Ralphie the one-eyed rattie...

[moosmom]

I was working at Petco tonight, putting away new arrivals. I noticed a small white rat with one eye (he is the SWEETEST thing!!!) and brought it to the attention of my manager. I asked her if someone would buy him, being a "special needs" rat and all. She said, "I really don't think that a snake is gonna worry about whether his dinner has one eye or two." I was HORRIFIED!!! I told her that this rat was NOT going to be no damn snake's dinner, and that I want him put in the back until next week when I can take him and give him a wonderful home. With my employee discount, I can buy his aquarium, his little rollie ball thingie and the rest of his supplies.

Any advice I should know about from you rattie experts?? He's a small little boy. Will he get bigger?? Is a 10 gallon tank gonna be big enough??

Am I crazy or what???

[molucass]

Rats Rule Forum

Here is a forum that I am a member of. Lots of good information all about ratty care, and lots of friendly people.
They will be able to answer any and all questions you might have.

Welcome to the world of rat ownership.

One thing I do want to mention though, that rats are not loner animals, they thrive on having a companion.

[K9karen]

Uh, Donna...looks like you'll have to find a Mrs for Ralphie! You wouldn't want him to be a lonely ole boy, would you?

[DJFyrewolf36]

Hey Donna...you have my #...give me a call!! I'm free tomorow about 3-4 pm my time...shoot me a PM if you are gonna call later than that.

Welcome to the wonderfull world of ratties! You will fall in love pretty quick I think!

[Miss Z]

I must warn you Donna that rats are addicting! You will get attatched to this little guy, and from then on, you are infected and will never be able to stay away from rats again

As far as his cage goes, he'll need a couple of chews to keep his teeth down, plenty of tubes and hidey-things and a mineral lick.You could give him a wheel if you like, Tia never used hers but some rats do, just make sure it's a solid wheel with no bars so his tail can't get stuck in it. Tia also has a parrot rope in her cage that she loves to climb on! One thing more, if possible, it might be best to keep him in a cage that has levels and he can climb up. A tank is fine to begin with, but rats really do need to climb and explore different levels to prevent boredom. He'll also need handling quite a bit and he'll get very attatched to you, you might find that he'll come to call within a few days!

Another asset to his cage, put a small plastic plant pot in the cage for his bed. He may or may not use it, but Tia loves hers! Here is a pic:



If you need any more info or have a question, then just send me a PM, if I typed out everything I can tell you here this would be a very long post!

[CathyBogart]

I recommend not posting at Rats Rule....I used to post over there a lot and they are very VERY hostile to new rat owners. You're more than welcome to PM me with any questions too. I loooooooove ratties!

I was going to write a more substantial post, but I'd make myself late for school.