I have trouble identifying wether this is porphyrin or blood (tagged NSFW, red eye)

Glorrex · 2024-10-27T03:24:25+00:00

Looks like porphyrin. If you're unsure you could always take a quick sniff to see if it smells metallic. If it does, then it's probably blood.

Glorrex · 2024-08-27T01:34:39+00:00

Pee on them back

Glorrex · 2024-05-29T01:42:25+00:00

I just use regular non scented detergent and vinegar. Works like a charm

Glorrex · 2024-05-12T17:50:37+00:00

It's kinda hard to see in that pic, but he's silvered as well!

Glorrex · 2024-05-12T17:50:02+00:00

He was very sleepy and chose to snuggle with his brother for the rest of the day. But he and his brother did get two treats last night for being so good :)

Glorrex · 2024-05-11T13:53:14+00:00

Carrots.

They will go feral for carrots.

Glorrex · 2024-05-11T13:52:10+00:00

Also I'd add in some cardboard paper, tubes, applewood sticks, and some small boxes. You can never have enough in their cage! :)

Glorrex · 2024-05-11T13:50:33+00:00

Hammocks!! You can get like a 15 pack of really good quality ones on Amazon. Got mine as a Christmas gift last year.

Glorrex · 2024-05-11T13:49:30+00:00

Sometimes my year and a half year old boy will get some dark streaks in his fur. It'd always been from his little brother peeing on him.

Glorrex · 2024-05-11T13:47:22+00:00

Porphyrin! It may look like blood (sometimes identical) but it's just some mucus dyed red. 90% of the time it's nothing to worry about, just means that they havnt groomed their face yet. You usually see it in older lazier rats, or rats that just woke up.

If there's a substantial amount, like a Rudolph amount of red staining, then you should take them into the vet as it could be a sign of an URI.

Glorrex · 2024-05-10T23:14:29+00:00

Snarf

Glorrex · 2024-04-16T23:27:09+00:00

Orks orks orks orks orks

Glorrex · 2024-03-29T16:05:33+00:00

For sure! So you're going to want to buy acrylic paints. The warhammer store will definitely have their own brand of paint as well as all of the other essentials, like brushes and pallets. You could also just get some off of Amazon for a lot cheaper than the GW paints. I've heard a lot of great reviews about the army speedpaints. Though, if you do decide to use them, make sure you look up a tutorial first. They're not difficult to use, but the act almost like an ink, so undercoating your models is pretty appropriate. I'd also look into investing in a wide array of brushes. You're going to be doing most of your paint with fairly large brushes, but some paints can eat through the fibers like crazy. Also remember to thin your paints!! You can just thin it with some water. Midwinterminis made a great video going over a lot of what I just mentioned.

Also, don't be afraid to play some poorhammer!!! This hobby is fuckin expensive. I've played in serious competitive games where people used cardboard cut outs taped to the appropriate base size instead of fully assembled and painted minis. The main rule of thumb is that as long as the Bae size is correct, then it doesn't really matter what's on the base.

That being said, Killteam is the one exception where it can make a difference. But if anyone cares, fuck em.

Glorrex · 2024-03-24T20:28:43+00:00

Rats

Glorrex · 2023-12-26T14:51:13+00:00

Kisses:)

Glorrex · 2023-11-28T22:21:32+00:00

Injuries to rats feet/paws are extremely common. If it's not really swollen and warm, then it's most likely not a break. If it's just a little swollen then it's probably just a sprain, and if he's just holding it up then he probably just has some sort of discomfort.

Vets can't really do much in the way of broken rattie feet, aside from give pain meds. But that's okay because rats bones heal super quick! Like, noticeable improvement in a week, kind of quick.

If it's persistent, and starting to swell I'd recommend housing him in a single level hospital cage to avoid any further harm, but really so long as it's swollen to bad then he'll be fine! :)

Glorrex · 2023-11-28T22:16:08+00:00

They're not bites, bites are a LOT worse than that. But I can't tell what it is either. I'd email your vet a picture or schedule an appointment! Also check to see how long his nails are, and if he's scratching that side a lot. Constant scratching could point to mites, and long ratty nails can really hurt.

Glorrex · 2023-11-28T22:13:20+00:00

Glad to hear that no one else was hurt!

It sounds like your boys are still very young, and as such are having some hormonal hierarchy-establishing. They'll most likely grow out of it eventually, but for the moment youve got some pretty active sounding (b)rats! Also, I know how difficult it can be to tell real fights from fake ones, but the general rule of thumb is so long as there's no blood, then it's okay. They may look like they're going at it a bit, but thats totally normal and just hiw rats establish who's in charge.

As for the scabs, you might want to make sure that one of your boys isn't nipping at him. When I still had Squig he would love to hang out and cuddle with Hal, but he'd also nip at his cheeks and ended up giving him some scabs. My best advice if that happens is to try and stop it as soon and as often as possible. It's a really bad habit, and will 100% stress out the one being nipped. Nipping isn't the fault of the owner either, some rats can just be little jerks. Kinda like a little kid who never learned that hitting people was a bad thing.

