December 04, 2004

• Horrible!
• Doesn't need to be done if you feed 'em right. They need lots of fruit.
• You know, you'd be much happier if you didn't have to try to shock the grups. Mostly, we think, "dumb kid." The grups that I tried to shock at your age thought the same - and they were right.
• The problem I had with keeping rats is that they seem to be prone to fatty tumors, although this could be the ones bred from lab stock, I'm not sure. While these aren't necessarily life threatening, they are worrying. Also, my rats weren't as clean as they are generally supposed to be. You are supposed to change their bedding regularly & I suppose I wasn't quite as good on that as I should have been. Other than that, rats are very cute & friendly. My favorite rodential pet, tho', has to be the Hamster, which is an amusing & sociably active fellow (despite being nocturnal, if humanised they will come out and play when you're around). It's unfortunate that they don't allow Hamsters in Australia, otherwise I would have them. They would certainly breed exponentially if they escaped here, as their original home was Syria, IIRC, & we're a bit leery of introduced animals, what with the problems we've had.
• My dearly departed guinea pig, Mr. Pyg, developed megacolon when he was about 6 years old (despite being a fruit fiend). I had to flush him out as shown in the link every night for about a year. I always felt very bad for him (the indignity and all, even for a little pig) but he always seemed to feel much better and would give a series of happy little grunts when we finished up. Not as gross a procedure as it seems when it's a loved pet you're helping out. I understand horses also develop megacolon. I think I would opt to call in reinforcements for that treatment...
• I am *so* naming my harder rocking band Megacolon. Not to be confused with my folk rock band, Semicolon.
• Doesn't need to be done if you feed 'em right. They need lots of fruit. i feed mine frozen peas and the occasional green leafy vegetable. seems to help. as for the fatty tumors, i read somewhere that feeding rats too many nuts can cause them.
• I want those three minutes back.
• I don't give a rat's ass about this post. sorry I had to
• I heard that is Corey Feldman's pet rat?
• Is it bad that I quite liked the link? Especially this pic. Awww... *wonders about keeping pet rat*
• I highly recommend it, if you can keep up the regular changing of their bedding. They are far more intelligent & responsive than you might think; they can show affection. Like all animals, I think the more time you spend with them & the more affection you show them, the more they seem to respond to you. They also giggle, although it is at a frequency we can't hear. Apparently if you tickle a rat's tummy they will make a noise which researchers only have recorded when they are at the height of pleasure. The rats, not the researchers.
• I have to agree... rats have very interesting and social personalities. My cousin had one, and when the rat was out he'd follow us around and interact. I was impressed.
• I am *so* naming my harder rocking band Megacolon. Not to be confused with my folk rock band, Semicolon. That's beautiful.
• I had a pet rat who died of old age in 1994. I just obtained two more albino rats, two weeks ago. They are named Itchy and Scratchy. They are intelligent and fun animals, and yes they talk to me. A series of chattering and chuckling. My first rat, used to ride the motorcycle with me. She road with me, inside my leather coat with her head hanging out. She was my buddy. Whenever she wasn't in her cage she followed me everywhere. She never had megacolon or fatty tumors. I feed my rats a high qualilty pellet and dried fruit.
• I loved my rat. Kind of like a little dog, but you can't train them not to chew on electric chords. Or to stop peeing on you.
• Tubrat.
• Ah, bratcat, that image really made my day. Thank you.
• I had Sniff and Rosy - and they were great. Like Nickdanger says, they are like really little dogs. For a special treat I had a big cardboard box filled up with crumpled paper grocery bags for them to burrow through. You'd just throw 'em in and stand back. Rosy actually never peed on me. I put her down often enough in the litter while playing that I think she was comfy waiting for a chance to go in the chips. They both got tumours. Rosy got a mammary tumour which I had a vet remove - however she never really rallied from surgery and died about three weeks after, and when Sniff also developed one shortly after, I thought it kinder to put her down. I love rats, but they can make you sad - even if tumour-free they don't have a long life span. They are very affectionate and curious, and charm even rodent-haters if they're around them enough. Mice too, actually. Maybe get a mouse if you want to dip your toe into Rodent Town.
• DangerIsMyMiddleName, you are welcome. I hope to teach Itchy and Scratchy to ride. I love the shock factor at gas stations when I fill up the bike. Priceless.