# The Adventures of Elephant and Bear. (pic heavy)



## kakequinn

I got my two boys yesterday (November 2nd) so I figured I'd start one thread for any and all pictures of them, since I love taking pictures of my animals! ;D
This also serves as a new rat mom "journal" so that I can come back to see baby pictures and see how far we've come in this new ratty adventure of ours.

These two were feeders and I'm assuming they are somewhere around 5 weeks old, but I'm not too sure. They are obviously babies though.
Oh, and by the way, I'm already suffering from GGMR... Aka Gotta Get More Rats. My mom (who hated rats) is also suffering from this condition.

~~~~~

This is *Elephant*.
He is a beige-y kind of color with a white belly and he has dark ruby eyes. He looks so much like a hamster to me! He has a shorter, broader head, smaller and thicker ears, and he also seems to be fluffier and lighter than Bear. He is the one who is willing to come up to me, play with my hand in the cage and sit with me when he is out, he is _super_ calm and likes his belly rubbed. Since he looks like a hamster he reminded me the hamster from Little Bill, which is partially why I've decided to stick with the name. Elephant has pretty much worried me ever since I brought him home, he looked like a male compared to the others in the same tank at the store but when I got home and compared him with Bear... it made me think I got a female. With the help of this forum and a group on fb, I have been reassured that he is a he and will try not to stress about it much. Hopefully he doesn't surprised me.









This one is *Bear*.
He is a light-ish grey hooded with black eyes. He has a much narrower, longer face and has bigger, thinner ears than Elephant. He is also not as fluffy. His fur seems thinned and not as dense than Elle's fur, don't know why since his whiskers don't seem to curl at all. Maybe because he is supposedly a little bit younger? He also feels like he weighs a tiny bit more. It's so hard to explain, Elephant feels like fluff and Bear... well, you can actually feel his body lol! He is more reserved, kind of curious but cautious, in his cage and when he is out he is either in the bag away from me or if I take him out of the bag he is _way_ more active and wants to explore. He does like to be petted though.









~~~~~

I bet you're wondering why I named them Elephant and Bear... There's no reason really. I have a mouse who I named Hippo and I thought it was funny to name such a small animal after such a large one, so I decided to try and continue that theme. Elephant stood out for the beige one because of the hamster from Little Bill and because Elephants are my favorite animal. Bear.. well it was either that or Seal.. or a human name. No human names jumped out to me and Seal.. well I didn't want to name him that because then they would both make Elephant Seal, which is another favorite animal but I wanted something different so I went with Bear. I don't know if I can keep that theme going with any future ratties, but I will surely try!

~~~~~

 Here are some more pictures!
Bear:








Bear:








Bear:








Bear cuddling with Elephant's butt/tail:








Bear with Elephant's butt/tail again:








Bear sleeping:








My two boys:









In the pictures Bear seems to be washed out by the sun that was shining into the room. 
Also, I have more pictures of Bear because my mom keeps stealing Elephant from me when I bring them out... She likes him because his man-bits aren't as big as Bear's. She hated rats before these two, especially males, but she loves them already. She just needs to get past the fact that they will have big man-bits. ;D​


----------



## PawsandClaws

I have a Bear too but he is a senior. He literally looks exactly like your Bear. I liked all the pictures, very cute


----------



## rudecrudetattooedfatgirl

All I can think of is a little old Russian lady saying "Strong like bear!"


----------



## DustyRat

Great shots


----------



## Camelle

Oh my gosh they are sooo precious!!!!!! Absolutely adorable pictures!! Congrats on your new boys!! I'm glad your mom is warming up to them!


----------



## kakequinn

Thank you everyone! I'm totally in love with them! I am slightly worried about Bear though, he has been keeping one of his eyes shut more and it seems to be slightly irritated today... Doesn't seem to bother him when I take him out to look at it, out of the cage he keeps it open. I'm going to watch him and if it gets worse or doesn't get better I'll take him to the vet.

Seeing them in their cage is also so sad! I set it up, moved them into it from their temporary one and I got to so sad. I know they need to get used to it but it's just so sad seeing them sit in the litter box. Really hope my boys settle in and Bear's eye is okay.


