Vermin Village

No to the pass throughs

2012-02-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

I heard back from Morton Jones, they were unable to help. I also contacted another company and they weren't able to help either. :( I'm not giving up my search! I also think I can do something with regards to making it so the ceiling collars work better. I'll have to experiment.

BC-6

2012-02-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

Was able to pick up 2 BC-6 cages for cheap on Craigslist. These are temporary cages to use until we can afford to replace with 2 BC-7 cages in a year or so. We've tapped our caging budget for this year. I will probably be selling off 3 more cage parts, RT-24, but I'm not sure yet so I'm hanging on to them. I do need to get 4 more mouse cages.

Anyway, I wrote Morton Jones to see if they can help me make a better connector and door system. I'll post back when I hear what they can do for me!

Financial Assistance Update

2012-02-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

Where the money goes! This is a means to offer general information on where the money goes. If money was collected for a specific purpose, then that money is restricted to that use as required by law. This post just serves as a more up-to-date report to the community.

1/2012 - Funds collected specifically for the DH transfer was $58.08 + 1.92 in Paypal fees. FATE absorbed the Paypal fees and so directed the full $60 towards the transfer. All funds used for purpose, receipts on file.

1/2012 - FATE provided an additional $55.71 from the general rescue fund for the transport of rats (53.79 for actual funding and $1.92 in Paypal costs as listed above.) Receipts on file.

2/2012 - FATE sent $50 to North Star Rescue in San Jose, California to assist with 10 neuters. Rescue is another 501(c)(3) organization. (Appears under another name on the rescue as it was sent from the director's private account due to issues with FATE's Paypal account.)

General Update

2012-01-29T22:34:00.000-08:00

After trying to see if the Syrian hamsters would do well in the old style Ware cages I've decided to revert back to the Quality Cages. The Ware cages are just too small for them. I'm also getting them flying saucers so no need to worry about the wheel issue. I had ordered pans for the Ware cages from Martins Cages but I'm going to get rid of the Ware cages with their original pans and hang onto the Martin pans for the last 4 mouse cages that will be ordered.

I was able to get 225 pounds of rolled grain in the 55 gallon drum. It's sealed away from anything that might get into it! This is a food grade barrel and this is human grade grain. I pull grain from here to mix the food for the rats. (The gerbils, hamsters and mice eat other food although they do get a bit of this with their normal diet.)

I took the remains of the 9 critters that had passed since the last run, to the Oregon Humane Society for cremation. Hopefully the freezer (we have a designated freezer for remains) will remain empty for some time! The urn should be ready for pick up next week or so.

I'm still trying to find a piece of the cage that got lost somehow. The cage is slated to go to the Oregon Humane Society but I don't want to bring it without the final piece.

I ordered 2 42" shelves and casters for the room to replace one 36" and one 48" shelf. This will allow me to get 2 BC-7 cages to expand 2 rat cages to hold up to 12 rats per group. We often take in entire accidental litters so this allows us to keep all of the, same gender, together.

The cage configuration will be 10 shelves slated for ratties and 5 shelves slated for gerbils, Syrian hamsters, and/or mice. Currently there are 8 shelves for ratties and 7 shelves for gerbils, Syrian hamstes, and/or mice. (There are 12 shelves for storage.) The critters also have their own refrigerator.

I think that is about it on the updates. Next week we will pick up the remains, and go to Quality Cages to pay for an order and then to ConcentratesNW to pick up more rice hulls for bedding.

Chip Is Helped to the Bridge

2012-01-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

Chip, a little Golden Syrian hamster was helped to the bridge tonight. My neighbor was looking after him for over a year as she can't afford pets and I had a little guy that needed some more individual attention. He thrived in her care and was very gregarious. He apparently started to feel poorly last night and tonight he just couldn't really stand up on his own and she said he was very cold. Attempts to warm him were not helping and he was gasping for breath.

Just his brother Dip remains of the 5 hamsters my friend Cindy and her family and I adopted. (She took 2 babies, I took the mother and 2 other babies.) Dip has slowed down but seems to still be in good overall health.

Chip will be brought for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society on Saturday. Rest in peace little Chip.

Mimzi..Admire My Cute Plumpness

2012-01-24T00:20:00.000-08:00

My name is Mimzi...and this is my ramp! And no you may not run on my Silent Spinner! I highly recommend silent spinners for us gerbils because we are LOUD. You need to get the large one. (The small one is too small and the giant one, well, it is ok too.)

I live in a really cool cage. It's 34" wide x 18" deep x 18" tall. I have a high balcony so my wheel doesn't get caught in my tunneling. I have a low balcony so my water bottles also don't get affected by my tunneling. I have cardboard tunnels and tunnels that I make myself in my paper palace. Mom puts 2 water bottles on all of her cages for safety reasons. If one fails, I have a back-up. My cage was made to my mother's specifications by Quality Cages. It is fully collapsible and lays in the pan when not in use. The pan is silver veined powder coated but the cage itself is not.

I like to run on my wheel but you really can't tell because I'm a little on the plump side!

