# those ugly tails ;)



## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

ha, i'm sure i upset some people who LOVE the ratty tails, but come on, there is a clear difference in those soft shiny baby tails and the rough scaly tails of older rats. does anyone know of an approximate age when their tail becomes less lovely? or can you avoid that/reverse it with nutrition? was mostly just wondering because mozart still has a cute baby tail, but picasso's is rather ugly in comparison.


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## fallinstar (Nov 26, 2006)

aww ive never really been bothered by tails but good point there


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

I find them simultaneously creepy and awesome.

I think the change from soft, young tail to scaly, rough tail happens around 2.5-3 months. That's just from memory, so I could be wrong, though!

Also, along that note, do rexes have curly, softer hair on their tails?


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## Star (Jun 4, 2006)

You can suppament with Olive oil to give their coats an extra shine, and it may help with "rat tail". I give my girls a bit (less than a teaspoon) everyday in their wet food. Their tails are like baby smooth.. wonderful for kissing. :lol:


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## LizLovesRats5 (Mar 28, 2007)

I don't really know why people get freaked out by rat tails. They don't bother me a bit.


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## Holly (Dec 31, 2006)

I've found that rats "grow into" their tails. If you buy a baby with a big, long baby tail, that's going to be one giant rat when the baby grows up! 

My Gregor (RIP) and Gus are beautiful, from the tip of their nose, to the end of their tail.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i love the fat rat tails. Spider's is so squishy! *squee* but to keep them soft and nice looking just keep them washed. that's all i've ever had to do too keep them smooth, soft and scale free. i use a soft brush tooth brush and baby shampoo like Johnson's. when they're tails start to look or feel a bit grimy its time for a bath. if they're sick they get to skip the bath and laugh at all the others in their drowned rat look...*chuckles* though i think drown cat look is funnier. they look SO ticked off... the rats are just to busy cleaning themselves again. 
oh ****! here, i'll so you what i mean








they conviently forget that it was their own fault for getting into the garbage.... i mean honestly, if he didn't want a bath he should have at least run when he saw us coming while he was inside the garbage bin.... *shakes head and laughs* he still looks funny! *grins*


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Your floor is really cool Twitch. I love ratty tails! LOOOOVE to pet them coarse of baby smooth. Buck greased or spottless clean. Doesn't matter XD


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## thegrotto (May 11, 2007)

There's nothing wrong about an adult's tail.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

all of my guys tails are really soft! not scaly at all. I actually play with their tails ight above my upper lip they are so smooth and silky


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## thegrotto (May 11, 2007)

Stephanie said:


> all of my guys tails are really soft! not scaly at all. I actually play with their tails ight above my upper lip they are so smooth and silky


lol. I pretend to nibble on their tails when they whip me in the face with them.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

I must say I love my rattie's tails.

Perry's is scaly and rough, but it's half dark and half light and really strong. 8O 

Bacardi's is still soft, but getting scalier.

Guinness's is all dark with a bitty little white tip and soooo soft.

And Baileys... well... His tail's ugly. It really is. It's all splotched with color, dark and light. It always looks like he's got poo all over it. But it's soft and sleek and he wraps it around my throat to hug himself close on shoulder rides.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

> There's nothing wrong about an adult's tail.


def not saying there is, ha ha. i was just wondering if there was a particular age when they get less soft. all i've heard is roughly 3 months so i'll take it.  i've never washed picasso, but i might for the sake of her scaly tail. it's just that she's rather nakie and is never really stinky.


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## Destrega2002 (May 10, 2007)

My goofy rats like to use their tails as a whip or as an extra limb to poke into my eye as they climb down my back. Otherwise I like their tails, scaled or not


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## fallinstar (Nov 26, 2006)

toby and codys tails are rough but roobs is smoother than even , but they all get treated the same and are the same age!


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## Holly (Dec 31, 2006)

Augustus has a long, thick tail that continues directly out of the "stripe" on his fur. (He's a hoodie.) It starts out dark, just like the dark fur of the stripe, but is pink and soft at the end.


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

OnlyOno said:


> i've never washed picasso, but i might for the sake of her scaly tail. it's just that she's rather nakie and is never really stinky.


Rats rarely clean their tails, so giving them a weekly wipe-down with a warm, wet washcloth really helps mine to stay clean. I try not to use soap unless they're *really* gross - it seems to dry out their skin/scales a lot. 

I used to try to make mine clean their tails by wiping yummy stuff on them. Didn't work - they'd jut wander around with peanut butter or whatever on them, with the other rats following them around like the Pied Piper.


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## SamsterAndRocky (Jul 24, 2007)

hehehehehe....i can so see that in my head......its soooo cute


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## Whiskers (Jun 29, 2007)

[align=center]What color is a rat's tail supposed to be? My rats' tails are brown-ish, but their fur is brown-ish too, so I don't know if their tail is dirty or if the tail is supposed to be the same color as the fur....[/align]


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## Holly (Dec 31, 2006)

Well, if Gregor, Gus, and Boo are any judge, the tails seem to take on the color of the surrounding fur, at least in part. Gregor was a hoodie with not much of a stripe, and his tail was pink, with little white fur. Boo is capped, with no stripe at all, and also has a soft, pink tail with little white fur.

Gus has a strong stripe going all the way down his back, and it continues down his tail, for about 3/4 of the way. Brown tail and brown fur. Then, at the tip, it's pink with white fur.

I think the pink color in the tail, ears, feet, nose, etc. is because of blood circulation. If there was no blood circulation, I think these places would probably be white.

My "special room rats" (see post, "Translation") get a nice aloe vera lotion to keep their tails soft.


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## Whiskers (Jun 29, 2007)

Holly said:


> My "special room rats" (see post, "Translation") get a nice aloe vera lotion to keep their tails soft.


[align=center]Why?[/align]


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## Holly (Dec 31, 2006)

Why?

Just because they seem to like it...

No special reason. The vet says it's OK.


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## Whiskers (Jun 29, 2007)

[align=center]Oh, okay then.[/align]


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## Leiren (Aug 5, 2007)

haha I love my rats tail,he doesnt seem to like me playing with it everytime he turns around though lmao.


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## dreadhead (Mar 1, 2007)

I don't mind there tails at all, except for when they poke me in the eye or stick a tail in my mouth.


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## cocorat316 (Aug 9, 2007)

Well The Tails Never Bothered Me... Think Of It This Way Babys Have Smooth Heads When They Are Babys And When They Get Older It Turns Grey Its Just Like The Way They Grow From Smooth And soft To Old ANd Grey


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

I love rat tails  I kiss them whenever Jay or Bob decide to sit on my shoulder as their tails rap around my face! Haha


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## LiamHasRats (Aug 11, 2007)

Well, i think that rats tails are really cool,
i just got my new rats Milk & Cookies 
they are both girls.


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## Leiren (Aug 5, 2007)

Awww congrats


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

their feet are my favorite part. i love their tiny hands and the way they use them so cleverly. <3


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## Whiskers (Jun 29, 2007)

[align=center]I like their eyes the best.[/align]


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## SamsterAndRocky (Jul 24, 2007)

i like everything......specially little baby kisses when i come home from work


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