Please read http://verminvillage.blogspot.com/search/label/rodent%20mix for the evolution of the mix.
I will start using some Roda-Bites made by a Integrifeed in California.
This is available in Salem so it is a bit closer to get. I will start mixing it in the next batch. It comes in 50# bags. If I continue to use this, I will use this in conjunction with Harlan since my ratties really seem to love the Harlan.
I mixed their dry mix and this month's cereal is Fruity Cheerios. :D
Please note, I no longer feed lab blocks. 3/16/2011
The lives of the lovable vermin of F.A.T.E.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Rutherford Helped to the Bridge
Rutherford was helped to the bridge today. He was always an engaging gentle giant. I adopted him and 3 boys from a member of our rat forum. He was preceded in death by Chupachup and Billy and is survived by Harold.
His favorite thing to do was chill in a hammock or be pet under his chin. He'd been looking rather frail the last 3 days and this morning when I went in he was kind of quiet. When I went back in later today he was in distress and obviously ready to go.
He was 34 months old.
He's been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Rest in peace little one.
His favorite thing to do was chill in a hammock or be pet under his chin. He'd been looking rather frail the last 3 days and this morning when I went in he was kind of quiet. When I went back in later today he was in distress and obviously ready to go.
He was 34 months old.
He's been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Rest in peace little one.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
In the News....
This week has been great! On Tuesday, Good Day Oregon's On the Go With Joe, had us on to help us promote the RatsPacNW Rat Show, Come Fall For Rats. The rat show is on 11/6/2010 at the Washington County Fairgrounds from 11am to 5pm.
The link below is for the news clip of our last segment.
http://www.kptv.com/
Thanks so much to Joe V. V and Good Day Oregon for giving us the opportunity to promote our show! (Ratties need all the good press they can get.)
Friday we'll be in the Hillsboro Argus (I'll post the article later). And an announcement for the show will be in the Oregonian's A&E.
Sweet!
The link below is for the news clip of our last segment.
http://www.kptv.com/
Thanks so much to Joe V. V and Good Day Oregon for giving us the opportunity to promote our show! (Ratties need all the good press they can get.)
Friday we'll be in the Hillsboro Argus (I'll post the article later). And an announcement for the show will be in the Oregonian's A&E.
Sweet!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Peepers Passes
Peepers, the female of the pair I adopted in June 2009, has passed. She had passed in one of her cardboard tubes. She was just under 2 years old.
She was a curious little girl that seemed to really love her digs. She was unusual in that she didn't seem to run on her wheel so much, unlike her former mate, Poppers, who is a marathon runner.
Syrian hamsters (these are all of the larger species of hamster sold in pet stores) are solitary animals, but she leaves behind her former cage mate Poppers.
Rest in peace little girl.
She was a curious little girl that seemed to really love her digs. She was unusual in that she didn't seem to run on her wheel so much, unlike her former mate, Poppers, who is a marathon runner.
Syrian hamsters (these are all of the larger species of hamster sold in pet stores) are solitary animals, but she leaves behind her former cage mate Poppers.
Rest in peace little girl.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Ratatatoes Have Arrived!
My Idaho ratatotes have arrived!
My boys are, Harper (black dumbo boy), Spud (Siamese boy), Checkers (black and white), Tator (agouti berkshire dumbo) and Tot (agouti irish dumbo).
My girls are Blossom and Sweetpea!
My boys are, Harper (black dumbo boy), Spud (Siamese boy), Checkers (black and white), Tator (agouti berkshire dumbo) and Tot (agouti irish dumbo).
My girls are Blossom and Sweetpea!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Reed, Rasta, Dex, and Sento Join the Village
Reed, an agouti spotted boy, Rasta, a black and white hooded boy, Dex (original name Dexter) is a Himalayan boy, and Sento, a neutered boy, have moved to the village. They were adopted from a couple off of CL as the couple was moving out of state and their new living situation would not allow rats. This is not uncommon and for the times we live in and the had spent quite some time searching for a new home.
The boys were moved to a bigger carrier because the stupid cage wasn't dried last night. They'll hang out in the bin and be moved tonight.
Sento will be moving into the big girls' cage as he apparently does better with the ladies.
Reed, Rasta and Dex will live in a BC-7.
This is all fortuitious timing as this Saturday the little ones adopted at the fall show will be making their way here from quarantine. All ratties will get their health check and Revolution treatment. (And the kitties will get their Revolution treatment too.)
Welcome Reed, Rasta, Dex, and Sento!
*Note, Dex is not to be confused with Dexter, the steel guitar playing rattie.
The boys were moved to a bigger carrier because the stupid cage wasn't dried last night. They'll hang out in the bin and be moved tonight.
Sento will be moving into the big girls' cage as he apparently does better with the ladies.
Reed, Rasta and Dex will live in a BC-7.
This is all fortuitious timing as this Saturday the little ones adopted at the fall show will be making their way here from quarantine. All ratties will get their health check and Revolution treatment. (And the kitties will get their Revolution treatment too.)
Welcome Reed, Rasta, Dex, and Sento!
*Note, Dex is not to be confused with Dexter, the steel guitar playing rattie.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Show Panic Is Setting In
Gearing up for the show. It is almost here and I have too much to do. (About this time the other show directors are laughing at me I'm sure.) But I don't really. I have to cut out a lot of hearts one of the craft project. I had to say it that way because it sounded so....NCIS. :Þ
Found out the venue had put an office with a walk through that we can use for health checks. YEAH!!! I'm not so thrilled about the vendor so we'll probably just have someone running us sandwiches for hungry participants and judges.
Haven't heard about the private? showing movie yet. I'll have to rattle some cages. It's the difference between dinner reservations and dinner delivery.
I've cages all set for the Idaho folks so they don't have to haul cages for all of the rescues. It's so exciting!
This weekend it is to the hotel to make sure we are good to go with no surprises. One thing if it is you and your out in the cold you can go to another hotel. Quite another when you have 100+ rats with you on a Friday night.
As for panicking. Not really. I am more worried about how I'm going to cut out a 1000+ hearts for the craft project. Again, no biggie, just do it one at a time. LOL
TTFN
Found out the venue had put an office with a walk through that we can use for health checks. YEAH!!! I'm not so thrilled about the vendor so we'll probably just have someone running us sandwiches for hungry participants and judges.
Haven't heard about the private? showing movie yet. I'll have to rattle some cages. It's the difference between dinner reservations and dinner delivery.
I've cages all set for the Idaho folks so they don't have to haul cages for all of the rescues. It's so exciting!
This weekend it is to the hotel to make sure we are good to go with no surprises. One thing if it is you and your out in the cold you can go to another hotel. Quite another when you have 100+ rats with you on a Friday night.
As for panicking. Not really. I am more worried about how I'm going to cut out a 1000+ hearts for the craft project. Again, no biggie, just do it one at a time. LOL
TTFN
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Tucker Sleeps
Tucker passed away today in his hammock. He had ongoing respiratory issues that plagued him for some time. He was abandoned by his original owner and the caretaker was unable to keep him too so he came here. He was neutered due to behavioral issues and lived with little Ruby, that also had respiratory issues. She passed a few days ago.
Tucker never was a happy boy. He screamed every time you picked him up and he'd try to bite you even when you had already picked him up. He is the first rat that I'd ever had that did that. Poor little guy.
Rest in peace little grumpy dude.
Tucker never was a happy boy. He screamed every time you picked him up and he'd try to bite you even when you had already picked him up. He is the first rat that I'd ever had that did that. Poor little guy.
Rest in peace little grumpy dude.
Cage Merging and Shifting
Today Remmy, Buddy and Millo are now cage mates! They seem to get along ok with each other.
Isabella is my only rattie alone, I've decided to move her back in with the other girls in the multilevel cage. I'll remove the ladder to the level up from the bottom so she can't get up but the others can continue to go up and down. (I already know she can't climb the walls anymore.) I'll move her Monday night after I turn in my homework for school.
This leaves a BC-7 clear for the boys from Idaho and opens up another shelf for a hamster to move up to and then leaves more room for storage.
The girls coming from Idaho will live in the big girls' cage too. This puts all intact girls in one cage. Yeah!
Isabella is my only rattie alone, I've decided to move her back in with the other girls in the multilevel cage. I'll remove the ladder to the level up from the bottom so she can't get up but the others can continue to go up and down. (I already know she can't climb the walls anymore.) I'll move her Monday night after I turn in my homework for school.
This leaves a BC-7 clear for the boys from Idaho and opens up another shelf for a hamster to move up to and then leaves more room for storage.
The girls coming from Idaho will live in the big girls' cage too. This puts all intact girls in one cage. Yeah!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Rodent Diet Yet Again
After some adjustments, I've redone the mix again, eliminating some ingredients and adding new ones. They all seem to like this. Half the hamsters eat the blocks, the others don't. Mimzi the gerbil won't eat the blocks either, but he will eat the dog food.
References:
Dream Mountain Rattery http://www.dreammtnfarm.com/rattery/about.htm
RatFanClub http://www.ratfanclub.org/nutreq.html
Shunamite Diet: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/guides.php?subject=shunamite
Local Food Sources:
I live in the Hillsboro, Oregon area.
Rolled barley (Barley Flakes)- I go to Aloha Garden and Feed. Out of all of the feed stores in my area, they sell the equivalent of barley flakes you get in the grocery store in 50# feed bags. If you are purchasing smaller amounts, you can purchase it at Whole Foods, Fred Meyer or Bob's Red Mill. (Looks similar to oatmeal.)