Rodent Diet

2012-01-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

I've adjusted the diet again, mainly the frozen one. I also added information on the meat and fish offerings. With the exception of the dog food and some treats, such as Itty Bitty Cloud Biscuits, everything is human grade food.

The current basic dry mix is:

Regular or Thick Cut Rolled Oats (100 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Rolled 9 Grain Flakes+ (50 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Triticale Flakes (50 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Rolled Barley (25 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Rolled Rye (25 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Kirkland Low Fat Dog Food (Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul, Light formula or Diamond Lowfat Dog Food also work for this mix) (40 pounds) Costco
Dried Carrots (10 pounds) http://www.northbaytrading.com/air-dried-carrots/
Cranberry Crunch Total (12 boxes) Amazon.com
Dried Cranberries (4 pounds) Winco Bulk Bins
Raisins (4 pounds) Winco Bulk Bins
Banana Chips (4 pounds) Winco Bulk Bins

*I do sometimes add another cereal like Cheerios, for variety.
+Hard Red Wheat, Oat Groats, Triticale Berries, Rye Berries, Dehulled Barley, Soft White Wheat, Spelt Berries, Hard White Wheat, Flax.

Frozen mix is (with amounts listed):

Frozen Broccoli (small pieces) 5 pounds (Cash and Carry)
Frozen Peas 5 pounds (Costco)
Frozen Kale 5 pounds (Whole Foods)
Sweet Potatoes 5 pounds (cooked, purchased raw from Winco or Costco)
Beans 10 cups (cooked mixed beans purchased from bulk bins at Winco)
Basmatti Brown Rice 12 cups (cooked, purchased from bulk bins at Winco)
Quinoa 12 cups (cooked, purchased from bulk bins at Winco)

I steam the rice and quinoa the day before combining my mix. I also cook the beans. I boil them for 3 minutes then let simmer for 3 hours. I cook the sweet potatoes. I put the rice and quinoa in the freezer overnight and the beans and sweet potatoes in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I cut up the sweet potatoes into cubes and mix everything together. I then divide into freezer baggies for me to pull out and heat up daily for the critters.

Again, these diets are their BASIC diet. They do eat other foods. I mix in additional items in their frozen mix, for example bok choy, apples, canned mandarin oranges, et cetera. Just watch the items on the forbidden food list.

I do feed meat and fish to the critters. They get it at least once a week, the day before cage cleaning. They get lamb, chicken, smelt, beef liver, tilapia, just to name a few.

The Dapper Rat http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm#diet
Dream Mountain Rattery http://www.dreammtnfarm.com/rattery/about.htm
RatFanClub http://www.ratfanclub.org/nutreq.html
Rattie Rascals Rattery http://www.boardmanweb.com/rattery/nutrition.htm
Shunamite Diet: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/guides.php?subject=shunamite

Pimp and Pong Pass & Bamboo is helped to the bridge

2012-01-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

I am thinking Pimp actually was older than the other boys I adopted him with. He started getting cataract in both eyes a few months ago and then went downhill real fast, he wasn't really agile and walked around with an odd gait these past few days. I went in and found the other little boys laying on top of him, probably trying to keep him warm. :(

Pong passed last night sometime. He was battling respiratory illness for some time so it was not a surprise that he passed, but it wasn't like he went downhill or anything. I can only suspect he might have choked on something too. :(

Bamboo had head tilt for over a year and today when I went in, one side of his face really bulged out and his eye was pushing out of his socket. I helped him to the bridge. I've never seen anything like that in all of my time with ratties.

These boys are survived by their cage mates Sprout, Sprat, Mr. Buttons, Blink, Ping, and Rollo.

Rest in peace gentle giants.

Spud Slips Away

2012-01-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

Spud was one of the ratatatoes. He had been fighting a respiratory issue for some time. He is survived by Tator and Harper. He wasn't very cuddly but he did love his buddies and he tolerated being held. Rest in peace little Spud.

:*(

Sooki Passes

2011-12-31T22:12:00.000-08:00

I'm so sad. My little Sooki has passed today. He was the kissiest rat! He came into my heart in 2010 when my friend brought him to say hello when she was dropping off my two girls from quarantine. I was hooked. She let me adopt the little guy when he was ready to go home. My 2 girls were spayed so he got to live with them. He also lived with Chase and Liam. They were quite a bit older and passed earlier this past year. Rose, Poppy and Sooki were later joined by Lobo, another neutered boy, who joined them in Febrary 2010.

Sooki is survived by his cage mates Rose, Poppy and Lobo.

Rest in peace little guy.

Dirty and Stinky with Guildenstern

2011-12-21T21:54:00.000-08:00

Dirty and Stinky, both spayed girls from San Francisco, California, with their cage mate, Guildenstern. Guildenstern was alone after his brother passed. These two lovely ladies brighten up his life.

