Rat People Problems

Anonymous asked: I've had him for about 7 months, and his cagemate since the middle of February.

Mod 2: How much out time does he get? Also, what do you mean by shy exactly? Does he tend to hide in a corner of the cage, does he not want to come out and see you, etc.? He may just need to spend more time with you while you do random things.

Anonymous asked: I have a very timid rat. He's opened up a bit since we got his cage mate, but he still has a lot of shyness going on. Would a third rat help him come out of his shell more?

Mod 2: How long have you had him? Some rats are just naturally timid, and will take a while to get used to you. If you have the resources and space for a third rat, it certainly won’t hurt - the more the merrier! But he probably just needs some time to get used to everybody.

cariadbach asked: Hey :) I have a pair of year old little brothers. Their parents were siblings, and my boys are quite small and sickly. Davey constantly has a bit of a wheeze - we've tried aaall the medications the vet would give! - and whilst I put him on Baytril when it gets really bad, it never completely clears up. Nick has recently started getting a blood-coloured discharge from one eye. It's not inflamed, nor does it seem to bother him, but Fucithalmic hasn't touched it.

(Sorry, ran out of room!) I’ve never had little men this sickly - any ideas??

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Mod 2: Sorry to hear about your sick babies! :( The blood-coloured discharge is called porphyrin, and it’s actually a normal secretion in rats. It comes out of their noses and tear ducts, and it’s kind of similar to mucous. In small amounts, it’s normal, but if there’s a lot of it and he’s not cleaning it off after a while, then there might be a problem. What kind of meds have you given Davey? A lot of vets will only prescribe one medication at a time, but sometimes the only thing that will help is a course of both Doxy and Baytril at the same time. That would be a good thing to ask about next time you visit the vet.

Also, sorry for the late replies! Tumblr didn’t even tell me that I had any new messages. :(

Anonymous asked: *NSFW* Hi! Is it normal for females to, *ahem*, eat each other out as a form of dominance? I tried Googling this question in various forms and quickly learned that this is something that I should not Google without a giant NSFW warning. Mine are nearly a year old and still do it on occasion, though they did it much more when they were younger. Thanks!

Mod 2: That sounds like pretty typical dominance grooming to me. In a lot of species, dominance grooming does include licking of the genitalia, so that’s a totally normal thing. :) It happens in males too (which often prompts plenty of inappropriate jokes from my friends, haha!).

And we’re back!

Hi everyone, Mod 2 here! I’m happy to report that I’m ready to take on my moderating duties once again. On that note, if you submitted a question to us that was never answered, please resubmit and I will answer it as soon as possible.

It’s good to be back! Hope y’all have had a great week so far. :)

swantelopes asked: i love your blog- really fun to read :> i had a question about my two boys! they're around a year old & i've noticed hair thinning around their rump area. i couldn't figure it out until i noticed Franny was balding around his genitals as well.. i think they may just be over grooming one another. does that sound right? they don't seem bothered, but i want to make sure it's not the symptom of some other discomfort. (plus they look like scruffy little hobos.)

Mod 2: Good question. I don’t have a definitive answer for you, but I would get them checked for mites (especially if there are scabs in the balding area!). The members on ratforum.com might be able help you out better than I can, as I haven’t encountered that issue before. I hope that helps!