----------



## Camelle

Try staying up pr waking up in the middle of the night and leave the light off or sleep with a very dim light. They should play around at some point. Since our babies are around the same age I'd imagine they'd act similarly. Mine play around some in the daytime but I'm sure they play waay more at night. In fact I'm certain because right now I'm in the process of potty training them. So before I go to bed I pick up all their little poopies and put them in the litter box and when I wake up the whole bottom floor is covered again like I never cleaned it up. So they gotta be doing something! haha c:


----------



## kakequinn

[edit] I just saw your reply! I'll try t wake up in the middle of the night tonight and see how many little poops there are. I know Elephant is leaving the litter box and going around, not sure about Bear yet. Hopefully I can sneak up and see if he is out tonight! 

I've got some more pictures!

Bear is... well, Bear. He is still shy, he will make an effort to smell my hand if I put it near him but other than that he stays to himself. When I have him out for a few minutes he poops pretty much every ten seconds. When he is on my bed, he goes and explores (and poops) while Elephant will explore and then come back to me. I looked at his eye today, I think when it's slightly shut it was because he had just woken up and I think that the red that I see is just porphyrin and that it isn't irritated, but I'm obviously keeping an eye on it. I'm not used to porphyrin and it didn't cross my mind even though I read up on it when I did my research on ratties... My mom freaked out when she had seen it and so I think that's what made it not cross my mind until today.

Elephant is just the cutest. He loves being with me and surprisingly doesn't pee or poop on me every few seconds. He went five or so minutes last night on my bed playing in my shirt, running around, he spazzed out whenever I'd "tickle" him, he'd do a kind of run/jump thing away then came back and did it again lol and he was licking me ALL over my fingers, belly and my mouth lol! He likes giving nibbles too, especially on the corners of my nails, and I'll admit that I'm scared when he does but thankfully he is patient so when I make a little squeak (because I get a little too scared, I have a history of small animals aggressively biting me) he stops and then continues even softer after he gives me a few kisses. He also likes playing with my belly button ring, I'm not sure what he does but it feels weird when he moves it. I hate the idea of having a favorite but I think this little boy has stolen my heart already. He's also the more outgoing one and has finally started sleeping outside of the litter box. He has made a box with a piece of fleece his new bed. Bear, however, still sleeps in the litter box.

Oh, and did I say already? *I saw Elephant pee in the litter box!* I got SO excited. He came out of his cardboard box, came over to say hi to me, went to the water bottle and then went over to his litter box, got in, swung his butt over to the rock in there and peed! I just put fleece on the bottom today because at first I wanted to have paper towels on the bottom so it'd be easy clean up.. not one accident, but I figured that was due to the fact they spent all their time in the litter box. So today they got fleece and so far so good.

Now on to the pictures. <3
They got some time in my pockets yesterday and they each got half of a raw pasta noodle.

































Squishy faces


----------



## PaigeRose

Omg they are too cute! I miss having babies!


----------



## kakequinn

I slightly want them to grow bigger already lol! Of course then I'd want more babies. 

Good news too! As far as them playing and Bear coming out of the litter box, I just went into my room and snuck up on their cage and I saw them playing! They were climbing on the bars and everything! They were play fighting and one did let out a squeak but I didn't bother them as I don't want me being worried to mess anything up. I also think I saw Bear run into the litter box and pee. ;D

Having rats is SO much different for me than all the other pets I've got. I love it! <3


----------



## Camelle

Yeah rats are super unique but in the best kind of way! c: See! I told you. C: All rats play at some point. My little (well he used to be anyway) Thor was a very shy skittish rat and he would only play at night when the house was silent the slightest sound and he'd stop, take off toward a safe place as fast as his little feet would carry him; fear pooping all the way of course! Also when I first got my first 2 boys because thor was so shy they both slept in their litter box too. My elder boys were a lot like your abies when i first got them except they were older. Your babes are SUPER precious!


----------



## kakequinn

I'm glad mine weren't the only ones.  And thanks!

