# My rat pack



## Werepuppy (Aug 28, 2008)

Its been a while since ive been active on this forum and the last time ive really posted on here was when i got my first two girlies.
Now, i have 6 girls, all housed in a Ferplast XL, which is suitable for up to 9 rats so they have plenty of room to play about. I make most of their hammocks myself, feed them a shunamite mix (5xrabbit mix, 4xcereal, 1xpasta, 1xrandom nuts) as well as a variety of fruit and veg every day, and i sometimes treat them with weatabix minis 
I am going to get some dog kibble to add to the shunamite mix but ive not managed to find the right sort yet, cant remember the name but one of my friends is going to get hold of some for me.

They get at least 30 minutes free range a day in the bathroom but i am working on getting my bedroom tidied up and rat proofed so i can relax in there whilst they have a good run about then i'll be able to give them at least an hour a day 

Introducing my rats...









Inky, is a satin black hooded dumbo. At least i think she's satin, she has a very shiny silky coat.
She's about 7 months old now, and the alpha of my rat pack. She's a gorgeous tempered rat, though will put other rats in their place and does have a little bit of a temper with other rats when she's asserting her dominance.









Toffee, is a cinammon mismarked hooded dumbo. Got her at same time as Inky.
She's also about 7 months old, and is a bit nervous about handling though she has been improving over the months. She suffers from Maloclussion which means her teeth are misaligned so she has to go to the vet every 2 weeks for teeth trims and since she's a squirmer, she has to be given a touch of gas so they can get at her teeth. She also has a nasty bite wound on her jaw that goes right into the inside of her mouth, which inky gave her when they were young because the petshop sold me a cage that had wide bar spacing and they could slip out so i had to keep them in a carrier overnight and all day until i could get a replacement cage.... She probably won't live much longer but i am trying to give her a good life, to make up for this horrible mistake.









Possum, is a striped roan rex dumbo. Adopted from a rescue center.
She's now 3-4 months old. Has such an adorable temperment, loves cuddles and sitting on my shoulder or in my hoodie. When it gets warmer i plan to take her out with me for walks. My friend nicknamed her Doobie because she looks constantly stoned XD









Rosetta, is an Agouti hooded rex dumbo. Possum's sister, same age.
Again a very good tempered rat, more cheeky and playful than Possum, and gets along like clockwork with Inky. They spend ages playfighting about the cage and will eat and drink together. Best buddies.









Serenity, is a Cinammon hooded dumbo, might be satin.... Possum & Rosetta's sister, adopted a week later, after i gave into temptation!
She is the sweetest rat of the pack, and the most photogenic. She earned the nickname 'Lady' after i caught her drinking from a water bowl by dipping her paws in and drinking from cupped paws!!!!
She is very sensitive and very needy when it comes to cuddles.









Tasmania, is a black berkshire top-eared.
She's 11 weeks old, and i got her from a petshop after she held my fingers through the bars... and i just could not say no... :-[
She's got a fantastic friendly temperment, though is very vocal with the other rats though she is starting to accept her place in the hiaracy and letting other rats pin her instead of just pinging across the cage and screaming her head off. It only lasts a matter of seconds and they all curl up in a big rat pile at the end of the day!

So this is my rat pack, I will be sticking at 6 rats and not get any more than this. Promice


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

They are so sweet!!


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## ratastic (Jul 1, 2007)

Aaawww poor Toffee, she looks so sad.


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## Spider (Mar 19, 2007)

What exactly is wrong with Toffee? why do you think she won't last much longer? As long as no infection developes she could live with open wounds fo ra long time.
Spider


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## Werepuppy (Aug 28, 2008)

Spider said:


> What exactly is wrong with Toffee? why do you think she won't last much longer? As long as no infection developes she could live with open wounds fo ra long time.
> Spider


Its because every time her teeth grow, they curve towards the wound and keep irritating it. Even with constant trimming every 2 weeks it will eventually mean she'll lose the function in her jaw. At least thats what the vet said. If it was just the wound or just the maloclussion then it'ld be a different story.
The wound has a slow infection and constantly filled with very gooey hard puss, and sometimes gets food stuck through the hole when she eats.
I've got some oral meds for her, but its a case of persuading her to eat laced bread as theres no way i can squirt it in her mouth she's too much of a squirmer.


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## Werepuppy (Aug 28, 2008)

ema-leigh said:


> Why dont you talk to your vet about getting her teeth pernamently removed then, sounds to me like shes in pain not dying! You could feed her baby food as its mushy, and she would prob live a long happy life and that wound can finally heal over.


I have already had this conversation with the vet, but they're not 100% happy with doing the procedure as they've never done a rat teeth removal before, only rabbits.
The main worry of course is the teeth shattering during removal and if that happens she'll have to live for a month like that before they can try again.
I've not been able to find a specialist vet in nottingham, and do bare in mind i'm limited to public transport and cash is very tight right now. 
I should be having a crown on one of my teeth but thats another £150 i have to find from somewhere. 

If it was just the wound or just the teeth, yes i would definetly go for the operation.


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## psycho_ash (Sep 27, 2009)

They're beautiful girls, but that's a shame about Toffee... good luck figuring out something for her.


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