Wire Cutters, Reducers, Bushings and Couplings

2011-12-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

I had to return the wire cutters to Home Depot last night. I'll have to order them online. I also picked up some reducers, bushings and couplings to shorten the tubes from cage to cage. Hopefully I can try it tonight. There was a suspicious package left at the Willow Creek Transit Center so I'm waiting for the light rail to get the all clear.

Poppers Passes

2011-12-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

At the age of 2 years and 9 months, Poppers the adrenaline junkie Syrian hamster has passed. He and his sister Peepers were two of the first hamsters I've had. (Precious and Colonel from the Washington County Animal Control were the first two but they were so cool, I brought two more in the sanctuary.) Two babies that their previous owner had tried to breed (and kept in the same cage)! They came here and were immediately separated.

Poppers has been a real joy and he will be sorely missed.

Rest in peace my little odd-eyed guy.

Picked up Remains and Visited OHS Vermin

2011-12-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

I went to OHS this morning to pick up the cremains. It is really sad because they ask the pet's name. I had to tell them the list is long, it's the large group of rodents. Oh yes, they bring the urns out. I really appreciate this service. If you have to have any pet cremated, I highly recommend their service for cremation. It's very reasonable and it generates a little money for the animals there.

Of course I had to go in and look at the rodents in rescue there. They just took care of a big pet store case and have LOTS, so if you are looking to adopt a few fuzzies, please consider adoption before purchase. They have mice, gerbils, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits now and often have hamsters, chinchillas and degus too!

After visiting for a while I had to do my 3 hour quarantine but was already meeting my parents for brunch so it all worked out!

Then I went to Home Depot and picked up a set of wire cutters to to try to cut the wire flush so that I can make special wheel holders. I hope it works!

Forgot to mention, when I was at OHS, I picked up some of the Oxbow Essentials Rat Formula to give to the mice. Running a bit low on Harlan 2014 and wanted to try out the Oxbow food for them.

Vet Visit for the Guardians of Vermin Village

2011-11-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

Black Friday we took our 4 kitties and 2 ratties to the vet. The kitties went for their annual and the rattie, well, we needed some A/D cat food to help him put on some weight. (We brought the ratties Sooki and Rose.)

Majah has a dental appointment in about 10 days for getting his teeth cleaned and 2 teeth pulled. Poor little guy. (We get their teeth cleaned about every other year but Majah's are pretty bad.) This might be why he has been throwing up because he doesn't really chew his food, which may also be why his back teeth are covered with tarter because he hasn't been chewing.

Gadget got his butt shaved. Both he and Deemka will go in on the same day to get shaved completely.

Padjar, his skin condition is ok. He got an extra shot. We are going to transition into a new cat food this week to see if that will help.

Otherwise, everyone is doing fine!

Nebulizer

2011-11-27T04:52:00.000-08:00

A nebulizer is an important tool to have in your rattie kit. My friend, Joanne Gemmer, from Best Friend Rodent Rescue, www.bfrr.org, posted a link to a site that carries them relatively cheaply. http://www.frontlinemobility.com/John_Bunn_Neb-u-Lite_LX2_Nebulizer_Compressor.html?gdftrk=gdfV22691_a_7c1030_a_7c3890_a_7cGRF_d_JB0112_d_110 I purchased mine on ebay, but this is a better price than I paid. It's best to purchase it when you can shop ahead and get a deal than it is to purchase it late at night, if you can find a place, for an emergency situation. Consider it a worthwhile investment.

Cash and Carry

2011-11-25T22:49:00.000-08:00

I went to Cash and Carry for the first time today! I LOVE this store! I got the rats some raspberry Torini syrup to mix their medications in. I was also able to get a pump for it as well. I got smaller paper boats to use for the smaller groups of ratties. They also carry LARGE tubes of plain yogurt for the rats. I will be going back.

Cremation Run :(

2011-11-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

Went to drop off remains to be cremated at the Oregon Humane Society. This is a wonderful service they offer and it is very reasonable. Then I went to the movies to go through quarantine before going home. (They have rodents for adoption at this facility.)

Tot Passes

2011-11-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

Tot is one of the Idaho rescue boys. He passed this morning. This was not unexpected as he had been battling respiratory illness for some time. He is survived by his brother Tator, his cage mates, Harper and Spud. He was preceded in death by his cage mate Mr. Checkers.

Tot was one of 3 ratties taken to the Hillsboro Argus to promote the first Come Fall For Rats in 2010. He made quite the impression. He was an agouti dumbo boy that looked like he had been laid in semi-dry paint.

He will be taken to the Oregon Humane Society this weekend for private cremation.

Rest in peace little giant.

Mr. Checkers Passes

2011-11-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

Mr. Checkers, one of my Idaho rescue boys, has passed today. He has battled respiratory illness for some time and this was not unexpected. I will never understand how this works. Half of the cage is fine, the other half has issues. :*( He is survived by his cage mates and fellow Idaho rescues Harper, Tator, Tot, and Masher. (Both Tot and Masher also have respiratory issues.) Rest in peace little one.