Bear isn't so shy anymore, he still has nervous poops when out of the cage but today he has started trying to bolt out of the cage door. I think it's to see me but if I don't pay attention to him he tries to figure out how to climb up the side. Elephant is the love bug, he's definitely "my moms" as she loves him and he goes right in her shirt will play for a little then sleep the rest of the time he's out. I also got a new little one on Saturday of last week, from the same place I got the other two, and all three are perfectly fine. I've named the new one Archie since no other name was popping out at me. He's a black Berkshire (I think?) Dumbo and he's pretty much like Elephant, except he likes to play a bit more. He's also my climber, he was the first to climb all over, the other two just recently doing so. Elephant and Archie both LOVE to play with my hands. When I'm cleaning up the few poops outside of the litter box they like coming up and getting "tickled", then they run around the cage and come back. All three are lickers, Archie and Elephant like to nibble as well but Bear has only nibbled once or twice. And can I just say that rats grow fast? My mom said E and B grew last week but they looked the same to me.. I looked at pictures from the first day when they could both pretty much be in hand, and they've grown quite a bit! Now B can't fit in my hand as comfortable anymore.

























Their cage is also starting to look like a "rat cage"! I've finally gotten my parents to bring down the sewing machine and I sewed my first flat hammock and bunk bed hammock. I'm super proud and this is only the start of it lol!

















B's nose is also darker than the rest of his head right now, it's so weird.


----------



## Camelle

Anytime! c: That's great! i'm so glad he's getting better! You're babes sound so much like my babes! It's really uncanny! My little Quinn is my cuddle bug(like elephant) and Potter is my little adventurer (like archie) haha and then there's Vincent(the fear pooper) he fear poops when he's out too and he also comes tothecage door to greet me. i hope he will get better and stop being so nervous because (of course as it would just so happen) he's my russian blue velveteen rat so h's *SUPER* soft. Congrats on archie! He's beautiful! c: yeah mine are so similar! haha They really do!! igotmy boys at 5 weeksthey are 7weeks as of thursday andthey are 2xs the sizethey were when igot them! You're rat cage looks great! I *LOVE* the Thor hammocks!!!!!!!!!!! 8D I wish i could sew  Lucky! i'm really jealous ofthe thor stuff!! And they look really great!! You did a great job!! B is*ADORABLE*!!! He might look like that because he started his first moult but he isn't done yet. (please excuse the horrible typos i'm really sorry i'monly able to use one hand right now and of course it would be my left one)


----------



## ellismera

They are so cute


----------



## kakequinn

Thank you both. 

Some sad news... I had to have Bear put to sleep today. About a week ago he got a slight head tilt, I was going to take him to the vet when I got paid but it turned out that I wasn't getting paid that week so I had to wait. About Thursday, pretty much over night, he went from a healthy weight to thin and not being excited to see me. I started making mushes for him and trying to syringe feed him on Thursday, not forcing anything. Friday morning I noticed he was no longer using one of his back legs and that it was swollen.. His testicles also started swelling and hardening over that day. Saturday came, he started slightly using his back leg again and I started force feeding him water and mush as he was no longer getting up to eat or drink in the cage. Saturday night, he seemed a tiny bit better, I saw him wobble to the water bottle and nibble on a bit of food. Sunday morning he was not using one of his front legs as much, he was starting to lay in one spot while out with me (in the cage he stayed in one spot and he started doing that outside of the cage on Sunday... before Sunday he would wobble around the blanket to get comfortable). Sunday he was also just having more mobility issues in general like wobbling, leaning to one side, not being able to balance on his hind legs. I decided that on Monday (today) I needed to take him to be put down, I really think the way he was acting that it was time.. My mom and I decided to have an appointment though, that way we could see if there was anything that could be done... The vet said there was so many different things, I don't even remember everything she said.. She said something about neurological/nerve damage which could explain his smaller/sunken in eye, she said some big medical term and it may be some kind of blood infection... She pretty much said it was either put him to sleep or they could give him a shot and antibiotics, then wait a few days and if he didn't get better he'd have to be put down.. I felt that I couldn't make him suffer any longer.. I feel so bad that I couldn't get him in fast enough.. At least my baby boy isn't suffering any more though.. I really think he was my heart rat. He meant SO much to me, it's crazy. It was such a short, but amazing, 3 weeks with him..


