Baby Rats At Play May 2009

[TheawesomeAmy11]

How do you get your rats to stop biting and nipping? And how did u come up with those great toys??

[drinktobones]

did you have to train the rats to use the litter box, or did they figure it out right away? you said in an earlier comment you do daily poop pick-up... does that mean they poop on the fleece, or do you just semi-clean the litter box daily? i just lined the entire cage for my previous rats, but i was hoping to litter-train the next pair i get and i'd love some advice if you have any (:

[jorats]

@drinktobones I do both, I clean the litter box daily and I pick up stray poops on the fleece. You need to be diligent with litter training. You must clean out all poops that don't belong and always leave a few in the place that they do. Eventually the rats will pick up on that unless you've got a real stubborn one. lol The smaller the colony the easier to train.

[drinktobones]

@jorats thanks! one last question- how do you affix the fleece to the platforms? i'm trying the same thing in my rat cage, but the only thing i could think of was to wrap the entire platform in fleece and staple the two ends together [outside of the cage bars, of course]. as a result, the fleece is far from flat and hangs in lumps on the underside of the platform. my rats have taken to sleeping between the platform and the fleece, where i cannot reach them. how do you keep your fleece flat?

[jorats]

@drinktobones I fold my fleece under the platform. Ya some rats will prefer to sleep between the fleece and platform so be sure to offer lots of boxes and fleece hammocks for them to choose instead of under the platform. Some people will affix a binder clip to the fleece and the bar or on the platform.

[kenners28]

Do many of your rats enjoy running on wheels? I'm debating on whether I should get one for the two females I'm adopting.

[Princesslaw97]

at 3:50 they nibble on your fingers its soo cute :)

[MeTheDragonfly]

I'm thinking of getting two rats. Should I get two boys or two girls?

[Princesslaw97]

@MeTheDragonfly boys tend to pee on you more when you hold them, but they are less active so good if you are wanting to play with them alot :) hope this helps

[Gerbiee]

I always found that fleece was fine as long as you change it out often and spot check for any poops. Most rats get the litter box thing down eventually. It's much safer to use fleece as soft wood shavings (pine, cedar, spruce) contain phenols that cause respiratory problems.

[Shayenneish]

You have dacorated their cage absolutely amazing :D It looks like a scene set from a kids show ;D

[SkateboarderTV]

WOW!!!!You MUST do alot of poop scoopin'!!!!lol

[Agelesslegend23]

I LOVE Dumbo rats best... the lil one that was tackling ur hand is sooo cute

[Princesslaw97]

@Agelesslegend23 i had 2 but found they are harder to train as they like to do there own thing

[novastarss]

We are currently using wood shavings for our rats and they don't have a litter box. We noticed you don't use wood shavings and have a litter box.. Is your litter box sufficient?

[jorats]

If you are using pine or cedar those are very bad for rats. They aggravate their respiratory system.

I like to line my cages with fleece and use litter boxes with Yesterday's News. I controls the odor very well but I do need to clean up poops daily.

[LLavenderLLuv]

Wow! By looking at the way they act with you, you must handle them ALOT! FUNNNN!

[RatStravaganza]

Is that a agouti berkshire dumbo I see there???

Very playful!

[richyboyalicious]

how many rats do you acualy have in total my sis is wondering and my dad as well

[jorats]

Currently, I have 28 rats.

[TheSummerScoop]

so precious!! I love them they are soo cute!!! I want rats so bad (stupid alberta)

[Aubree47]

Ok! I will try that with Oliver and Sophie! You should make more vids because I already watched them all! And I like your vids. A channel all for rats!

[Aubree47]

I love your rats and I like how they are always so playful and curious. They also seem very attached to you. Mine doesn't like me that much. How did they become so attached to you?

[jorats]

Lots of playing and socializing.

[jtjcp88]

love the porn music

[sugarrgliderr]

clipping the fleece down to the cage/shelves is a great idea! i might have to try it for my two girls :)

[bella6661muerte]

Heya, I really really adore rats. I had three babies last year -from a petstore- they were the most awsome pets ever, I was unbearably heart broken when Zacky and his brother died. I only have Jimmy left. I would definatly adopt baby rats but I live in the UK and have no idea how to even go about adopting them

Do you have any information about it?

