The Past Two Weeks...

Life has been busy lately! I have not had the chance to do much posting.

Everything at Riverside Rattery has been going well! Here is a brief summary of all that has happened over the past two weeks: the babies have been growing like crazy, I have been doing lots of cage cleaning, all my ratties are in the process of learning to use litter boxes, I made some changes in my rats' diet and bedding (I will do a post about that later on), lots of people have been reserving rats... the list goes on! Like I said, life has been busy. ;-)

Here are some pictures of the little munchkins below.

This is right before they opened their eyes!

This picture was taken the day their little worlds drastically changed! ;-)

Those little Dumbo ears are simply too cute!

Buddies :-)

Think Simple...

Some rat owners do not realize how easy and cheap it is to provide their pet rats with a comfortable and fun environment to live in. Before breeding rats, I was absolutely clueless! I had no idea how many neat ideas were out there. I thought I would share some of my ideas below to help first time rat owners. :-)

First off, you need to think simple. Look around you. What are some things that are no longer in use that your rats would enjoy? If you are not able to come up with anything, then take a quick look at some of my ideas. They may be helpful. :-)


Rat Houses/Caves

Coffee can- Okay, so you are out of coffee. Time to pitch that old container. Hold it right there! Why not clean it out and put it in your rattie cage? They would love to snuggle up in there. And the best part is this: that old container will last for a long time! You can just clean it out on a regular basis.

Milk jug- This, too, makes a great rat house! Just take an empty milk jug and cut a large opening at one end. My rats love it. :-) 

Tissue box- Don't you dare throw out that empty box! ;-) Rats not only love to snuggle in these, but they also enjoy shredding them. I save all sorts of cardboard boxes for my ratties.

These are just a few ideas! The bottom line is this: just be creative!

 Toys and hammocks

Toilet paper tubes- Yes, there is even a use for toilet paper tubes! I put them in my rat cages and they love to roll them around and shred them. You can even cut up one of the tubes into little rings. Then, one by one, put the rings over each other until a small ball is formed. Put treats inside the ball and give it to your rats. It won't take them long to figure out how to get to those treaties!

Foil balls- I simply take a piece of foil and shape it into a small ball. Rats like to bat them around. I have actually seen my rats use their mouths to throw them through the air!

Socks- You can give your old, worn out socks to your ratties. They like to drag them into their caves to curl up on. :-) I even put old shirts in certain cages.

Thread spool- You may not have these handy, but I always do! ;-) My mom does a lot of sewing. I just put one or two in my rat cages. Once again, they really enjoy playing with these!

Homemade Hammock- Why waste your money on a hammock? They can be so expensive! Instead, save your old shirts and towels. They make the very best hammocks! You can make them deep or shallow. It just depends on what your rat likes best. My rats like deeper ones so they can really snuggle in them.

Again, you just have to be creative! These are just a few of my ideas. I have lots more. Trust me, the possibilities are endless! Well, I hope this post was at least a little helpful. :-)


*A quick side note*  The little baby rats have opened their eyes now! They have grown so much in the past week. They are absolutely adorable at this age! I will be posting lots of pictures soon. :-) 

Baby Rats Update Pictures

Their little eyes will be opening very soon!

Both mamas have their paws ;-) full with all these babies!

Baby Rats Update

The baby rats have been growing so fast! They are already getting so big! Both litters are definitely thriving. All the little munchkins are so happy and adventurous. The mamas are doing very well. They take such good care of their little ones. I am happy they are healing. I have been giving them lots of protein rich food so they keep up their strength!

You simply would not believe how many times Connie has moved and rearranged her nest in the past week! She just never seems satisfied. I think she is the type that likes a nice, roomy cave to sleep in. The cave/house I had in there was a little small. So, earlier today I cleaned out her cage and put a nice, big box at one end for her to build a nest. After I finished cleaning, I set her down in her little domain. She sniffed around a little and then, seeming content, began nursing her babies. I think she is finally happy with her cage! Since settling into the new cave she has not attempted to 'relocate' her nest. ;-)

The above picture was taken a few days ago. The babies have changed a lot since then! I will post some more pics. tomorrow. Trust me, I have lots of them! :-)

The Rat Corner...

More Pinky Pictures!

I had a photo session with all of the pinkies today. I got lots of great pictures! The first few are of Bonnie's little ones. :-)

The whole gang! They are already so dark.

Pinky pile up! ;-)

Connie gave birth to quite a few Minks.

Here is another one of Connie's babies. Such a sweet face!!

Litter Number Four

Well, turns out Bonnie was pregnant! She gave birth to twelve pinkies early this morning. She had no complications and the babies are doing well! All of them are Dumbos. There are five boys and seven girls in this litter.

Bonnie's previous owner (a fellow breeder) warned me there was a possibility she was pregnant. For quite some time I really thought this was not the case. But, a few days after Connie gave birth to her babies, I noticed Bonnie had the 'bulge'. ;-)

I am excited! This litter will be the start of a Fawn/Agouti line. I will be sure to post some pictures tomorrow. :-)

A Great Adopter!

My brother, Tom, adopted two of my boys a few months ago. He takes such good care of them! They are his little buddies. :-)

You can tell James Bond and Ajax love their owner!

Two happy ratties!

This is Bond's way of greeting Tom. ;-)

Pinky Pictures!

My computer is in a good mood today. ;-) I had no problem posting all these pictures!

Connie and the babies are still doing great! All the little pinkies have their milk bands, which means they are eating well. I am glad! Some mamas reject their babies, but not this mama! She has things under good control. :-) By the way, she gave birth to eleven girls and four boys.

 

Litter Number Three

Connie went into labor this morning and gave birth to fifteen healthy babies. Her labor was a quick one. She and the pinkies are doing great!

I wanted to post some pictures, but for some reason my computer is acting up. Oh, man! I guess they do that sometimes. ;-) Well, I will just have to try again tomorrow. I got some really nice pictures!

One Big Belly!

Connie should give birth to her babies within the next two days. She is huge! I think those little pinkies are getting impatient...

I recently built this 'birthing cage'. Connie seems to like it!

I just had to add this picture. She looked too cute!