Rat Appreciation & Information

[Kipluck]

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Gambian Pouch Rats have been trained to sniff out mines in war torn countries - due to their light weight they are far less likely to explode the mines then sniffer dogs are.

They ALSO sniff out tuberculosis! http://www.examiner.com/exotic-pets-in-salt-lake-city/rats-that-save-life-and-limb-how-gambian-herorats-may-change-the-world

Holy crap that's awesome.
How is TB spread? They can't catch it themselves, can they?
I'd rather see rats than dogs in an airport, that's for sure. xD
I love both, but rats are rad. <3

Rats can't catch OUR TB, no. But they can catch, like Bovine TB. There are other variants of it. But they take really good care of those HeroRats. It is a pretty cushy job for a "lab rat" They get giant wheels and only work 2 hours a day and get to play outside. I am really impressed with their organization.

[Trash Mammal]

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Gambian Pouch Rats have been trained to sniff out mines in war torn countries - due to their light weight they are far less likely to explode the mines then sniffer dogs are.

They ALSO sniff out tuberculosis! http://www.examiner.com/exotic-pets-in-salt-lake-city/rats-that-save-life-and-limb-how-gambian-herorats-may-change-the-world

Holy crap that's awesome.
How is TB spread? They can't catch it themselves, can they?
I'd rather see rats than dogs in an airport, that's for sure. xD
I love both, but rats are rad. <3

Rats can't catch OUR TB, no. But they can catch, like Bovine TB. There are other variants of it. But they take really good care of those HeroRats. It is a pretty cushy job for a "lab rat" They get giant wheels and only work 2 hours a day and get to play outside. I am really impressed with their organization.

Oh wow, it's rare to see that for animals who work. Do you think that they'll ever become a more widely used thing?
I'm not sure their efficiency vs dog efficiency of course but to me it seems like it would be a lot better to use rats vs dogs.

[Kipluck]

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Gambian Pouch Rats have been trained to sniff out mines in war torn countries - due to their light weight they are far less likely to explode the mines then sniffer dogs are.

They ALSO sniff out tuberculosis! http://www.examiner.com/exotic-pets-in-salt-lake-city/rats-that-save-life-and-limb-how-gambian-herorats-may-change-the-world

Holy crap that's awesome.
How is TB spread? They can't catch it themselves, can they?
I'd rather see rats than dogs in an airport, that's for sure. xD
I love both, but rats are rad. <3

Rats can't catch OUR TB, no. But they can catch, like Bovine TB. There are other variants of it. But they take really good care of those HeroRats. It is a pretty cushy job for a "lab rat" They get giant wheels and only work 2 hours a day and get to play outside. I am really impressed with their organization.

Oh wow, it's rare to see that for animals who work. Do you think that they'll ever become a more widely used thing?
I'm not sure their efficiency vs dog efficiency of course but to me it seems like it would be a lot better to use rats vs dogs.

I'm not sure, but when I was interviewing APOPO, the research company that does the HeroRats I was just SO impressed with both their work and the quality of life the animals had. I would really like them to become more widely used. I think they aren't being used for as many things as those rats are capable of. They are extremely smart and have amazing noses!

[Trash Mammal]

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Gambian Pouch Rats have been trained to sniff out mines in war torn countries - due to their light weight they are far less likely to explode the mines then sniffer dogs are.

They ALSO sniff out tuberculosis! http://www.examiner.com/exotic-pets-in-salt-lake-city/rats-that-save-life-and-limb-how-gambian-herorats-may-change-the-world

Holy crap that's awesome.
How is TB spread? They can't catch it themselves, can they?
I'd rather see rats than dogs in an airport, that's for sure. xD
I love both, but rats are rad. <3

Rats can't catch OUR TB, no. But they can catch, like Bovine TB. There are other variants of it. But they take really good care of those HeroRats. It is a pretty cushy job for a "lab rat" They get giant wheels and only work 2 hours a day and get to play outside. I am really impressed with their organization.

Oh wow, it's rare to see that for animals who work. Do you think that they'll ever become a more widely used thing?
I'm not sure their efficiency vs dog efficiency of course but to me it seems like it would be a lot better to use rats vs dogs.

I'm not sure, but when I was interviewing APOPO, the research company that does the HeroRats I was just SO impressed with both their work and the quality of life the animals had. I would really like them to become more widely used. I think they aren't being used for as many things as those rats are capable of. They are extremely smart and have amazing noses!

As i've come to notice rats aren't given the appreciation they deserve in a lot of cases. When I refer to my rats as being similar to a dog, and extremely smart, most people scoff at me. I think a lot of people tend to just let their fears of rats over come things.

I love my little ones. <3

I showed my husband the article by the way, he almost didn't believe it at first, but thought it was really cool!