----------



## MeinTora

I saw your post on Facebook. I'm so sorry to hear about Bear  Rest easy litle man <3


----------



## kakequinn

Thank you. The support from the group on FB has been so amazing. <3

Just thought I'd share it here, I lost Elephant yesterday as well. The vet said it was likely a blood infection type of thing and possibly a secondary issue like a URI.. I think she was right with the URI as Elephant showed signs of having one on Sunday night, over night he lost a lot of weight and started clicking noises... I got my mom to go get medicine for him on Monday but he passed away right before we could give it to him. I'm now giving Archie medicine just in case, he's had random sneezes but I want to make sure I can nip this in the butt before it gets to anything else. I'm not getting Archie any new friends until about 6 weeks or longer depending on if he gets any worse/better and when I can find a boy or two. Hopefully since he's my monster boy he can pull through this and not get it or he will be able to get rid of it.

I've also decided to get my next ratties from a good breeder or to adopt some.. I knew when I got my boys that I was taking major chances and all odds were stacked against me. Not only did I get them from a pet store, but I got them from one of the worst pet stores in the area. Petsmart and Petco are better places to get animals than the place I went to, which should say something. I knew this from the beginning but I still went through with it, which is my fault for putting my heart through this. However, I know that I've done everything possible given the situation. Archie is an active little bugger, he has been getting TONS of shoulder/lap time and TONS of extra foods to keep his weight up and has been getting meds for the issue. I have high hopes for my little man but knowing he came from the same place, it does cross my mind that it could be a matter of time. I will upload pictures of him tomorrow when I get new ones, he's so chunky and playful <3


----------



## hrl20100

Awh! I'm so so sorry to hear about Elephant and Bear  *hugs!*
I've been reading this thread and loved hearing about how their personalities were really starting to come through.

I wish you luck with your remaining boy! Archie is an adorable name by the way!

Look forward to seeing some more photos


----------



## erikablanchettexo

I'm sorry for your loss


----------



## kakequinn

Thank you two! It was really hard for me to lose them both but I put my all into Archie and he is still doing fantastic, thankfully. <3

I know I said I would get pictures the day after I posted my last update... but I was super busy caring for him lol! He's HUGE now though. I'd say he is about 9.5 weeks old now? I looked up when ratties stop growing and we've got a few months until he is fully grown, I honestly can't even imagine how big he's going to get. He's probably normal sized, but to everyone in my family he is a monster!  He has really come out of his shell as well. He's always been active but now he's just all over the place. He goes CRAZY on the couch for play time. He runs away, runs back to my hand, runs away, does jumpy/spinny things (similar to a rabbit binky or guinea pig popcorn), runs some more, runs down to my pant leg to run into it, then back out. He's crazy haha. He loves doing small nibbles/grabbing and tumbling around my hand and running away then coming back, I'm assuming he's trying to get me to play too? He's super smart as well, he knows one cabinet has his treats so he freaks out on my shoulder when he sees me messing around in it lol! 

Most recent pictures, taken yesterday. He doesn't sit still, obviously lol. 
















(The little towel was there because he likes peeing on the couch)









The first two are from the first day I got him on Nov. 11th. The last two are from Dec. 3rd.

































He is still alone since I wanted to make sure he was healthy before I brought a new one home. The breeder I originally wanted to go to sold her hairless male from the last litter already, so I'm currently in contact with a closer breeder and she is holding a Blue Hooded Rex for me. I figure I would get Archie a friend now from a closer breeder and then later on when the other breeder has another hairless male I will get two from her.. that way if it's a few months down the road I will have two babies the same age, I also didn't want to make my parents drive a 6 hour round trip twice lol.. Once is pushing it for them, but they know I've wanted a hairless animal since I was about 5 years old. The closer breeder says my boy will be ready on December 30th but I'm really thinking about asking her to hold him until the first week of January, that way it gives me a little bit more time to watch Archie alone and it will also mean the baby will be a couple of days/a week older than 5 weeks that way when quarantine is done he will be 8-10 weeks old. I plan on doing 3-4 weeks, the absolute minimum quarantine time would be 2 weeks.. but I'm scared so I'm going to stick with 3-4. 
Sadly, I can't have anyone keep the new ratty at their house for quarantine so I have to keep them on separate sides of the house and make sure I change clothes and will shower before going back into my room every day.

I thought I'd share pictures of the new baby though!
Here's him a few weeks ago








Here's the updated picture I got









I think he may be a poor rex? I'm not sure but I absolutely love him. He reminded me of Bear (minus the different shade of blue and the fact this boy is rex of course), which I guess is why I was drawn to him and not the others... I did think about also getting the agouti hooded rex, but I decided against it since I'll be going to the other breeder later on and my cage can only hold four rats.


