From news.npiec.on.ca!torn!news.bc.net!arclight.uoregon.edu!su-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!howland.erols.net!ix.netcom.com!jazmyn Sat Feb 8 23:55:38 1997 Newsgroups: rec.pets,alt.pets.rodents Path: news.npiec.on.ca!torn!news.bc.net!arclight.uoregon.edu!su-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!howland.erols.net!ix.netcom.com!jazmyn From: jazmyn@netcom.com (Jazmyn Concolor) Subject: Rat FAQ Message-ID: Organization: Netcom Date: Wed, 5 Feb 1997 20:09:10 GMT Lines: 719 Sender: jazmyn@netcom9.netcom.com Xref: news.npiec.on.ca rec.pets:60745 alt.pets.rodents:292 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS CONCERNING DOMESTIC FANCY RATS (caring for your pets or breeders) (revised, Feb 1997) Updates and additions by Jazmyn Concolor based on suggestions and knowledge passed on by others on the net.. Disclaimer: These answers describe various breeders' experiences. We are NOT veterinarians and nothing here should be taken as veterinary advice. 1. What should I feed my rat? --------------------------- Rats are omnivores and will eat just about anything, but this is a better diet then feeding junk food.. LabBlocks=PurinaRatChow/SmallAnimalPellets are complete rat nutrition. These are about 3/4 inch long hard extruded greenish feed pellets. ~ 55c/lb. So are Harlen lab blocks, which come in F4 (regular) and F6 (nursing and pregnant rodents) Big males should get dog-bones=MilkBones=AttaBoy because they are lower in fat, and old males tend to obesity. ~55c/lb. Small amounts of vegitables, fruit, meal worms, crickets, hamster diet, dried corn on the cob or low fat whole wheat bread are good as treats. Do not feed chocolate, potato chips and other obviosly unhealthy junk foods as they tend to be high in fat and can lead to obesity, tumors and heart trouble. Avoid feeding too many nuts or other high protien items, not more then about %5 of the diet if posible due to the high fat content. 2. Are table scraps OK? --------------------------- Rats LOVE most human food. Avoid too much fat or fibre. Chicken bones are very tasty and safe. Unlike dogs, rats graw bones to bits. A diet of table scraps would likely be too high in fat to concider. As a treat it is okay. 3. What kind of cage is best? --------------------------- Wire cages provide better ventilation than aquaria, provide Junglegym exercise, are easier to clean, and are easier to attach bottles and wheels. Best to keep the cages out of drafty places in the first place, but if you can't, protect from drafts by enclosing 2 sides and top at a corner in cardboard. Note that 1/2x1 in. welded wire fabric floors can catch and break a rear leg. Floors should be finer or coarser, or set onto shavings. Hairless rats, and mothers with babies are safer in an aquarium. 5-gallon takes maximum one adult rat. 10-gallon, two adults. Wire cages can be a problem with young rats who might get their legs caught in the mesh and injure themselves. Ventilation for aquariums can be helpped by placing small fans over them to increase air-flow. Wire bottoms on cages have been known to cause bumblefoot in some rats, though the swollen foot may be from injury from getting a foot caught, though more often bumblefoot is caused by infection. It is however, easier for a rat to injure there feet by catching them in the wire floors and breaking or spraining feet or legs even. Aquariums are easier to clean, often less expensive then cages and often safer for young rats who sometimes will get a leg caught in the wire of a wire cage and injure themselves, sometimes so badly that they have to be put out of their misery. (a compound fracture in a young rat is expensive very hard to treat, thus its often more kind to put them down rather then induce further pain on them.) 3.5 Cracked aquariums are cheap, but where do I get a lid? --------------------------- Various "terrarium" lids are available in pet shops, but they tend to be expensive and vulnerable to gnawing. Tom liked to make his own lids. Tom cut a piece of plywood or particleboard to size on tablesaw. Then Tom makes plunge cuts on tablesaw to take out center, leaving 2 inches all around. Then Tom cut 1/2x1 wire fabric and staple-gun it on. Tom liked to cut wire fabric with heavy diagonal cutters, and trim with aviation