The only thing I could see ever going wrong is someone who has a fear of a rat who goes somewhere like an airport, if they had them scurrying around with security to check bags. But at the same time, that's conditioning yourself so you aren't afraid anymore. I think it'd be wonderful.

[grey eyed girly]

I'm glad to see a rat appreciation thread. I love my rats as much as I love my birds, and even if those cute little babies don't have wings, they sure can jumb. Cocoa and Nessa are the little babies in the house. We took a huge ferret cage, like 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide, filled it with little nooks and crannys, and put chicken wire on the bars so that they wouldn't get their little heads stuck. Of course, they get plenty of playtime out of the cage. They love to sit on our shoulders, just like the birds, and nap in our hoods. Training them is super easy and they seem to love it even if they can't give me a vocal response. And, when the birds are out, they love to play in the macaw aviary, we always get a kick out of seeming them climbing across the branches.

[Kipluck]

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Holy crap that's awesome.
How is TB spread? They can't catch it themselves, can they?
I'd rather see rats than dogs in an airport, that's for sure. xD
I love both, but rats are rad. <3

Rats can't catch OUR TB, no. But they can catch, like Bovine TB. There are other variants of it. But they take really good care of those HeroRats. It is a pretty cushy job for a "lab rat" They get giant wheels and only work 2 hours a day and get to play outside. I am really impressed with their organization.

Oh wow, it's rare to see that for animals who work. Do you think that they'll ever become a more widely used thing?
I'm not sure their efficiency vs dog efficiency of course but to me it seems like it would be a lot better to use rats vs dogs.

I'm not sure, but when I was interviewing APOPO, the research company that does the HeroRats I was just SO impressed with both their work and the quality of life the animals had. I would really like them to become more widely used. I think they aren't being used for as many things as those rats are capable of. They are extremely smart and have amazing noses!

As i've come to notice rats aren't given the appreciation they deserve in a lot of cases. When I refer to my rats as being similar to a dog, and extremely smart, most people scoff at me. I think a lot of people tend to just let their fears of rats over come things.

I love my little ones. <3

I showed my husband the article by the way, he almost didn't believe it at first, but thought it was really cool!

The only thing I could see ever going wrong is someone who has a fear of a rat who goes somewhere like an airport, if they had them scurrying around with security to check bags. But at the same time, that's conditioning yourself so you aren't afraid anymore. I think it'd be wonderful.

He should check out my sources and look up APOPO himself. It's a little newsy and businessy, and I wrote it more accessible, but there is a lot more information out there about them. Their HeroRat page is more aimed at kids writing reports, but it is fun to read about. It was such a fun article to write. I loved talking to them, and I LOVE the rats! I love regular rats too, though.

[Trash Mammal]

grey eyed gypsy

I'm glad to see a rat appreciation thread. I love my rats as much as I love my birds, and even if those cute little babies don't have wings, they sure can jumb. Cocoa and Nessa are the little babies in the house. We took a huge ferret cage, like 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide, filled it with little nooks and crannys, and put chicken wire on the bars so that they wouldn't get their little heads stuck. Of course, they get plenty of playtime out of the cage. They love to sit on our shoulders, just like the birds, and nap in our hoods. Training them is super easy and they seem to love it even if they can't give me a vocal response. And, when the birds are out, they love to play in the macaw aviary, we always get a kick out of seeming them climbing across the branches.

You should post photos of your ratties! How old are they?
I would love to use a ferret cage for my ratties. Right now we're very limited on space though. sad So they get a lot of hanging out time with me. smile
Do the birds and the rats get along? Or do they even see eachother?

[Trash Mammal]

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Holy crap that's awesome.
How is TB spread? They can't catch it themselves, can they?
I'd rather see rats than dogs in an airport, that's for sure. xD
I love both, but rats are rad. <3

Rats can't catch OUR TB, no. But they can catch, like Bovine TB. There are other variants of it. But they take really good care of those HeroRats. It is a pretty cushy job for a "lab rat" They get giant wheels and only work 2 hours a day and get to play outside. I am really impressed with their organization.

Oh wow, it's rare to see that for animals who work. Do you think that they'll ever become a more widely used thing?
I'm not sure their efficiency vs dog efficiency of course but to me it seems like it would be a lot better to use rats vs dogs.

I'm not sure, but when I was interviewing APOPO, the research company that does the HeroRats I was just SO impressed with both their work and the quality of life the animals had. I would really like them to become more widely used. I think they aren't being used for as many things as those rats are capable of. They are extremely smart and have amazing noses!

As i've come to notice rats aren't given the appreciation they deserve in a lot of cases. When I refer to my rats as being similar to a dog, and extremely smart, most people scoff at me. I think a lot of people tend to just let their fears of rats over come things.

