pregnant, more profit for them. the lady said little Sally was lucky.. not a lot of their rats go as pets.. and the ones with messed up eyes, ect go straight to snakes. luckily for Miss Sally, the people didn't notice until i pointed it out.


Not even realising her eye is even more stupid of them. I'm sure it's not very hard to notice :roll:


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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one baby died 
i only counted 11, so i knew something was wrong.. so i moved her and looked under a peice of newspaper and found a little blue baby  (got bitten too i might add.. but i'm glad i got it before she ate it)


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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Aww RIP little one. And I hope the bite isnt too bad.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*

the bite isn't bad at all. i think she was too tired to worry about biting me hard. she got her message across just by scratching me with her teeth.

but earlier, she got my leg pretty good.. i wasn't even looking at her or anything. just standing next to her cage and she grabbed me. she showed me, huh? she's a very protective mommy.

(so i've got a total of four bites today.. finger and leg from BreeBree, one on my big toe from Vincent, and another on my finger from Figgy :roll


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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I hope that's the last of the bites for today then 8O


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## rattielvr (Aug 4, 2008)

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Theyre so cute! How far are you willing to travel to get rid of some? If they still need homes that is. Cant wait to see more updates


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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rattielvr said:


> How far are you willing to travel to get rid of some?


i don't drive, so it probably won't be very far considering my dad would have to take me :? where are you located?





i couldn't get a picture yesterday because we were getting some work done on our roof and Bree was all upset.. she rearranged her nest a good 50+ times. she couldn't relax! but i did get a video of her working hard covering her babies up.

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=23w2peh&s=4


and this is all i have for right now. i just wanted to put up what i had at the moment before people freaked out for not having pictures :lol: more later, cross my heart  she's fine with me being around her babies now, but i'm not going to take them all out right now. i don't want to stress her out too much.










you can already see some of their markings 









(p.s... another baby was dead today. i think they're getting smothered because they were both under a lot of bedding, etc )


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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RIP 2nd little one. 

Would taking a bit of the bedding out help perhaps? I guess that may not have been the reason though.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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i was planning on it, but i don't know if i want to disturb her nest too much. she's always messing with it.. i think she likes having as much material as she wants so she can cover and uncover them whenever she feels she needs to.

but it may just be bad luck for the babies.. Bree lays them out and within a few minutes they're all piled on each other.. so it may be the other babies fault that the two died. i'm just hoping that no more of our sweeties pass away


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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Ohh RIP 2 baby bubs  They're all so cute though, and that video is adorable


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## rattielvr (Aug 4, 2008)

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aww so very cute. I left you a message about how far and such


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

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You still did well - don't blame yourself!!! -


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

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she may be accidently moving them out. while she's rearranging everything she would likely be moving babies around in the nest a bet too. it could just be bad luck that once and while one gets separated. without the body warmth of the other babes and of mom they just get to cold, fall asleep and just don't wake up. you could try putting a heating pad under the cage to give you more time to find them before they get too cold and just check frequently (every 2-3 hours or so). 

of course, the other possibility is that mom knows something is wrong with those two and has pushed them out on purpose. i would think she would have eaten them though if that were the case... 

whatever is the cause lets just hope it doesn't happen again and you'll have 10 little fuzzies zooming around soon


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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all ten babies and mom are doing great! i scared myself earlier.. i got them all out to clean up the cage a bit and i could only count 9 in my lap. but i looked around and found the runt wandering on the bed.. we all know how that one will be later :lol: 










and i wanted to take a picture of the runt and the biggest baby.. but in the picture, they don't look like there's a lot of size difference... and the stupid flash washed out their colors. the biggest baby is sooo dark. 











i still haven't sexed them, but i think i'm going to go do that and figure out what all we have


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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8O Sooo cute ! Omfg ahhaah do want  Lol that runt.. What a scamp :lol:


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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it's just so crazy that two days ago you could only see two of the babies' markings.. now they're all so dark! (except for the two who look like they'll end up being PEW)


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## rattielvr (Aug 4, 2008)

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Aww theyre growing up so fast!


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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I dunno I reckon those two could just be lightly coloured selves, or even just lightly coloured marked, not necisserily PEWs 
Again I have no idea how it would work out with dominant colouring genetics and stuff like that 8O


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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Hallie-Mae said:


> I dunno I reckon those two could just be lightly coloured selves, or even just lightly coloured marked, not necisserily PEWs



they've got really light eyes though. so assuming they'd end up PEWs was the most logical to me. but they'll be cute and loved no matter what they turn out as


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*

Lol yeah :lol: That is probably the most logical assumption considering the mother's dark markings  I guess lighter colours like champagne and buff and that are completely ruled out even if the dad was champagne or whatever haha... So my guesses are they'll be PEW yeah  Gorgeous though I bet !