snips. The snips leave a smoother cut. Wire wheel if necessary, but solid 'steel' wheels are safer. Where rats chew on lids, I have found that habenro hot sauce or juice tends to cause most rats to not chew on the item, but shouldn't be used on the food dish or they might avoid their food..:) Four Paws makes a good aquarium lid for about $10--just make sure you get the heavy wire instead of the fine as the rats _will_ chew through the fine wire. (added 6-96) I made lids from 1/2 inch square wire mesh. Cut a rectangular piece that is 4 inches wider and 4 inches longer than the aquarium. Bend the sides so that two inches hangs down on all sides of the aquarium and bend the corners so they are reasonably square. Run steel shipping tape all the way around the aquarium (top, side, bottom, side), overlap the ends, and put a small bolt through the ends. This keeps the rats from pushing the top off. IMHO, this is simpler and cheaper than wood and wire. 4. Where can I get mail-order cages and supplies cheap? --------------------------- Tom had found the Morton Jones Co. (MJC) in San Diego (800-443-5769) or (619-789-1544) to have the best prices and selection of cages, bottles, drugs, etc. They have a very informative free catalog. They will also make custom cages to order. They have a "LesRoss"-style 3-bay rat cage available. Not listed in catalog. It is optimized for rats and has a deep pan. Sheet metal wheels have proved popular with those who like wheels for rats. Call Leo at Fern Manufacturing at (818) 365-2615. He invented these wheels and had several of us test them for him. They truly are the best wheels available--also very reasonable. Leo also makes fantastic cages set in plastic cat pans. They are also powder-coated for easy cleaning. 5. What kind of bedding is best? --------------------------- Tom found wood shavings best as long as they are not dusty or only chips. Curly shavings don't pack down as much, and dry out better. Pine and cedar tends to cause resp. problems, but Tom claimed to have had a healthy five-year-old on cedar. Aspen shavings are the best and are found by the name Sani-Chips at most feed stores and lab supply outfits. Newspaper bedding is not good for rats and colored inks can be toxic, so avoid newspapers. Corncob is okay, but not very absorbant or nice to sleep on. Corncob bedding also has a tendency to grow molds very quickly. There are also books which warn of corncob bedding causing "ringtail" in some rats. (ie. "Rats: a complete pets owner's manual" by Himsel published by Barron's;pp.21 & 58.) Paper bedding (not newspaper) is fine for rats. Just make sure you use a good brand such as CareFRESH 1-800-242-2287 or Cellu-Dri. There are also several others. Sani-Chips are the best hardwood bedding available. Call the manufacturer, P.J. Murphy Forest Products at 1-800-631-1926 to see where you can get them in your area. Warning: Pine shavings have been known to carry mites, cause liver and kidney damage, and respiratory disease. So can cedar. Also beware of feed stores that store their shavings of any find next to live poultry, as I know one person who found mites in their Sani-Chips, but it was the fault of the feedstore that but pidgeon and chicken cages next to the stack of shaving bags. 6. My rat scratches his face and has sores. What's he got? Mites? --------------------------- The majority of the time it is _NOT_ mites. Scabs are more likely to be caused by too much protein in the diet, allergy, or skin infection. Mites are only a possible cause. If it is mites. Tom found Ivermectin (0.02 mL of 1% oral solution/lb, diluted with water to 0.1mL doses) best (MJC). This is available for horses at feed stores at about $44/25mL (2500 doses). Any vet can dispense less. Try to get vet to give you a vial with undiluted 1% and a syringe, and dilute and dispense yourself. Diluted Ivermectin will curdle. Treat all rats that could have come in contact. Clean cage. Repeat if nec. at 1 week. I have found that Zimecterin (horse wormer) works well. Take a little dab about the size that fits neatly on the flat part of a flat toothpick and smear it on the rats tongue. Repeat in 7-10 days. If you must use sprays, use the kind used on parakeets, such as 10 in one. 7. My rat sneezes. Should I treat him? --------------------------- If