# Teensy Shawn and Fearless Gus



## ruffles (May 13, 2012)

Oh you guys, I am so tired, but so happy. Being up for twenty four hours straight is toootally worth it, because I'm on cloud nine right now.

Pickup was kind of stressful for everybody, but we made it home okay, and after a few hours to chill...the boys seem pretty darn happy! Shawn has been popcorning around the cage like a madman because I gave them greek yogurt and baby food when they got home 'cause it was kind of hot and they were scared and droopy. Even Gus, who seems somewhat reserved (fittingly!) is more active right now. Ah nocturnal creatures, you get me!

I'm pretty sure Shawn is channeling his namesake; he's been on a mission to taste EVERYTHING in the cage all evening. I think it's because he's newly weaned (and oh my gosh TINY, I'm a little worried now that I've got him home) and isn't 100% sure what's food and what isn't, but he eats his blocks and the yogurt like a champ. He was even the first to tackle the water bottle, though it mortally offended him dripping on him. Actually, he literally tackled it, trying to climb straight up the walls without realizing that the side bars of the cage are vertical, unlike the other ones. Bless him.

Fearless Gus survived four encounters with snakes, and is understandably less than enthusiastic about new situations. I think he'll open up, though, he seems REALLY sweet. He's also twice Shawn's size, at six or seven weeks, while Shawn's maybe four...hoo boy. But he's really good with Shawn, they've been playing and wrestling before the squirt passed out mid-pounce. I'm PRETTY sure Shawn thinks he's the top dog, if riding piggy-back on Gus's face around the cage is any indication. It's kind of adorable.

I've been looking on and off at colors and markings all evening, and I'm a little stumped on Gus's. He's really pale to be a fawn, but his eyes are darker than I think pink should be so...maybe not champagne. I have no idea. His daddy's a fawn, so, there's that. Shawn's markings make me swoon with joy; he's perfect! And so is Gus, because oh man, adorable little dilute bubs make me so happy.

Okay, enough rambling, preliminary pictures! Complete with painstakingly hand-painted pinapples.  More to come tomorrow when everybody's more settled.

Shawn:

















And Gus!


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## YellowSpork (Jul 7, 2012)

SO cute! They sound wonderful.  They're so smooth-looking for boys! lol Though I guess they're still young. 

Also, gotta say, those hand-painted pineapples are impressive... xD


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## Cupcake&Candy (Jun 5, 2012)

How precious. Shawn is so tiny! Last weekend I adopted two females that were only 5 weeks old, and they look so so small compared to my 5-month-old girls! They look like little mice at this point. They have to live in a budgie cage until they get big enough for a regular cage. Do you feel kind of intimidated to hold them? Kind of afraid you'll squeeze too hard?


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## ruffles (May 13, 2012)

Aw, thank you, guys! I think they are rather adorable, myself, but I could maybe be biased. 

Right, though? They're still tiny and active and non-squishy P: Though, Gus is only a few weeks old and is already at least half the size of my females, sooo. Yeah. Bahaha, thank you, though! I just had to do something pineapple-y for them. Must find some pineapple fleece, haha.

Oh man, I know, he looks so much like a little mouse! Especially little dumbos with their giant ears. I'm not too afraid of squishing him -- I've handled so many different species' babies, I blocked out THAT particular terror, ha! -- but I AM terrified he'll stop eating, or drinking, or... Yeaaah. Though, I DO notice that he escapes my hold quickly, so maybe I am subconsciously not holding him tightly enough... 

They are MESSY, these little rats. I left a spoonful of yogurt once I went to sleep, and they ate it all...I think. Because their cage looks a little like an eagle's eyrie, whitewashed. Oh mercy. Ah well; they're eating and drinking and occasionally wandering out of their den to chase one another around, so I think they're doing well. Still paranoid.


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## jd882 (Sep 16, 2012)

Awwww... I love them! So cute!! And don't be paranoid! There's awesome people here that'll soothe your fears and make you feel like the proud rat mommy you are!


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Hehe, genetics game. I mean, helping you with Gus's color. 

So his dad was a fawn? so that means he carried r/r or ruby eyes. Do you know what his mother was? Cause then there could be a few possiblities. 1. if she was an Agouti/ Black that carried ruby eye, so R/r. 2. she has ruby eyes and Gus is just a light beige (r/r). Or she could carry pink eye, and his dad also carried pink eye (r/p) and he got the pink eye gene which is recessive to ruby I believe (I'm not 100% sure because there are no websites or articles on that, so I'm just assuming from what I know about eye color in humans). Or his mom was a pink eyed rat and his dad carried the pink eye gene. 