Sultana Passes

2011-11-12T22:04:00.000-08:00

Sultana passed this morning in her cage. I found her when I went in. :*( Only Lobo remains of the group of New Mexico ratties. Sultana, along with her two sisters, was not very social but it only took one or two times sitting with them for 20 minutes each where they opened up and allowed themselves to be handled. She was the last of her 3 "sisters" that I adopted from the rescue. She is survived by her cage mates: Gus (n), Lil' Mama, Opal, Sapphire, Emerald, Jade, Bailey, and Sweet Pea. A lot of names are new so Gus is a fellow that came to me because his previous owners were scared of him as he kept biting. (He doesn't now.) Opal, Sapphire, Emerald and Jade came to me because their previous owner could no longer keep them. Bailey came to me because she was also a poorly socialized little girl. We're still working on her. She's very...squirrelly. And of course Sweet Pea was one of the Idaho rescues. Sultana was well loved with her cage mates and she will be sorely missed by her friends.

Please note, her death is not unexpected, she has been battling chronic respiratory issues for some time.

Rest in peace little girl!

Trip to Kenmore, Washington and Mousies are Here!

2011-08-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

My husband and I went to Kenmore, Washington last weekend to help Joanne get the pictures of the critters on petfinder. I took over 200 pictures! It was so nice to meet everyone and to visit with the critters. We also picked up my 6 mice!

The girls names are Speedy, Chunky, Twitter, Streak, Tease, and Holiday.

They live in a modified quality cage. The cage is lined with 1/4" x 1/4" wire. To keep down the smell, I use Good Mews as the litter and then they get shredded paper for bedding. They have 4 wheels in their cage and lots of cardboard tunnels.

I typically feed them blocks. I purchase Harlan 2014 from various sources along with some of the grain mix.

Remmy Rests

2011-08-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Big Remmy was helped to the bridge Saturday morning. He had been feeling poorly the past few days. He finally was ready to go.

Rest in peace Remmy!

Lady Fu Passes

2011-08-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Lady Fu passed 8/14/2011. She is the mother of Dip and Chip. This was not expected but I also don't know how old she was. She was a fuzzy little lady rescued from some twit on CL by my friend Cindy. The original owner purposefully bred her and then basically abdicated her responsibility. Luckily Cindy took in 2 of the kiddos so they all had good forever homes.

Rest in peace little lady! Keep running on that wheel in the sky!

4 Girls Searching for New Names....

2011-07-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

I adopted 4 girls last night from someone on CL. They are all very sweet and are slated to be room mates with Gus, the little boy that was neutered. I am still trying to decide on their names. I just wanted to make sure it was documented on here that they were adopted on 7/15.

Catch-Up & Gus

2011-07-15T02:14:00.000-07:00

I'm working on catching up on my blog! I've been busy with work and taking care of the critters. I've only adopted 1 rattie boy this year. He was neutered last week. He was originally purchased by a family from a pet store and he has socialization issues. We are working on those now. Hopefully he will adapt. His name is Gus and he is about 4 months old. He's a handsome little dumbo boy. He's recently learned of the joys of hammocks! :D

Precious the Hammie Passes :(

2011-03-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

I went in this evening to feed the critters and in checking on the hammies found that Precious had passed in her igloo. :(

She was an AWESOME hammie and loved to be held and cuddled. She was a Golden variety of Syrian hamster.

Precious came into my life because her and the late hammie Colonel were dropped off at the Washington County Animal Shelter. The shelter doesn't have the means to house rodents so a friend was contacted who in turn contacted me.

It was because of both Precious and Colonel's outgoing personalities that I decided to adopt Syrian hamsters when needed so room was made to always keep a few that needed homes.

Rest in peace little Precious. Hopeful you have the best stash at the bridge!

Precious has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.

Rodent Mix Reformulation

2011-03-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

The current basic dry mix is:

Regular or Thick Cut Rolled Oats (100 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Rolled 9 Grain Flakes⁺ (50 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Triticale Flakes (50 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Rolled Barley (25 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Rolled Rye (25 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Kirkland Low Fat Dog Food (Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul, Light formula or Diamond Lowfat Dog Food also work for this mix) (40 pounds) Costco
Dried Carrots (10 pounds) http://www.northbaytrading.com/air-dried-carrots/
~~Blueberry Pomegranate Total (12 boxes) Amazon.com~~ No longer made
Cranberry Crunch Total (12 boxes) Amazon.com
Dried Cranberries (4 pounds) Winco Bulk Bins
Raisins (4 pounds) Winco Bulk Bins
Banana Chips (4 pounds) Winco Bulk Bins

*I do sometimes add another cereal like Cheerios, Corn Flakes, et cetera, for variety.
⁺Hard Red Wheat, Oat Groats, Triticale Berries, Rye Berries, Dehulled Barley, Soft White Wheat, Spelt Berries, Hard White Wheat, Flax.

This makes me 5 18 gallon totes to store this in. With the exception of the dog food, all foods are human grade.

