She’s currently inside, snuggled up on a hammock now with her mum Sugar, as she looked so depressed on her own. Seeing as she’s not pooing properly & I know that now, it seemed a bit pointless to continue isolating her. They also have a pair of Steve’s underpants to cuddle up with that he gave Fudge last night when she was by herself so she could cuddle into something!

I’m a bit worried about Treacle at the moment, she’s lost a whole load of weight and is so skinny, her sides go in behind her ribs. She has a wee bit of sniffling which has developed over the last couple of days, but she still seems pretty bright, coming out to play, eating and nest building! She stole a bit of dog food off of Fudge earlier. She doesn’t seem as if she feels ill but I think i shall get her up the vets next week. I’ve been reading through my ‘scuttling gourmet’ book and I’m planning on adding some of the kidney-friendly additives suggested to their food, in case it’s kidney problems causing the weight loss.

I have recently changed the base of my ‘shunamite diet’ to pasture mix horse food as I was having trouble getting alpha herbal rabbit food. I tried the pasture mix after purchasing some for the piggies as that is what their breeder fed them on. After discussing the ingredients and analysis on the NFRS forum I decided to give it a go, and it seems to be a success. I have noticed a particular difference in Pepper, who’s fur around her eyes is now lovely and dark and her coat has darkened and started to shine. Rupert and Jools’ coats are shinier too and they’ve lost their paler eye circles too. The ingredients of the pasture mix are:

Oatfeed, barley, wheat, cereal straw (treated) cane molasses, maize, wheatfeed, peas, vegetable oil, dehulled soya bean meal, herbs, limestone, dicalcium phosphate, salt, carrots, linseed, full fat soya, minerals, fruit.

And the analysis is:

• moisture – 14%
• Protein – 9%
• Oil – 4%
• fibre – 14%
• ash – 8%
• calcium – 1%
• phosphorus – 0.4%
• sodium – 0.4%
• vitamin A – 10,000 iu / kg
• vitamin D3 – 1,500 iu / kg
• vitamin E – 100 mg / kg
• copper (as cupric sulphate & copper proteinate) – 30 mg / kg
• selenium – 0.3 mg / kg

The high levels of copper and added selenium were the two things that encouraged me and several others to try it.

The other thing that I was reading about on the NFRS forum was the feeding of ‘straights’, which is basic ingredients, ie; purhasing your own barley, maize etc and making your own cereal mix. So I have orderd a 25kg bag of mixed flakes (barley, peas & maize) and a 20kg bag of rolled oats from greenmule, which should arrive in the next couple of days. The plan is to mix 40% pasture mix, 40% straights, 10% pasta and 10% dog kibble. That way, they get the cereals from the straights mix, which is pretty much what alpha herbal was made of so I know that’s a good combination, the added vitamins, minerals and copper and also some wheat from the pasture mix, plus the protein in the dog food and the carbs in the pasta. Some people recomend not adding pasta as it can make rats fat, however, I feel that during the winter at least, the extra carbs should help towards their energy levels and keeping themselves warm. Hopefully by buying in bulk it will work out a little bit cheaper than purchasing cereals from the supermarket as I do get through quite a bit and this mixture seems to have a good blend of ingredients for them.

Hopefully, the straights will arrive soon, so I will be able to report what they think of their new diet.

Luke and Rupert had far more sense and just ate their’s on the desk:

Beau, Luke and either Jools or Rupert.

Charlie on top, Luke and Beau on the bottom.

The boys at 11:50am

The boys at 1:30pm

The pictures were taken on my phone so the quality isn’t great but you get the general gist of what the boys did today. Can’t remember who the black nose belongs to in each of the pics, but the brown one is Luke and the champagne one is Charlie. There were four of them in the house. Poor Beau was on his own.

Then they (very quickly) grew up to look like this:

Jools at 12 days old

Rupert at 12 days old

Nutmeg at 19 days old

And now they’re great big chunks who (*touch wood*) seem to be healthy as well as lovely and friendly. Nutmeg is particular has grown into a really pretty girl, very dainty, especially compared to Fudge who is competing with her mum for the ‘fattest rat’ title. And the boys are just lovely softies. I’m so glad we ended up keeping them!! They haven’t had their birthday treat yet, because I haven’t been shopping, but when I do, i’ll get some photos.

However, I am trying to resist as we are (hopefully) moving house and if I do breed (which I really want to) I really need to get my numbers down before I start so they don’t get unmanageable. Oh, but it would be nice to have youngsters again!

For once, there is nothing to report on the ratty front. *fingers crossed* everyone is ok at the moment. I am trying a new food at the moment, which I will put some details up about in the next few days when I see how well they’re eating it.

A brief update on Mustard. I just think she’s been eating all the pies and i’ve been unobservant! Have weighed her again and she isn’t putting any more weight on. Will carry on keeping an eye on her and weigh her again in a week but I am happier now that there isn’t anything wrong with her.

