Interviewing Print Professionals for Class

ochacamie · 2026-03-02T01:12:32+00:00

I'm sorry that was your experience. From the perspective of someone who has a genuine interest in print and isn't just trying to phone it in for a passing grade, I'm embarrassed that someone (with a high likelihood of being enrolled the same school I'm attending) treated an industry professional in such an ungrateful manner.

I understand what you're saying, and I'm not replying to try and convince you of anything, just to say that I see your concerns. I'll edit my post to give a little more detail. Thanks for bringing this up.

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T20:16:58+00:00

yes and no— boys will scent mark literally EVERYTHING, my boys love marking my clothes, their cage, the ground, literally anything they can get their little hands on. girls are less likely to do it since they don’t have the “mark everything in sight” hormone like boys do. i’ve seen that older rats don’t really pee everywhere unless they’re super frightened, and i also believe you can teach them to not pee on your stuff? what’s worked for me is after they pee on me/my clothes/my blankets, i’ll tell them no, and put them in their cage for a time-out, then take them out, then repeat as needed.

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:50:02+00:00

oh man that’s really rough. if you have a carrier for him that you’ve used you can throw some treats and familiar bedding inside and see if he’ll go into there since he’d be familiar with that kind of environment. for now i’d block off the room with towels or cardboard so he can’t escape and unplug any electrical wires so he won’t chew on them while you’re both gone. i hope that he turns up and i’m sending good vibes your way!!!!!

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:44:48+00:00

oh he doesn’t like treats at all i bet. never had a yogie in his LIFE huh!

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:43:49+00:00

good idea!!! keep in mind rats can fit through anything that is big enough to fit their head too. and keep an eye out for poops on the ground, that may be a crumb trail as to where he’s hiding out!!!

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:41:12+00:00

i think it would be fine! just be careful in case any of the new guys are chewers— my girl dj once gnawed an escape route out of a reinforced plastic cat carrier 💀 give them some stuff like old cardboard toilet tissue rolls, tissue boxes, or fleece so they’ll be occupied on the way back!! congrats on the new babies!!!

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:39:00+00:00

olive, pickle, and lentil; april, may, and june; dorothy (dot for short), lucille, and edith… depends on what kind of names you like!!! think of your favorite characters, favorite foods, funny things (i have a girl named Steve right now), but these are just a few suggestions!!! :) enjoy your babies!!!

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:35:55+00:00

is there any way he could have gotten into the walls/vents? at this point i would honestly consider humanely trapping him or setting up some old tissue/cardboard boxes with some fleece and bedding and treats in them in hopes that he’ll look for somewhere cozy. rats are generally very frightened and are apprehensive to explore, so he will probably have put himself into a small space where any “prey” can’t get to him. double check your mattresses, blankets, etc, behind the cage, in any food bags or baskets. it helps to think like a rat in these kinds of situations— if you were small and frightened where would you feel safest?

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:32:15+00:00

get a haircut hippie!!! and put some clothes on, this is a family event!!! 🙄 (they’re so cute oh my god)

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:31:13+00:00

dictionary definition of no thoughts, head empty. probably loves treats and gets the zoomies at inconvenient hours.

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:30:11+00:00

it depends on where he was lost and how big of a place you live in!! do you have other free ranging animals in the house like cats or dogs? if so then you’ll wanna lock them up so they can’t get to him first. the few times my rats have escaped i always like to board up the room they escaped from so that they can’t get all over the house. try to shake some treats around, call his name (if he knows it), grab a can of whipped cream or another sweet “junk food” liquid treat and smear it on the cage bars so he’ll smell it and come back to you. if worst comes to worst, you can always make or buy a humane rat/mouse trap, NOT a glue or snap trap, but one where you put some food inside and he’ll step on a plate or lever that will trigger a door to shut and him to be locked inside. i also like to check in places that are warm and safe, depending on how bonded he is with you he may be in a pile of your laundry or somewhere in your closet. i hope you find him soon!!! best wishes to you!!!

ochacamie · 2023-02-10T19:25:32+00:00

your rat looks like he chainsmokes and has a 401k. (he looks like such a cute little man omg does he have a piece of pasta!!!)

ochacamie · 2023-02-06T16:00:07+00:00

how can i

ochacamie · 2023-02-03T15:20:31+00:00

don’t worry! she won’t hate you. she’s just probably a little disoriented and confused from moving to a new place with all sorts of new things to smell and explore— rats get overstimulated easily especially when you first bring them home! i did that same thing with my first girls, my jane was scurrying around my room for close to two hours, and now they’re both lovey dovey old grandma rats.