Frozen mix is (with amounts listed):

Normandy Mix (broccoli, cauliflower, yellow squash, carrots) 11 pounds (Costco)
Green Beans 5 pounds (Costco)
Corn 5 pounds (Costco)
Peas 5 pounds (Costco)
Kale 5 pounds (Whole Foods)
Sweet Potatoes 5 pounds (cooked, purchased raw from Winco)
Beans 10 cups (cooked mixed beans purchased from bulk bins at Winco)
Basmatti Brown Rice 12 cups (cooked, purchased from bulk bins at Winco)
Quinoa 12 cups (cooked, purchased from bulk bins at Winco)

I steam the rice and quinoa the day before combining my mix. I also cook the beans. I boil them for 3 minutes then let simmer for 3 hours. I cook the sweet potatoes. I put the rice and quinoa in the freezer overnight and the beans and sweet potatoes in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I cut up the sweet potatoes into cubes and mix everything together. I then divide into freezer baggies for me to pull out and heat up daily for the critters.

Again, these diets are their BASIC diet. They do eat other foods. I mix in additional items in their frozen mix, for example bok choy, apples, canned mandarin oranges, et cetera. Just watch the items on the forbidden food list.

The Dapper Rat http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm#diet
Dream Mountain Rattery http://www.dreammtnfarm.com/rattery/about.htm
RatFanClub http://www.ratfanclub.org/nutreq.html
Rattie Rascals Rattery http://www.boardmanweb.com/rattery/nutrition.htm
Shunamite Diet: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/guides.php?subject=shunamite

Chase Passes

2011-02-27T22:59:00.000-08:00

Chase was actually sick last month and had been doing lots better and was just taking a maintenance dose of Cipro. I went to feed the fuzzies tonight and he had passed in the igloo. The others must have thought he was cold because they covered him with the blanket.

Chase was a beautiful, loving rattie and he loved his cage mates. I think the loss of Liam upset him and he just gave up. (As Liam was sick, Chase built a nest around him in the lower level of the cage and slept with him to keep him warm.)

Chase loved to hang out with his girls and his favorite food was Blueberry Pomegranate Total. He would try to eat all of the pieces before anyone else got downstairs. It was hysterical.

Chase is survived by his cage mates RMIS Rose, RMIS Poppy and Dmnt Sooki.

Chase, you left us too soon. Rest in peace.

Chase has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.

Blossom Passes

2011-02-26T22:39:00.000-08:00

Blossom, one of my little Idaho girls passed away unexpectedly. She was found curled asleep in the igloo. :(

She is survived by her "sibling" Sweet Pea and cage mates Currant, Sultana, Little Mamma, Jelly, and the ancient one, Isabella.

Blossom loved to dangle from the top of the cage and dart through the tunnel. Her favorite food was broccoli. Like other girls, she preferred to scrabble around than hang out with me but she did like to be pet and play hand chase.

Rest in peace Blossom!

Liam Leaves Us

2011-02-21T02:38:00.000-08:00

After fighting a myco flare up, he just kept getting weaker and weaker. He spent Friday night through Sunday 2am with me. I woke up ever couple of hours and fed him and gave him fluids (along with his medication). At 2am I realized he was not going to get better and helped him to the bridge.

Liam was an odd-eyed boy that wasn't too big on being held but put up with it on a regular basis. My husband really bonded with Liam. And the day I brought him to work he was a big hit and he was a gentle boy while people fussed over him.

He is survived by his cage mates RMIS Rose, RMIS Poppy, Dmnt Sooki and his best buddy Chase.

Rest in peace little guy. You are greatly missed.

Bedding and Litter and Vermin Village

2011-02-14T00:06:00.000-08:00

I've tried many items for bedding and litter. I use Good Mews in my litter boxes and in the mouse cages. It controls odor well. It is heavy though so while I have used it in my cages, due to the number of cages I have and where the cages are located I prefer not to use it in the cage bases.

I've used wooden pellets but they smelled funny to me. I was not a fan of the aspen shavings. I did like the Aspen Sani Chips but the ratties had so much fun tossing them out and it is expensive to get.

I'm currently finishing up the Douglas Fir shavings I have and have been pretty pleased with them but the large bales sometimes have a dampness to them so I have to let them dry. The smaller bales are better about being dry.

I just recently purchased rice hulls at the feed store. I've used it in several cages so far. A bale lasts me for at least 2 cleanings of all of my cages and the bales are available locally at NW Concentrates for $14 as of this posting. It is better if I give the area of the cages, which is 8784 inches. This is just the area where the hulls are placed. It is good for a week, with little odor at that time. It absorbs well. The rats do like to dig in it so it is best with deep pans of at least 3 inches, but it does vacuum easily and is less likely to clog the hose because the pieces are small and uniform in size. There is little to no dust. The bedding itself has barely any scent and certainly nothing to irritate sensitive rattie noses.

In the gerbil cages I just use shredded newspaper. In the hamster cages they get rice hulls and newspaper. In the mouse cages I use Good Mews and newspaper.

The downside with rice hulls is the difficulty in finding them where rice is not grown. Luckily Portland has a place that orders it from the Davis, California area.