Rolled oats (Oat Flakes) - I found that the local feed stores sell crimped rolled oats and I don't like it because the rats have to peel the husk off to eat it. My rats drop the husks back in their dish and it looks like they have food when they don't. It's also something they don't eat that you are paying for. I buy the 25 pound bags from the Winco bulk section. You can also find it in bulk at most major grocery stores in the area. Winco has the cheapest price in the bulk section. (Looks similar to oatmeal.)
Pomegranate Blueberry Total - I feed this over the regular total because they eat it. I have some rats that refuse to eat the plain cereal. This is for vitamin fortification.
Cheerios/Toasted Oats - A toasted oats cereal. They seem to really like this.
Pearl Barley - I order this from Winco in 25 pound bags. You can find this in most bulk food sections in the area. Winco has the best price.
Whole Groats - I order this from Winco in 25 pound bags. You can find this in most bulk food sections in the area. Winco has the best price.
Pumpkin seeds - I purchase bags from Hillsboro Feed store. Many feed stores carry this. You can buy it in smaller amounts in bulk food sections and for most, that is fine. For large populations of animals, that isn't practical.
Flaxseed - The best price is at Winco. They beat feed stores too.
Air Dried Carrots - unless you do it yourself, you will probably have to order online. I have found several places, but since I buy so much, I get it online at North Bay Trading Company. http://www.northbaytrading.com/air-dried-carrots/
Freeze Dried Parsley - Sold in bulk at Winco. (And other stores in the area.)
Raisins - Sold in bulk at Winco (and other stores in the area.)
Dried Bananas - I was using freeze dried but it can't be mixed in their food because it soaks up the moisture in other foods and becomes soft. So I finally broke down and used the dried bananas in the bulk bins. These usually have oil in them as well so be sure to limit the intake.
Shredded Coconut - I purchase from the bulk food bins at Winco.
Cloudstar Dog Food - I purchase from www.cloudstar.com.
Harlan Teklad 2014 - I purchase with the club but it can also be purchased from www.thecraftyrat.com or www.theratshop.com Or you can purchase the commercial diet, higher protein (18%) Native Earth 4018 which is the same diet as Harlan Teklad 2018.
| Pounds Used | Cups Used | |
| Regular Rolled Oats (Oatmeal) | 50 | 225 |
| Barley Flakes | 100 | 450 |
| Pearl Barley | 25 | 57 |
| Whole Groats | 25 | 63 |
| Pomegranate Blueberry Total Cereal | 6 | 71 |
| Toasted Oats (Cheerios) | 6 | 198 |
| pumpkin seeds | 5 | 6 |
| Flaxseed | 6 | 24 |
| Air Dried Carrots | 5 | 13 |
| Freeze Dried Parsley | 5 | 120 |
| Raisins | 6 | 17 |
| Dried Bananas | 3 | 15 |
| Shredded Coconut | 3 | 22 |
| cloudstar dog food | 20 | 40 |
| Harlan 2014 | 99 | Info Pending |
References:
Dream Mountain Rattery http://www.dreammtnfarm.com/rattery/about.htm
RatFanClub http://www.ratfanclub.org/nutreq.html
Shunamite Diet: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/guides.php?subject=shunamite
Local Food Sources:
I live in the Hillsboro, Oregon area.
Rolled barley (Barley Flakes)- I go to Aloha Garden and Feed. Out of all of the feed stores in my area, they sell the equivalent of barley flakes you get in the grocery store in 50# feed bags. If you are purchasing smaller amounts, you can purchase it at Whole Foods, Fred Meyer or Bob's Red Mill. (Looks similar to oatmeal.)
Rolled oats (Oat Flakes) - I found that the local feed stores sell crimped rolled oats and I don't like it because the rats have to peel the husk off to eat it. My rats drop the husks back in their dish and it looks like they have food when they don't. It's also something they don't eat that you are paying for. I buy the 25 pound bags from the Winco bulk section. You can also find it in bulk at most major grocery stores in the area. Winco has the cheapest price in the bulk section. (Looks similar to oatmeal.)
Pomegranate Blueberry Total - I feed this over the regular total because they eat it. I have some rats that refuse to eat the plain cereal. This is for vitamin fortification.
Cheerios/Toasted Oats - A toasted oats cereal. They seem to really like this.
Pearl Barley - I order this from Winco in 25 pound bags. You can find this in most bulk food sections in the area. Winco has the best price.
Whole Groats - I order this from Winco in 25 pound bags. You can find this in most bulk food sections in the area. Winco has the best price.
Pumpkin seeds - I purchase bags from Hillsboro Feed store. Many feed stores carry this. You can buy it in smaller amounts in bulk food sections and for most, that is fine. For large populations of animals, that isn't practical.
Flaxseed - The best price is at Winco. They beat feed stores too.
Air Dried Carrots - unless you do it yourself, you will probably have to order online. I have found several places, but since I buy so much, I get it online at North Bay Trading Company. http://www.northbaytrading.com/air-dried-carrots/
Freeze Dried Parsley - Sold in bulk at Winco. (And other stores in the area.)
Raisins - Sold in bulk at Winco (and other stores in the area.)
Dried Bananas - I was using freeze dried but it can't be mixed in their food because it soaks up the moisture in other foods and becomes soft. So I finally broke down and used the dried bananas in the bulk bins. These usually have oil in them as well so be sure to limit the intake.
Shredded Coconut - I purchase from the bulk food bins at Winco.
Cloudstar Dog Food - I purchase from www.cloudstar.com.
Harlan Teklad 2014 - I purchase with the club but it can also be purchased from www.thecraftyrat.com or www.theratshop.com Or you can purchase the commercial diet, higher protein (18%) Native Earth 4018 which is the same diet as Harlan Teklad 2018.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Ruby Slips Away
I went to feed the kids this morning and Ruby had slipped away sometime during the night. She was just under a year old and this death was unexpected. She has an unknown family past as she was the one found tied in a plastic bag in a dumpster. >:<
She is survived by her cage mate Tucker. As Tucker is neutered, he'll be moved in with the girl's cage.
Rest in peace little Ruby.
She is survived by her cage mate Tucker. As Tucker is neutered, he'll be moved in with the girl's cage.
Rest in peace little Ruby.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Chupachup Helped to the Bridge
Chupachup was helped to the bridge today. He is survived by his "brothers" Harold and Rutherford and was preceded in death by Billy.
Chupachup was a big love bug and he was always very lovey. He would launch from his hammock to the door when I walked into the room. This past week he lumbered to the door. :(
Chupachup had developed a tumor and due to his age I decided to keep him comfortable for as long as possible.
He was 33 months old.
Rest in peace gentle giant.
Chupachup was a big love bug and he was always very lovey. He would launch from his hammock to the door when I walked into the room. This past week he lumbered to the door. :(
Chupachup had developed a tumor and due to his age I decided to keep him comfortable for as long as possible.
He was 33 months old.
Rest in peace gentle giant.
Susie Helped to the Bridge
Susie was helped to the bridge today. She had multiple tumors that appeared in various places on her body at the same time. It was decided that due to her age and respiratory status, she was not a candidate for surgery so we would keep her as long as she was comfortable.
I think she had the best time living with the group of girls these past few months. Hanging out in hammocks, running up and down levels, she was a good girl. She didn't care too much to be handled but she loved her cage mates.
Rest in peace little girl.
I think she had the best time living with the group of girls these past few months. Hanging out in hammocks, running up and down levels, she was a good girl. She didn't care too much to be handled but she loved her cage mates.
Rest in peace little girl.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Little Joey Passes
Joey, a little neutered rattie boy, passed today. Joey was adopted from a person that was rehoming all of her rats. He was adopted with Potter. After Potter passed, Joey was moved in with Isabella as Isabella was also alone. He was a very sweet little boy and loved his original cage mate Joey and his later cage mate Isabella. Joey was approximately 35 months old.
Sadly I am on vacation visiting family so my husband was the one that found Joey when he went to do the morning feeding and watering. Joey has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Run and be free little guy. You will be missed.
Sadly I am on vacation visiting family so my husband was the one that found Joey when he went to do the morning feeding and watering. Joey has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Run and be free little guy. You will be missed.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Mischa Helped to the Bridge
Mischa was helped to the bridge today. She was adopted from Little Mischief Rescue in 2009. She actually came down her with her sister Molly. Molly passed not long after she got here.
Mischa lived with Remi, a large squishy dumbo boy. When he passed, she moved in with Merriweather and Remmy moved in as well.
They've been living together ever since until Merriweather passed on the 8/22/2010.
Rest in peace little girl.
Mischa lived with Remi, a large squishy dumbo boy. When he passed, she moved in with Merriweather and Remmy moved in as well.
They've been living together ever since until Merriweather passed on the 8/22/2010.
Rest in peace little girl.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Merriweather Leaves Us
Merriweather left us today at just about a year and a half old. :**( She was a gregarious little girl. I didn't expect her to leave. As sad as I am at her passing, I think she had a pretty full life here. She had two best friends, Remmy and Mischa. Their favorite past time was snoozing in their hammock.
Rest in peace little one.
Rest in peace little one.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Dmnt Sooki, RMIS Poppy, RMIS Rose, Chase and Liam Go to Portland
The little guys went downtown with me today to visit some friends at work. They met folks all over the place. They were on their best behavior. Sooki was giving kisses, Chase was being his usual cheesy self and Liam, OMG Liam was soooo good and put up with people holding him.
