# rat neglect?!



## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

my sister (owned by hyper) is NOT even interested in the babies anymore, she holds her maybe once a week for 5 minutes at the most, and then when i try to hold her she throws a fit and says "she wants to go in the cage and sh's scared" and i keep telling her that's because she isnt used to being held as you never hold her!!! 

so whenever we have family movie night (every wednesday and every other friday) i take hyper and ozzy downstairs to watch the movie, since my dad flips if they get on the couch, its hard to hold both of them at once, so hyper usually ends up in the cage halfway through the movie, and i feel so bad doing it.

how can i get my sister to love her rat? i cant go on like this, i feel so sorry for the poor thing when she looks at you depressed through the bars of her cage like a jailed criminal that is actually innocent (if that made any sense)

please help


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

no clue


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

There really isn't much you can do about this. If she insists on caring for her pet in the manner that she sees fit & your parents don't wish to intervene then you aren't left with many options without causing a great deal of drama that could result in your parents putting a kabash on the whole rat thing. 

(parents have been known to do things like that)


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## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

ive already been threatened a flushing 8O


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

you should tell ur parents maybe they can help


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## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

my dad the other day said "well i guess your sister has taken complete ownership" and she freaked

for you that have 2+ rats that are yours how do you play with them, i dont like having only one in the cage at once


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Maybe you should calmly talk to your sister about it? Or if you are out on the couch go out of your way to cover the couch so the couch is not harmed by the rats.

How old is your sister? Maybe you could CALMLY explain to her keeping hyper in her cage is like keeping a person in a room for all of their life. Yes after years and years of keeping someone in a room the person is going to act a little frightened but after repeat exposure to the outside world the rat will be happier and more FUN to handle.

Or you could just ask your sister if she wants to trade hyper for something she would find more fun that you own. Or sell her lol.

Sounds like getting your parents involved with the rats is a bad idea if they are being so inconsiderate by suggesting you flush your rat.

Do they live with each other?


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

i let my rats have free range time for like the whole day they are let out at around noon and come back b4 bed


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## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

oh the flush thing im not sure if he was being serious, my dad finds jokes like that funny, she is 9, full of additude and impossible to talk to, but christmas is coming so she might trade her if i buy her something good, thanks for the help you guys


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## yashu (Sep 14, 2007)

Haha, that is like something my father would say when I was a kid... 

Just play with them both... I don't see why not? I sit in my chair and have one on my lap and one on my shoulder... or you can cover your bed in your room... and let them out on there with you. You are a kid right? With your own room and bed? Just do that... no big deal... but the rats need their play time.

It's easier for some of us because we are living in or own places and can let the rats run around... but you can manage if you think creatively.


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## dreadhead (Mar 1, 2007)

My sister lives with me, and honestly she's the one that got me interested in rats. Well ours girls live together, and she... like your sister, just started ignoring her... miss feedings, wouldn't clean the cage when it was her turn, won't give them fresh water, and held her maybe 10-20mins. every other day. I got tired of it, instead of complaining about it I treat these girls equally myself. I buy there food (suebees and blocks), buy there bedding (she bought the cheap crap), feed them, clean the cage, and take them out of there cage any spare time I have, even if it is a few minutes before work or bed. Now Mindy is MUCH less cautious and worried (for a week or two there she would fight with everything she had to stay in the cage) and friendly. She recognizes my voice when I come in, and is pinned against the door of the cage with her sister when they hear me. 

Basically what i'm saying is take responsibility... sure it's her rat, just see that the ratty gets the care and attention it needs.


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## yashu (Sep 14, 2007)

If you do a good enough job of making her rat like you, maybe she will get jealous or envious and begin to care for the rat again.


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## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

i share a room wiht her, we have a bunk bed and i have the top


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

I made the stupid mistake of buying my sister a guinea pig (not such a close reference, but bear with me) I've also bought her hamsters before. She LOVES them for the first few weeks, buys them treats etc etc. Then she goes off of them and they are everyone else's problem and either I or my mother have to start looking after it for her.

How old is your sister? Mine is 15.

If she's not going to take responsibility for her rat, I suggest you do it. Caring for 2 rats (or 15 in my case) isn't much different in practice. Why don't you buy some cheap throw rugs for the sofa downstairs? Ask your parents it they'll let the rats run around supervised on the throws? Just an idea.

Maybe even bring them both out on your bed for an hour or so. I have to do that with the 4 sisters as they chew up a storm in the living room and have been banished from having free time - so I take them onto my sisters bed (and let them run around on the floor - shh don't tell the sister) for their fun time


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## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

she is 9, im going to ask for a playpen thing for christmas


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

Good idea. Check ebay - that's where I'm currenty looking for mine.


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## jellybeanqueen (Sep 6, 2007)

well, i guess your sister losing interest is to be expected if she's only 9. i really think kids under 12 shouldn't be given the responsibility of "owning" a pet...usually they just play with the animal while the parents do everything else (cage cleaning, feeding, etc)
if you could take full responsibility of hyper, that would be great! 
when you take hyper out, casually tell your sis "I'm gonna play with our rats now, bye!" and maybe if she feels excluded she'll want to play with her more??

i dunno if that'll help or not, 'cause i have younger brothers. and _they_ have to be bribed to babysit my ratties for one measly hour every 5 days when i clean their cage!! :lol:


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## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

im gonna give her like 10 dollars or a cool christmas present if she gives me hyper


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## toxic_tears1990 (Oct 7, 2007)

well ive got 5rats atm two are my bfs , and yeh its hard to play with them all but because ive got 3 grils i can take them out one at a time and not feel bad but playing with two at once works coz they snuggle into my jumper alot so trysomething like wearing a bood hoody and let them both play in it , or make a rat proof room and let them rome togeather .

as for getting your sis interested not sure what to do ..if u find a way let me know coz im sceard my sis is going to loose interest in her rats ...qand then ill have 7 lol.


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## Dusk (Nov 20, 2007)

The same thing happened to me. Except i was the one neglecting my rat. This probably wont happen, but I realized that I loved rats, and with them came the bad and the good: bad being cleaning the cages and having to rat proof my room(still working on that). and the good being the relationships, and just how darn cute they are! But i realized that I had to step up to the plate and start caring for my rat. And now i hold my rat all the time, love her, and wouldnt trade her for anything. But enough of my speech...

Considering your sister is only nine, i would either care for the rat myself, or convince her she has to take care of it.


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