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wolfspirit
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
5741 Posts |
 Posted - 05/06/2009 : 13:52:30
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Hi Anatess, couple of things i need to know..
first one is this lid going to be teeth proof? can they chew out of it...it is metal
then i just need to know can i feed the following to them
wholewheat cereal
carrots, not sure if these suffer from diabetes like Spiny Mice
complete cat biscuits, the protein is better in these than dog food
ham
tomatoes
can they have apple branches to chew on?
what kind of toys do they have?
that will do for now..lol..till i think of something else;-)
thank you 
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"No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from
now and make a brand new ending."
-- Source Unknown
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wolfspirit
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
5741 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2009 : 22:08:11
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| i also need to know about them eating each other and there babies? how do i prevent it from happening...? |
"No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from
now and make a brand new ending."
-- Source Unknown
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anatess
Sub Adult
USA
669 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2009 : 07:56:46
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Hi Anne,
Yes, that metal mesh is perfect. Do you have a clip? Sometimes they can lift the thing a bit if it just sits on top of their enclosure and then either they end up trapped in-between the mesh and the enclosure or they end up getting out. You can probably put a brick on top or something heavy.
On the diet... do you have a farm supply store there? There's this thing called Mazuri 6F lab block which is the perfect main staple for multis. They're usually sold in farm supply stores. I know you can email mazuri@purina-mills.com to get information on a dealer closest to you. Maybe they have a UK dealer.
I did find this one that might be similar: http://www.ratwarehouse.com/shop_detail.php?item=305&cat=1
and it ships to the UK.
The advantage of lab blocks is they do not contain anything that a rat will not eat. Like, some of those rat mixes in the pet stores contain stuff that the rats just set aside and it goes to waste.
Now, the Mazuri lab block can be 100% of their diet and it's fine - it is complete nutrition all in itself. But, I do add other variety foods for interest. Here are some stuff that I add to the lab block:
1.) grains breakfast cereal (pick one that is not sugared like regular cheerios instead of honey-nut cheerios. There's this weight watchers multi-grain flakes with apple that they absolutely love!)
2.) uncooked pasta (usually pasta spirals or elbow macaroni. the spirals come in multi-colors so it's cool). some people feed them cooked pasta, but I have not tried this.
3.) dog kibble for small dogs (I have a bichon frise and I take a handful of his kibble and throw it in the rat food dispenser). I'm sure cat kibble would work as well. I don't have a cat though.
4.) dog biscuits - i just throw this in once in a while for them to chew on.
5.) dried fruit and veggies - just a small amount.
As far as toys go, I just go and get untreated lumber from the lumber store and cut it up in pieces. Sometimes, I soak it in food coloring to get some color in them. Sometimes, I would find some bird toys on discount and I would grab it for the rat...
All of them have a wheel. And they go speedy on that thing all night long. At first the squeaking gets to me, but now, I'm so used to hearing it, it is now just part of my ambient noise in the house...
Okay, about them eating their babies... I have not experienced this at all. Although, I have friends who have experienced this. The consensus is it is a specific line of multis that exhibit this trait. I just happen to be one of the lucky ones that do not have this line. The guy I got my first breeders from never experienced this either.
You will hear some rat people advice that you can remove the babies from one mother and move them to a different mother, or rotate the dad to different colonies... don't do this with multis. This doesn't apply to these rodents. They have a strict social structure that removing one member out of an established colony (that is, breeding parents and kids) and re-introducing them back is a surefire way of them getting killed. So, like when we take one unweaned rat out to feed and then the royal doesn't eat, so we put the rat back... no can do. What we have to do is put the rat in a small container with a huge pile of the colony's bedding and let him get all that scent back on him. Then we sneak him back under the pile of rats away from the parents and they would be okay. Now, introducing an adult rat - nope. Can't do that - not even with scenting with the bedding. The only way you can get adult rats in and out of a group is if the group was never a "colony" - that is, no breeders in there. And even then, there are times when a fight would break out and you'll just have to figure out which rat is the problem and separate him out.
Oh, and one thing - you can't let the water run out. Sometimes the water bottle gets stopped up, so water is not coming out. Gotta check that one. They start ganging up on the weakest rat in the group if they get dehydrated. I've never had this happen to me but I have a friend this happened to.
Hope this helps! |
        
Snake owner since Oct 2008, so yeah, I'm no expert.
0.1.0 pastel royal
1.0.0 spider royal
0.1.0 albino royal
1.0.0 bumblebee royal
1.0.0 yellowbelly royal
0.0.1 wild-type royal
1.0.0 normal western hognose |
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wolfspirit
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
5741 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2009 : 11:48:00
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well thank you young ladyf ro being as always so kind and giving me this info..
just need to know what size your cage is in inches and how many you have in there?
your a 
this is for you
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"No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from
now and make a brand new ending."
-- Source Unknown
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anatess
Sub Adult
USA
669 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2009 : 14:24:08
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They're in a 10 gallon glass tank - 20" X 10" X 12" (that's inches).
I divided a section of the tank to make "2 stories" by putting blocks of wood 4 inches high and putting a piece of plywood on top. They chew on the wood blocks which is good, it takes them a long time to chew through the wood block, so you get a chance to replace them before the "platform" falls over.
With this set-up, I can put 12 rats comfortably in there. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I put empty paper towel rolls and empty toilet tissue rolls in there. They like to hide inside the tubes and then chew through the cardboard.
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Snake owner since Oct 2008, so yeah, I'm no expert.
0.1.0 pastel royal
1.0.0 spider royal
0.1.0 albino royal
1.0.0 bumblebee royal
1.0.0 yellowbelly royal
0.0.1 wild-type royal
1.0.0 normal western hognose |
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anatess
Sub Adult
USA
669 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2009 : 14:26:40
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P.S. Thanks for the flowers! They're cute!
Here's one for you...
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Snake owner since Oct 2008, so yeah, I'm no expert.
0.1.0 pastel royal
1.0.0 spider royal
0.1.0 albino royal
1.0.0 bumblebee royal
1.0.0 yellowbelly royal
0.0.1 wild-type royal
1.0.0 normal western hognose |
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wolfspirit
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
5741 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2009 : 14:50:28
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quote:
Originally posted by anatess
P.S. Thanks for the flowers! They're cute!
Here's one for you...
nice pic, but have you got one of Daz b in his leopard print thong 
sorry Daz,....
shall i stay on the naughty step... |
"No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from
now and make a brand new ending."
-- Source Unknown
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anatess
Sub Adult
USA
669 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2009 : 17:21:45
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Uhm... ahhh... errr... daz?
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Snake owner since Oct 2008, so yeah, I'm no expert.
0.1.0 pastel royal
1.0.0 spider royal
0.1.0 albino royal
1.0.0 bumblebee royal
1.0.0 yellowbelly royal
0.0.1 wild-type royal
1.0.0 normal western hognose |
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wolfspirit
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
5741 Posts |
Posted - 15/06/2009 : 22:32:09
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Anatess, not sure when you will read this..
what age do they breed from..
Beany (the boy) is getting very man like and has his bits now...but he seems a lot bigger than the girls..
do i make individual nest boxes for the girls and do they need anything special food wise when they are having babies? |
"No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from
now and make a brand new ending."
-- Source Unknown
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wolfspirit
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
5741 Posts |
Posted - 22/06/2009 : 08:39:09
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Anatess,
my multis are making babies...
do i need to change there food or add anything extra for the girls if they become pregnant? |
"No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from
now and make a brand new ending."
-- Source Unknown
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