Cage Set-up Changes

2011-01-24T02:29:00.000-08:00

As you may notice, I'm a big fan of Quality Cages, www.qualitycage.com. They have made every cage and carrier in use at Vermin Village except the mice bin style cages and that is because the wire is a real pain to work with. I have several designs of cages that I use but at this moment I'm in the process of converting to temporarily retiring my multi-level cages and going with single level cages. The reason I didn't do it before was because of the size limitation, how do you make side-by-side cages bigger but still fairly easy to clean. I finally found a way to do that. This set up makes introductions easier and are definitely easier to clean.

Perfect Home Commercial Grade Decorative Wire 6-Shelf Chrome finish Shelving Storage Unit, Model #6260184872C from Home Depot as the shelving units. You could opt to have them make stands for you and then stack the cages but I like the extra storage these provide.

2 BC-7 or FC-7 cages from Quality Cages (I prefer the BC-7 cages but the FC-7 cages will work too). Also, get powder coated, it is well worth the money. The center divider in the BC-7 slides out. Each cage comes with a solid and wire divider so introductions work well too!

Have the cages customized in the following manner:

Make the doors as large as possible to fit items like wheels, igloos, et cetera through the door. (Measurements to follow.)
Make sure the cut a hole in one side of the cage (measurements and placement to follow) on each cage. Make sure that each pair of cages has the hole cut in the center facing of each cage (so one cut is on the right side of one cage and the left side of the second cage). Pictures of cuts to follow.
Put the door over the hole. The door should be 10" x 12" with the latch on the 10" side.

2 ceiling collars (sold in the vent section at Home Depot)

Machine screws and nuts, and washers. (sizes to follow)

Currently, for the tube I use a 12" long 4" PVC pipe and two 3" to 4" reducers.

I'm going to be working on a metal tube solution with Quality Cages because the PVC ones are kind of a pain to clean and if I have them make it, the tube will be 4" through the entire tube.

Anyway, when the tube is in use, the doors are open (they should be set to open down. When the tubes aren't needed, the doors can be closed. Perfect for cleaning. To clean the tube, I recommend purchasing a toilet bowl brush just for cleaning the tubes.

Currently I have 3 pairs in service and I will eventually get a fourth pair when funds permit it. Once the other cages I have are retired, the only rats kept at Vermin Village will be limited to any combination of these 4 pairs of cages. Each cage can house 8 rats. I will fudge for bonded groups....although I do have cages to expand these with a smaller version.

Two RT-1824 cages are reserved for any combination of Syrian hamsters or gerbils. For example:

Cage 1	Cage 2
1 hamster	1 hamster
1 hamster	1 gerbil
1 hamster	2 gerbils (bonded pair)
1 gerbil	1 gerbil
1 gerbil	2 gerbils (bonded pair)
2 gerbils (bonded pair)	2 gerbils (bonded pair)

Mouse Cages:

Up to 4 mice at one time depending on the grouping and gender.

4 female mice in one large converted rat cage

OR

2 pairs of mice in two homemade cages

Or 1 single mouse in each homemade cage

I'll have to get back to this post on the measurements of the holes and pictures of what I did but I wanted to get this out there. Please note, no animals were rehomed due to the cage reconfiguring, this is what has been decided on, not what is currently in place. As the fuzzies pass, new ones will not be adopted until this configuration is reached. I had to do something since I have to make sure that when I go back to school, I can keep up with cage cleaning and my studies and still have time to play with the fuzzies. I also have to make it easy on my husband who has to look after them when I go visit my family in California. This also does not affect the 5 rats and hamster my neighbor looks after for me.

Let me know if you have questions or have anything to share to improve upon this!

O-ren Passes

2011-01-22T00:06:00.000-08:00

O-ren, a bitey dwarf hamster passed away sometime Tuesday. I noticed she didn't come greet me at the door and after pulling her tunnels apart found she had passed in her cage. The only time she hasn't tried to bite me when pulling her out.

She's been prepared for private cremation at OHS.

Rest in peace you little air attacker. (For her penchant for trying to bite the air when you walked by.)

Harold Leaves to Reunite With Brothers

2011-01-17T21:56:00.000-08:00

At the age of 31 months, Harold has been reunited with his brothers, Chupachup, Billy and Rutherford. Harold, like his brothers, was a sweet gentle giant. Always greeting you at the cage door, these past few weeks he lost the use of his back legs. He still could scoot around until I noticed Sunday he had slowed down quite a bit. He passed away while I was at work on Monday.

He has been prepared for private cremation at OHS.

Rest in peace little giant.

Raisin Unexpectedly Exits

2011-01-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

I'm very upset, Raisin, one of my New Mexico rattie girls, has passed unexpectedly. She went through so much to get here and now she has gone. The only comfort I have is that she at least was with her cage mates.

She has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society. She is survived by her 2 "sisters" Currant and Sultana.

Rest in peace little Raisin.

Frozen Rodent Mix

2011-01-12T20:53:00.000-08:00

Taking a leaf from the Dapper Rat's site on her frozen food recipe, I decided to try a frozen mix myself since I'm always so pressed for time.