The whole trip worked out well. My brother dropped us off at Quatama max station, and the train rolled right up. We got our own seat. Then we stepped out downtown and did our visit. And we wrapped it up when John came after work to pick me up. We got home and the kids were moved from a carrier to a bin cage as they wait for their cage to dry. They are currently sacked out.
Some people went ewww and others surprised me. One person even said she sees why they are so fascinating. The little ones were good rattie ambassadors!
The whole trip worked out well. My brother dropped us off at Quatama max station, and the train rolled right up. We got our own seat. Then we stepped out downtown and did our visit. And we wrapped it up when John came after work to pick me up. We got home and the kids were moved from a carrier to a bin cage as they wait for their cage to dry. They are currently sacked out.
Some people went ewww and others surprised me. One person even said she sees why they are so fascinating. The little ones were good rattie ambassadors!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Seaweed and Sardines
Last weekend we purchased sardines to give the fuzzy ones. All of them, gerbil, hamsters and ratties alike tore right into the fish. (The fish was dried.) This is probably something they'll get once every other week as so for variety.
This weekend I purchased them some seaweed cake. Which is just seaweed pressed and dried in a round shape. They seemed to like that as well. This is another thing we'll give them for variety on a limited basis.
This weekend I purchased them some seaweed cake. Which is just seaweed pressed and dried in a round shape. They seemed to like that as well. This is another thing we'll give them for variety on a limited basis.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Rodent Diet Revisted
I've redesigned the food mix again. This should do it. Again, this does not include the harlan teklad blocks or fresh foods given.
_____________________________________
| Pounds Used | Cups Used | ||
| Rolled Oats | 50 | 225 | |
| Barley Flakes | 100 | 500 | |
| Pearl Barley | 50 | 114 | |
| Whole Groats | 25 | 63 | |
| Total Cereal (Blueberry Pomegranate) | 3 | 35 | |
| Toasted Oats | 4 | 264 | |
| pumpkin seeds | 5 | 6 | |
| Flaxseed | 12 | 48 | |
| Freeze Dried Veggies | 5 | 35 | |
| Freeze Dried Parsley | 5 | 120 | |
| Raisins | 7 | 19 | |
| cloudstar dog food7 | 40 | 80 |
_____________________________________
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| References include: Dream Mountain Rattery http://www.dreammtnfarm.com/rattery/about.htm RatFanClub http://www.ratfanclub.org/nutreq.html Shunamite Diet: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/guides.php?subject=shunamite |
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Boys Moved to Big Cage
The little boys, not so little now, have moved upstairs to their big cage. I will miss walking by their cage all the time, but now it means it is easier to take them out to play with them in the rat room. Having kitties means no playing with ratties outside of the rat room.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
All Together Now
These are the 9 baby boys. Pimp, Bamboo, Sprout, Mr. Fuzzy Pants, Rollo, Mr. Buttons, Blink, Ping, and Pong. My husband took this video, his first video, so it is kind of fuzzy. Obviously the 9 boys get along great!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Bamboo, Sprout, Fuzzy and Pimp Are Here!
3 of these little guys are hairless, one is furred. Their names are Bamboo, Sprout, Fuzzy and Pimp. Pimp is so named because he was mis-sexed at the shelter and they put him with 2 girls. The shelter is now on pregnancy watch. I recommended they call SWAH to see if they can do some emergency spays so they don't have to find homes for up to 40 rats. Yikes!
Anyway, these guys are pigging out now and huddling under the blankets.
Anyway, these guys are pigging out now and huddling under the blankets.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Ratarama Was a BLAST
I had a wonderful time at the show.
Robbi the miracle packer had it all set up and I got my usual seat in the van. (Usual in I sat there last year. lol)
And we were off....after circling to get to the freeway. When we hit I-84 I relaxed and we chatted a bit. Robbi was catching some zzzzs because for those that don't know, when you are getting ready for a show or traveling to a show, you will not get enough sleep on the days leading up to the show...period. You are too busy cramming everything you do in a weekend at home in the days before you leave PLUS if you are showing rats you are getting them all spiffy looking. Your grocery shopping needs changed because let's face it, a road trip isn't a road trip without some munchies. I was shopping for munchies at 1am on Friday morning with all of the crew at Winco saying "good morning." Too damn cheerful, even for me. LOL
So we are on 84....Robbi said we weren't stopping, but we did. :D Had to change drivers and scramble to the bathroom and fill the tank.
The drive was fun, we talked and then ran into a wall of water on 84. Everyone was pulling over. Lightening was touching down everywhere and the rain just dropped. I felt as if I was in Texas. Then it calmed down and we got going again.
We almost left Erin a few times...ok not really. Then we started letting Michelle know how far out we were as we were to head over to the facility.
We got to the facility and we set up tables and put on table clothes and then had some clerk training and testing. Yeah I passed.
Then we went to the Golden Corral. Yum! I'm so sad they don't have one of those here. Then it was off to Michelle's house to settle in and get some zzs. It was funny because I sacked out on the floor with my shoes still on.
The next morning we got up and headed over to the show to finish setting up.
Heather had all of the raffle prizes looking so good! People were setting up their tables with their cute ratties and I settled down to sell tickets and raffle tickets for a bit.
The show started and there was a lot to watch. It was nice to see people actually sitting and watching the judging. The pet classes and standard classes were rolling along to schedule. Michelle dragged me over to work on the pet classes. I have no idea what I'm doing so I pay attention to her the first time and then I think I did ok the rest of the time. Almost had to DQ Lizzy and Robbi for campaigning within 100 feet of the polling place. ;-)
I didn't get any clerking in, but I know I'll be at the fall show so I'll definitely do it then. And I won't do it again until the next show season, which should start in February 2011. (I don't think I'll be clerking at my show so much, at least that is what they tell me.)
I sat at the Little Mischief Rescue table for a bit and sold some hammocks. I hope I hit all of the vendors to purchase something. I bought 120 raffle tickets because the prizes looked so good and it helps out the show. I have to laugh because I don't normally win but I seemed to win quite a bit at the show! I donated quite a bit of it to others and I didn't take the cages I won, those they re-raffled to attendees that were still at the show.
Of my winnings I donated to Tara's Exotic Rescue 6 pounds of CareFresh, 3 bags of Good Mews, several coupons for the local feed store and some for Kaytee item coupons, 2 ferret harnesses, several hammocks, 3 water bottles and several treats, and a 50 pound bag of Mazuri lab blocks. To Little Mischief Rescue I bought hammocks and then donated the $35 gift card to Martins Cages. (We had VERY limited room in the van we were traveling in.) LOL It all worked out because the local rescue had just taken in a bunch of rescue rats.
As I was sitting with the LMR rats I noticed the craft table and went over and colored a ratatato. Then I made a piñata. I hung the piñata in the LMR cage. They went nuts. Paper flying everywhere. When the treats came out, they were very happy little rats. Those little boys are SOOOOO sweet and I can't believe they aren't adopted yet. Maybe because people have to take 3 but oh man, they are so worth it!
I then made a piñata for the 2 rats from Joy/SITH ratteries. They slept through most of the show. lol
Then I noticed the 2 cages of boys at the end. Each cage had 4 rattie boys in it. And these were the Boise Humane Society rats looking for homes. And these ratties got a lucky break.
The only downer of the show was the Boise Humane Society's treatment of those 8 rescued boys looking for homes. They had quarantined the boys for 3 weeks for the show. The rats were brought in.
They were in cages on pine bedding with only sunflower seeds for food. >:< I placed a piñata in each of the cages and they had a GREAT time. When Robin heard they only had sunflower seeds in their food dish, she generously poured some of her mix in their bowls. Food scattered everywhere as they pulled a new item of the food dish out to try it. Poor little guys.
An hour before the show was over the shelter came in and said that the boys would be euthanized if they didn't find a home by the end of the show. Michelle said she'd take them. I'll keep my opinion about the situation to myself. My fellow club members know how I feel about that. I was mentally going over in my head where I could put boys their age in my home knowing I still had 6 incoming ratties. In the end I just don't have room for them so was unable to bring any home. Luckily Lynn was there and she took 6-pack home. :D The other 7 will be fostered by Michelle. You are awesome Michelle! If you are looking for a group of boys, contact Michelle! They are lovely little boys that would blossom into great pets.
After we cleaned up, we went back to Michelle's house where Sharon prepared a great feast with burgers, hot dogs, veggie stuff and yummy salads. It was nice to sit and visit with everyone.
Then we had to go to sleep because we were getting up for the long trek home.
Robbi got us all packed in, and of course we had some ratties on hitching a ride. I was bringing home Morgan's rattie girl and we were transporting a rat to drop off in Boardman to Candace and of course 6-Pack and some others were heading up to Lynn's house.
We stopped to get gas and as we were checking out the lady heard we had pet rats in the car. She had to come out and see them. She did and heard we just had a show in Boise, ID. So hopefully we have another convert and she'll come next year. Awesome!
Back on the road, we were doing great for time until we hit the fire on I-84. A pick-up truck and the trailer caught on fire and then the side of the mountain caught on fire. A nice trucker let us in front of him and we toured along at a crawl. Eventually we passed the vehicle and WOW. And we saw the flames on the opposite side of the mountain. In the end, the fire burned 1000 acres, but no one was hurt. Of course we pulled off the highway at the next exit with the rest of humanity to go to the bathroom. In ended up we lost just over an hour. This sucked for our Canadian friends as they were planning on going straight home and ugh, what a grueling trip!