I love my little ones. <3

I showed my husband the article by the way, he almost didn't believe it at first, but thought it was really cool!

The only thing I could see ever going wrong is someone who has a fear of a rat who goes somewhere like an airport, if they had them scurrying around with security to check bags. But at the same time, that's conditioning yourself so you aren't afraid anymore. I think it'd be wonderful.

He should check out my sources and look up APOPO himself. It's a little newsy and businessy, and I wrote it more accessible, but there is a lot more information out there about them. Their HeroRat page is more aimed at kids writing reports, but it is fun to read about. It was such a fun article to write. I loved talking to them, and I LOVE the rats! I love regular rats too, though.

I will show him when he gets home from work =D
You know, for an article aimed more at children with reports, i'd almost go as far as to say that could even be used for my psychology class in -college-
So, how did you get into writing articles like that?

[grey eyed girly]

Morphine Kiss

grey eyed gypsy

I'm glad to see a rat appreciation thread. I love my rats as much as I love my birds, and even if those cute little babies don't have wings, they sure can jumb. Cocoa and Nessa are the little babies in the house. We took a huge ferret cage, like 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide, filled it with little nooks and crannys, and put chicken wire on the bars so that they wouldn't get their little heads stuck. Of course, they get plenty of playtime out of the cage. They love to sit on our shoulders, just like the birds, and nap in our hoods. Training them is super easy and they seem to love it even if they can't give me a vocal response. And, when the birds are out, they love to play in the macaw aviary, we always get a kick out of seeming them climbing across the branches.

You should post photos of your ratties! How old are they?
I would love to use a ferret cage for my ratties. Right now we're very limited on space though. sad So they get a lot of hanging out time with me. smile
Do the birds and the rats get along? Or do they even see eachother?

I will haha, as soon as I get onto the right computer. Their cages are in the same room and my african grey seems particularly interested in them, when he's out of his cage and the rats are in theirs, he's allowed to fly over and say hi to them (normally its "peekaboo" and not "hi" wink , but we don't really have them both out at the same time. Or if we do, the rats are in a different room since our birds can pretty much fly wherever they want to be. But just before bed they are all in their cages. My ratties are both a year old about now, we got them from a breeder when they were just old enough to be sold, they really are precious and so big (they are dumbos)

[Do It Try It]

This thread is awesome and has the approval of my naked girls:



wink

[Trash Mammal]

grey eyed gypsy

Morphine Kiss

grey eyed gypsy

I'm glad to see a rat appreciation thread. I love my rats as much as I love my birds, and even if those cute little babies don't have wings, they sure can jumb. Cocoa and Nessa are the little babies in the house. We took a huge ferret cage, like 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide, filled it with little nooks and crannys, and put chicken wire on the bars so that they wouldn't get their little heads stuck. Of course, they get plenty of playtime out of the cage. They love to sit on our shoulders, just like the birds, and nap in our hoods. Training them is super easy and they seem to love it even if they can't give me a vocal response. And, when the birds are out, they love to play in the macaw aviary, we always get a kick out of seeming them climbing across the branches.

You should post photos of your ratties! How old are they?
I would love to use a ferret cage for my ratties. Right now we're very limited on space though. sad So they get a lot of hanging out time with me. smile
Do the birds and the rats get along? Or do they even see eachother?

I will haha, as soon as I get onto the right computer. Their cages are in the same room and my african grey seems particularly interested in them, when he's out of his cage and the rats are in theirs, he's allowed to fly over and say hi to them (normally its "peekaboo" and not "hi" wink , but we don't really have them both out at the same time. Or if we do, the rats are in a different room since our birds can pretty much fly wherever they want to be. But just before bed they are all in their cages. My ratties are both a year old about now, we got them from a breeder when they were just old enough to be sold, they really are precious and so big (they are dumbos)

I love dumbos. We don't tend to get them in at our pet shop, and the breeder never has any that we get the rats from. He never gets a variety of anything though .-. I've been asking for a masked Rat for a while, and someone else has been requesting a hairless.

For some reason, and I know this would totally never happen, but I just imagine seeing those rats ride the bird. smile

If you can, post a picture of your rat cage setup when possible as well! I'd love to see other people's setups.

[Trash Mammal]

CLAIRExREDFIELDx

This thread is awesome and has the approval of my naked girls:

[snip]

wink

Aww, they're so cute. ^_^
The one sitting up has a silly facial expression.

I don't personally own any hairless rats, i've read about them, but from your experience is it harder to take care of them?

[Do It Try It]

Morphine Kiss

CLAIRExREDFIELDx

This thread is awesome and has the approval of my naked girls:

[snip]

wink

Aww, they're so cute. ^_^
The one sitting up has a silly facial expression.