its just sneezing after digging or sticking their nose into something, don't worry about it. If there is red crusty stuff around the nostrils and the sneezing is not related to dust or such, then it is best to be safe and put the rat on an antibiotic. Don't bother with Sulmet..Its worthless on rats and will cause internal bleeding in mice. I've found the best antibiotic for rats to be Tylan. It comes in powder form and can be added to water. Put 1/8 a teaspoon in 8 oz of water and change every 3 days. Keep the rat on the Tylan for no less then 10 days and even more then 30 in chronic cases. If the rat isn't drinking enough due to the taste, add a small amount of Equal (tm) sweetener to the water. Most antibiotics are available through feed stores, larger pet stores and vets, though one can order it directly through mail order. KV Vet Supply Omaha Vaccine (800) 423-8211 (800) 367-4444 (call for Catalog) (call for Catalog) In severe cases rats often will stop drinking and therefore medicine in the water will be useless. Severe cases should be taken to the vet, unless you have access to prescription drugs such as Cefa-Drops, Gentocin, Amikacin, etc. Also Bunni-Mycin nose drops are good. (MJC) 8. My rat makes a rasping noise when breathing. Is he dieing? --------------------------- Possibly. See above for treatment. Also keep him warm and out of drafts. Nutri-Cal vitamin supplement is great for times like this as the rat might not be eatting as well. Note: Some rats will wheeze and rattle from irreparable lung damage. If this is the case treatment may not be indicated. If the rat actually is sick enough to be close to death, then treatment with the suggested drugs is not even close to being good enough. Gentocin injectable (.05cc per pound injected Subcutaneously once daily) is pretty fast acting, and combined with Cefa-Drops (.20cc per pound orally every 12 hours) is a life saver in most cases of severe respiratory infection. You should see improvement within a few days. 9. My rat's head is crooked and he walks in circles. What's wrong? --------------------------- Called "Wry Neck", antibiotics are definitely indicated. Above treatment should help, but some head tilt may always remain. Gentocin Otic Solution (ear drops) should also be used. Some rats never recover from head tilt however and often have trouble eatting or cleaning themselves. Some rats suffer so much from it that it may be best to put them down rather then prolong the suffering. 10. Do cedar shavings cause respiratory disease? --------------------------- Yes, they can, but dirty cages and drafty conditions can also lead to respiratory disease as well. Coming in contact with rats infected with viruses and then handling your rats without taking precautions can also be a problem. The ammonia in urine is said to irritate the lungs, so don't let your cages get too wet and dirty. Ceder can also cause liver and kidney damage. So can pine. 11. What's the best rat book? --------------------------- This is a matter of personal opinion on the net, so I will list more then one. "Rats. A Complete Pet Owner's Manual", Carol A. Himsel, DVM. Barrows 1991 ISBN 0 8120 4535-1 ~$6. Readily available at pet stores. Nick Mays' book is much better ('The Proper Care of Fancy Rats' pub. by tfh 1992 ISBN 0-86622-340-1) - probably because he's kept & bred rats for years. (This book is good for an intro into genetics as well.) There's also 'Rats' by Susan Fox Genetics: Colour Inheritance in Small Livestock' by Roy Robinson, a who also keeps rats & other animals. This was published in 1976 by Fur and Feather, printed by Watmough's,ISBN 0903775069. Advanced info on all areas of genetics, aimed at scientists: 'The Genetics of the Norway Rat' also by Roy Robinson, published by Pergamon Press in 1965 - unfortunately it doesn't have an ISBN no. This book is about 750 pages & is not for the faint-hearted. It has a bit of info on colour breeding etc., but is on all areas of rat genetics. 