Eventually we made it to Gateway and John came out to get me and all my crap that I won. LOL My peeps had more room in the car and they took off for home. My travels were not over.
John and I drove to Brooks, Oregon to meet Morgan to get her new rattie girl to her. We only visited briefly and then we left to start our 3 hour quarantine. We opted for a movie. Because even an expensive movie date is cheaper than dinner and shopping...do the math. LOL
We saw Knight and Day and it was a great film to see at the end of a long day. It made me laugh and I didn't feel so bad about spending so much at the movies.
We got home about 10 or so and off to bed as I had to work on Monday.
You may ask if it was worth it. I don't even show ratties at the shows. And I say yes. It is very worth it. When you have a "hobby" where there is a limited number of people that do it and an animal that is often reviled, it is nice to be around other people that appreciate rats the way you do. We can and do connect online, but it is nice to be able to share in person. Many of us come from a variety of backgrounds and views and we put aside our differences to be around people that share one thing, our love of ratties.
To my traveling companions, I look forward to next year! To Michelle, Krislyn and all of the volunteers, awesome show! To those that didn't make, man you missed a great time! Hope to see you in Port Orchard! And to those that couldn't make the show ever, well, it sucks to be you. j/k ;-) LOL
Robbi the miracle packer had it all set up and I got my usual seat in the van. (Usual in I sat there last year. lol)
And we were off....after circling to get to the freeway. When we hit I-84 I relaxed and we chatted a bit. Robbi was catching some zzzzs because for those that don't know, when you are getting ready for a show or traveling to a show, you will not get enough sleep on the days leading up to the show...period. You are too busy cramming everything you do in a weekend at home in the days before you leave PLUS if you are showing rats you are getting them all spiffy looking. Your grocery shopping needs changed because let's face it, a road trip isn't a road trip without some munchies. I was shopping for munchies at 1am on Friday morning with all of the crew at Winco saying "good morning." Too damn cheerful, even for me. LOL
So we are on 84....Robbi said we weren't stopping, but we did. :D Had to change drivers and scramble to the bathroom and fill the tank.
The drive was fun, we talked and then ran into a wall of water on 84. Everyone was pulling over. Lightening was touching down everywhere and the rain just dropped. I felt as if I was in Texas. Then it calmed down and we got going again.
We almost left Erin a few times...ok not really. Then we started letting Michelle know how far out we were as we were to head over to the facility.
We got to the facility and we set up tables and put on table clothes and then had some clerk training and testing. Yeah I passed.
Then we went to the Golden Corral. Yum! I'm so sad they don't have one of those here. Then it was off to Michelle's house to settle in and get some zzs. It was funny because I sacked out on the floor with my shoes still on.
The next morning we got up and headed over to the show to finish setting up.
Heather had all of the raffle prizes looking so good! People were setting up their tables with their cute ratties and I settled down to sell tickets and raffle tickets for a bit.
The show started and there was a lot to watch. It was nice to see people actually sitting and watching the judging. The pet classes and standard classes were rolling along to schedule. Michelle dragged me over to work on the pet classes. I have no idea what I'm doing so I pay attention to her the first time and then I think I did ok the rest of the time. Almost had to DQ Lizzy and Robbi for campaigning within 100 feet of the polling place. ;-)
I didn't get any clerking in, but I know I'll be at the fall show so I'll definitely do it then. And I won't do it again until the next show season, which should start in February 2011. (I don't think I'll be clerking at my show so much, at least that is what they tell me.)
I sat at the Little Mischief Rescue table for a bit and sold some hammocks. I hope I hit all of the vendors to purchase something. I bought 120 raffle tickets because the prizes looked so good and it helps out the show. I have to laugh because I don't normally win but I seemed to win quite a bit at the show! I donated quite a bit of it to others and I didn't take the cages I won, those they re-raffled to attendees that were still at the show.
Of my winnings I donated to Tara's Exotic Rescue 6 pounds of CareFresh, 3 bags of Good Mews, several coupons for the local feed store and some for Kaytee item coupons, 2 ferret harnesses, several hammocks, 3 water bottles and several treats, and a 50 pound bag of Mazuri lab blocks. To Little Mischief Rescue I bought hammocks and then donated the $35 gift card to Martins Cages. (We had VERY limited room in the van we were traveling in.) LOL It all worked out because the local rescue had just taken in a bunch of rescue rats.
As I was sitting with the LMR rats I noticed the craft table and went over and colored a ratatato. Then I made a piñata. I hung the piñata in the LMR cage. They went nuts. Paper flying everywhere. When the treats came out, they were very happy little rats. Those little boys are SOOOOO sweet and I can't believe they aren't adopted yet. Maybe because people have to take 3 but oh man, they are so worth it!
I then made a piñata for the 2 rats from Joy/SITH ratteries. They slept through most of the show. lol
Then I noticed the 2 cages of boys at the end. Each cage had 4 rattie boys in it. And these were the Boise Humane Society rats looking for homes. And these ratties got a lucky break.
The only downer of the show was the Boise Humane Society's treatment of those 8 rescued boys looking for homes. They had quarantined the boys for 3 weeks for the show. The rats were brought in.
They were in cages on pine bedding with only sunflower seeds for food. >:< I placed a piñata in each of the cages and they had a GREAT time. When Robin heard they only had sunflower seeds in their food dish, she generously poured some of her mix in their bowls. Food scattered everywhere as they pulled a new item of the food dish out to try it. Poor little guys.
An hour before the show was over the shelter came in and said that the boys would be euthanized if they didn't find a home by the end of the show. Michelle said she'd take them. I'll keep my opinion about the situation to myself. My fellow club members know how I feel about that. I was mentally going over in my head where I could put boys their age in my home knowing I still had 6 incoming ratties. In the end I just don't have room for them so was unable to bring any home. Luckily Lynn was there and she took 6-pack home. :D The other 7 will be fostered by Michelle. You are awesome Michelle! If you are looking for a group of boys, contact Michelle! They are lovely little boys that would blossom into great pets.
After we cleaned up, we went back to Michelle's house where Sharon prepared a great feast with burgers, hot dogs, veggie stuff and yummy salads. It was nice to sit and visit with everyone.
Then we had to go to sleep because we were getting up for the long trek home.
Robbi got us all packed in, and of course we had some ratties on hitching a ride. I was bringing home Morgan's rattie girl and we were transporting a rat to drop off in Boardman to Candace and of course 6-Pack and some others were heading up to Lynn's house.
We stopped to get gas and as we were checking out the lady heard we had pet rats in the car. She had to come out and see them. She did and heard we just had a show in Boise, ID. So hopefully we have another convert and she'll come next year. Awesome!
Back on the road, we were doing great for time until we hit the fire on I-84. A pick-up truck and the trailer caught on fire and then the side of the mountain caught on fire. A nice trucker let us in front of him and we toured along at a crawl. Eventually we passed the vehicle and WOW. And we saw the flames on the opposite side of the mountain. In the end, the fire burned 1000 acres, but no one was hurt. Of course we pulled off the highway at the next exit with the rest of humanity to go to the bathroom. In ended up we lost just over an hour. This sucked for our Canadian friends as they were planning on going straight home and ugh, what a grueling trip!
Eventually we made it to Gateway and John came out to get me and all my crap that I won. LOL My peeps had more room in the car and they took off for home. My travels were not over.
John and I drove to Brooks, Oregon to meet Morgan to get her new rattie girl to her. We only visited briefly and then we left to start our 3 hour quarantine. We opted for a movie. Because even an expensive movie date is cheaper than dinner and shopping...do the math. LOL
We saw Knight and Day and it was a great film to see at the end of a long day. It made me laugh and I didn't feel so bad about spending so much at the movies.
We got home about 10 or so and off to bed as I had to work on Monday.
You may ask if it was worth it. I don't even show ratties at the shows. And I say yes. It is very worth it. When you have a "hobby" where there is a limited number of people that do it and an animal that is often reviled, it is nice to be around other people that appreciate rats the way you do. We can and do connect online, but it is nice to be able to share in person. Many of us come from a variety of backgrounds and views and we put aside our differences to be around people that share one thing, our love of ratties.
To my traveling companions, I look forward to next year! To Michelle, Krislyn and all of the volunteers, awesome show! To those that didn't make, man you missed a great time! Hope to see you in Port Orchard! And to those that couldn't make the show ever, well, it sucks to be you. j/k ;-) LOL
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Mama-Girl is here!
B, who had the 5 little babies that just got here, contacted me today about Mama-Girl. We made arrangements and she brought Mama-Girl to meet me after I got off of work today. This really helped me out as I don't have a car during the week, John does. I didn't have a carrier but there was one in the car, which John had at his work. I took the bus to his work and found the car and as I was getting it ready, he walked out the door! Mama-Girl was transferred from the box to the carrier and was all good!
She'll stay a bit in the carrier until I get the BC-7 side cleared out for her to get used to the 3 girls that are about her age. She should do well with them.
After I get back from my trip, I'll change them to a multi-level cage. They'll eventually be joined by a pair of PEWs from the New Mexico hoarding situation. They should all have a lot of fun together. :D
She'll stay a bit in the carrier until I get the BC-7 side cleared out for her to get used to the 3 girls that are about her age. She should do well with them.