----------



## kakequinn

*The Adventures of Archie. (pic heavy)*

Sorry for double posting but I wanted to share this! I took a better picture of Archie today to compare how big he has gotten. I think I'll have to take a picture like this every month, it gives me an excuse to take pictures of my gorgeous boy.  It's insane how big he has gotten in a little over a week!


----------



## Camelle

I am so sorry to hear about your babies!! Sorry I disappeared I had a severe health issue that left me unable to walk and therefore confined to the living room couch in severe pain so I apologize for that. It's tragic they had to go like that. But I'm super glad archie is doing well!! He really has gotten huge!! My boys have too. I'm working on resocializing them as sadly after 2 months of not seeing me they have no clue who I am now but they're doing well! I lost my shoulder rat but he's coming back slowly but surely. He's showing the most promise in trust training right now! Still working on being able to walk again and get back to work but at least I've managed to make it back to sleeping in my own room in my own bed and being able to do somethings on my own. We're all a work in progress here at my house haha. Anyway I just wanted to explain myself a bit. I didn't want you to think I just dropped off the face of the earth (although I sort of kinda did.)I was so amazed when I finally made it back here to my room at how big they've gotten! They were mouse sized when I left and now they hardly fit in one hand! I'm glad things are working out better for you now though.


----------



## kakequinn

Thank you.  Aw, don't apologize for your health issue. I hope you're feeling at least a bit better now! Archie really has gotten incredibly huge haha. I can't wait to see how big he gets. I hope all your ratties trust you quickly, I couldn't imagine losing their trust!  

I'm having issues deciding if I want to go through with the breeder now... I just can't decide if it's just me being super scared or if I really am having doubts about the breeder... I don't think some of the doubts are too serious... but I don't know... One thing I was wondering about, she posted that she got a rat off of craigslist and a week later she had babies. 9 of the babies apparently died over night recently so she went to the store and bought a feeder female and her two babies to act as a surrogate mom, which I can understand, as they obviously need to nurse... but it makes me wonder if the boy I'm interested in is now at a higher risk of having an illness? (I was going to quarantine obviously, but it makes me worry even more) I really don't want to bring in a sick rat and the fact that she got a female off of CL makes me wonder if she got the others from CL as well, since she only told me that she got her rats from two different breeders... I would imagine if someone asks where you got them from and you got them from a breeder, that you would be more willing to say the other breeders name.. and she just messaged me on facebook telling me that I could pick him up now if I wanted since the mom has completely weaned the babies.. that would mean they are 4 weeks, I'd imagine she'd want to keep them until 5 weeks to have an extra week to make sure he is doing alright. I am so torn right now. 










































He likes digging under my pillow on the couch lol.


----------



## sarasmithhh

Oh my lord he's gotten huge!!!


----------



## kakequinn

He's my "little" monster lol! ;D

I finally saw him sleeping out of his hammock, I was so scared lol! In the mornings, he normally joins in the "stare at momma until she gets up" thing that my bearded dragon does, so Archie is usually at the bars being cute staring.. today he was on the second level, tail hanging off the side and all. I honestly got scared when I saw it. I tried getting a picture but of course he slightly moved. 









Squinty, sleepy eyes <3









Ratty hands and feet!









And ear..









I wish his "silvering" showed up better on the pictures.. He's gotten this kind of salt and pepper look going on lol. xD


----------



## kakequinn

Little update.

We went to get the blue hooded rex yesterday! He is absolutely gorgeous. I've named him Kodiak as he reminded me of Bear and I wanted to stay with a bear related name for him. So his name is Kodiak "Bear" and Koda for short. He is starting to play with me now, which is just too cute. <3 Once we got to the ladies house, I felt a lot better about the whole situation. I still have my worries but they aren't nearly as bad anymore. All the rats looked super healthy, no porphyrin, they were all super friendly as well.

