12. Should I get my rat a wheel? --------------------------- Yes, if you want to. But be sure to get a larger one as he grows. Large rats will need 11" chinchilla wheels (MJC). A wheel rat WILL get a curved tail. Not all rats will take to a wheel, but if it does it will use it a lot. 13. Can two males co-exist in one cage? --------------------------- Generally only if one or both were young when introduced. Be sure the cage is just-cleaned so it does not have the one resident's scent too much. Make sure each has a retreat in opposite corners. Also put a little vanilla or non-toxic smelly or deoderizing substance on both rats to kill their natural scent, thus they cannot tell who is who or even whos cage it was. There might be a little scuffling at first, but after one rat has established he is the boss, both should get along fine. Older males can be introduced, but its best to use the deoderizing methoid and realize that the two rats may fight anyway or never get along..Watch them carefully. 14. Do pregnant rats need special care? --------------------------- Lots of food: calories, protein, cheese, carrots, sweet potatoes, cat food Torn paper strips for nesting (non-scented tissue). Watch for vaginal bleeding. If no babies in 12 hours go to vet for Oxytocin injection to induce labor. If breeding date is known and bleeding is well before term, induce labor. Some females will reabsorb the babies if they fail to give birth. Put them on antibiotics during this period. Some people would advise taking the rat to the vet right away, but this is a matter of opinion on the part of some people and if you are not sure what to do, you can always call the vet and ask what the best course is. I havn't lost any rats yet and havn't taken any to the vet either for labor problems. Best to do what you feel is right. 15. Do nursing moms need special care? --------------------------- Food. Lots. Cornbread enriched with soyflour is good. Cooked rice (white or brown) for moms and babies too. Small amounts of cat food or some Nutri-Cal spread on a bit of wheat bread is good. 16. What do I do if a mother dies before weaning her litter? --------------------------- Sell babies for snake food if you are not willing to stay up long hours and handfeeding babies or there is no foster mother available. It is kinder then the pain and torment of the babies starving to death if you can't feed them often enough. Or, if you have the time and patience, you can try to hand feed them. We use 1/2 cup 60:40 evaporated-milk:water mixture with 1 tsp light corn syrup (Karo). Draw 1mL into needleless syringe (MJC), heat. Test on forearm ... Feed one drop to each baby in hand. Repeat for entire litter. By second day they should be holding syringe like baby bottle. Stroke lower abdomen with wet finger to stimulate evacuation. When they can crawl, put Gerber Baby's First Rice mixture into heavy glass furniture-caster cup. Also graham crackers or monkey chow soaked in milk mixture. Next feed non-fish wet catfood. They will love you forever. Goat milk can be used instead of the evaporated-milk:water mixture. Honey can be used instead of corn syrup in a pinch. Babies losing all their fur when hand raised is normal. It will grow back unless they were supposed to be hairless. :) Your best bet though is to foster the babies onto another mother rat when available as hand raising is not always successful or practical. Mother rats are pretty good about accepting strange babies. If mixxed well with their own, they can't even tell them apart if they all smell the same. If you have no foster mother available, call around to other ratteries and see if they do. I found its best as a breeder to breed females in pairs so I always have an extra 'mother' if needed. 17. Are leafy vegetables OK? --------------------------- Excessive consumption will cause diarrhoea. 18. My rat won't eat or drink and is losing weight. What do I do? --------------------------- Rat is sick. Provide a low water bowl and feed as hand-fed baby. (above) Consult vet. In cases where a low water bowl only gets shavings kicked into it and is doing no good at all or the rat is too sick to use it. Try this. Mix 2 teaspoons of sugar into 4 ounces of water and feed (with an oral syringe) as often as you possibly can. Hand feed with anything you can possibly get the rat to eat (high-fat) as rats will lose weight extremely rapidly when severely ill. Definitely seek treatment from a vet. 19. What's a fancy rat? --------------------------- This is a specialty rat that conforms to some rat club standard, such as hairless, odd-eye, chinchilla, dalmatian, rex, apricot. Many clubs set standards, judge rats, and award prizes. Many breeders supply pedigrees. 