I have been thinking some more about my cages and groups today and have come to a sort-of decision. When I get beau castrated i’m going to put him in with my younger girls (Sugar’s ‘babies’ and Fogwatt) which will be a group of 5. I will then have the group of 4 boys and a group of 7, which will be my six ‘oldies’ who are all now older than a year, and Sugar. I’m going to split the Duetto and put the boys in the bottom, and the girls and Beau in the top and put the ‘oldies’ in the Tommy. I’m going to put the Tommy back to how it should be with levels and ramps though to make it easier for them to get about (not that they really need help!). That’s the current plan anyway! Obviously depends on Beau getting on with the girls.

I also have noticed recently that Mustard is putting on weight and not being quite as kamikazee as usual, so I weighed her today and she is 352g, which is about 70g heavier than the 280ish g she’s been forever! I’m not sure why this is, hopefully she’s just getting old and a bit slower so not burning up quite as many calories. Really hoping she’s not pregnant, which i think is unlikely as i’m sure if she was going to get into the boys cage she would have done it before now and, coz I always think of the worse, another option could be pyometra which is a pus-filled uterus so causes ratty to look pregnant. I will definitely be keeping an eye on her over the next few days.

I was a bit surprised that Sugar’s was a mammary lump as spaying is meant to decrease the likelihood of getting them and I’m sure i’ve read that rats that have litters don’t generally get them either. I don’t think she is an old girl. But then, it is hard to tell, I guess. She is overweight and weight is thought to increase the change of tumour development, so I need to get back on top of her diet. I’m assuming it means she is of a type that is particularly prone to them, so I just need to keep checking her regularly and get her back on the diet!

I have posted on the NFRS forum about Charlotte’s as i don’t even know what a follicular tumour is and what this means in term of other health prospects, re-growth etc. Hopefully someone else will have some knowledge.

They are all back in the aviary now with the other girls. They decided last week that they weren’t coming back out after play time so I left them to it. Their wounds are healing ok. Treacle’s is gone completely and Sugar’s is still only visible at either end but is healing well. Charlotte’s fur is starting to grow back but I think her wound is itching her as she has been scratching and has a couple of nasty scratches around the wound and also a strange scabby area at the top of the wound that looks like a dry blister. I’m keeping an eye on it at the moment and if it grows I shall take her back to the vet. I need to try the tea tree cream on it too. In themselves however, they are all perfectly fine and happy and i’m really pleased at how everything went.

Sugar’s wound has opened up slightly right at the bottom and there is a fairly deep looking hole there, but it’s clean and not hot or anything so i’m just keeping an eye on it at the moment. I tried to get photos of all the wounds but Treacle’s and Sugar’s are in such awkward places I need someone else to hold them and Steve’s away and probably wouldn’t hold them firmly enough anyway! Here is Charlotte’s though. Pretty impressive I reckon.

And here’s their cage. (Note the Sputnik, it’s an XL version that Savic have recently started making):

Charlotte and Treacle enjoying the Sputnik:

And here’s a little vid of the girls exploring when I first put them in. They especially made a point of climbing up the bars onto the shelf instead of using the ramp, just to prove they were feeling fine!

Sugar, Charlotte and Treacle exploring their Freddy cage

I need to clean out their carrier, which the vet is going to put them all after their ops so they come round together which will hopefully minimise stress a little. I also have to take food for them so have got some nature’s menu puppy food and will mix some tuna and rice up and put some strawberries and grapes in a bowl so they have a choice. It’s quite a high energy mix with lots of protein and carbs and also moisture to avoid potential dehydration. I can fit a water bottle to the carrier, so will put some ‘Dr Squiggles’ (a vit/mineral supplement) in their water and may also mix up some lactol for them.

I also went shopping last night at Rat Warehouse and ordered some Nutrical and some Polyaid. Nutrical is a high calorie dietry supplement especially suited for sick ratties who aren’t eating a lot, so it will help the girls if they aren’t eating very well after their op. The polyaid is also a food substitute for emergencies which I think goes in their water. So, hopefuly I’m sorted for all eventualities. I keep telling myself they will be fine and Sugar and Tinks were fine after their spays which are more invasive generally than a tumour removal. I just worry about them going under the anasthetic and not waking up, or being too weak and not eating properly.

I’m going to make up a hospital cage for them to go in in our room and I have a hot water bottle I can wrap up and put under half of the cage to keep them warm. I do think i’ve thought of everything. I shall update tomorrow on how they got on.

They are two male coronet piggies that were given to us by a friend that breeds Guinea Pigs. They are named R2D2 and C3PO, or R2 and C3 for short. They are still a bit nervous and scoot of into a corner when I open the door but they sit still for a cuddle and they aren’t used to an outside hutch and lots of noise so it will take them a while to settle in. Piggies are generally a bit nervy anyway. I will get photos soon, when they are a bit braver. I don’t want to scare them with the camera.

On a ratty update, i’ve been away for three days and just got back yesterday so they’ve been very well fed while Steve was in charge. Sugar’s lump still hasn’t popped but I will return to the soaking it in hot water and hoping it will before tuesday. Other than the lumps they are all fine and my cage finally arrived! Yay. It’s not set up yet, as i’m not sure who to put in it. I will let you know when I do. Lol!