So he either has dark eyes for a champaign, or he has bright eyes for a beige. but no, he's not an Agouti (Fawn, Agouti, ect) type rat. Though he could be an Amber (one of my favorite colors). Is his belly ligther then his top side? if so, he's an amber. if not, he's either a Champaign or beige. Don't worry, I know a lot about genetics, but some rats just don't want to play by the rules. Example. my rat Soda I think is actually a russian beige. But he wants to be tan, But still have heathering so he looks like a want a be Beige. Once in a while you just get those rats who just do not want to listen to their genetic code and want to be something else 

Sorry, I love sharing genetic information that 90% of the people on here will never use in their life time. Anyways he is adorable, I like the pink eye mutations, especially Albinos and Ambers.


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## Poodlepalooza (Aug 9, 2012)

Cute fellas! Enjoy!


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## YellowSpork (Jul 7, 2012)

LightningWolf said:


> Sorry, I love sharing genetic information that 90% of the people on here will never use in their life time.


But you always share interesting things!  I wish I knew more about rat genetics, but when do I have the time to learn?! lol


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## nataliebee (Sep 29, 2012)

Your rats are precious! Shawn's markings are really nice, looks almost like a giraffe on his face in that second pic. Gus is gorgeous, though I have always been partial to white rats, very sweet hopefully all is going well!


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## ruffles (May 13, 2012)

Oh, thank you guys so much! They are just absolutely precious, such a joy to watch. They've got awesome personalities; so different, and so amusingly reminiscent of their namesakes. I can tell, already, that they're going to be awesome to watch grow up. I think they're even doing well as far as socialization -- Shawn willingly comes out of the cage onto my hand, but mostly because he feels like he ought to be able to escape for glorious freedom, and Gus is starting to look towards me when I'm talking with curiosity and not fear.

I'm a paranoid person, though!  But I really think they're doing okay. Just...you know, I worry. Hee. It really does help to be here, though, with you guys here!

You know, I was thinking that his face marking looked kind of like Nessie...but I can totally see giraffe, too! D'aw, little silly boy. And yeah, Gus is definitely gorgeous...I've a big ole' soft spot for dilutes and PEWs (and handsome blazes, for that matter), so he definitely fits in there!

The genetics game is awesome, haha!  Yeah, I'm at least 90% sure his father was a fawn -- the breeder said he was, and he was a nice orangey tan color with darker reddish eyes. He was a total squish, and was happy to lay on his back in her hands. His mother, though, I'm sadly unsure.  Pickup was stressful and I didn't ask. It would be kind of hilarious if he were an amber; my name is Amber! I honestly can't tell if his jaw or chest is lighter, he is just a little squirmy, haha! I will try and look tomorrow in the non-artificial light. Champagne or beige or maaybe amber? That's definitely narrowed down, excellent! And, I know, right? Sometimes they just have to confound you for the heck of it.  Hahaha. Hey, I like genetics, and when I actually sit down and FOCUS I can make a mean punnet square...but my attention span is worse than Shawn's!

Speaking of! While Gus was being shy and hiding in the new coffee can den after I completely cleaned out the cage (I know, I knnoooww, don't agitate the poor things but oh my GOODNESS their cage was a disaster), Shawn was daredevil-leaping from the hanging basket into the yogurt and tracking it all over the nice clean flooring. Sigh. So I did what seemed sane, and took it as an opportunity to take some pictures. I was TRYING to get some more cute ones like this:










But seriously, the pup NEVER sits still. It's both adorable and exasperating. So it looks like he's either gone to warp or I've had WAY more cold meds than I actually have in the pictures. I was just going to delete them, but I figured I'd throw them up for exasperation's sake anyways.









At the scene of the crime. Delicious pineapple yogurt. I can't bring myself to stop putting it in there for fear that they'll dehydrate or something, even if he does leave vivid white pawprints all over the fall-themed rags.

















I feel like time should be stretching out, or something. </facepalm>

And finally! I actually caught Gus being Gus and watching me warily from his hidey den.









