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aussie_ratties's Journal

Created on 2003-04-27 14:41:58 (#1028640), last updated 2009-11-04

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Basic Account [Gift]

491 Journal Entries, 0 Tags, 1 Memory, 0 Virtual Gifts, 1 Userpic

Basic Info

Name:	Rats in Australia
Membership:	Open
Posting Access:	All Members

About

If you're Australian, or live in Australia, come share your stories and experiences.

No trolls or flaming will be tolerated. If you don't like rats or rodents in general, go elsewhere. It's all about the love. It's all about the rats.

No spam.

If you have advice you'd like to share, please do so.

If you receive advice, please use your best judgment. We can't verify that everyone who posts in this community is an expert.

If you have pictures, please use the LJ-cut feature.

Your friendly community maintainer is

porknbeans.
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Also check out:

Ausrats - an email list for Aussie rat owners.

ratties - Not Australian related, but a good place for more general information.

Go have a look at these rat macros! http://lolrats.blogspot.com/
Submitted by

iloveratties.

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Hints

Keeping Rats Cool

Of course, an air conditioned room will be best. But, try these other ideas:

1) A frozen ice block on top of the cage - use a solid sided esky ice block or large bottle of frozen water placed on top of the cage. This will send a cool draft down through the cage. Cheers to someone on Ausrats for this suggestion.

2) Use a dish or bowl, fill with water, and put either ice cubes or small frozen vegetables or fruits to keep the water cold, and give the rats something to fish out (and eat!). Choices include peas, rasperries, tiny strawberries, blueberries, etc.

3) Wrap a bottle of water, frozen, in paper towel and bung it in the cage. This gives them something to unwrap, lick, and lay on that will keep them cool.

Medications

We use a small vegemite jar for decanting the whole tube of ivermectin, then stir it up with a bamboo skewer, and scoop out appropriate amounts for dosing with toothpicks.

Nutripet - available at Petbarn, this orange and white tube is basically calories in a jar. It's meant for puppies and kittens to help them put on weight, but this stuff works on rats too. Decant into a small or medium vegemite jar, and we use paddle pop sticks (craft sticks) to scoop out a bit and serve.

Miscellaneous

Keep a roll of aluminium wire in your tool box. It's useful for repairing cages, rigging up water bottles to cages, wiring cage doors shut, etc. It's easily bendable, and can be snipped off with the wire cutter blades on pliers. Be careful, after snipping the ends can be sharp; bend them back to avoid cuts or snagging.

Bamboo bbq skewers - useful for stirring medications in jars, offering small amounts of food or medicine to rats through cage bars, etc.

Toothpicks - see above.

Aluminium pie trays - the small ones are extremely useful as disposable food and water bowls; or fill with water and frozen peas, and you have Fishing for Peas.

Ice blocks - fill these with water, freeze, and you have a cold spot for ratties to rest and chill - ice cream buckets, water and soda bottles, juice bottles, tupperware containers.

Paddle pop sticks (craft sticks) - available at the grocery store; these little sticks can dish out medications, foods, and can be made into life rafts in case you're stranded on a desert island.

In case you're low on solid dishes and don't want to bother cleaning them, you can wrap them in aluminium foil. Unwrap and rewrap for instant clean dish. We use this trick for the Pallative Unit's baby foods and Nutripet.

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First Aid
EMERGENCY various treatments
First Aid for Small Furries
Choking - includes instructions for "the fling"

Rat Health
Husbandry, Diseases, Feeding & Care of Mice & Rats
dapper.com keeping rats cool
dapper.com keeping rats warm
Dos and Don'ts of Quarantine
Rat & Mouse Gazette Quarantine
http--hometown.aol.com-RattLvrr-Quarantine.htm
E4N Articles Scabs, itchies, ivermectin
RatPalace.com lice and mites
Itchy Scabs and Fur Loss
Myco information
Health Guide: Mycoplasma / Mycoplasmosis
Rat & Mouse Gazette Mycoplasmosis in the Pet Rat
Rat & Mouse Gazette Respiratory Infections in Pet Rats
Chronic Respiratory Problems
the Rat Report respiratory and heart disease
Health of fancy rat: kidneys, heart & lungs
Rat Tails - Porphyrin - What Does It Mean
Rat Tails - Trimming Teeth
Kathleen Berard, Animal Communicator, Holistic Animal Care Consultant
Health Guide Degloving Injury Figure 1
Rat & Mouse Gazette Medical Corner Orange Juice
RMCA Rat FAQ, includes wood shavings explanation
What Do Rats See

Medications
Rat & Mouse Gazette Medical Corner Drug Usage Chart
ratties community dosage on zithromycin
Medication Guide Azithromycin
Medication Guide Ivermectin
Rat & Mouse Gazette azithromycin
Rat & Mouse Gazette: Herbal Help for Rat Respiratory Problems
Info on most drugs
Homeopathy and Rats