I am pretty sure Sugar’s is an abcess as it seems to be getting darker and moved about freely with the skin. It’s not popped yet, so i’m bathing it in hot water to attempt to speed it up a bit, so hopefully it will soon.

I’m more worried about Charlotte and Treacle, especially as they are old ladies now (about 21 – 22 months) and old lady rats are prone to mammary tumours, particularly badly bred petshop ratties (which they both are).

Charlotte’s is on her side, about the size of a marble and pretty hard. It does move about with the skin though and I can get my fingers round behind it, so it doesn’t seem attached. According to my ‘rat health’ book and ‘NFRS handbook’ mammary tumours are normally benign and it’s generally the attached ones that are something agressive. They can be removed quite easily, so hopefully the vets will remove it if it is a tumour, as she’s still bright and full of life. It’s also recomended spaying them at the same time as this can help prevent tumours re-ocurring which they generally do, but i’m not sure about this due to her age and it being a pretty invasive op.

Treacle’s is weird. It’s on her chest (breast bone area equivalent in a person) and is soft and moves around. Sometimes it seems really noticeable and othertimes not so.

I’m off up the vets with them this afternoon so will update later.

I don’t know if it’s just her personality or if it’s hormonal, but I do know that as long as the girls live with Treacle they won’t go short of a big comfy bed! Here she is…

Treacle the nutty nest builder

It’s a Savic Freddy 2 and isn’t actually on order simply because I have a desire for a new cage. As I said previously Beau is definitely going to the vets to be de-nadded at some point and there is a chance he won’t integrate back with the rest of the boys. My other problem is Fogwatt. She is the most argumentative rat I own. And I can’t get her bits chopped off!! She had a right go at Tinks the other day and poor Tink ended up with a sore eye for a couple of days. If there’s fighting in the girl’s cage it’s Fogwatt. And it’s not just coz she’s in a big group. She fought with Burmickity when it was just the two of them, with Burmickity and Sugar when there were three of them and then when the baby girls moved in she fought with them to.

So the new plan is to move Fogwatt and Beau into a cage on their own. I may move Fudge in with them as she can also be grumpy with Tinks and the older girls. I also believe from my own (limited) experience that groups more than two are better. When i’ve had two i’ve always had two single ratties sleeping apart.

The new cage is big enough for 4, is slightly smaller than the Jenny but with far superior access and it’s cheaper. So, fingers crossed it all works out!

I have a pouch hung up in my boys cage that they’ve chewed holes in so they lie in the bottom and poke their heads out. Luke was led like this the other afternoon. Rupert was led right on top of him, but facing the opposite direction, with his bum on Luke’s head. Those of you with boy rats will be imagining the picture already… Rupert’s testicles placed very neatly right between Luke’s ears! I thought it was brilliant and Luke was not at all bothered. A sign of a very close friendship I reckon

I have to admit I was shocked at Beau. As you know he’s a pretty hormonal hooligan and isn’t always thay nice to his cage mates and not cuddly or people orientated at all, but he’s never bitten. Apart from my ankles when I have my slippers on, but that’s just cheeky nibbles. I have decided I definitely need to speak to the vets about de-nadding him. I think it will make him a happier, more relaxed boy and will make life easier for his cage mates. They are definitely nervous of him during free-range time. I’m just a bit worried about him having the op – I seriously doubt my vets have ever castrated a rat before and I’ve been reading that post-op abbcesses are fairly common after rat castrates and he seems quite prone to them. They did do a good job with Sugar and Tink though, so I shall just have to trust them.

Then have a snooze in those lovely things called sleeves (This is definitely Charlie and I think Rupert):

And no, it doesn’t help that i’m such a scruff bag and leave stuff lying around. That small area of desk is a bit tider now as I had to move stuff to clean up!

I have (had) a little tub of antiseptic wound powder on my desk in the rat room. It’s very good stuff that you can just dab a little of on a wound and it helps dry up the wound and aids healing. Treacle and Sugar decided the tub looked interesting and chewed it. And chewed it. And then chewed it some more. By this point there is no bottom to the tub and most of the powder is on the table and assorted bad rats. I was the other side of the partition cleaning out the aviary so missed all this. By the time I noticed it was too late. Treacle and Sugar in particular had dainty white noses and patches on their fur and when I picked them up they left a powdery trail across my jumper.

I do have a photo of the mess they made but it’s on my phone. I will upload it and put it on here later. Horrible gits! Just as well I love them really.

Saffron gave us a scare last week. I went out on Monday to let them out and she came out absoloutely covered in (hopefully) poryphrin. All browny / purple round her head and nose and the inside of her feet where she’d been cleaning herself. She was also really skinny across her back and had seemed to have forgotten how to use the water bottle! I put a water bowl in for them and she splashed about in that quite happy and was a lot better on Tuesday, all clean again and just a wee bit skinny across her back and then by Wednesday was totally back to normal and has been fine ever since. I’m not sure what caused it. I’m wondering if it was actually blood and she’d had a nose bleed or smething. I noticed on Tuesday that Fudge had a cm long gash on her side so I wonder if the two of them had been fighting and Saffron had fallen off something. Fingers crossed she remains fine.