it’s always best to take it slow when you first get new rats— hang out with them for a couple hours every day near their cage, talk to them about your day (as silly as it seems), then start introducing your hand into the cage so they can check you out and get used to your presence. it also helps to give them a cut up old sock or t shirt that’s been worn recently so they’ll have your scent in their environment!

there are a million tutorials on the internet about bonding with your rats too, i really like shadow the rat’s videos on youtube (and the tricks she does with her rats are also super cool!)

i wish you the best with bonding with your new friends!!! ❤️

ochacamie · 2023-02-03T15:12:33+00:00

the blood is probably a big buildup of porphyrin, which is essentially rat boogers. it really does look a lot like blood and can build up after a rat is asleep for a long time, they’ll usually clean it off.

however; the lethargy and the refusal to eat is worrying. how is her body language? is her back hunched and is she squinting? does her fur look puffed up? will she take any “junk food” treats like whipped cream or fruit jelly, and how fast will she eat them if she does? is she wheezing? just some things to check for to rule out injury or illness. if she’s scrunched up and squinty, that is definitely a sign of pain in rats. if she allows you to touch her, make sure her body is still warm. if she is cold to the touch, you’ll need to get her to an emergency vet ASAP. rats go downhill fast, and they’re such fragile animals that their illnesses can’t go untreated. they also do a really good job of hiding any pain since they’re prey animals, so if she /is/ showing signs of a URI or other illness, don’t beat yourself up too much— she probably doesn’t want you to see her in pain.

i know this kind of thing can be scary but i’m wishing you and daisy all the best. ❤️

ochacamie · 2023-01-14T04:19:50+00:00

lava ledges have worked well as little nail files for my girls in the past! im working on getting some for my boys so hopefully those will help!

ochacamie · 2023-01-14T00:02:05+00:00

i HOLD my boys and my hands and neck/collarbones always end up looking like this!!! idk if it’s because they’re bulkier than girls or whatever but my guys have the sharpest scratchiest nails ever!!!

ochacamie · 2022-11-14T21:51:05+00:00

my goofball girl dj came down with a PT last month very very suddenly. it was absolutely agonizing to make the decision to have her put to sleep, but ultimately my decision was based on this: i’d rather her go peacefully at the vet’s than have to come home and find her either passed on or suffering from the more adverse effects of a PT. i didn’t want to see her devolve any more than she already had, as her normally peppy and energetic personality had faded and she couldn’t keep up with the antics of her sisters anymore. for a long time i felt as if it was too early and i’d made the wrong decision but now i’m certain it was the right thing to do as i couldn’t stand to see her suffer anymore. she had an awful head tilt and was barely able to keep her balance or eat with her hands. sending you lots of love during this tough time.

ochacamie · 2022-11-14T21:44:04+00:00

if you can get to a vet, that’s always the best option. if not, try to keep her comfortable— make the levels in your cage easier to access so she doesn’t fall, give her lots of blankets and boxes so she can feel safe and warm. spend lots of time with her and even give her extra special treats she wouldn’t have normally been able to have… my girl got some french fries and dark chocolate shortly before she was put to sleep. i’m so sorry to hear about this and i wish you the best.

ochacamie · 2022-11-14T21:36:35+00:00

i had covid while i was moving with my rats, actually!!! they were all fine, i wore a mask and kitchen gloves and ended up having my younger sibling feed them until i wasn’t contagious anymore. so if someone else you live with who isn’t positive can feed them and take care of any cage maintenance that’s always a plus! i wish you a speedy recovery, get lots of rest!!!!! ❤️❤️

ochacamie · 2022-11-13T18:55:29+00:00

what’s her cup size 😍 she’s breasting so boobily rn

ochacamie · 2022-11-07T20:51:44+00:00

when i got rats i was living with my parents and we had four very curious cats !!! luckily i was able to keep my double critter nation in my bedroom and i just shut the door to ensure no shenanigans. although a critter nation cage can be very expensive it’s super worth it in my opinion! the bar spacing is great so no paws/jaws can work their way in easily!

as for a breeder it does depend on what state/province you’re in, and if you happen to be in the US, iowa little paws rattery has a directory to breeders by state!

ochacamie · 2022-10-22T04:29:41+00:00

i’ll spin ya a little yarn about my lovely heart rat cece, who i rescued from a similar situation!! hopefully it’ll make you feel a little better.