20. Are there any Rat Clubs in my area? --------------------------- I am compiling a list. Please send me additions American Rat Mouse and Hamster Society J. Penny 740 Begonia Street Escondido, CA 92027 USA National Fancy Rat Society NFRS, Membership co-ord. c/o Hon secr. Greg Baker c/o Elaine Johnston 4 Salisbury Road, Ealing 4 Mayfair Court, Barn Hall Avenue London W13 9TX Colchester CO2 8TH National Mouse Club Rare Varieties Support Group (mice) Rodney and Linda Wilson (Secretaries) c/o Mr. Dave Bumford, Sec, RVSP 29 Manor Close 15 Rossall Drive Tunstead, Norwich Fulwood, Preston, Lancs PR2 3SL ENGLAND Norfolk NR12 8EP UK Tel: 01603 737044 NFRS, Membership co-ord. c/o Elaine Johnston 4 Mayfair Court, Barn Hall Avenue Colchester CO2 8TH American Fancy Rat and Mouse Assoc. Rat Mouse and Hamster Fanciers K. Robbins J. Langdell 9230-64th Street 1756-14th Ave Riverside, CA 92509 USA San Francisco, CA 94122 USA The American Rat, Mouse and Hamster Society Midwest Rat and Mouse Club c/o Sandy Ramey 1216 Robinwood Dr. #5 9370 Adlai Road Elgin, IL 60123 Lakeside, CA 92040 Ratatouille Bootsmansstraat 12bnl 3025 NP ROTTERDAM Holland IRF - Internationale Ratten Fokkers/Fanclub Secretariaat I.R.F. Cubalaan 7 2685 LA Poeldijk, HOLLAND SRS - Swedish Rat Society Finnish Rat Society c/o Potku Holmstedt c/o Nilla Lindholm Kullstigen 10, 3tr Kirstinharju. 1b 31 S-142 30 Trangsund FIN - 02760 Espoo FINLAND Sweden (tel) 46 -(0)8-7716718 or se homepage: http://www.stud.mdh.se/~ltd92fsk/srs_main.html Tamraattans Vaenner (Friends of fancy rats) Eva Johansson Svenska Musklubben (Swedish Mouseclub) Upplandsgatan 97:2 Grodan Elleby S-113 44 Stockholm Lilla Vikv. Sweden S-13675 Handen Sweden German Rat Society VdRD e.V. (German Rat Society) Petra Tresbach Pf. 15 03 24 Beethovenstr. 64 D-60063 Frankfurt am Main D-60325 Frankfurt am main GERMANY Germany Mouse and Rat Breeders' Assoc. S. Brown 127 Stockbridge Lane Ojai, CA 93023 USA Northeast Rat & Mouse Club International c/o Patricia Smouse, VP patriciasmouse@netbiz.net 17705 Smouse Lane, SE 301-777-8234 Flintstone, MD 21530-9802 Rat and Mouse Club of America 13075 Springdale Street #302 Westminster, CA 92683 Rat Fan Club 857 Lindo Lane Chico CA 95926 (916) 899-0605 Ratlady@pinsight.com (Note from RF pres) If you send a self-addressed stamped envelope (SAE with international postage coupon from out of the U.S) I will send you a free intro issue of the Rat Report and a list of back issues. WWW sites American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association (AFRMA) WWW Page http://www.pacificnet.net/~craigr/afrma RMCA Rat Page http://www.rmca.org Northeast Rat & Mouse Club International http://www.bucknell.edu/~dmiddltn/nrmci.html Filip Sebek's rat page (fsk@bilbo.mdh.se) http://www.mds.mdh.se/~ltd92fsk/rats_common.htm Michelle Tribe's rat page (mrtribe@chat.carlerton.ca) http://chat.carleton.ca/~mrtribe/rats.html Mitch's rat page (mitcho@netcom.com) http://home.earthlink.net/~bromide/rats.htm Charles Ofrina's rat mailing list archives http://www.krl.caltech.edu/~charles/rats/ (Coming soon) Dave Hein's rat page (dhein@comp.uark.edu) http://comp.uark.edu/~dhein/rathole.html Pet Rat Web Server http://uptown.turnpike.net/~arturos/index.html Electronic Zoo/NetVet - Rodents http://netvet.wustl.edu/rodents.htm Brian Lee's Rat Page (bclee@umich.edu) http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bclee/rats.html Pages with pictures and/or stories about specific pet rats (not including those above) or other non-general info. James Kittock's Rat page http://robotics.stanford.edu/users/jek/Rats Ronald Barry's rats http://sleepy.usu.edu/~ronb/myrats.html Monica's Page http://www.uio.no/~mnbjerke/index.html Becky Walton's rat ftp://ftp.crl.com/ftp/users/ro/sam/rat.html Kraus Haus http://www.best.com:80/~dijon/ Egon Weber's home page http://www.umich.edu/~egonw/ Avital's rat (Toad's) page http://www.mit.edu:8001//people/avital/links/ratpage.html Rat's WWW server http://rat.org/ Lumchan's former rat Henry's page http://ranma.com/lumchan/homepage/henry.html Paul Bickford's home page http://occams.dfci.harvard.edu/~bickford/Welcome.html Rodent Web Page http://www.webcom.com/lstead/rodents/rodents.html