I don't personally own any hairless rats, i've read about them, but from your experience is it harder to take care of them?

Hehe thanks. :3
That's Zelda, she's full of adorable poses and faces. Harley is just a crazy monkey.

It's a bit different but not totally harder. The diets a tad different but other than that it's been about the same as a furred. They get scratches easy but I've never had anything bleed.

They're very cuddly since they love warmth. I'm thinking about eventually getting a fuzzy friend for them to snug with. And they feel so nice. <3

[grey eyed girly]

Morphine Kiss

grey eyed gypsy

Morphine Kiss

grey eyed gypsy

I'm glad to see a rat appreciation thread. I love my rats as much as I love my birds, and even if those cute little babies don't have wings, they sure can jumb. Cocoa and Nessa are the little babies in the house. We took a huge ferret cage, like 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide, filled it with little nooks and crannys, and put chicken wire on the bars so that they wouldn't get their little heads stuck. Of course, they get plenty of playtime out of the cage. They love to sit on our shoulders, just like the birds, and nap in our hoods. Training them is super easy and they seem to love it even if they can't give me a vocal response. And, when the birds are out, they love to play in the macaw aviary, we always get a kick out of seeming them climbing across the branches.

You should post photos of your ratties! How old are they?
I would love to use a ferret cage for my ratties. Right now we're very limited on space though. sad So they get a lot of hanging out time with me. smile
Do the birds and the rats get along? Or do they even see eachother?

I will haha, as soon as I get onto the right computer. Their cages are in the same room and my african grey seems particularly interested in them, when he's out of his cage and the rats are in theirs, he's allowed to fly over and say hi to them (normally its "peekaboo" and not "hi" wink , but we don't really have them both out at the same time. Or if we do, the rats are in a different room since our birds can pretty much fly wherever they want to be. But just before bed they are all in their cages. My ratties are both a year old about now, we got them from a breeder when they were just old enough to be sold, they really are precious and so big (they are dumbos)

I love dumbos. We don't tend to get them in at our pet shop, and the breeder never has any that we get the rats from. He never gets a variety of anything though .-. I've been asking for a masked Rat for a while, and someone else has been requesting a hairless.

For some reason, and I know this would totally never happen, but I just imagine seeing those rats ride the bird. smile

If you can, post a picture of your rat cage setup when possible as well! I'd love to see other people's setups.

These are the only pictures I could find (I uploaded them to photobucket a while ago so they aren't good, but they're passable. I only have a photo of their cage and of Cocoa, but I'll post some more late (and I'm sure I could get a picture of my African Grey and Nessa through the bars of the cage.




She was begging me to pick her up (or threatening to jump out)

[Kipluck]

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Kipluck

Morphine Kiss

Oh wow, it's rare to see that for animals who work. Do you think that they'll ever become a more widely used thing?
I'm not sure their efficiency vs dog efficiency of course but to me it seems like it would be a lot better to use rats vs dogs.

I'm not sure, but when I was interviewing APOPO, the research company that does the HeroRats I was just SO impressed with both their work and the quality of life the animals had. I would really like them to become more widely used. I think they aren't being used for as many things as those rats are capable of. They are extremely smart and have amazing noses!

As i've come to notice rats aren't given the appreciation they deserve in a lot of cases. When I refer to my rats as being similar to a dog, and extremely smart, most people scoff at me. I think a lot of people tend to just let their fears of rats over come things.

I love my little ones. <3

I showed my husband the article by the way, he almost didn't believe it at first, but thought it was really cool!

The only thing I could see ever going wrong is someone who has a fear of a rat who goes somewhere like an airport, if they had them scurrying around with security to check bags. But at the same time, that's conditioning yourself so you aren't afraid anymore. I think it'd be wonderful.

He should check out my sources and look up APOPO himself. It's a little newsy and businessy, and I wrote it more accessible, but there is a lot more information out there about them. Their HeroRat page is more aimed at kids writing reports, but it is fun to read about. It was such a fun article to write. I loved talking to them, and I LOVE the rats! I love regular rats too, though.

I will show him when he gets home from work =D
You know, for an article aimed more at children with reports, i'd almost go as far as to say that could even be used for my psychology class in -college-
So, how did you get into writing articles like that?

I had read a little of the Examiner before when one of my friends wrote me and said that she was making pretty good money writing for the Roanoke Examiner as their Religion columnist. She suggested I apply to be Salt Lake's Pet columnist. Well, I did but they told me no, they had a Pet person already but if I thought I could come up with enough material and localize it I could be the Exotic Pet columnist. I told them I definitely could. I don't make a lot. I write about 2 pieces a week and make about 50 dollars a week but it makes a debt in the pet food bill.