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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Are you keeping any of them? You may have already said, sorry if you have!


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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i'm going to keep a few girls and at least one boy. 
but, that number might change considering i'm keeping all the ones we can't find homes for.


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## CrazyBones (Apr 1, 2008)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*

With my first post i said 10, then you corrected me with 12 now its 10 again. 
sorry for the loss..RIP. i lost 2 babys from 7. 
But what counts, you can watch the little guys grow! 

Thats the best part. And i count myslef as a mummy too.


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## Supermunchie (Jun 28, 2008)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*

Aww! They are all so cute!
Hehe, the runt must be a little scamp then! I love all the pictures, and I'm about to watch the video soon, again, they are all so cute!!


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## rattielvr (Aug 4, 2008)

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Yeah I assumed the 2 were PEWs too.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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we've got 5 boys and 5 girls 

no interest in the boys yet  i was hoping that a lot of people would want boys so i could keep most of the girls. the cage i have for the girls is bigger than the boys' cage, so it would have worked out. but oh well, i guess we'll just have to see.


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## rattielvr (Aug 4, 2008)

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I love boy rats haha. I guess some people are intimidated by their rather large equipment though :lol:


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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rattielvr said:


> I love boy rats haha. I guess some people are intimidated by their rather large equipment though :lol:


THEY'RE LIKE SKIRTS 8O
-Cowers-
:lol:


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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haha, i've had boys much longer than i've had girls, so it never really bothered me. :lol:


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## rattielvr (Aug 4, 2008)

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my friends like flip out when they see my boys theyre like eww gross haha. I guess I'm used to it since most my ratties have been males. Cant wait for more pics of these cute little babies


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

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Their parts (or skirts in the words of Hallie-Mae :wink didn't even come into it when I decided to get rats lol. I decided on males straight away really, for the generality that they're more laid back and lazy :lol:


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## zoe9 (Oct 3, 2007)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*

I just sat here and read this entire thread and I have to say you are a good sort Marianne for doing this. I know buying rats from places like this just keeps them and the nasty feeder breeders in business, but honestly, I would have done exactly the same thing, including taking poor one-eyed Sally too.

I hope everything works out for you and the new girls and the babies.

Cheers,
Zoe


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*



zoe9 said:


> I just sat here and read this entire thread and I have to say you are a good sort Marianne for doing this. I know buying rats from places like this just keeps them and the nasty feeder breeders in business, but honestly, I would have done exactly the same thing, including taking poor one-eyed Sally too.
> 
> I hope everything works out for you and the new girls and the babies.
> 
> ...


thanks  they're so much of a challenge, but i love my girls to bits. even when momma goes from sweet Brianna to "br00tal BreeBree". she even comes to breeing (which is exactly the reason i named her Bree. Zack insisted we needed a rat we could bree to.. :lol but don't worry.. it's not like i'm doing it to scare her. when i walk in the room, i bree and she pops her head up and looks for me  such a sweetie.. just a very protective mommy.

and as for Sally.. i've dubbed her Sunshine Sally Sue Magoo. she's such a big chicken, but she still loves to act silly. the past week i've been putting her cage on my bed and just letting her come out whenever she wants to. the other day she came out and started playing with my hand then kinda stopped and thought 'oh god.. what am i doing??' and ran back into her cage. i can't wait till they both come around 


/ramble





ETA; sorry about not having any new pictures lately! i really don't want to stress Bree out :?


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## zoe9 (Oct 3, 2007)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*

Oh well done. It sounds like you're making progress with Sunshine Sally Sue Magoo which is great cause it's still early days and both of them had a rough start.

As for no new baby photos that's absolutely fine - as you say best not to stress Bree out. There'll be plenty of time for photos later.

Cheers, 
Zoe


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## rattielvr (Aug 4, 2008)

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Glad to know everythings going well keep us posted!