After I get back from my trip, I'll change them to a multi-level cage. They'll eventually be joined by a pair of PEWs from the New Mexico hoarding situation. They should all have a lot of fun together. :D
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sooki Is Here!
I took John to breakfast today and we met Morgan in Brooks, Oregon (and why isn't Brooks, Oregon in GPS?). He is so handsome! He'll be living with RMIS Poppy(s) and RMIS Rose(s) and the two boys Chase(n) and Liam(n).
I'm so excited that he is here!
They'll be introduced in a little bit as I'm waiting for the cage to dry.
Welcome Sooki! (And yes, Sooki is named for the Saggy Baggy Elephant. And no, that was not the first book I learned how to read. I learned how to read The Duck on the Truck by Leonard Kessler.)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Rattie Filled Day
Today I did a lot of running around. I went to OHS to check out Louie, a little boy for adoption. I am putting together a cage of similarly aged male rats and Louie would have fit right in. Unfortunately he appeared to have mange mites so I had to decline taking him. Luckily an OHS youth volunteer adopted the little guy so he'll be able to be by himself as he'll need to be a bit older before he can receive treatment. This was a positive outcome to the situation. :D
I met the rats from the West Linn situation. (Got to see all of the beautiful birds too.) The rats are gorgeous and very sweet. They looked very well cared for. (Of course the shelter was providing them with great care but they wouldn't have looked THAT good if the late owner hadn't been caring for them.) I'm hoping to adopt the 3 baby boys as they'll fit in well with my little munchkins I picked up later that day.
I did notice that OHS had run out of water bottles and cages so we went back later that day with 2 cages for the adult rats and hopefully they'll be able to switch the smaller rats into the closer bar cages, and several new water bottles, spring bottle holders and some aquarium bottle holders. I also brought them some cat food to mix with the rat food for the baby rats.
I also donated about 10 or so pounds of food to the young lady that had the little munchkins I took in yesterday as she has been using her food to feed the abandoned waifs so I wanted to help offset that. I also gave her one of the martin cages I had so she had a bigger home for the remaining rats. I told her to just keep it as I don't really need it back. (My preferred cages are Quality Cages.) I also gave her all of the bedding I had gotten on previous adoptions that I don't use. Ultra carefresh, cell sorb and some white gem animal bedding. I'm glad it will be put to use now. I think I also gave her left over food from adoptions as well. I won't feed most mixes or blocks so that might as well go to good use too!
All in all, it was a rattie filled day!
I met the rats from the West Linn situation. (Got to see all of the beautiful birds too.) The rats are gorgeous and very sweet. They looked very well cared for. (Of course the shelter was providing them with great care but they wouldn't have looked THAT good if the late owner hadn't been caring for them.) I'm hoping to adopt the 3 baby boys as they'll fit in well with my little munchkins I picked up later that day.
I did notice that OHS had run out of water bottles and cages so we went back later that day with 2 cages for the adult rats and hopefully they'll be able to switch the smaller rats into the closer bar cages, and several new water bottles, spring bottle holders and some aquarium bottle holders. I also brought them some cat food to mix with the rat food for the baby rats.
I also donated about 10 or so pounds of food to the young lady that had the little munchkins I took in yesterday as she has been using her food to feed the abandoned waifs so I wanted to help offset that. I also gave her one of the martin cages I had so she had a bigger home for the remaining rats. I told her to just keep it as I don't really need it back. (My preferred cages are Quality Cages.) I also gave her all of the bedding I had gotten on previous adoptions that I don't use. Ultra carefresh, cell sorb and some white gem animal bedding. I'm glad it will be put to use now. I think I also gave her left over food from adoptions as well. I won't feed most mixes or blocks so that might as well go to good use too!
All in all, it was a rattie filled day!
5 Baby Boys Are Sworn In
Ping, Pong, Blink, Mr. Buttons and Rollo are cute as a button and no bigger than my little finger. Like the late Corvallis 6, they are a mix of rex and standard furred ratties. All have top ears which is just fine with me. I do not care what they look like, I'm more concerned with being able to tell them apart!
I am so excited as it has been a long time since I've had babies so young. I think the youngest I've adopted was 6 weeks. Pokey, my rattie girl from 1993 was 4 weeks.
I really love the little boys, of course I haven't met a rat I didn't like! LOL
Welcome to the village little guys!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Bob and Franc are Helped to the Bridge
At the age of 2 years 3 months, brothers Franc and Bob have been helped to the bridge today. They are survived by their brother Millo. They were preceded in death by their mother Babs, sister Tina, and brothers Alex, Merle, Mando, and Mavro. Millo, the last brother, is a little frail looking, but he still toddles around his cage a bit. I'm going to put Buddy in the second half of the cage to see how they do together. Hopefully they'll hit it off and not be alone.
Rest in peace little ones!
Bob and Franc have been prepared for private cremation at Oregon Humane Society.
Rest in peace little ones!
Bob and Franc have been prepared for private cremation at Oregon Humane Society.
Booh and Bou Helped to the Bridge
Two of the oldest checkerboard boys were helped to the bridge this morning. They were said to 1.5 years old when we got them in December but since the previous owner didn't give a damn, we don't know for certain. (And we know they didn't give a damn because before surrendering 20 boys to OHS, they had 20 girls that were not taken because they were potentially pregnant and they didn't make arrangements that if OHS decided to euthanize them, to contact them.)
Both were two of the sweetest boys of the group. They looked markedly frail over the past month and despite eye drops and medications just didn't really improve. After checking on them this morning, it was decided to help them to the bridge.
They at least spent the last 6 months being spoiled. I've been working on my rodent mix and I really couldn't test it on this group...because they eat everthing you put in front of them.
They've been a real joy and I'm so glad I adopted them.
Rest in peace little giants, you have brothers waiting for you at the bridge.
Booh and Bou have been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Both were two of the sweetest boys of the group. They looked markedly frail over the past month and despite eye drops and medications just didn't really improve. After checking on them this morning, it was decided to help them to the bridge.
They at least spent the last 6 months being spoiled. I've been working on my rodent mix and I really couldn't test it on this group...because they eat everthing you put in front of them.
They've been a real joy and I'm so glad I adopted them.
Rest in peace little giants, you have brothers waiting for you at the bridge.
Booh and Bou have been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Nona Says Goodnight
I noticed she didn't come when I called her. :( 32 months old, Nona was an active little gem until the day she passed. She loved her cage mates and she was very loving to people too. I adopted Nona from someone on CL that had her and 2 boys, Sherman and Patches.
Nona is the last of my AT&T girls that I adopted, separately, in 2007. I'm so sad that she has left but I know she is back with her best buddies, Shäst, Precious (r), and Lucy.
Nona had been living with Isabella and Joey(n) these past few months.
Nona has been prepared for private cremation at OHS.
You're hanging again with your best buds little Nona!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Spot and Luciano Leave for the Bridge
I have been expecting this for a few weeks. I don't have the heart to euthanize them when they come and greet me at the door. Well today Luciano didn't greet me at the door. He had passed. Spot, being very frail, was helped to the bridge. Spot was 30 months and Luciano was 28 months old.
I was about ready to move these two neutered boys in with 3 of my other older ratties. :( This is a great plug for spaying or neutering your rats. While the females were all intact, the males were all neutered! This mean the boys were never alone. It is preferred that you spay females first because of the additional health benefits they get. However it is a bit easier to find a vet that will neuter.
Both ratties have been prepared for private cremation.
Run and be free little ratties!
I was about ready to move these two neutered boys in with 3 of my other older ratties. :( This is a great plug for spaying or neutering your rats. While the females were all intact, the males were all neutered! This mean the boys were never alone. It is preferred that you spay females first because of the additional health benefits they get. However it is a bit easier to find a vet that will neuter.
Both ratties have been prepared for private cremation.
Run and be free little ratties!
Guildenstern Poses in His Hammock
Guildenstern is posing in his Halloween Pocket Hammock. And yes, he actually does get in the pockets! The cage they are in is 34" wide x 16" deep x 16" tall. I came up with this design to fit on the shelves they sell in various stores. The cage has a powder coated, 3" metal pan. The cage itself is galvanized. It has a full flip top and a single front door that opens up to fit the wheel and igloos through so they are big. The cage sits in the pan. When not in use, the cage fully folds down into the pan. This cage was manufactured to my specifications by Quality Cages.
I use the Lixit Recycled Juice Bottle Kit, Small tip for all of my cages. The kit uses glass snapple bottles or similar kinds so they are really easy to replace if broken.
I removed their tunnel and their toys to take this picture, they are about ready to have their cage cleaned here. But I wanted to be sure and take a picture for my blog. After I clean the cage they are too busy digging through it to get any shots. LOL
Rosencrantz is sleeping in the wheel. Silly boy.
These boys were adopted and came with a 10-gallon aquarium cage and topper. We donated that to OHS on Sunday and I'm so glad we did because they needed it to put ratties in the front to show them off for adoption. Yeah!
Chase, Liam, Rose and Poppy Settle In
I set it up with two double folded hammocks, one on each level. A Wobust Wodent Wheel, a soda box, two Lixit Recycled Juice Bottle Kit, Small tip, a litter box filled with large rocks, and extra blankets to haul around. There is also a paper bag filled with shredded paper that I give them to play around in and drag all over.
Their food dish is filled with my rodent mix and lab blocks. This cage is located downstairs in our living room. We actually have 4 cages of rats down stairs.