Lists of rat sites: Yahoo's list of Rat links http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Animals__Insects__and_Pets/Rats/ Acme Pet rat page http://www.acmepet.com/exotic/rat.html Rat Mailing List (Currently may not be valid..Need update) majordomo@starry.stanford.edu * To subscribe to the list, send e-mail to: majordomo@starry.stanford.edu with the following command in the message body: subcribe rats * The British Hamster Association, PO BOX 825 SHEFFIELD S17 3RU ENGLAND. Gerbil Mailing list listserv@ricevm1.rice.edu, subscribe gerbils mail to GERBILS@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU (Please send additions/corrections to jazmyn@netcom.com) 21. Where can I get Rat-Theme Art? --------------------------- Lynne Skrabak Earthling Design 2530 26th Ave. San Francisco CA 94116 Fine Rat Etchings, Collographs, and Watercolors. Catalog. 22. What's a blue rat? --------------------------- This is a slate-blue rat similar in color to an Russian Blue cat. A random mutation found by chance in England c.1990 . Some clubs now recognize a 'Russian Blue' color that is slightly different. One of the clubs calls very pale blue rats lavenders. But its a known fact that most clubs have trouble agreeing in what to call a color or the standards for colors they accept and even if the color is a new color or just a bad example of another color. Best to check with your own club leadership if you are not sure of what color your rat is. 23. How can I tell if my rat is in pain? --------------------------- The rat stands still, and its hair stands on end. It may squeak if you touch it. 24. How can I comfort my rat if she is in pain? ... at delivery? --------------------------- Electric heating pad under half of aquarium (set on low). Remove houses so you can monitor rat. Talk to a vet if needed, but rats are pretty good at having babies on their own and there isn't much you can do other then watch for excessive bleeding or other signs of trouble. Its not generaly a good idea to give a rat in labor asprin or other pain killers as it may cause labor to stop prematurly in some rats. Best to let nature take its course. 25. Do rats need houses inside their cages? --------------------------- No, but they love them. They like to jam themselves into small boxes. If you can get 7x7in. plastic boxes with holes, they can be washed. e.g. baby-wipe boxes, plastic corn poppers, newspaper rural-delivery tubes, 1/2 gal. milk cartons, old Playskool toys w/o bottoms. Plastic/PVC sewer pipe conectors come in many shapes and rats love to climb around them and sleep in them, just remember to get a size that will fit all the rats in the cage. It's best not to give a new rat a box to hide in. Wait until the rat already knows you and wants to be with you. 26. My male got into a fight and now he has a big abscess on his back. What should I do? --------------------------- All wounds should be rinsed with Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) when they are fresh. This will prevent most wounds from closing and getting infected. Neosporin cream is good for healing minor wounds quickly. Normally an abscess will pop and drain on its own. If not, they normally kind of hard nodules under the skin. If this is the case, wait until a small scab forms and then squeeze gently. The scab will pop open and you can continue to squeeze out old semi-dried pus. Squeeze until all of this is out and watch to make sure more pus doesn't form. Neosporin is okay, but not normally needed if oral antibiotics are used. Tylan or Tetracyline in the water is fine--Amoxicillin from the vet is better. Note: Some people who don't like using Hydrogen Peroxide, so Charles suggested this: Might I recomend as an alternative, then, Tea Tree Oil, which will also sterilize the wound, but to the best of my knowledge is not acid-based. It also has a really nasty smell, so they don't lick it off (I've had a big problem with that when using aloe on little cuts and bruises; the other rats would pounce on the one placed back in the tank and lick every last bit of aloe off) and the other rats stay away (unless its something bad enough that warents them being put in isolation, in which case this is not a worry!) 