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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update pictures 

looks like i finally got my agouti!! 

















the last picture was the best i could do.. they wouldn't stay still on the bed, i finally had to bundle them all up on the end of my shirt. they never stay how i put them, look at all the ones upside down and everything :lol: their little teeth are coming in.. it's the cutest thing! i squeed when one yawned and i saw the little teeth. and later, one started chewing on another one's tail and that baby was just screamingggg. i felt bad but it was adorable. 


and also.. does anyone know a good sexing website? i was sorting the boys and the girls today and counted 6 girls 4 boys 8O


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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Bree got out of her cage last night.. it took 2 hours to catch her :roll: but all the babies are doing great!


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

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http://www.ratz.co.uk/sexingrats.html Glad you caught Bree... 

Precious little 'gouti bubs...


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## Hallie-Mae (Jul 31, 2008)

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Aggghhh soooo cute 8O


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## beanieboo-rattles (Jan 3, 2008)

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omigosh they are soo **** adorable !


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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here they are today! 











the boys;

















the girls;


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## zoe9 (Oct 3, 2007)

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Oh look at their little feet and hands and tails - so adorable. Bless them.

You know if they were mine I think I'd have to keep them all.....


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

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i really, really want to, but my dad would kill me.

plus, we're waiting for Sally's litter. so that would just be too many. it's going to be so hard giving some up though!


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## zoe9 (Oct 3, 2007)

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Oh Sally is pregnant too?

I didn't realise that (stupid, STUPID pet shop.)

And yes, in that case even I might have to harden a bit because 20 new ratties (or thereabouts) is a lot.

I guess if you know they're going to a good home then hopefully it won't be so hard or so sad.

I don't envy you but then again I get way too attached to things. I've even bought pot plants for gifts and in the few days they've sat in my house waiting to be given away I got attached and had to go out and buy a new one to give away instead ! 

Anyway, when is Sally due? And how is her eye? 

Hope all is going well with her.

Cheers,
Zoe


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

*Re: i'm such a softie...*

her eye is looking a lot better actually. but i'm not sure when she's due... probably sometime this week. i was really hoping she wasn't, but it's starting to look like she is. so i've gotta look for even more homes.


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## rattielvr (Aug 4, 2008)

The babies are so cute! Wow Sallys preggy too? Thats a lot! Stupid petstores.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

well... since we don't have any definate homes for the babies, my mom has decided that we should just keep them all. we'd both worry too much if they went to people we didn't know personally.. once an animal leaves your hands, you never know what will happen to them.


we've already named *Bree's brood of B's* 
(anyone have a word that starts with s that we could use for Sally's litter? :lol

so :drumroll:
*Bertha* (biggest baby obviously)
*Bessie*
*Brian* (sweetest little runt ever .. named after my very short (but tough :lol friend Brian)
*Bart*
*Barney*
*Bobby*
*Barbara*
*Bonita*
*Bridgit*
*Bianca*

i was going to post their picture along with their names,.. but it wasn't working at the moment :?


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

Where are you going to house all of these guys? Looks like a couple 3 story FN cages in your future between both litters!!


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

we're going to be cage shopping sometime this week to get everything ready for when they need to be seperated. we've got the room for multiple cages so they all won't be crammed into two  even thought that would be nice if all the boys and all the girls would just get along fine and have plenty of room in their two cages, but obviously, that's not going to work out :lol:


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## SamAnthrax (Jan 5, 2008)

Wow. All I have to say is good luck. And I hope you guys have plenty of money. It's going to get super expensive with all that food! 

Are you sure you guys can't find homes for any of them?


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Don't forget as you'll have 25 rats of the same age, the likelihood of vet visits occurring around the same time as they reach old age is pretty much a definate. Will be rather costly 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do though!


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

how many girls and boys in sally's litter? i'm sure i could think of a few s names for them for you to try out. congrats on all the new family members! they are going to run you ragged but you'll love having them all anyway. i wish i would have been able to keep all my babies when i had a couple pet store surprises.


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## Supermunchie (Jun 28, 2008)

Hehe, wow congrats! All your ratties, your so lucky!
Best of luck with Sally and her litter. They are all such lucky rats


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

the only definate home we have for the babies right now is my uncle and he'd be able to to take two, but they'd have to live in a tank. they clean them often and the rats come out a lot, but i'd much rather they live in a cage. they also have a son who is literally all over the place.. i feel bad for saying it considering he's my cousin, but i don't really trust him.

a lot of my friends want some, but their parents aren't even considering letting them. one of my good friends has been in and out of the hospital recently, so she's going to use that to her advantage. so she may be able to guilt her mom into letting her :lol:

but, like i said, it was my mom's idea to keep them all, so it's not like it's just one of my wild ideas. i've got full support from at least one of my parents (my dad doesn't know.. and probably won't know for awhile).




twitch said:


> how many girls and boys in sally's litter?


not sure. she's a nervous nelly, so i don't want to fiddle with them too much right now. the group name will be Sally's Specialties though 




and as for an update on Bree's babies....










