Pet rat <3

[Artagiel]

Pet store had an ancient rat in there that they were trying to find a home for the last stretch of his life, he is enormous and currently being very spoiled and now named Weegee.

I will take some pictures of him soon, I didn't want to flash him to high heaven on his first night home. Poor guy.

I am in love.

 

[Renae]

Awe, congrats, his name is so cute! can't wait to see photos of him.

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

Congrats!! Can't wait for the pics!

 

[expressmailtome]

Congratulations on your new pet!

Matt

 

[Birdiemarie]

Big congrats! Can't wait to see pics of Weegee.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Congrats! Can't wait to see him. I LOVE ratties!

 

[Gen120]

aww, congrats! I can't wait to see pictures!

 

[allison]

I love rats! They are my favorite small furry pet.

 

[Emmilyy]

Big congrats, rats are awesome pets, i wish i could have another pair
You know that you should always have more than one rat, right? They do way way better with others of their species

Do you know how old the big guy is exactly? I can't wait for pics!

 

[Artagiel]

hehe!

I did take pictures of him last night but things have been very busy so far, my friends father passed away and I had my mother for a visit last night. I will upload the photos tonight between work and getting ready for the wake.

I do know rats need to be kept in pairs but he was alone at the pet store otherwise we would have gotten him a pal at the time we picked him up, we will be looking for a friend for him after he gets a clean bill of health. His vet appointment is on Monday and unfortunately after giving him a bath yesterday evening I realized he is completely covered in lice.

I want him to the vet sooner but Dr. Bradt won't be in until then so I will be getting a lice comb and looking into what I can do topically to lessen the infestation to him someone suggested tea tree oil and oatmeal baths so I will see about that.

The pet store had said he had been there for a year so how much older than that I am not sure. I will ask the vet what she thinks. I know typically rats can live for 2 years but Hitomi one of my first rats lived to be 4 years old and I have high hopes. I picked up some b complex liquid vitamins and Chromium to mix up into some rat treats, Chromium has been known to extend rats lifespans a bit.
Poor little Weegee.

 

[Renae]

Awe, poor guy. I think it's Ivermectin that's recommended for lice, you can give it to rat(s) with injection or orally. Also, have you cleaned the bedding/cage etc since you found that he's full of lice?

Good luck, hopefully he'll be lice-free soon after the vet visit when he starts being treated for it.

 

[Artagiel]

Yeah I need the vet to mix the ivermectin for me though, for rats I read it is recommended orally as injection tends to cause complications and with his advanced age I would rather not put him at risk. I worry that the infestation is why he is so lazy and that he may be anemic as there is no telling how long he has had this for.

I noticed it last night and he has only been with me for 2 days. I will likely clean the cage good today between work and the wake. I really wish the vet was back sooner, I really trust her though she helped me before when I brought my hairless rat Roxxanne in with a scratched eye. She even sent me a condolence card when she passed away, I really love my vet.

 

[Artagiel]

Here he is!

 

[Emmilyy]

Awh what a cutie! You`re really making me miss my Waffles

I`m glad you brought him home from that pet store, he`ll have a great home with you!

 

[Artagiel]

Thanks! I am glad I got him too, he is so incredibly adorable. I can't wait until he is bug free and I can look for a pal for him. We plan on getting him a little leash and harness so I can let him sit in the grass with me at the park. I intend on taking him on outings with me everywhere that pets are welcome. He is pretty much my constant companion while I am home, we watch TV together and I gave him an oatmeal bath last night thinking it might soothe his skin some from the bugs, I know it won't get rid of them but I was hopeful to ease a little of the discomfort.

I bought some baby food for him in case he is anemic, he seemed uninterested last night but we will see if he might be in the mood tonight. I was able to call a different small animal vet that my friend uses and they can see him on Saturday instead of waiting until Monday. I am going to do that rather than wait the extra days, the sooner we can get started on meds for the lice the sooner we can be rid of them and on track for a healthy little life and a friend or two to keep Weegee happy.

 

[Quest]

He is so sweet! Good luck with him.
I'm glad he is getting to a vet. Thank goodness
you adopted him.

 

[crzybrdldy]

How cute. Hope all goes well at his vet visit.

Keep us posted.

 

[hotfoot jackson]

Oh I love Nazumi rats....we had two, our first was Moriarty, a lovely lady who had a deep love affair with my Labrador Emma, the second was Zoe...a more shy lady who charmed he local kids by popping out from under my hair to see them....hope all settles with your little guy.

 

[Artagiel]

Weegee survived the vet visit!

He has to go back in two weeks for a follow up shot of ivermectin. They gave him the injection rather than the oral medication and the vet thought I was going to hold him for her and I thought I would pass him to her and someone who isn't terrified of needles could do the holding and then confused her horribly when she came towards me and Weegee with needle uncapped and I went flying in the other direction rat and all.

Looking at getting him a little boyfriend or two for when he is lice free and a larger cage. We got the biggest rat safe one at the pet shop but you know how great those are. I loved my old martins tower for my ratties in the past but want something that is bird safe in case Noodle manages to land on it and lick it at some point. I will of course work to keep her clear of the rat cage as I keep him clear of the bird cage but I just would feel so much better if I didn't put something hazardous to my other animals in the house.

 

[Artagiel]

Soooooooo.....there were two boys in a Craigslist add.

They are in QT at my house now, when Weegee is done with his second treatment for the lice we will work on introducing them.

Meet Hollister and Trevor.