This is Lazer, at least for the moment. He wasn't an impulse buy but he kind of was. My sister decided she wanted rats so we went to Petco (ugh) and got two, which left this poor guy alone. I was thinking about if I should or not but before I knew it, "I'll take that one" came out of my mouth. I asked the guy if I could hold him before I said I wanted him but he said no because "he's not that friendly and may bite"... and tried to tell me that the baby-babies in the tank under him where more friendly. I thought it was ridiculous that I couldn't hold him before, but my heart spoke for me and within a minute he was in a box in my hands. Turns out, he is friendly... he is just super shy. He didn't get handled much so he cowers away from me some times, but he loves to be petted once he realizes I'm not hurting him.









All are separated at the moment and will be introduced once I feel both are healthy enough to go in together.


----------



## Camelle

Aww Kodiak is adorable! I'm glad you worked through some of your anxiety of that! You can NEVER be too cautious for a ratty mom! I don't know if I'm really one to give advise about breeders (almost certainly not) but when I got my first boysfrom petsmart and first joined this site I always got the impression that everyone here thought you should go to a breeder and then when it came time for me to get new rats and I looked for breeders it was like suddenly everyone thought breeders were awful and the worse place to go ever so it really is just personal experience and preference I feel like. The breeder I got my rats from (yes she keeps her rats at home (honestly where else would you like her to breed them seriously?) she keeps them in her garage which is attached to her house and has heating and cooling) She has them in the rack system which a lot of people also don't like which I understand but she also lets them out for playtime a lot and handles them all and baths them and moves them to different bins so they meet other rats and she was very open and honest and let me look at EVERYTHING and was really a great genuine person and she studied genetics in school so she knows what she's doing and how to get what she wants properly and what not to do so she's knowledgeable she's not just someone who goes hmm lets see what happens when I do this carelessly and without knowing that hey this could turn out really bad for the babies. She knows all of that and she ( to me was fantastic and I will definitely be getting rats from her again.) After I got my boys a week or 2 later the girl who had spoken out against my breeder started a thread about her about backyard breeders and from reading through she really seemed to think very low of this woman and really just i don't know any way i digress. So basically it's really more up to you than anyone else about breeders because it's your time, your money, your heart, your house, your animals, your responsibility, and therefore solely your choice because yes someone can give you advise about a breeder but they're opinions/experiences/views and what you could or will experience with that same breeder could be completely different. Because after what the person warned me away from my breeder I honestly had completely decided not to go and was looking into other options (ie facebook rat rescuing) and the woman I was messaging with just so happen to start a convo about breeders and just so happen to start telling me about my breeder and her opinion of her was so high and she really respected her and it completely changed my mind. She HIGHLY recommended my breeder and had it not been from her I might not have had such a wonderful experience getting my new rats and getting to live my dream of looking at litters of rats and actually getting to choose them versus going to the pet store or something and there being one maybe two and you really don't have much of a choice it's either you get those or you get none, you know? SO like I said it's really something you should decide for yourself anyway so I'm glad you worked through it. I know this advise about breeding is coming too late for youbut I still wanted to share it with you for future reference and all because I kinda feel like we're sort of raising our rats together in a way. I feel like we have a sort of special bond and I think of you as a good friend and someone who is quite similar to myself in many ways and going through similar things with our rats because they're like the exact same age and all so they go through the same stages. (even if you only have one the same age i still the same way c: and I know that every time I talk to you or share an experience like with how fast our babies sprouted up you're going to have an extremely similar experience that you can share with me and that when I share this stuff with you you're actually going to respond in kind and (this is gonna sound kinda harsh sorry to everyone else) actually care about what I'm sharing and share your feelings back with someone who cares you know? (Again like the growing) It's kinda like when I get a really great new batman comic and I've just finished it and it was AMAZING and I really wanna talk about it with someone, anyone, and everyone. But really I want to share it because I want someone else to go "YEAH! Oh my god!! I loved it too! Especially...!" and instead because there's no one like that around you just tell everyone else and you get the "yeah that's cool" response and then you're just kinda bummed because you've got this great thing and you have all these feels about it and no one to share them with that will respond back with the same level or energy and excitement and you. So anyway long story short (or well really not so short I guess....oops. Sorry) you're that person to me. You're my batman comic person when it comes to rats. haha I really hope that makes sense and you don't think I'm absolutely crazy now. ANYWAY, I'm gonna stop now because I feel like I've been typing this for like at least an hour and I really didn't mean to wright you a freaking novel here. I'm sorry for writing you a whole book I rally didn't mean to it just happened. Most of this is pointless and useless anyway. I'm sorry. I'm gonna stop rambling now and crawl back into my hole. *scampers off*


----------



## kakequinn

Sorry for being gone. I had to take a little bit of time away to deal with the losses plus I've been dealing with a lot more stress/anxiety/ect. Hopefully I can get those under control when I (hopefully) go to the doctor next week.