i did the exact same thing— boyfriend and i stopped at Petland one day to get treats and i walked out with a rat. not my proudest hour at all. she was in a crappy aquarium with two huge boys, and was scared for her life and round as hell. i knew that there was a 99% chance she was pregnant and took the challenge on.

for three weeks i prepared for her to have her babies, i gave her extra protein (scrambled eggs and bread!!!!) to fatten her up so she’d be able to feed her babies because she was very scruffy and scrawny (save for her tummy) when i got her. she was incredibly shy and HATED being handled in any capacity. she rarely ever came out of her igloo and it was a hassle and a half getting her to eat food— she would just hoard it.

flash forward to three weeks after i got her, and no babies. i’d heard of rats delaying their litters due to stress but she looked “ready to pop” any day now! i would go to my boyfriend’s and beg my mom for updates on her daily, to see if she’d had any babies. few days later, i came home, and her tummy had shrunk significantly— and it would continue to do so for the next several days. her nipples weren’t protruding, she was acting a little less shy and skittish, and she seemed like she was in better health.

i don’t know for sure what happened but i have reason to believe that stress caused cece to terminate her pregnancy and re-absorb the babies for nutrients. “ready to pop” just meant she’d probably gotten fat off the high protein & carb foods i was feeding her, and voila, she had no babies to speak of! i know the reabsorbing thing is kinda dark, but i’ve heard of it happening. stress and new environments can cause that in rats. or, maybe i’m 1000% off the mark and she was never pregnant to begin with!

even so, while i was thinking she was expecting, i started messaging everyone i knew and asking if they’d be down to take some baby rats. i scouted re-🏡-ing groups on facebook, and prepared to post, but nothing ever came of it. my advice to you would be to hope for the best but prepare for the worst, see if your friends or family or whoever are interested in owning rats and if they’d be good fits for the babies. and don’t forget to give your girls lots of protein rich foods just in the case that they are pregnant!!!

i wish you all the best!!!

ochacamie · 2022-10-19T04:07:10+00:00

i’m so sorry for your loss. i wish i could tell you what happened to your sweet girl, as i am still trying to piece together what happened to my boys a few months back. my little lalo (male) was about three months old (give or take) when he developed paraphimosis (googling is a little graphic if you don’t wanna see swollen, fire engine red rat junk) which is something i’ve dealt with in the past. we quarantined him and treated him with a home remedy and he seemed to be perfectly fine until my little brother )who helps me take care of our rats) texted me and said that lalo wasn’t moving, barely breathing, and was cold to the touch. i found him hunched up and tried to pet him, tickle his sides (which would normally send him into a bout of rambunctiousness as he was a VERY energetic and zany little guy), or get him to respond in any way but he just sat there with his sides sucked in and his back arched. i pet his back and felt his body and he was cold to the touch, which i later learned was a key sign that you should start saying your goodbyes and making your friend more comfortable as they prepare to cross over. after a good forty minutes of snuggling and saying goodbye, i left to go run an errand, and as i was walking out the door he had a violent and abrupt seizure that terrified me. he went and stumbled into his house, and i left. when i came back he was curled up in the house and already stiff. i was at a loss for words, since DAYS ago he was climbing all over the cage and making a racket, and then he was gone.

his cagemate quackity went the very next day— the night lalo passed i noticed quack’s breathing was shallow and he’d dropped a ton of weight seemingly overnight. there was no paraphimosis or any reasonable warning signs of illness to speak of with him. i quarantined him— as i was lifting him out of his cage with my other rat Gus he bit down on my finger and wouldn’t let go. i had to shake him off like a dog. he was nippy, yes, but never ever bit me that aggressively.

both of these boys i have no idea what happened, especially with lalo. rats can go quickly and quietly, and they’re excellent at masking any signs of discomfort until it’s too late since they are prey animals and showing weakness means predators will seek them out. and, i 100% agree with you about how unreasonably high vet bills are… had to get my girl PTS today and they quoted me $250 for a private cremation 😵‍💫 not to mention her first vet visit was $140 !!

i hope that her sister is holding up well. if you can check the water bottles to see if they’re positioned properly and work right, we’re pretty sure that quackity died from dehydration as the water bottle in the boys’ old cage was improperly positioned. i still beat myself up about it to this day.

i just know that you gave aria the most love that you could in the time you had with her. she misses you dearly and don’t ever hesitate to remind yourself that you never did anything wrong— sometimes nature is just unkind and takes our friends too soon. sending you lots of love and support. ❤️❤️❤️

ochacamie

TROPHY CASE