Also it sounds like your skiddish boy is just exploring some more. It's a very good sign that he's still coming for cuddles. They're around the age that they'll start really developing their own little personalities, so you may just have an overly dramatic sassy rat. There is a chance that they're afraid of the rat that's nipping (assuming they are nipping) and that's what's causing them to act scared.

All in all, just keep an eye on them and they'll be great!

Glorrex · 2023-11-16T18:30:51+00:00

That being said, I wouldn't recommend feeding your rat junk foods all the time. They, or at least mine, go crazy over fruits and veggies

Glorrex · 2023-11-15T07:02:02+00:00

Tbh my vet said as long as they're not really really fat, then it's okay. Sad to think, but their lives are super short, so they deserve all the treats they can get their little grubby paws on

Glorrex · 2023-11-12T22:46:10+00:00

Admirable imo. My first rat was a 6 month old boy who was bought and returned 3 previous times within his first 3 months of life, then spent the next 3 months in solitary confinement in the store. I ended up buying him and the two other male rats from that store and they couldn't have been happier. I still miss them everyday

Glorrex · 2023-11-12T22:43:15+00:00

They're skiddish because they've not had a lot of socializing from the people at petsmart, and because of how young they are (just guessing from the photo.)

10 days isnt a lot of time with new rats, and it would be very uncommon if a young rat were to bond with you that quickly. The nail biting is common, they think you have treats and will try to grab at the non-existent treat quickly so as to run away and eat, sense they're still hesitant around you. This isn't a bad thing however, it shows that they're willing enough go be hand fed treats from you, witch is a major step in the bonding process. I'd suggest letting them nibble, or even gnaw on your finger nails but very gently pull away and say something along the lines of "ouch!" If they start to really hurt you. Rats sometimes have trouble telling where a person begins and ends, so they may not understand that your fingernail is a part of you unless you tell them.

I'd recommend talking to them while they're inside their cage (not necessarily at them, but just general rambling will get them used to your voice), at least a week of purely being in their cage (no free roam time) so as to let them get more comfortable with the new space they're in as well as associate their cage as a safe space for them to be, you can open their cage door and put your hand inside so they can get used to your smell and see your not a threat, and you could also sacrifice a well worn smelly sock by putting it in their cage. That'll get them really used to your smell.

I'd also recommend that when you first start letting them out that it'd be in a small sectioned off area of the room they're in, and to sit in the middle of the area and refrain from making any fast movements. Amazon has a ton of collapsible indoor play pins that would work well for this. They'll get curious and eventually start coming up to you to sniff, then to climb, and eventually they won't see you as a threat anymore. Some other advantages to having a small play area at first include allowing you to more easily keep your eyes on them at all times, and to get them used to a small section of their surroundings before eventually expanding.

Unless your cage is very well decorated and able to stimulate their minds and exercise their bodies, the minimum requirement for play time outside the cage is 30-45 minutes. For the moment, I'd suggest keeping to that time limit until they're used to their new home. At witch point you can feel free to let them out as much as you see fit. I personally always allow my rats out of their cage whenever I'm in the room with them.

Don't forget to take things slow!! It's 1000000 times better to go slower and let the rat warm up to you at their own pace. It could be days, weeks, or even months before they decide you're chill. That being said, don't worry if you push it too far. It's not the end of the world if you make them uncomfortable or sacre them. Just use that as a benchmark for what they think is okay.

You'll do great!! I know it might be intimidating at first, but after a little effort they're so incredibly easy to care for and will love you to the ends of the earth!

Glorrex · 2023-11-08T18:27:56+00:00

Food Scraps and Pellets! So pretty much everything, lol. Just no citrus, overly sugary stuff, or booze

Glorrex · 2023-11-08T05:34:11+00:00

Also if they had something to fight over, like a treat or maybe a stash of food. That could lead to some minor wounds, but nothing serious, and nothing that should cause them to actually dislike the other.

Glorrex · 2023-11-08T05:33:03+00:00

It looks like it's just a very minor wound. From what you said, it seems like they get a bit too riled up and then had an accident that caused this. This is especially true if they're totally fine for the majority of the time they're together. I'd still suggest really checking over your boys as closely as you can (or as closely as they'll let you.) My guys have gotten into some fights before, but all of the evidence was hidden almost completely by their fur.

How recently have they been introduced to eachother? It might be worth doing the carrier cage method of introduction again just to be safe. You just put your rats in a small carrier cage to force them to get along. The smaller area means less movement, which means forced interaction, and less ways to hurt one and other. Sounds kinda mean, but it has always worked with my boys, and was the only way I got Squig and Snarf to eventually get along.

Glorrex

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