I did put fleece between the two levels. Since this cage unhooks in the middle, it makes it very convenient.
I'll be adding more toys, but I wanted to get this shot up here so their respective former parents could see how their babies are getting along.
Eventually these 4 kids will be joined by the 5th member of their group, an intact double rex boy dumbo boy...Sooki!
Hazel Queen of the Igloo--Dexter in the House
Monday, June 7, 2010
Updated Rodent Mix
Continuing my rodent mix post, I'm putting my actual recipe here. I can and do continue to feed Harlan Teklad 2014/Native Earth 4018 lab blocks (whichever I have available) as all but 1 of my current residents love them. (My hamster Precious stacks them in the corner of her cage so I don't waste them by putting them in her cage anymore.)
This mix and the blocks are my dry maintenance diet for all residents (mice, gerbils, hamsters, and of course ratties). I will switch out grains with others, for example spelt flakes, but these are the ones that are reasonable. The rolled oats and pumpkin seeds are purchased from a feed store, the rest is all purchased at grocery stores or specialty markets. The dog food (www.cloudstar.com) and spinach (www.sfherb.com) are purchased online.
[Click on image to read it.]
All of my rodents eat everything in the mix so I'm pretty happy with it. The spinach and parsley breaks up but they still eat that too.
I did buy rolled barley from the feed store, but they did not care for it. I think part of it was because the hull was still on it (it was more like crimped barley although they sold it as rolled). I bought them the barley flakes from the bulk bins at the grocery store to try and they loved it so I buy it there. I don't mind buying it as long as they eat it.
This mix costs me about 90 cents a pound. That is way less than what you'd pay in a pet store for a crappy mix. But my cost is also held down because I buy full bags of bulk bin items, even at the grocery store. The only item I don't buy full bags of is the parsley. To order full bags at the grocery store, I make sure and order ahead. I am lucky that Bob's Red Mill is near where I live so I can travel there and pick up some items that are actually cheaper there than at the grocery store.
I did run my mix as it is above through the nutrition database and I got the information below: (Please note, the mix nutritional values do NOT include the lab blocks by Harlan/Native Earth.)
This mix and the blocks are my dry maintenance diet for all residents (mice, gerbils, hamsters, and of course ratties). I will switch out grains with others, for example spelt flakes, but these are the ones that are reasonable. The rolled oats and pumpkin seeds are purchased from a feed store, the rest is all purchased at grocery stores or specialty markets. The dog food (www.cloudstar.com) and spinach (www.sfherb.com) are purchased online.
[Click on image to read it.]
All of my rodents eat everything in the mix so I'm pretty happy with it. The spinach and parsley breaks up but they still eat that too.
I did buy rolled barley from the feed store, but they did not care for it. I think part of it was because the hull was still on it (it was more like crimped barley although they sold it as rolled). I bought them the barley flakes from the bulk bins at the grocery store to try and they loved it so I buy it there. I don't mind buying it as long as they eat it.
This mix costs me about 90 cents a pound. That is way less than what you'd pay in a pet store for a crappy mix. But my cost is also held down because I buy full bags of bulk bin items, even at the grocery store. The only item I don't buy full bags of is the parsley. To order full bags at the grocery store, I make sure and order ahead. I am lucky that Bob's Red Mill is near where I live so I can travel there and pick up some items that are actually cheaper there than at the grocery store.
I did run my mix as it is above through the nutrition database and I got the information below: (Please note, the mix nutritional values do NOT include the lab blocks by Harlan/Native Earth.)
| 15 gram serving | ||
| Total Calories | 49.65 | kj |
| Calories From Carbs | 33.6 | kj |
| Calories From Fat | 8.895 | kj |
| Calories From Protein | 7.065 | kj |
| Calories From Alcohol | 0 | kj |
| Proteins and Amino Acides | 1.98 | kj |
| Carbohydrates | 8.055 | g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.59 | g |
| Starch | 2.73 | g |
| Sugars | 0.15 | g |
| Fats and Fatty Acids | ||
| Total Fats | 1.11 | g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.135 | g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.21 | g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.555 | g |
| Total trans fatty acids | 0 | g |
| Total trans-monoenoic fatty acids | 0 | |
| Total trans-polyenoic fatty acids | 0 | |
| Total Omega-3 fatty acids | 301.95 | mg |
| Total Omega-6 fatty acids | 249.3 | mg |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 306.9 | IU |
| Vitamin C | 0.855 | mg |
| Vitamin D | 2.37 | IU |
| Vitamin E | 0.3 | mg |
| Vitamin K | 11.535 | mcg |
| Thiamin | 0.105 | mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.06 | mg |
| Niacin | 0.69 | mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.075 | mg |
| Folate | 199.2 | mcg |
| Vitamin B12 | 22.05 | mcg |
| Pantothenic Acid | 0.21 | mg |
| Choline | 5.085 | mg |
| Betaine | 3.045 | mg |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 30.15 | mg |
| Iron | 2.385 | mg |
| Magnesium | 21 | mg |
| Phosphorus | 48.45 | mg |
| Sodium | 10.8 | mg |
| Zinc | 2.175 | mg |
| Copper | 0.225 | mg |
| Manganese | 0.645 | mg |
| Selenium | 113.1 | mcg |
| Fluoride | 0 | |
| Sterols | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | mg |
| Phytosterols | 0 | mg |
| Other | ||
| Alcohol | 0 | g |
| Water | 3.045 | g |
| Ash | 0.405 | g |
| Caffeine | 0 | mg |
| Theobromine | 0 | mg |
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Mimzi the Gerbil!
Welcome Mimzi!
Photo credit: Oregon Humane Society
Sunday, May 30, 2010
New Stow N Gos & New Collapsibles
I picked up my Stow N Go yesterday. The problem with the detachable ladder was the incorrect wire size was used. I opted not to take that. The builder made a mistake on my balcony and after thinking about it, I'm going to remove it and put it in another cage I need. The other balcony, I'll give it to my friend to use in her cages as she is always getting new ones put together. :D
I'll reorder my balconies. I may ask if they can make something out of wire instead, that is removable.
I also need to order 6 to 8 new size collapsible cages. The BC-7 I have I absolutely love, but they are quite heavy. I'm going to keep them, but put them in storage until we move to a new house, which won't be for quite some time. But the idea will be that I can roll them out to clean them.
The new collapsible cages will be the same as the hospital cages I ordered but bigger. The hospital cages I ordered are 16" deep x 16" tall x 32 " deep. The new collapsible cages will be 20" deep x 16" tall x 44" wide. These cages will be galvanized with powder coated trays.
I'll reorder my balconies. I may ask if they can make something out of wire instead, that is removable.
I also need to order 6 to 8 new size collapsible cages. The BC-7 I have I absolutely love, but they are quite heavy. I'm going to keep them, but put them in storage until we move to a new house, which won't be for quite some time. But the idea will be that I can roll them out to clean them.
The new collapsible cages will be the same as the hospital cages I ordered but bigger. The hospital cages I ordered are 16" deep x 16" tall x 32 " deep. The new collapsible cages will be 20" deep x 16" tall x 44" wide. These cages will be galvanized with powder coated trays.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Chase and Liam Check In
Chase and Liam have arrived at the Village. They are two neutered boys I found on Craigslist! The woman that had them, S, was very nice and worked at a vet's office. She's had them since November 2009 and she said Chase was about 10 weeks old and Liam was about 6 weeks old. Liam is an odd-eyed, standard eared boy and Chase is a blue dumbo eared boy. They are both incredibly sweet.
I will post pictures as soon as I get them in their home. I could not believe it, I got their cage ready last night and forgot...how they hell can I forget, to put the water bottle hardware on the cage. So I have to take the cage apart again. >:<
These two little boys will by joined soon by the soon to be spayed RMIS girls, Poppy and Rose. Poppy and Rose have been exposed a bit more to loud noises and frequent pestering so they now don't go and cower when these huge beings called people walk by. (Hell I'd run too if I was that small.)
Eventually they'll be joined by a 5th rattie boy, but after the girls are spayed because that boy will be intact.
Welcome Chase and Liam!
I will post pictures as soon as I get them in their home. I could not believe it, I got their cage ready last night and forgot...how they hell can I forget, to put the water bottle hardware on the cage. So I have to take the cage apart again. >:<
These two little boys will by joined soon by the soon to be spayed RMIS girls, Poppy and Rose. Poppy and Rose have been exposed a bit more to loud noises and frequent pestering so they now don't go and cower when these huge beings called people walk by. (Hell I'd run too if I was that small.)
Eventually they'll be joined by a 5th rattie boy, but after the girls are spayed because that boy will be intact.
Welcome Chase and Liam!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Popeetka Helped To the Bridge
Popeetka was helped to the bridge in the wee hours of the morning. He was one of my little boys that I never found another rattie to live with. He didn't even tolerate his own father. He was a cranky little rat but he did not like to be handled until the last month of his life. Good thing because he was the king of the penis plugs! :( He also had chronic respiratory issues and he'd developed a huge tumor under his left ear. :*(
Last night as I sat holding him he started to lick my hand. ::sigh:: This little guy has bitten me I can't tell you how many times. Of course you feel like crap when they do that. I held him for a bit and chatted with him and for the first time in his life, was able to cuddle with him where he didn't freak out. He just seemed so sad and tired.