[jorats]

Your best bet would be to join an online rat community forum, they will have the best ideas and places for you to adopt your next rats. There are several UK based rat forums.

[d0pesick]

I'm in love with the berk at 6:48!

[Isabella2993]

That is really neat. Thanks so much for the reply! I might just try that if I find a good one.

[Isabella2993]

If you don't mind me asking... what is that plastic tube with the holes in it? I've been dying to know....

[jorats]

That's a neat little thing I picked up at IKEA, it's to hold plastic bags.

[RockstarEOLL]

1,234 views!!! best comment!

Anyway, so cute!

[MapleTree621]

4:31-4:39

so cute!

[ozzieg7]

do u have a separate area for sleeping.....and wat litter do u use?

[Chinabelle]

Aww they are adorable! I hope to have a big free ranged area one day...all rescues of course :)

[tigertegan]

that sosososo cute

[NapaRatz]

i love the dumbo agouti berkshire!!!!

SOOOOOO CUUUUTEE!!!!!

I am looking at local rat rescues for a big squishy dumbo male right now. My oldest boy passed away in April. So i feel i'm ready to make the rat troop 8 strong again. :-)

[jorats]

Good luck!!!

[starieivyc]

I love rats and I want to save them too when I grow up

So I think I might do the same thing you did! :D It's such a great idea :)

[DutchRodent]

Cute video! you're the best! ; )

-DutchRodent

[Mirxchin]

how many rats do you have?

[roscropoor13]

are they licking you?

mine always do lol

[amwillard1990]

aww there so cute i still have my 2 female rats what are 4 years old

[Mechagaiden]

Dumbo eeepers \o/

Gotta love the tickle, hop away, return, repeat - never gets old :)

Did you get a new cage btw ? Is that a Critter Nation I spy ?

Another great vid, Jo :)

[jorats]

I traded one of my FNs for the CN...and I'm loving it. :)

[MissRoxyNet]

Beautiful :-)

[2micky2]

Ummmm..... you can REALLY tell thier boys! Lol xD

[carachihuahua]

how long does it take you to clean those cages and how often do you clean them?

[jorats]

Each cage takes about an hour a week for a full scrub down. But I also do 10 minutes each day to clean/wipe up and change some hammocks and fleece. I do this while playing with them. Rats should have an hour to two hours of outside play time with their humans. :)

[bradsta100]

:D thanks. ill be getting 2 females soon then.

and no, my male rat died :'( 19/11/08

his name was Henry :) he was very spoilt

[bradsta100]

will 2 girls be as playful as 2 boys? because i got 1 male rat and he was really playful, but my mum wont let me get another 2 males.... she wants me to get 2 females. but i really wanna no if the females will be as active as he was.

[jorats]

Do you still have your male?

Females are definitely as playful as males. :)

[audrey0909]

Baby rat are like little pop corn! They jump all the time!! loll They like to be tikle at this age and taste everything, fingers included!!loll Cute video! Like always, your cages are super great!! ;-)

[rattiegirl]

Nothing is cuter than baby rats playing!  Great cage set-up!

[Nickelrat]

That was a lot of fun playing with these happy baby rats. Great video, Jo!

[Bearrick]

looks amazing, looks like they enjoy the things in the cage too. Could you offer advice for things? i have 2 male adult rats about 17weeks old, but they mostly spend their time just lazing about the cage. I got 2 small circle baskets in there, a little half circle wooden house, an igloo, 2 hammocks and a pant leg tunnel. but they dont seem to have much fun with that. I wanna add more things for them to hide in, things that wont get ruined from pee. any suggestions?

[jorats]

Sounds like you've got some good toys in there already. they love boxes too like kleenex boxes or empty toilet paper tubes.

But the best rat toy is you. Rats love to interact with their humans, if you play with them often they will become more active in the cage too. :)

[horselover8408]

@jorats If you play with your rats like you do with your hands won't they run away when you try to pick them up?

[jorats]

@horselover8408 not at all. They know it's play time. That's how they play with each other.