27. My rat rocks back and forth and seems to stare into space a lot. Is he sick? --------------------------- Not likely. There are many theories as to why some rats do this. Poor eyesite, nervousness, etc. Since most of the rats that do it are red or pink eyed, its most likely poor eyesite. 28. What kinds of fancy rats are there? --------------------------- (List based on AFRMA standards) Varieties: Standard, Rex, Tailless, Hairless and Satin Sections: Self, AOC, AOCP, Marked, Odd-Eye, Unstandardized. Self Colors: Beige, Black, Blue, Champagne, Chocolate, Lilac, Mink, Russian blue, Black-eyed White and Pink-eyed White. AOC Colors: Agouti, Amber, Blue Agouti, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Pearl, Fawn, Lynx, Pearl, Silver Lilac, Silver Mink. AOCP Colors: Himalayan, Siamese, Blue Point Siamese, Merle Unstandardized Colors: Tri-color (currently only in Lynx-Beige-White combo), Sky Blue, Cocoa.. Marked types: English Irish, Berkshire, Variegated, Blaze, Dalmation, Hooded, Bareback, Capped and Masked. 29. When you say "he" or "she" do you also mean the other sex? --------------------------- Usually. -------EXOTIC RATS------ Genus Cricetomys AFRICAN GIANT POUCHED RATS G. gambianus, Senegal to central Sudan, and south to South Africa G. emini, Sierra Leone to Lake Tanganyika, island of Bioko (Fernando Poo) Head and body length is 240-450 mm and tail length is 365-460 mm. Weights of 1.0-2.8 kg for males and 0.96-1.39 kg for females.... ... These rats dwell in forests and thickets. They are nocturnal but have been seen foraging during the day, at which time they behave as if they were almost blind, sitting on their haunches and sniffing in all directions. They can climb well, using the long tail for balancing, and can swim. For shelter they often use natural crevices and holes, termite mounds, or hollow trees, but they can dig their own burrows, which consist of a long passage with side alleys and several chambers, one for sleeping and the others for storage. The burrows have two to six openings and are frequently located at the base of a tree or among dense vegetation; the entrances are often closed that in Zimbabwe many less complex burrows have been found, consisting of a straight tunnel, some not more than 1.5 meters long, with a single nesting chamber at the end. Ajayi stated that these rats are completely omnivorous, feeding on vegetables, insects, crabs, snails, and other items but apparently preferring palm fruits and palm kernels. Ewer stated that the cheek pouches are used to carry food and bedding material and that there is regular coprophagy. According to Kingdon, these rats store a considerable amount of food, as well as many nonedible items, such as coins, metal, and bits of cloth. Cricetomys is generally solitary; a captive male and female may be kept together, but two mature males may fight to the death. Reproduction takes place at various times of the year. In a study of captives, Ajayi observed one female to give birth 5 times in 9 months, and he thought that probably females could produce 10 litters annually. The gestation period was 27-36, usually 30-32, days. Litters numbered 1-5, most commonly 4, young. Sexual maturity was attained at about 20 weeks. According to Jones, a captive specimen lived for 7 years and 10 months. These animals are timid but soon become tame in captivity and make delightful pets. They are in great demand as food by the native tribes. Studies have been made of their potential for domestic production of food. In some West African towns, Cricetomys has become a sewer rat and is killed along with Rattus by the rat catchers. In contrast, C. gambianus is classified as rare in South Africa. Reference: Novak, R.M. and Paradiso, J.L. 1991. Walker]s Mammals of the World, Vol II. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Giant Rat Cricetomys gambianus ...... Habitat: forest and woodland but occasionally urban areas. Behavioral: Mainly nocturnal but if undisturbed can be diurnal. Digs own burrow but also makes use holes, hollow trees and piles of plant debris. Surplus food is carried in cheek-pouches to store. When a burrow is occupied it is usually closed from the inside. Placid and generally harmless. Food: Fruits, roots and seeds (including cultivated crops); occasionally insectivorous. Reproduction: 2-4 young, each weighing about 20 g. are born in summer. Reference: Stuarts, Chris and Tilde. 