I'd like to beat the crap out of the person that had him originally. He was kept in a small cage (about 10" x 15") with 8 other rats of mixed genders. They lived out on the porch in Rainier, Oregon/Longview, Washington area. In freaking November. They were thrown some birdseed every now and again. A hammie person rescued them and I got Popeetka in November 2007, he was already an adult.
Even if I don't know his exact age, he is at least 34 months old (I've had him since November 2007), possibly older.
Popeetka has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Run and be free little Popeetka. And be nice to your papa!
Last night as I sat holding him he started to lick my hand. ::sigh:: This little guy has bitten me I can't tell you how many times. Of course you feel like crap when they do that. I held him for a bit and chatted with him and for the first time in his life, was able to cuddle with him where he didn't freak out. He just seemed so sad and tired.
I'd like to beat the crap out of the person that had him originally. He was kept in a small cage (about 10" x 15") with 8 other rats of mixed genders. They lived out on the porch in Rainier, Oregon/Longview, Washington area. In freaking November. They were thrown some birdseed every now and again. A hammie person rescued them and I got Popeetka in November 2007, he was already an adult.
Even if I don't know his exact age, he is at least 34 months old (I've had him since November 2007), possibly older.
Popeetka has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Run and be free little Popeetka. And be nice to your papa!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
New Rodent Mix
After talking with a friend and doing some research, I decided to try to come up with my own mix to use here for the critters at Vermin Village. I needed something that I could adapt easily between rats, mice, hamsters, and gerbils. Currently I feed my rats (and when in residence, mice) Harlan Teklad 2014 or Native Earth 4018 if I run out of the other. When I order with the club, it runs about 66 cents per pound. But that doesn't take into account how to get it to my house. When I order anywhere online, it is $1 to $1.10 per pound.
I feed hamsters and gerbils a mix. But I've not been happy with the options available. So here it is...
Rolled Oats (Aloha Garden, Feed, & Pet)
Barley Flakes (Bob's Red Mill)
Wheat Flakes (Winco)
Titricale Flakes (Bob's Red Mill)
Wheat Berries (Winco)
Total Cereal (Any store--sale/coupons)
Toasted Oats (Winco)
pumpkin seeds (Aloha Garden, Feed, & Pet)
Flaxseed (Winco)
Freeze Dried Spinach (SFHerb.com)
Freeze Dried Parsley (Winco)
Cloudstar dog food (Cloudstar.com)
I'm still working on my diet. More protein is added for rodents of growing age and hamsters and gerbils get other items with their mix to make up for what they need.
I currently have millet and rolled barley from the feed store. The millet, while eaten by the hamsters, is not a big hit with the rats. So I'm changing it to wheat berries. The rolled barley, this gets left behind as the hull is still around it, it looks more crimped than rolled. So I am changing to the barley flakes, which they do like. If I'm going to spend the money, they had better want to eat it. :D
This mix costs me about 90 cents a pound to make.
References include:
Dream Mountain Rattery http://www.dreammtnfarm.com/rattery/index.htm
RatFanClub http://www.ratfanclub.org/nutreq.html
Shunamite Diet: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/guides.php?subject=shunamite
I feed hamsters and gerbils a mix. But I've not been happy with the options available. So here it is...
Rolled Oats (Aloha Garden, Feed, & Pet)
Barley Flakes (Bob's Red Mill)
Wheat Flakes (Winco)
Titricale Flakes (Bob's Red Mill)
Wheat Berries (Winco)
Total Cereal (Any store--sale/coupons)
Toasted Oats (Winco)
pumpkin seeds (Aloha Garden, Feed, & Pet)
Flaxseed (Winco)
Freeze Dried Spinach (SFHerb.com)
Freeze Dried Parsley (Winco)
Cloudstar dog food (Cloudstar.com)
I'm still working on my diet. More protein is added for rodents of growing age and hamsters and gerbils get other items with their mix to make up for what they need.
I currently have millet and rolled barley from the feed store. The millet, while eaten by the hamsters, is not a big hit with the rats. So I'm changing it to wheat berries. The rolled barley, this gets left behind as the hull is still around it, it looks more crimped than rolled. So I am changing to the barley flakes, which they do like. If I'm going to spend the money, they had better want to eat it. :D
This mix costs me about 90 cents a pound to make.
| store | Pounds | Cost | Cost/Pound | Notes |
| Online | 200 | $212.98 | $1.06 | Includes shipping |
| Club(blocks) & PetPros (hamster mix) | 476 | $319.82 | $0.67 | Transport brings it to about 88 cents. |
| Mix | 266.91 | $239.09 | $0.90 | Coupons and sales on cereal reduce cost. |
References include:
Dream Mountain Rattery http://www.dreammtnfarm.com/rattery/index.htm
RatFanClub http://www.ratfanclub.org/nutreq.html
Shunamite Diet: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/guides.php?subject=shunamite
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Pre-Spay for Rose and Poppy
Rose and Poppy had their pre-spay appointment this morning. Rose weighed 199 grams Poppy weighed 207 grams. They will be spayed in a couple of weeks!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Isabella
Here is a picture of Isabella. She is younger in this picture. Now she is more pear shaped. :D
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Rosentcrantz and Guildenstern standing at the door of their new home. They spent tonight watching Law and Order SVU with me. They do brux and appeared to be very happy.
I think they will both do very well and they are incredibly sweet! They seem to love playing in the paper and have already made a proper nest in their igloo. They've both tried out the wheel. They do have a hammock, but they don't seem too interested in that yet. I'm sure they will eventually.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Starlight Passes
Starlight passed today. She was 2 years, 4 months, and 5 days old (12/1/2007-4/30/2010. She is survived by her sister Isabella and was preceded in death by her other sister Mocha.Starlight was a real bright spot. She was the first to greet you at the door. She loved her sisters very much and bonded well with other ratties. She took to the late Pancake right away, you'd have thought they'd been together since birth.
Her sister Isabella is also a joy of a rattie girl.
I had just introduced Starlight and Isabella to two other older ratties, Joey and Nona. They all got on right away as well. (Probably figured at all over 2 years of age they decided they didn't have to put up or dish out any crap.)
Starlight has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Run and be free and young again little Starlight.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Rose and Poppy
Rose and Poppy came today! This was a surprise. My friend brought them up today as they were with her rats in quarantine! She is so awesome! These 2 girls were adopted at the April 10th show, Ratapalooza. They are RMIS girls!
They will be spayed as soon as they are old enough.
They will be spayed as soon as they are old enough.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Applied for Vermin Village Citizenship
Got an email from a friend that 2 sweet rattie boys needed a new home. I don't know much about them other than they are sweet, like to snuggle and their names. These little courtiers should be here by the end of next weekend. We are looking forward to meeting them.
Remmy Joined the Village
Remmy joined Vermin Village on April 24th, 2010! Remmy is a cute rattie boy that was adopted from a nice lady on CL. Remmy is a big boy with an even bigger personality.He spent last night in his own cage, waiting to move in with his new lady friends.
Today he moved in with his new lady friends and they are ALL doing great. Mischa (adopted from LMR), who lost her cage mate, Remi, several weeks ago and Merriweather, another CL rattie girl--former feeder are his two new friends. Merriweather lost her cage mate, Junior, a few weeks ago as well. Both ladies are spayed so no hankie pankie will happen, no matter how persistent Remmy will be. :) They were also introduced for the first time today.
They are doing really well and I think they'll be just fine!
Introduction Day!
Rattie matchmaking day! Merriweather (s), LMRs Mischa (s) and Remmy will be introduced today! Joey (n), Nona, Isabella and Starlight will be introduced today! New cage set up for RMIS girls that will be coming next weekend or so! Woohoo!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Food to OHS
Donated 165 pounds of Harlan lab blocks to OHS. This is 1/2 our intended annual donation of lab blocks. They've already received 20 pounds of hamster/gerbil food.
I am waiting for the barrel dollies get here and in September, when I drop of their food, I will bring in the food barrel to store it in.
I am waiting for the barrel dollies get here and in September, when I drop of their food, I will bring in the food barrel to store it in.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Pancake Slips Away
Yahtzee Pancake slipped away today. (She is the agouti girl in the front.) This was completely unexpected and very heartbreaking as she was an exceptionally sweet little girl. She loved attention and loved giving kisses and playing with her pal Starlight, the little bundle of white to the right. (The one in the back with the masked face is Starlight's sister Isabella.)
My husband adored Pancake and played with her every day. She was his heart rat for sure.
Run and be free you happy little girl.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Mando Helped to the Bridge
Mando had been plagued with health issues. He was a super sweet boy and he was a joy to take care of. He was always so calm. He was adopted, along with 6 brothers, his sister and his mother, from a nice lady in St. Helens. They were all passed over because they were mostly white and from feeder lines. She had accidentally purchased a girl instead of a boy and oops, there was a litter of mostly PEW ratties that no one wants. :( But I don't care what color they are so I adopted them!
He is survived by 3 brothers, Bob, Franc and Millo.
Run and be free little one!
He is survived by 3 brothers, Bob, Franc and Millo.
Run and be free little one!
Epi Passes
Sadly Epi passed in her habitat when I checked on her this morning. Her time here was very brief. She was an expert wheel runner. Her and Minnie used to run side by side in their habitats as if one could beat the other in a race.
Run free at the bridge little one!
