Mandy: The Soon To Be Mama

It looks as if Mandy will have some little munchkins before long! She's doing great...I can't wait. :-) I'll post some pictures of that belly as soon as I have the chance!

~ Meghan

Merry Christmas From Mr. Tumnus!

A Change Of Plans...

For reasons of my own, I canceled the December litter. I decided to pair Sparky and Mandy instead, so babies should be born in early January. :-) I can't wait! These ratties should be super sweet and healthy...

~Meghan

Another Favorite Ratty Snack...

I like to give my rats scrambled eggs every now and then...it's a good source of protein.

Eqivalent Aging Schedule

Have you ever wondered how old your ratty is in human years? Well, now you can know!

Rat Age/Human Age

5 weeks- 10 years

6 months- 16 years

9 months- 25 years

1 year- 35 years

1 1/2 years- 50 years

2 years- 65 years

3 years- 85 years

4 years- 100 years

5 years- 110 years

6 years- 120 years

7 years- 130 years

Hello From Puddleglum!

Decorating...

Okay, so my rat room looked rather 'boring'. I decided to fancy things up a bit! What I really need to do is paint it...I'll get around to it eventually. I don't think the rats mind. ;-)

I went to the store and bought some supplies...

This was before I started decorating.

Big Blue didn't seem too interested in what I was doing! Lol! As you can see, he has porphyrin around his nose. Unfortunately, his respiratory health isn't great. Even so, he is one happy boy. :-)

The finished product! You probably don't see too much of a difference...it was hard to capture the whole room in one picture...

Expo. Update...

I just wanted to let everyone know I am no longer attending the RAB pet exposition in Cleveland, OH. Lots of other breeders will be attending, so visitors are definitely welcome...

Well, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! By the way, another litter of baby ratties is on the way. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated. :-)

~Meghan

One Cute Baby!

Caring For Your Hairless Ratty...

A lot of people aren't very fond of hairless ratties. Oftentimes, their reaction is something like this: 'Yuck! I could never own one of those as a pet.' Even some people in the 'rat community' are hesitant when it comes to adopting a hairless rat. Why?

First off, many people think hairless rats are very ugly. They just don't like seeing a rat without fur! It creeps them out. A naked rat does have a very unique appearance...

Even so, they are just as sweet and loving as a 'regular' rat!

Some people shy away from hairless rats because they think they're too delicate for children to handle. This is a common misconception. They are actually very tough, little creatures! They are totally fine with rough handling...trust me, I know from experience. ;-)

In many ways, hairless rats are very similar to furred rats. They love interacting with people, taking shoulder rides, playing, etc...But, there are also some pretty big differences:

1. Hairless rats tend to have skin/eye problems (it is common for them to have ingrown hairs around their eyes). 

2. Hairless rats need more protein/calories than furred ratties.

3. It is super common for hairless rats to get abscesses (they are easy to treat).

4. Hairless rats become cold very easily (obviously!).

5. All rats tend to have respiratory issues, but hairless rats are especially prone to having problems in this area.

The list of 'differences' goes on. I don't have time to cover everything. This post was simply supposed to help you better understand hairless rats. Please take the time to research and learn about hairless rat health. I didn't really go into detail- there are so many great articles out there. I know, it is rather overwhelming. But don't worry! Any rat can have these problems- it's just more common for hairless rats to have issues in these areas. As a rat owner/breeder, I feel it's worth the risk. Caring for these beautiful, interesting creatures is quite rewarding!

Before coming to an end with this lengthy post, let me give you some helpful tips on caring for your hairless friend(s).

1. It's a good idea to bathe your hairless rat every now and then. After the bath, put olive oil on their skin.

2. Make sure your hairless rat has lots of water! Also, give them extra protein (eggs, meat, cheese, etc...).

3. In my opinion, your hairless rat should have furred cage mates. They would keep him warm. In some cases, this doesn't work out very well. Furred rats can sometimes be rather rough with naked ratties.

4. It wouldn't hurt to gently wash the area around your hairless rat's eyes every day. Since they don't have eye lashes, it's important to wipe away all the dirt and dust. 

5. Make sure there are lots of warm sleeping areas in your hairless rat's cage. I lay t-shirts on the surface of my hairless ratty cages and they love to snuggle in them!

Well, I hope this post was helpful! Please take the time to do some research of your own- there is so much information out there...

~Meghan 

A December Litter...

All the babies were reserved in no time at all! They are going to great homes. :-)

I decided to pair some more adult ratties. This is not how it usually goes in my rattery, but my waiting list is filling up fast!

I'm not sure which adults will be paired, but I'll let everyone know soon! One thing's for sure- all the little munchkins will have Dumbo ears... 