EYES!! ignore the horrible camera phone picture.. of course, the day they start to open their eyes, my dad is out of town and has my camera :roll:

also.. anyone have advice on how to plump up a runt (other than feeding him milk replacer. i'd rather it be something i already have since i can't go out and get some right away)? Brian is TINY. he can still move around fine and everything, so i'm not too worried, he's just kinda skinny and almost half the size of the others. here he is next to Bridgit (she moved a bit right as i took the picture, so he looks a little bigger than he really is.)


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## zoe9 (Oct 3, 2007)

Oh I like your mother Marianne - she sounds very cool.

Also I don't blame you for not being too enthusiastic about giving any to you Uncle. You're the one who brought them home and invested the time and care in them so it's perfectly understandable you'd feel protective of them and want to screen any potential homes. Family or not, if you have any reservations (such as not trusting your cousin) then don't do it, especially as your mom is happy for you to keep them all.

Meanwhile I hope Brian can catch up with the others - he does look much smaller bless him.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

zoe9 said:


> Meanwhile I hope Brian can catch up with the others - he does look much smaller bless him.


he's my favorite already! i baby him like crazy and as soon as he's done nursing, i'm always carrying him around (usually while Bree is having her free range time) i had him downstairs while i was talking to my mom and she was just talking about how some runts just don't make it and not to get too attached. buuuut, both she and i know that i'm already attached to all of them. i refuse to let him go downhill though. plus, he's a little fighter  such a sweetie too, he loves crawling under my shirt and bruxxing (or at least trying to). i thought his ears hadn't even opened yet until my phone went off and the poor thing jumped out of his skin. i love his little cute self 


and thanks, my mom is amazing. she knows it too. she's quite cocky haha


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## Supermunchie (Jun 28, 2008)

Brian is adorable! 
What about a bit of boiled egg? As they are good for protein...


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Maybe a tiny bit of wet cat food would work!


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

my sweet boy Brian didn't make it through the day today.  i had to go into work with my mom this morning, so i wasn't home for a few hours (but he was fine when i left) i came home to check on the babies and was about to leave to go cage shopping and i found him laying by himself. i got Bridgit out afterwards(she was closest to Brian. they were always laying together) and she licked the tears off my face before running off again.. after she fell over from turning too fast. bless their little hearts.. they know how to cheer me up.


but, on the bright side, Bree's babies are all up and running around and Sally's babies are all still doing well.


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## zoe9 (Oct 3, 2007)

I'm really really sorry Marianne....


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## rattielvr (Aug 4, 2008)

Poor Brian  I'm so sorry.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

these babies are the biggest handfuls! oh my goodness, they never sit still :lol:

here's Bridgit and Barney. Bridgit is the cuddliest girl and she loves kisses and Barney is really shy. he'd rather sleep than play.. he's a very big cuddlier already. someone's gonna be a squish!









here's the babies favorite spot. that thing was bought for Bree.. but the babies took it over haha

















i know a few people didn't like the rat habitat cage, but it's great for what we bought it for; a baby cage. we switched them to this cage from a gp cage when their eyes started to open. all the levels gave mom space to get away from the babies before they figured out how to use the ramps. now they jump up them and slide back down.. it's the cutest thing! the last picture is Bridgit in mid-slide


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I does wants me some agouti berkshire! You lucky girl!


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

oh my goodness. i was so happy when she started to get fuzzy and i found out i was finally getting my agouti. you have noooo idea! i've been looking for one for so long


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

how are bree's and sally's babies doing now? its been a while since we've had picture updates of either of them but especially sally's brood.


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## Marysmuse (Apr 28, 2008)

Just read the whole thread. RIP Brian and his two sibs. 

Glad to hear the rest are doing well. Good on ya, for keeping at it with them! I know how much work new litters can be, even rattie babes whose Mom does most of the work.

Good news in my town- the lousy, stinking petshop Lucky came from is OUT OF BUSINESS because, in part, of the bad reports they've had from customers to the Humane Society! 

So do report Jack's. Take a copy of the vet report on Sally's eye as well, that's proof they neglected the animals. 

Reporting works. Things CAN change. It just takes people caring enough to get involved, as you've done. Kudos for taking in those girls, and the babes.

Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary


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