Run free at the bridge little one!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Hazel Makes Her Way to the Village
Hazel started her trip down today, making her way to the village. She'll travel from the Little Mischief Rescue Society in Vancouver, BC to Tacoma and then head down to an exchange in Kelso and then to a friend's house in Portland. I'll pick her up the next day. Dexter is looking forward to his new girlfriend! Hazel is spayed.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Smudge Leaves Us
Sadly Smudge left us too soon. She was over 2 years of age as she actually came to the village 1 day shy of 2 years of age. Despite her rough beginnings she became a really good rattie girl and bonded well with her cage mates and me.
Be free little Smudge!
Be free little Smudge!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Babs Passes
Babs, mother to the late Tina, Alex, Merle, Mavro, Mando has passed. She is survived by her 3 sons here at the village, Millo, Franc, and Bob. She has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.
Be free little one!
Be free little one!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tutu Passes
Sadly Tutu passed in his cage while I was away at work. He lived by himself as I could never find someone he'd tolerate. He was over 3 when he came to the village and lived alone all of his adult life.
Rest in piece gentle giant.
Rest in piece gentle giant.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Potter Passes
Potter, at the age of 2 years, 4 months, passed in his cage. He is survived by his cage mate, Joey and his brother Remi (who lives with a spayed girl). Potter was a little black self dumbo rattie boy. He and his friend Joey were adopted from a former rat owner. They were the sweetest lovey boys. The lived together the entire time they were here. Joey, who was neutered, now lives with a little old gal named Nona. He was preceded in death by his brother Tank.
Run and be free little rattie boy!
Run and be free little rattie boy!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Mavro Passes
Mavro passed in his cage today. He was one of 9 ratties adopted from a nice lady in St. Helens that thought she was getting a boy and got a girl. I adopted 7 brothers, a sister and the mother. Marvo is survived by 3 brothers, Millo, Bob and Franc. (All of the family members I named for red wines.)
Run free little Marvo!
Run free little Marvo!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Lucy is Helped to the Bridge
At 2 years 3+ months of age, Lucy was helped to the bridge today. She was a wonderful little girl that I was privileged to have the care of. She came from a very loving family that were heartbroken that they had to rehome her. Due to severe allergies from the daughter (she got welts while I was standing there), she was well loved there.
She lived with other little girls through her whole life. She developed several tumors at the age of 2 years to months, they didn't even have the courtesy of being in the same area. The decision was reached that we would not operate. It probably was for the best, they grew so fast and new ones cropped up. I'd never seen the like. As they started to affect her quality of life, the painful decision to euthanize was made.
Rest and be free little one!
She lived with other little girls through her whole life. She developed several tumors at the age of 2 years to months, they didn't even have the courtesy of being in the same area. The decision was reached that we would not operate. It probably was for the best, they grew so fast and new ones cropped up. I'd never seen the like. As they started to affect her quality of life, the painful decision to euthanize was made.
Rest and be free little one!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Old Man Sherman Departs the Village
Sherman passed while I was at the hospital. I didn't want to help him to the bridge because despite the fact he had total back end paralysis he dragged himself around and up the side of his cage like nobody's business.
A big black and white rattie boy, he was a real dream as a pet. He didn't like most rats, but for some reason he took a shine to Luke, his cage mate that preceeded him in death. Sherman was almost twice as big as Luke, but Sherman liked the fact Luke liked to be his blanket. Sherman was 43 months old. He came here a lone rattie boy. Patches and Nona also came from the same home. He lived with Luke until Luke passed away.
Rest in peace little Sherman, you'll have your little Luke blanket again.
A big black and white rattie boy, he was a real dream as a pet. He didn't like most rats, but for some reason he took a shine to Luke, his cage mate that preceeded him in death. Sherman was almost twice as big as Luke, but Sherman liked the fact Luke liked to be his blanket. Sherman was 43 months old. He came here a lone rattie boy. Patches and Nona also came from the same home. He lived with Luke until Luke passed away.
Rest in peace little Sherman, you'll have your little Luke blanket again.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Matriarch Shäst Passes
Shäst passed while I was at the hospital. She was 43 months of age. She suffered from advanced respiratory illness and had started to develop multiple tumors. (She also had cataract in both eyes but that doesn't slow ratties down!) Her name is Russian for "Piece of Luck." She was the first girl I adopted from OHS in July of 2007 at approximately 1 year of age. She was found on the streets of downtown Portland--SW 11th and Yamhill to be exact. She and her late cage mate Precious were the first to test out my cage concept that later became the RT-24 http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=129_231_240&products_id=2306]. She took Lucy under her wing and was a great friend to Nona and of course her best friend Precious. Shast was 41 months old.
Be united with your friend little one and stuff as much paper as you want in cage wire! Shast has been prepared for private cremation at OHS.
Be united with your friend little one and stuff as much paper as you want in cage wire! Shast has been prepared for private cremation at OHS.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Mali Helped to the Bridge
Mali was helped to the bridge today. She has been sick for some time. She developed a tumor but due to respiratory issues, she was not really a candidate for surgery. Rest in peace little one.
Gretta Is Helped to the Bridge
Gretta was helped to the bridge today. She had several mammary tumors and given her age and respiratory status she was not a candidate for surgery. She is now with her sisters Hannah and Betsy.
Rest in peace little one.
Rest in peace little one.
Crinkle, Brick, Brack to the Rainbow Bridge
The last 3 brothers of the Corvallis 6 were helped to the bridge today. They were 28 months old. :*( All 3 had advanced respiratory issues, one a heart problem and the other a tumor.
Crinkle, Brick and Brack and their late brothers Mr. Wiggles, Tip and Top were all wonderful boys. They've been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society. Rest in peace little giants.
Crinkle, Brick and Brack and their late brothers Mr. Wiggles, Tip and Top were all wonderful boys. They've been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society. Rest in peace little giants.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Boo Passes
I went into the room and found that Boo had passed overnight. :*( He was preceded in death by his brother Mr. Beans. Both were adopted from CL from someone that offered them up as pets or food. They were in a small, filthy cage. I didn't even take the cage it smelled so bad.
After his brother passed, Boo was moved into a cage filled with girls, and he was very happy. (He and his brother were neutered not long after they got here.)
Run and be free little Boo!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Yahtzee Pancake to Vermin Village
Yahtzee Pancake has come to the village! A fellow rat forum member called me from another continent asking for help with Pancake. Apparently the family that was taking care of her was now backing out. My husband went to get Pancake. She was introduced to two sisters, Isabella and Starlight and they hit it off right away!
John absolutely loves Pancake so these 3 girls live downstairs. (We have 4 cages of ratties downstairs.)
Welcome Pancake!
John absolutely loves Pancake so these 3 girls live downstairs. (We have 4 cages of ratties downstairs.)
Welcome Pancake!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Merriweather and Ruby
Merriweather and Ruby snoozing in their Little Mischief Rescue hippo print hammock. Ruby was the rattie girl that some jerk tied in a plastic bag with cigarette butts and ashes and threw in the dumpster. Thankfully she was rescued by a nice family that took care of her until she found a home.Merriweather was purchased as snake food and the snake wasn't hungry that day. So she was listed on Craigslist. Thankfully a friend was able to pick her up. It was a good thing as Merriweather is exceptionally sweet. Her and Ruby took a few days, but obviously they get along just fine.
Merriweather is scheduled to be spayed on Thursday, January 7th, and she'll eventually move in with Junior, an intact male. Ruby will be spayed next month and eventually join them. Ruby does need more socialization so she will be moving upstairs into the bathroom (captive audience).
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Merle Passes
Sadly my husband went into the rat room and found one of my family of Scappoose boys dead at the bottom of the cage. His name was Merle. He came to Vermin Village with 6 brothers, late sister Tina and his mother Babs. Tina preceeded him in death. This was an unexpected death. He has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society. Run and be free little one!Edit
New Quality Cages Again!
Placed an order for 6 collapsible hospital cages from Quality Cages. This is an expansion on the collapsible carriers. They are 30" long x 16" deep x 16" tall. They are galvanized with a 3" tall powder coated pan and an 11" x 10" door. I'm so happy to be getting rid of the current hospital cages!
Eventually I will be ordering Stow N Go cage with some modifications. These modifications include a solid balcony, a detachable ladder, the door raised up 2 inches so the pan can be increased from 2 to 3 inches tall. The cage itself will be galvanized, but the pan, balcony and ladder will be silver veined powder coated. If I like these well enough, I'll order at least 4 more, but would actually like 9 more.
Eventually I will be ordering Stow N Go cage with some modifications. These modifications include a solid balcony, a detachable ladder, the door raised up 2 inches so the pan can be increased from 2 to 3 inches tall. The cage itself will be galvanized, but the pan, balcony and ladder will be silver veined powder coated. If I like these well enough, I'll order at least 4 more, but would actually like 9 more.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Betsy and Brixton Have Passed
Brixton and Betsy have passed. I went in last night and Brixton and Betsy had both passed. This is not an epidemic of something, all of my ratties are getting very old. :*( Brixton was a PEW that came to Vermin Village from a woman that was hitching cross country. She knew that wasn't the way to travel with a rat so I took the rattie girl in. She has been prepared for cremation at the Oregon Humane Society. Betsy was one of the girls that came from the Washington County Animal Shelter. A friend had her before me but they normally keep and rescue other animals that are even more high maintencance than rats. So Betsy, Gretta and Hannah came to me. Hannah was PTS a few months ago. Betsy is survived by her cage mate Gretta that has also slowed down significantly as well Both Betsy and Brixton have been prepared for private cremation at OHS. Rest in Peace Betsy and Brixton!
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