Lesson learned today: My cage is not NEARLY as big as I thought it was. Gaaah. Shawn bounces in laps around it in .5 seconds. Looks like my next check is theirs too. P:


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## ruffles (May 13, 2012)

Okay, I usually don't post twice in a row but I didn't want to make any more new threads like some sort of crazy spammer, and I HAD to share how the boys are acting right now. It's too funny. Actually, right now they're sleeping, but that was more of a baby sudden zonk-out thing, so. P:

I noticed that Gus was in the upper basket, and given that I'm pretty sure his eyesight is less than stellar, I was surprised -- he's been more cautious up until now, sticking to the bottom of the cage and on top of the can-den. So I figured they were cold down in the den, it's kind of cold in my room tonight (not because it's cold outside, oh no, it's been HOT today, but the A/C is set on subzero and my vent won't close right, pah!) and I lugged the cage back up on my desk.

That, of course, woke them up...and started another session of bouncy baby rat play. Gus was kind of freaking out and not able to get down so I helped him and he was very gentlemanly about it, but Shawn was already bouncing around manaiacally and trying to dive his way out of the door as soon as it opened. I don't want him roaming my desk yet because he's not good about coming back to me and I don't want to spook him, so we played the 'you have to walk on my hand if you want out, bub' game, which he's very game for. Gus actually got in on the action, this time, though he's WAY more reactive/afraid of my 'psee pseee' don't bite me noise and ran to hide a few times after trying to nibble my hands and getting the squeaky noise.

Had a teeny breakthrough with Gus; he climbed on my hand and stood up on his hind legs trying to get into the hanging basket, so I elevatored him up and he was very calm about it. Shawn doesn't fear my hand at all, I don't think, he's more curious as to what it's doing and WHEN it's going to get out of his way and let him be freeee. So we played for a while, but he started getting frenetic about getting out so I shut the cage door and went back to talking to them -- Shawn pitched a tiny baby tantrum! Oh my goodness, it was the CUTEST thing I've seen in a long time, and I've got two nieces. It's so much cuter on a rat.

He went LEAPING around the cage in a fit, bounced off of the walls and the top of the den and the hanging basket, then came and flung himself at the door to stare at me and stick his nose through the bars. When I just kept talking, he bounced down and proceeded to run the length of the door with his mouth over the horizontal bar eight or nine times back and forth. I'm not sure WHAT he was hoping to accomplish, but the fit was hilarious. I let him calm down and think it out before I opened the door again, and we played some more. I wasn't expecting either of them to open up to me for a few days, in spite of talking myself hoarse at them and sitting with them for most of the day today, so I'm delighted. Do have to figure out how to get the little terror to respect the door and my decided lack of okay-ness with him just flinging himself from it. P: Silly boy.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

I don't have a long attention span either, Its a wonder I learned rat genetics so quickly, then again I like genetics. I'm trying to remember how many post I've made about genetics. I think as everyone knows now I can usually answer 99% of genetic questions. just don't ask about mouse genetics, I've look and look and look and it's always confusing (mainly because they won't say what is dominent, co dominent, ect)

that's great with the boys. For some reason with me its like when they're babies they are happy just to be on me then like instantly at 3 months old they are start turning into little rockets and don't calm down till like, well, I don't know. my longest living rat was Charles who sadly died at 20 months, and he was still very hyper. None of my boys have ever gotten the memo that male rats are suppose to be lazy. I've had the rat tantrum before, it's so cute, especially when it's over something really funny, like me removing their hammock. 

Wait till you get those coat and color changing rats. my rat Storm, who's a satin, decided he wanted to be a double rex and become almost hairless (ok it was a Thyroid issue that caused it, but it was still kind of funny. Don't worry, he's fur is all back now). This week Soda is wanting to try to become a Merle, he has little patches of darker fur, its kind of funny. I'm guessing he decided to roll around in their litter box, which has yesterday's news, and get paper dust on him, either that or he's starting to shed. He also tries to tie die himself with berry juice and baby food. 

Oh and they will never respect the door. Storm who thinks he's part monkey and bat, when he's throwing a fit (typically when I forget to fill up their food bowl when I get home from school) will lung at the door when I open it or go near it.


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## Pixxie (Jun 3, 2012)

Color changing rats are the best. My Russian blue boy decided he would be an agouti as he grew up. Though watching my hairless boy grow fuzz is more hilarious. It all sheds away for the most part, but before it does he has a halo of curly hairs like a mangey sheep.


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## CapnKennedy (Sep 30, 2012)

They're so cute! Good luck with the frisky one ;3


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