# I Finally Got a Rat!



## Alaska.Street (Feb 27, 2008)

But sadly, my camera has gone missing. But I'm so excited, I had to share!

His name is Julius Caesar because we got him on March 15th and I'm a bit of a history/Shakespeare nut. Got him at the local Petco even though I swore I'd never buy one from them. They've really made their rat cages a lot better, though, and the rats certainly looked happier and more playful. I got there and all the girls were chittering and grooming while the boys had an afternoon nap.

At first, I just wanted to hold one. I looked at some of the girls but they were a bit too squirmy for me. So I asked to see the 'large' boys. The lady was so helpful and amazing. She told me about Julius and how the assistant manager always handled him. I picked him up and cradled him and he immediately grabbed onto my glasses and started licking them. Then he had to tickle my ear with his whiskers. I put him back to see some of his frat brothers but he kept sticking his head out of the cage and the other boys didn't want to have anything to do with me. There was a gorgeous lilac-hooded there and he squirmed as bad as the girls.

I called my mom to come over and see him and he cuddled up under the collar of her shirt. She sighed and said 'Well, I guess we've gotta buy him before someone else does.' I hadn't even planned to get a rat until after we moved into our house at the end of the month. But I called my dad and he took the easy way out by saying he'd go with whatever my mom said. So we got him. Then we stopped by my dad's store and showed him off. Some of the customers were very curious so I educated them a bit and Julius just chilled out on my shirt. Then he got the bright idea of peeing on it. I guess that means he likes me? xD

We bought some lab blocks for him and my sister already had a water bottle and some Carefresh litter from when they found an abandoned rabbit. The only thing we were missing was a cage. Sadly, none of the cages there appealed to me (I'm holding out for a Ferret Nation or something.) So now he's making his new bachelor pad in a roomy Pet Taxi (though my cat is not pleased that I took away his napping spot.) Not the best home, I know, but he doesn't seem to mind. It'll also get to be a quarantine cage for when I find another boy rat. I feel kinda bad because he's away from his pals but none of the others were very friendly. I figure that since it's Spring Break, though, I'll be with him more and he'll slowly get used to having the place to himself.

Anyways, he's a gorgeous black-hooded, standard-earred. His stripe is really wide, about 2 inches and it goes all the way to his tail. He has a few white hairs on his forehead and his right cheeks are white as well. We had a bit of a scare, though, because he has a bump on his neck. But after looking closer, it's just a knot in his fur. I brushed it out with a bristled cat brush.

Right now, he just got done grooming so he's settling down for a nap curled up next to his twisted rope dog toy. I put it in there and he started gnawing on it and chattering.

Our three toy poodles have already greeted him with licks through the bars. He had his nose stuck out as far as it would go and I think he enjoyed the attention. Simba, our cat, couldn't care less.


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## naturegirl (Mar 11, 2008)

congratulations on your new addition! he sounds like a sweetheart<3 hope you find him a buddy soon =]


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

Congrats.


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## SamAnthrax (Jan 5, 2008)

aw thats a cute story. congrats on your rat!


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## sk1tt135 (Jul 25, 2007)

Grats on the new addition. -is jealous because she wants boys-


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## zlioness (Dec 27, 2007)

Howdy from one Texan to another. :]

That's a cute story! The crate should be okay as long as it's spacious, but be sure the bar spacing isn't too wide, or he might get out. 1" is about as big as you can get with large male rats. Anything bigger and he might be able to squeeze through. Also, be sure he has stuff to climb on. Rats seem to be happier with more than one level to play on.

Also, rats do best in pairs, so if you can, go back and get him a buddy. If you decide to wait, you'll need to quarantine the new rat, and that takes time. Three weeks is a lot to a rat!

Good luck!


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## Alaska.Street (Feb 27, 2008)

Thanks guys. I'm giving him lots of playtime on my bed (to the dismay of my cat who fled as soon as Julius stuck his nose in his face.) We just spent the past hour or so watching 'What Not To Wear' and cuddling. Towards the end of it, he started running around and boggling at me. I'm guessing he's starting to warm up to me? And right before I put him back, he started chattering again and began attacking my thumb with licks. As soon as my thumb was covered with rat spit, he started grooming himself. Was he trying to groom my thumb like he would another rat or something?

And I'm already building my argument for why Julius needs a buddy. My dad is skeptical (he thinks rats are as smart as they are big) and my mom doesn't want to 'waste' money getting him a friend. She says I'm the only friend he'll need. *sigh*

I just measured the front grate and it's 3/4' x 3/4'. All I've seen him stick out is his nose and that was only because he was sniffing the dogs and cat. I will have to do something about the levels, however. There's room to hang stuff and I may put a basket or something in there for him. He's pretty big, though, so I'll have to make sure he doesn't tear it down. xD

One thing I'm worried about, though, is that he's been sneezing a bit. He sneezed once or twice at the store but I figured that was from my perfume. I don't hear any wheezing but it also looks like he has small hiccups every now and then. Should I take him to the vet, just in case or could it just be all the new smells in the house?


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## zlioness (Dec 27, 2007)

Alaska.Street said:


> Thanks guys. I'm giving him lots of playtime on my bed (to the dismay of my cat who fled as soon as Julius stuck his nose in his face.) We just spent the past hour or so watching 'What Not To Wear' and cuddling. Towards the end of it, he started running around and boggling at me. I'm guessing he's starting to warm up to me? And right before I put him back, he started chattering again and began attacking my thumb with licks. As soon as my thumb was covered with rat spit, he started grooming himself. Was he trying to groom my thumb like he would another rat or something?
> 
> And I'm already building my argument for why Julius needs a buddy. My dad is skeptical (he thinks rats are as smart as they are big) and my mom doesn't want to 'waste' money getting him a friend. She says I'm the only friend he'll need. *sigh*
> 
> ...


What kind of bedding is he on? Definitely keep an eye on him and if you see anything remotely worrisome, see about getting him to a vet.


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## Alaska.Street (Feb 27, 2008)

He's on something called 'Cozy Critter.' It looks and feels like Carefresh so I don't think that's it.

I'm going to ask my mom to take him to Petco when she gets off work. They have that 15-day guarantee where if he gets sick, they'll pay for a vet visit.

Besides the sneezing and hiccups, though, he doesn't look ill. Been throwing litter all over the place all morning and he's eating and drinking. But I don't want to take a chance and risk his health.


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## jesirose (Feb 22, 2008)

Congratulations!

Rats generally sneeze often, but if it's constant and you start to hear noises in his breathing, he probably has a URI. Especially since you got him at a shop. I have got 5 girls from pet shops and 4 had URIs when they came home. Stress of moving can bring them on as well. (I think the other rat did too but she cleared up pretty quick)

Some people find carefresh to be really dusty and they say that can bother the rats noses. You could try using some fleece blankets and see if that helps. Also he can't throw it  I use carefresh only in their litter pan so it's not all over the place. 

Good luck!


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