Pics of my girls!

[Miss Z]

Dear Miss Tia,

Winkie here. I am mesmerized by your beauty and wonder if you would like to be by long distance girlfriend. I've admired you from afar for quite some time now and would be honored to call you my girlfriend.

With love,

Winkie the one-eyed rattie

Zara,

Tia and the girls are beautiful!! Any idea what I can do to get closer to Winkie. I mean, I take him out and let him hang around with me and the kitties. I'm afraid to let him really roam around my little one room apt. I'd have to lock my cats in the bathroom and I'm afraid he'd get stuck somewhere.

Are those exercise balls okay on carpeting?? When I took him home, the girls at Petco said ratties get claustrophobic in those things. Can you give me some advice on it?

Thanks honey!

Well first off, Tia would like to say that she is very flattered by Winkie's request! She has also admired Winkie's photos and she would be honoured to be his girlfriend. She does stress that she is an older woman and hopes that Winkie won't be put off by that!



OK, with regards to getting closer to Winkie, you've done well so far as I see that he quite happily sits on your shoulder, which is a good bonding process. Have you tried teaching him to come or any vocal commands? I found that with Tia they worked very well in helping her trust me. The reward of treats when they do what your command required always goes down well and it's amazing how quick they can learn!

I know what you mean about being a little apprehensive when letting them roam alone for the first time, I was too! I kept having visions of her stuck under the sofa and refusing to come out. But if you perfect the 'come back' command, and maybe have some treats handy, they're sure to come running out. I would always have someone in the room with them though keeping an eye on them, they don't need to be watched every second, but some of Tia's crimes when my back was turned have been tipping vases over, peeing in the corner and ripping wallpaper!

Tia's rat ball seems to be good on all surfaces and I've never seen her exhibit any signs of being unhappy in it. She doesn't go mad and bomb around crashing into walls like most hamsters do, but she rolls around here and there checking everything out. Perhaps the rat balls at Petco were smaller than Tia's? Hers is slightly larger than an average basketball. My advice when buying one is to make sure that firstly, it's not too heavy, as some seem to weigh far to much for a rat to move, and also that it is plenty big enough for them.

Can you tell them apart easily or do you have to keep checking who's who?

Hehe, lots of people ask how on earth I tell them apart. I think now I just sort of know, I've tuned in each of their personalities and characteristics to fit each gerbil. Apart from the different patterns of white on their front paws, Ebony is far smaller than her sisters, and she will always be the first one to come and say hello when you enter the room. Twilight will usually be digging. Nightshade is the sleepiest and probably the largest, and she also has a few white hairs throughout her coat.