I totally agree with the breeder situation. You've got to follow your gut, I kind of didn't but I don't regret it! I worry about EVERYTHING but now looking back, I think I made the situation a little bit worse than I should have. Koda has gotten to be a great rat so far! I also love that I can come here and talk about my ratties. The community here has been great so far.  Thankfully I also have my family to talk to though.. I got my mom and sister hooked on rats! My mom hated them before (the man bits and their tails) but Elephant, Bear and Archie changed her mind, she actually wants some of her own now. My sister has Lazer's brothers (I think they might be brothers at least), which is kind of funny because my mom absolutely LOVES one of my sisters that is an agouti. Of all the rats, the one that looks wild is her favorite lol!

I also got a new little baby boy. He is another Dumbo and I think he is a Blue Capped? I'm not too sure. But he's cute. I've named him Blakely and all three of the bigger boys love him. Archie is definitely my go-to rat for introductions, followed by Kodiak and then Lazer.









And then here's some picture of the other boys over the past month or so:
Lazer is the only rat of mine that I've seen sleep in a rat ball.









Lazer got to hang out with his brothers in the tub after we first got them. Also, can I just say that Lazer is my easiest ratty to take pictures of? I guess he gets nervous and stands still. 

















As you can see, Archie loves the hammocks I made and he also likes rearranging. You can also see that ALL three of the big boys like trying to come out of the cage. Lazer doesn't want to be on me much but he surely wants out! Then Lazer with his brother Alex.


----------



## kakequinn

(edit: I got Blakely a few weeks ago. I didn't want it to look like I just got him and put him in with the others.)

And more pictures since there's a limit for each post. 

Archie and Blakely's first meeting was a success. They started to lick their feet and the same time and then scratched at the same time. <3

















I tried to get a picture to show their size difference, but it didn't work too well.









Koda and Blakely's first meeting went great as well. - I think Kodiak might be a blue agouti? I'm not sure but I do know he is a poor rex. Oh well, he's still gorgeous in my eyes! - Lazer and Blakely's first meeting went well too. - Lazer and Koda love each other, their always next to one another.









Blakely's first time in the big cage and first time being able to climb. - Their first baby food/baby cereal meal in the cage all together. (no fleece on the bottom because I tried to do litterbox training again. Since putting Lazer and Koda in the cage they haven't taken to it)









I found all of them snuggling in a smaller hammock as well! It was sooo cute.









I then found Lazer, Koda and Blakely in one of the baskets together. (excuse the dirty tails, they have a thing with dragging their tails in their pee and poop)









Another baby food/cereal meal. This time in their not-so-valentines day-cage. It's all pink though and it's a heart bowl. I also having a video of Lazer eating... he is the only rat who will NOT eat with his mouth in the bowl. He grabs a handful and eats it out of his hand every time.









I tried to use a can to compare their sizes... it didn't work too well. It really doesn't show their size.









Taking group shots aren't easy.









I also made this to compare Koda's size. He didn't grow a lot like how Archie did. I'll need to do this months soon.









And I updated Archie's. He hasn't grown too much... but I can no longer hold him like this comfortably. I had to prop him up with my knee this time. He's my big boy. <3









I wish I would have taken a picture of Lazer too, so that I could compare him. I don't think he has gotten much bigger since I got him though.

I'm putting my order in for a Double Critter Nation tomorrow as well! So exciting. It's on backorder though, which sucks but that gives me time to move my room around. Really, the only reason for buying the DCN so soon is because I contacted a lady who pulled two little double rex boys from a filthy feeder breeder and is fostering them until they get healthy so she is treating them for RIs and things, it's so cute seeing them take the medication from the syringe lol. I sadly took a little too long to contact her though so I am second in line for them, just in case something happens and the other lady can't take them. I've ALWAYS wanted some hairless rats, ever since I was about 5-6 so this is exciting, even if I don't get these two. This lady rescues/fosters and she also has her own rattery where she breeds her personal rats. She said I sound like a great home so I'm second in line for the two current boys but I could also wait until she pairs some of her rats to get some double rex boys. She also said she gets in fosters some what often so she might have more double rex fosters soon. Some probably don't agree with doing rescue and having a rattery... but she seems to take very good care of all the rats and have gotten nothing but good vibes from her.