Thanks to another friend, I found Whole Foods sells frozen kale. In the interest of time I also used the frozen rice and beans. In future mixes, I'll make the rice and beans myself.

I gave them some tonight and they all LOVED it. I will vary it every batch but there are some base ingredients I will use in every batch. I'll add other items for variety.

Frozen Whole Kale (10#)
Frozen Chopped Broccoli, Cauliflower, Squash, Carrots (11#)
Peas (5#)
Corn (5#)
10 cups of cooked beans
12 cups steamed brown basmatti rice
12 cups steamed quinoa
Frozen Green Beans (5#)

For those in the Beaverton/Hillsboro, Oregon area, I get items to make the mix at the following locations:

frozen, chopped blue kale - Whole Foods
frozen corn - Costco
frozen peas - Costco
frozen green beans - Costco
frozen Normandy vegetables - Costco
brown rice - winco bulk food bins (you can get any grain, but since I eat the basmatti brown, that is what I buy them, it is more expensive) And I actually purchase my basmatti brown rice at Costco or Winco, depending on which one is cheaper.
mix of dried beans (I buy a combination of dried beans from the bulk bins in Winco; I do not include lentils or split peas because I already have frozen peas and the lentils don't seem to hold together so well.

I steam the brown rice in a cooker. I have the small cooker so when I cook it, it takes 2 pots of it for about 12 cups. I then cook the quinoa in the cooker and it also takes 2 pots to get about 12 cups.

I cook 1 cup of dried beans for every 2 cups of cooked beans. I place the beans in a pot on the stove and cover with water and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Then I turn down the heat and let simmer for 2 and a half hours until the beans are tender but not mushy. I then drain and put beans in the fridge to cool. The rice and quinoa are put in the fridge to cool and then in the freezer to freeze.

I then mix all of the frozen foods together and add the beans as well.

After mixing it all together, I part it out in amounts that I will use each night. Currently I use freezer zip bags (and I reuse them). Eventually I will get the appropriate sized freezer containers to do this with I still have to find one that I like.

Each night I pull a packet out and put it in a microwave safe container and cook it for 3 to 5 minutes. Then I dish it out to the kiddos.

I do include fresh vegetables when I have them. I don't cook those.

Because of their dry mix, I don't put in any pasta in the mix.

I purchased the 1 pound paper boats at Costco, 250 for $5 to feed the wet mix in. I would rather spend the money on paper plates than spend the time washing them. :D

Reference: The Dapper Rat Rat Diet http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm#diet

Rodent Diet Special

2010-12-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

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

Rutherford Helped to the Bridge

2010-12-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

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.

In the News....

2010-11-04T00:24:00.000-07:00

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/entertainment/25604630/detail.html

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!

Peepers Passes

2010-10-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

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.

Ratatatoes Have Arrived!

2010-10-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

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!

Reed, Rasta, Dex, and Sento Join the Village

2010-10-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

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.

Show Panic Is Setting In

2010-10-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

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

Tucker Sleeps

2010-10-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Cage Merging and Shifting

2010-10-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

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!

Rodent Diet Yet Again

2010-10-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

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.

	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.

Ruby Slips Away

2010-10-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

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.

Chupachup Helped to the Bridge

2010-09-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

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.

Susie Helped to the Bridge

2010-09-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

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.

Little Joey Passes

2010-09-06T23:26:00.000-07:00

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.

Mischa Helped to the Bridge

2010-08-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

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.

Merriweather Leaves Us

2010-08-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

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.

Dmnt Sooki, RMIS Poppy, RMIS Rose, Chase and Liam Go to Portland

2010-08-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

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!

Seaweed and Sardines

2010-08-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Rodent Diet Revisted

2010-08-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

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

_____________________________________

Calorie Information
Amounts Per Selected Serving
Serving Size	15
	grams	Unit of Measure
Total Calories	55.8	kj
Calories From Carbs	40.65	kj
Calories From Fat	7.155	kj
Calories From Protein	7.98	kj
Calories From Alcohol	0	kj
Proteins and Amino Acides	2.205	kj
Carbohydrates	9.15	g
Dietary Fiber	1.8	g
Starch	3.015	g
Sugars	0.405	g
Fats and Fatty Acids
Total Fats	0.945	g
Saturated Fat	0.12	g
Monounsaturated Fat	0.18	g
Polyunsaturated Fat	0.36	g
Total trans fatty acids	0	g
Total trans-monoenoic fatty acids	0
Total trans-polyenoic fatty acids	0
Total Omega-3 fatty acids	144	mg
Total Omega-6 fatty acids	217.95	mg
Vitamins
Vitamin A	215.1	IU
Vitamin C	1.905	mg
Vitamin D	1.68	IU
Vitamin E	0.21	mg
Vitamin K	0.945	mcg
Thiamin	0.075	mg
Riboflavin	0.045	mg
Niacin	0.6	mg
Vitamin B6	0.045	mg
Folate	356.4	mcg
Vitamin B12	42.3	mcg
Pantothenic Acid	0.165	mg
Choline	6.615	mg
Betaine	0.735	mg
Minerals
Calcium	28.8	mg
Iron	3.66	mg
Magnesium	19.35	mg
Phosphorus	43.95	mg
Sodium	6.765	mg
Zinc	3.555	mg
Copper	0.36	mg
Manganese	0.825	mg
Selenium	215.25	mcg
Fluoride	0.795
Sterols
Cholesterol	0	mg
Phytosterols	0.06	mg
Other
Alcohol	0	g
Water	1.425	g
Ash	0.405	g
Caffeine	0	mg
Theobromine	0	mg

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

Boys Moved to Big Cage

2010-07-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

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.