~Meghan

So Big, Yet So Tiny! ;-)

Riverside Rattery Update

Hey, y'all! It's been a long time since I gave everyone a rattery update...
All the ratties are doing great! They are in good health and have been enjoying lots of free range time. I can tell they are aware of the weather change. There has been lots of nest building going on. ;-)
All the babies are getting ready to go to their new homes. They grew up so fast! It seems like just  yesterday they were tiny, squirming pinkies. They are so friendly, active, and cute! They love to give kisses, hop around their cage, and eat oats...yep, they have a lot of personality!
I have been preparing for a ratty expo. It'll be held in Cleveland, OH on Dec. 14th. I'll be a vendor, which is very exciting. Please feel free to join us- visitors are very welcome! There will be lots of animals available for adoption as well as lots of educational material. For more information, go to http://rabpetexpo.weebly.com./
Well, I hope everyone has a great day! By the way, be on the lookout for an informational blog post about caring for hairless ratties. An adopter recently emailed with questions about caring for these rather delicate creatures. It was then that I realized many people do not take proper care of their hairless friends. So, that's what inspired me to write a post about this topic!

~Meghan

So Adorable...

Some Mama And Baby Pics.

Between both litters, all the babies can see now. Yay! They're so cute. ;-) I think the mamas are anxious for their wee ones to grow up! Lol! Those gals certainly have their 'paws' full...

Break time for the girls!

An action picture. ;-)

A Big Litter!

All the babies are doing awesome...it won't be too long until they can go to their new homes. :-)

Elsa has a lot of little, munchkins to take care of!

Little Cuties!

Elsa's babies have changed so much over the past few days! They are so pretty and healthy...

There are four colors in her litter: Amber, Agouti, Black, and American Blue. I was pleasantly surprised to discover two of her wee ones were Blue! I'm so excited...it's such a pretty color. Of course, AB comes in so many different shades! Lol ;-) 

From left to right: Agouti, American Blue, Amber, and black.

A lil' blue gal!

Elsa's Babies Are Growing Fast!

These little munchkins are very healthy! I think they give their mama a pretty hard time. ;-)

Yep, More Baby Pictures!

The lil' ratties change every day...it's so neat to watch them grow! I've captured some really awesome pictures this time around...

Both mamas are doing great! They take good care of their wee ones. I will try to post some pictures of them soon- their bellies have really shrunk. ;-)

Scarlett's babies are quite active now. I plan on having a photo session with Elsa's babies tomorrow!

Lots Of New Sights!

Some of Scarlett's babies opened their eyes today! It's so exciting- now they want to explore everywhere. Lol ;-)

This little gal's eyes wouldn't stay open for long! She wanted to take a nap during photo session time... ;-)

Pinkies In A Basket...

Scarlett's Babies Are Getting Big!

Pinky Pictures ;-)

Elsa's babies are lil' cuties...

Litter Number Seven...

Elsa went into labor this morning! She gave birth to thirteen Dumbo babies. There are six boys and seven girls. The mama and her wee ones are doing great...I will post pictures later on. ;-)

~Meghan

Rattery Update...

Everything here has been great! All the ratties are in good health and the pinkies are thriving. Those babies are so cute! Thankfully, Scarlett is recovering nicely and she is such a good mama. Every now and then, she decides to take a little break from nursing her wee ones. She doesn't like to stay away for long, though- she always takes little peeks to make sure they're okay. ;-)

Elsa should give birth any day now. Her belly has almost doubled in size since I posted those pictures! She is massive. Lol! I will be sure to keep everyone updated... I can't wait until those little, Fawn babies arrive!

~A quick side note~

I will be going to a rat expo. this December. I am so excited! I will give more info. later on...

~Meghan

One HUGE Belly!

Those babies are getting very impatient...

Pinkies In A Sock!

Yes, they were also in a shoe! ;-)

A Few Misc. Mama/Baby Pictures...

The pinkies are doing great! They are growing so fast. I can't wait until the next litter is born...

Elsa is about to pop! Lol ;-)

Scarlett is recovering nicely. She is an awesome mama!

I absolutely love this picture!

A Lil' Cutie ;-)

Look at those tiny, Dumbo ears!

More Babies Coming!

Well, Elsa is next in line! Her belly is bulging. More pinkies will be here before long...

Scarlett is doing great! She is such a sweet mama...those little munchkins are definitely well taken care of. ;-)

~Meghan

Litter Number Six...

Scarlett went into labor around 10:00 a.m. this morning! The birth was quick and she had no issues...

Eight Dumbo babies were born. There is one boy and seven girls! Mama and pinkies are doing great... ;-)

Waiting...

I moved Scarlett to the birthing cage. Her belly is huge- those babies are definitely ready!

The birthing cage is a big, plastic bin. It's perfect for pregnant ratties. Let me explain why...

First off, the surface of the birthing cage is flat. Soon to be Mamas should never be housed in cages with levels. They can easily fall and injure themselves. Also, the mama ratty may build her nest on the top level. That can  be very dangerous for the babies!

Secondly, the birthing cage doesn't have much space. Believe it or not, this is a very good thing. The bigger the cage the more likely it is the mama will abandon her little ones. This is the main reason I moved Scarlett to this particular cage. As I mentioned before, hairless rats do not always make good mothers. Being housed in a cage like this will force her to be close to her babies!

Lastly, the birthing cage is very easy to clean. Having a whole litter of baby ratties is messy and stinky. After the first week, the cage needs to be cleaned often. It's not hard to wash out a plastic bin!

Well, I will keep everyone updated! Hopefully those pinkies arrive soon...