[horselover8408]

@jorats I see. Thanks. SO if you reach and pick them up will they let you?

[crystalfur15]

Its Rat-tastic! :D I wants one! :P <3

[bradsta100]

thanks for the reply jorats :)

[RatPirate]

Aw... I love watch the babies. I missed my seven babies long time ago. What I did playing like your. Really make me laugh. Do you laugh? I am glad you have them and enjoy playing.

[jorats]

I laugh all the time with them, they are so much fun. :)

[ETEARPA]

they r so cute! i remember when my rattys were that small : )

[bradsta100]

Hello Jorats. I'm going to be getting 2 male rats very soon. Will they try and own more territory then the other by weeing everywhere? Will they fight? and also would you recommend getting 2 females or 2 males?

I also need to know what sort of cage to get.

Hope you get back to me soon.

ps: I like all ya videos of your rats ;)

[ilikepie55901]

where you get your music?

[jorats]

Royalty free music online.

[jlambertstl]

So cute! I love it when they tackle your hand.

[isibane777]

OMgosh! They're so hyper, I love them!

[blackdancinshoes]

please help me litter train my boys! i need mega advice. do they actually use it?

[jorats]

Boys are harder to train... and you can really only train them to poop in the litter tray. You need to be diligent and clean up all the loose poops everywhere you see them and place them in the litter train. Some will catch on while others never will. I'd say 75% of my rats are trained.

[blackdancinshoes]

so cute!

i love that white thing they are in at 3:48ish!

whats that green plastic bin at the bottom of the stairs?

so i see that you put felt material on the floor, what do you do when it they poop/pee on it?

thank youuu :]

[jorats]

That white thing is something I found at IKEA, it's to hold bags. At the bottom of the ladder, it's a litter box.

I put fleece down and I change it every two days to wash it.

[Tdog478]

How do u rescue a rat? r they on the streets or something?

[jorats]

I check the classifieds, shelters, spca and local rescue organizations.

[wspadisaster]

People drop them off at animal shelters, it is better to get rats from there rather than pet shops. btw love the video such cute little boys.

[careyfitzgerald]

i hate it wen mite bites me but you dont seem to care lol

[wereTrevor]

They are so cute and so spoiled! xD

[impishrazor]

Hehe, I like the videos with your rats. Keep them coming =D

[Hetahl]

Soooo cute! =D

[Jimbob658]

boys or girls?

[jorats]

In this videos, they are all boys.

[luckybear1822]

were do you go to rescue rats?

[jorats]

I get mine from classifieds, spca, shelters or rescue organizations..

[DontPokeMeSoHard]

omg i love ur rats!!!!! do u mind me asking where u got your cage? or is it custom built?

[jorats]

That is the Critter Nation made by Midwest. I ordered it online.

[soulschant13]

What's the cleaning schedule like for an awesome cage like that?

[jorats]

It's not bad at all. It cleans so well, takes me about an hour each week to fully scrub it down. But every day I take about 10 minutes to pick up and wipe it a bit too.

[AriShadow]

Critter Nation? I've only ever heard of ferret nation but it looks like the bars here are spaced alot closer to each other for less escapies.

I see a dangling thing there- with a bunch of wooden stars... was that bought at a pet shop? Or did you make it..? Because that's really cute and I wouldn't mind getting my hamster one. My rat wouldn't touch it but my hammy would.

[jorats]

Yes, the Critter Nation was made to service the smaller pets like rats, chinchillas and such so the bars are only 1/2 inch apart, perfect for rats.

The wooden stars was bought at a pet store.

Rats need colors and toys in their cage for mental stimulation. A bored and lonely rat easily becomes a sick rat.

[nizmonger]

you have to be the singlemost amazing rat owner ever!

if only every rat could be so lucky as to find someone like you in their lives

[garrettworthless]

what are you using on the wire floor?

i need to know cause im using card board!:P

[jorats]

I use fleece.

[iLoveLamp222]

those are the coolest rats I've ever seen! they seem so skittish its hilarious.

[jorats]

They aren't skittish, they are playing with us, the hopping and jumping back is how they play. :)

[ReacticFlyer]

lol they're so big now :O cool :D!!!