1988. Field guide to the mammals of southern Africa. New Holland. AFRICAN GIANT POUCHED RAT IN CAPTIVITY Scientific name: two species of genus Crietomys. Origin: C. gambianus is found from Senegal to central Sudan and south Africa, and C. emini from Sierra Leone to Lake Tanganyika and Fernando Po. General characteristics: The African Giant Pouched Rat has rather a long narrow head, cheek pouches and a scaly tail. The animals are timid, but soon become tame when used to their surroundings and make delightful pets. The head and body length is 240-250 mm, with a tail length of 365-460 mm. Males weigh about 1.5 kg and females up to 1 kg. The fur is short and thin. The coloration of the middorsal regions range from dark greyish brown to medium greyish, with a tinge of brown or clear reddish brown. The general coloration becomes paler on the sides, sides of the face and flanks, ranging from grey with a brownish tinge to reddish brown or buff. The conspicuous ears are practically naked, the dorsal two thirds are dark greyish and the remainder soiled white or cream. Many individuals are mottled grey or almost spotted, mainly on the anterior half of the upper parts. This mottling may be inconspicuous, many from irregular small spots or blotches or may cover almost all of the upper parts. In some areas there is a fairly definite, almost white, stripe across the back just behind the shoulders. Housing: Naturally with such a large rodent, an equally large cage is required. I would advise that you attempt to build your own, rather than try to buy one, as you will then be able to construct a more suitable cage in size and to your own personal needs. It should, ideally, be made of either metal or lined with metal, as this rodents is extremely good at gnawing through wood. Grouping: Generally solitary, a captive male and female may be kept together, but two mature males may fight to death. Breeding: Gestation period is 27-36 days, each litter numbering 1-5, most commonly 4. They are sexually mature at about 20 weeks. Captive life span is about 6 years. Diet: In the wild the African Giant Pouched Rat is completely omnivorous and thus they are extremely easy to feed in captivity. Reference: Henwood, C. 1985. Rodents in Captivity. Ian Henry Publications, Hornchurch Petri Airasvirta Vanhanlinnankatu 1 F 108 FIN-00900 Helsinki Finland For more info on giant rats: E-mail: Petri.Airasvirta@pairasv.pp.fi FAQ Author Note: Personal research on feeding this species; A good mixure of fancy rat grain mix (the kind with little or no alfalfa pellets), good quality lab blocks, Iams puppy or cat food, monkey chow blocks (in limited quanity, no more then one in a week due to very high protein and fat level), corn on the cob (dried or fresh), dandilion greens, avacado (they LOVE this!), dates, prunes, figs, nuts, pumpkin seeds, almost any kind of fruit, most vegitables (avoid iceberg lettice or low nutriant vegies), cooked meats (to avoid samonella, don't feed raw meat), insects (such as crikets, meal worms and wax worms - Note: Not all giant rats will eat these. It seems to be an individual taste thing) and low sodium whole grain bread (in limited amounts) Fresh water should be made available at all times. They do use water bottles. Ceramic food dishes work well, but they will horde food in their nests. Toys or other enrichment items should be introduced from time to time to keep them from developing nervous habits from bordom. I've found wooden parrot toys to be perfect for the cage. Avoid plastic since these are rodents and may chew on them and injest the plastic. Cages should be of the multi level ferret/chinchilla type available. Must have solid, not wire shelves as GRs feet are sensitive and they don't like walking on wire..Floor of cage should be solid as well. Coated, powered wire is best, since their urine will rust galvenized steel quickly. Do not bed on pine or ceder, use aspen (chips or pellets), processed paper animal bedding or straw pellets (Critter Country Reptile Bedding). Provide with shreaded paper towels (no dyes or purfumes) or clean, white, non-purfumed/scented tissue for bedding. Remove soiled bedding as needed. Clean regularly. (Handling and breeding info coming soon)