All Together Now

2010-07-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

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!

Bamboo, Sprout, Fuzzy and Pimp Are Here!

2010-07-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

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.

Ratarama Was a BLAST

2010-07-04T02:09:00.000-07:00

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

Mama-Girl is here!

2010-06-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

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

Sooki Is Here!

2010-06-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

Dmnt 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.)

Rattie Filled Day

2010-06-19T20:15:00.001-07:00

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!

5 Baby Boys Are Sworn In

2010-06-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ping, Pong, Blink, Mr. Buttons, and Rollo have been brought to the village. They are part of a litter that was abandoned and taken in by a really nice young woman, B, in Portland. She placed most of the girls and I took the boys. I told her I'd take momma too since she'd fit right in with some girls that were adopted a bit ago. I'll wait to hear back from her on that one.

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!

Bob and Franc are Helped to the Bridge

2010-06-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Booh and Bou Helped to the Bridge

2010-06-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

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.

Nona Says Goodnight

2010-06-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

Nona is the one crouched

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!

Spot and Luciano Leave for the Bridge

2010-06-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

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!

Guildenstern Poses in His Hammock

2010-06-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

RMIS Rose (s), RMIS Poppy (s), Chase (n), Liam (n) have settled in their new home together. Ironically, I had donated or sold all of my Quality Cages with the expansion piece I designed. I decided I needed a set again for these kids. Funny enough, someone put one on CL so I bought it.

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.

This is Rose and Chase peering at me after I snapped a few pictures. For being introduced Saturday, they are pretty chummy which makes me very happy. They didn't really squabble when I put them together. (This cage was "new to both sets of kiddos.")

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.

I apologize that this picture is so blurry but you get the general idea of how they are getting on. :D From the far back, the black head in the back is Poppy, laying right next to her is Liam, and then in the front Rose and Chase.

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

2010-06-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hazel(s) is such a silly girl. This is a crappy picture but I wanted to post it anyway because it shows her fluffiness. lol Hazel is a sweet little girl and has a nice squishy belly to kiss. She's bigger than her cage mate, Dexter. I had to move their cage a foot higher because they are on the bottom shelf of the 3 cages. Pajar was just a little too curious and the fuzzies didn't come out too often when he was downstairs. Now they are higher so they feel more secure. If I had a cage of all girls, I'd put them on the bottom because they'd pull him in and smack him around! Or better yet, sick the OHS rattie boys onto him. Little orange menace.

Updated Rodent Mix

2010-06-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

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.)

	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

Mimzi the Gerbil!

2010-06-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

Mimzi the gerbil has come to Vermin Village. He was adopted from the Oregon Humane Society. He is very skittish but so fun to watch. He is about 6 months old.

Welcome Mimzi!

Photo credit: Oregon Humane Society

New Stow N Gos & New Collapsibles

2010-05-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

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.

Chase and Liam Check In

2010-05-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

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!

Popeetka Helped To the Bridge

2010-05-23T00:30:00.000-07:00

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!

New Rodent Mix

2010-05-22T14:57:00.001-07:00

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.

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

Pre-Spay for Rose and Poppy

2010-05-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

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!

Isabella

2010-05-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Isabella. She is younger in this picture. Now she is more pear shaped. :D

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

2010-05-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

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.

Starlight Passes

2010-04-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

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.

Rose and Poppy

2010-04-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

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.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Applied for Vermin Village Citizenship

2010-04-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-25T10:11:00.001-07:00

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!

Food to OHS

2010-04-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

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.

Pancake Slips Away

2010-04-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

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.

Mando Helped to the Bridge

2010-03-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

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!

Epi Passes

2010-03-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

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!

Hazel Makes Her Way to the Village

2010-03-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

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.

Smudge Leaves Us

2010-03-07T16:05:00.000-08:00

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!

Babs Passes

2010-03-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

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!

Tutu Passes

2010-02-24T15:20:00.000-08:00

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.

Potter Passes

2010-02-18T22:18:00.000-08:00

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!

Mavro Passes

2010-02-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

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!

Lucy is Helped to the Bridge

2010-02-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

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!

Old Man Sherman Departs the Village

2010-02-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

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 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.

Matriarch Shäst Passes

2010-02-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

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.

Mali Helped to the Bridge

2010-02-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

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.