----------



## hrl20100

Your rats are lovely!!!
Glad all the introductions went well!


----------



## Shine

Aww! They are such cute babies! >3<

I love those names, too. Elephant and Bear make a good pair. c:


----------



## NikEliz

That last picture !!!!


----------



## kakequinn

Thanks everyone! 

I finally got them a new cage and it's been up for almost a week now. We all love it. I guess they get super tired out so when I go in there to pet them and mess with them they just let me do whatever to them.  It's super bare at the moment because apparently I need more hammocks and toys.









*Archie *is still my active guy. He is seriously the best. If I need a laugh, he's there for me to be silly and run around. <3 Also, remember how I said they let me do whatever to them? The first picture is proof... I was moving his lips and he didn't even budge. 

















*Koda* is my little snuggler. He is willing to just sit with you and cuddle.. it's obvious too since he puts all his weight on you. I've also come to the conclusion that I guess he is a Blue Agouti Hooded Rex, not just a Blue Hooded Rex. All that cute brown in his blue is to die for. <3 I sent his breeder updated pictures and she's so glad he got such a good home. This boy is just so squishy, we love him to death! He's also caught up in size to Archie. Hopefully I'll know who is bigger weight wise soon!

















*Lazer* is still a scardy-cat but he is definitely coming around. Since being in the new cage, he is way more willing to come up to the door for treats. Like.. WAY more willing. To the point he will go up on one of the higher up shelves and STARE down at me. He wont move or break his stare until I try to pet him or give him a treat. He wont willingly walk up onto my hand yet and when I get him out he doesn't want anything to do with my shoulder but let me tell you... he is right up there with the other boys wanting back out once he is put back. He loves having play time in the bathroom, he really comes alive. He's my jumper... who likes to jump and latch onto the cabinets trying to get to the sink.  He hasn't grown much since I got him, I don't think. He's the second smallest ratty, just judging by looks.








Oh and also: Only boys let it hang all out. Literally.


----------



## kakequinn

*Blakely* is my tiny little goofy guy. He is just so cute. He's grown some since I got him but he is still pretty small compared to the growth the other two (Archie and Koda) had. I'm getting a scale this weekend to keep track of their weight, mainly because of this tiny little guy.  I'm assuming he was about 4-5 weeks old when I got him so he'd be about 9-10 weeks now but I'm not used to a slower growing rat lol. He's always sleeping in goofy positions, he makes me laugh as well. <3








He let me cover him up the other day, he is just precious.









*Random Group Pictures*
Blakely and Koda








Archie and Koda









Look at how small Blakely is compared to the others <3

















I also finally figured out how to clean my boy's tails. I tried wiping them with a baby wipe, a damp cloth, trying to gently work the gunk off.... I put them in the tub to soak for about 3-5 minutes the other day after they painted (with non-toxic paint), all that gunk came right off!

Koda's tail went from dirty (the pictures of him and Archie really show his dirty tail) to this! Look at those lovely tail spots I never knew he had!









I also thought I'd share their paw-paintings that they did. This was done with *non-toxic* paint, they got wiped down after wards and also put in the tub to get the rest of it off. It's kind of funny how different their techniques were.  I only got a picture of Archie and Blakely with theirs because the other two wouldn't sit still and they wouldn't take the treats. Lazer also started flinging paint everywhere and Koda sat in the paint then decided to be active. Just a word of advice: If you ever want to do paw art with your ratties, be prepared to do tons of circles around a table.

Archie









Blakely









Koda









Lazer


----------



## Camelle

those paw paintings are so cute!! I'm so glad all your boys are doing so well! And don't apologize for being so late, I'm way later haha


----------

