RatCreature (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ratcreature) wrote2009-11-03 01:00 am
ratcreature) wrote2009-11-03 01:00 am
Entry tags:
rat pictures!
I mostly left the little ones alone on Sunday so they could settle, but tonight I played a bit with them and started the program of bribery with treats that's the foundation of every solid relationship with pet rats. Mind, that this early on when you have to bribe them a lot to present yourself in a good light, I mostly give tiny pieces of unsalted multi-grain waffles, so they aren't getting sugary pet store treats en masse or anything.
Their temperaments seem quite different from each other (and I still haven't renamed the two whose names from the breeder I don't really like).
The grey agouti dumbo (who so far still goes as "Nemo" but I was thinking of naming him Oskar or maybe Leo) is the one who is most daring when it comes to exploring. He's the only one I've seen on all levels, climbing on branches, using the hammock, etc. He'll also come to check out my hand and arm if I put it inside the cage and climb it when bribed, though he still startles easily.
This is him (in the first one he just retreated from checking out my hand back into shelter when I brought out the camera):
The mink headspotted/bareback one (currently still "Moe" though I'm thinking of renaming him Toby or maybe Linus) who is ten days older also plays in the cage, but so far I've only seen him in the top four levels, but he's bolder when it comes to exploring me. I.e. he not just climbed onto the part of my arm that was in the cage, but followed it outside and climbed up to my shoulder. He also examined my hair and my glasses. Also once the door was open he tried to explore the outside of the cage (so soon I will have to watch him as flight risk *g*).
This is him:
The Russian blue dumbo (who was named Noah, and I decided to leave it at that, as I don't dislike the name, and clearly I suck at picking new ones *g*), is still rather shy. Meaning that I've barely seen him venturing out of his favorite tube. Which he also sort of barricaded (he stuffed it full of newspaper shreds so that you can't really see inside). He doesn't seem to be scared of me, because when he kept failing to show up outside, I reached in to check on him to make sure he was okay, and he sniffed at my hand, let me scratch him a little and took treats. He just seem to think it better to remain in The Tube for now. He relocated early on from the tube on the level where I put them first to one that is slightly curved and thus harder to reach into, and has been staying put since. I mean, I assume he comes out to eat and drink when I'm not looking, but even with bribery I haven't managed to get him to come out fully. Though he did venture onto my hand with half his body if my fingertips were inside the tube, even if it meant his head had to be outside. I figure he will get bored eventually. He already sometimes stretches half outside even while I'm looking to reach the chew toy fastened to the cage near his favorite tube. So the only photo I have of Noah so far is with him inside the tube while I coaxed him forward far enough that he wasn't hidden in the part he stuffed with newspaper.
ETA: Heh. Just after I posted this, I saw Noah in the upper level, checking out the hammock and baskets. So he's getting bolder too. :)
Their temperaments seem quite different from each other (and I still haven't renamed the two whose names from the breeder I don't really like).
The grey agouti dumbo (who so far still goes as "Nemo" but I was thinking of naming him Oskar or maybe Leo) is the one who is most daring when it comes to exploring. He's the only one I've seen on all levels, climbing on branches, using the hammock, etc. He'll also come to check out my hand and arm if I put it inside the cage and climb it when bribed, though he still startles easily.
This is him (in the first one he just retreated from checking out my hand back into shelter when I brought out the camera):
The mink headspotted/bareback one (currently still "Moe" though I'm thinking of renaming him Toby or maybe Linus) who is ten days older also plays in the cage, but so far I've only seen him in the top four levels, but he's bolder when it comes to exploring me. I.e. he not just climbed onto the part of my arm that was in the cage, but followed it outside and climbed up to my shoulder. He also examined my hair and my glasses. Also once the door was open he tried to explore the outside of the cage (so soon I will have to watch him as flight risk *g*).
This is him:
The Russian blue dumbo (who was named Noah, and I decided to leave it at that, as I don't dislike the name, and clearly I suck at picking new ones *g*), is still rather shy. Meaning that I've barely seen him venturing out of his favorite tube. Which he also sort of barricaded (he stuffed it full of newspaper shreds so that you can't really see inside). He doesn't seem to be scared of me, because when he kept failing to show up outside, I reached in to check on him to make sure he was okay, and he sniffed at my hand, let me scratch him a little and took treats. He just seem to think it better to remain in The Tube for now. He relocated early on from the tube on the level where I put them first to one that is slightly curved and thus harder to reach into, and has been staying put since. I mean, I assume he comes out to eat and drink when I'm not looking, but even with bribery I haven't managed to get him to come out fully. Though he did venture onto my hand with half his body if my fingertips were inside the tube, even if it meant his head had to be outside. I figure he will get bored eventually. He already sometimes stretches half outside even while I'm looking to reach the chew toy fastened to the cage near his favorite tube. So the only photo I have of Noah so far is with him inside the tube while I coaxed him forward far enough that he wasn't hidden in the part he stuffed with newspaper.
ETA: Heh. Just after I posted this, I saw Noah in the upper level, checking out the hammock and baskets. So he's getting bolder too. :)