Ronnie recently stockpiled some rat nuggets by carefully placing them in the corner of their house and then covering them with some of their bedding cardboard! See photos below, along with photos of Ronnie enjoying some home-grown, juicy cherry tomatoes.
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Watch Ronnie having a good time swinging in one of the ‘coconut shells’!
See below some photos of Ronnie and Derek looking a bit mischievous!
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Watch below a video of Ronnie grooming.
Derek recently enjoyed resting on my arm, while Ronnie slept in one of the shells. Also below are some photos of them lazing around in hot weather.
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Derek definitely enjoys a good scratch. Here he is having some in the recent hot weather.
Derek enjoyed roaming around the sofa and ended up finding a nice hiding place between the cushions!
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Watch below a video of Derek enjoying a stroke and a scratch, while he was sleeping outside of the cage during recent hot weather.
Yesterday I weighed Ronnie and Derek by getting them to stand on digital kitchen scales. It took a few attempts, plus ‘Diva’ Derek got spooked by a noise that the scales made when I moved them across the floor, so he zoomed up my body and shot down my top for ‘safety’!
Derek weighed about 330g when he visited the vet in April, but had increased to 450g when I weighed him yesterday. Ronnie, who’s always been slightly heavier than Derek, came in at 470g. This is at the upper limits of what male pet rats should weigh (apparently 270g to 450g).
When rats are in their infancy, it’s advised to feed them well. However, now Ronnie and Derek are six months old and have just about reached adulthood, it’s probably time for them to go on a mini-diet to ensure they don’t get too heavy. I’m always careful not to overfeed them, but it looks like fewer treats and smaller portions of their nuggets will be necessary!
Ronnie and Derek enjoy occasional supervised garden explorations! Watch a short clip of them exploring, below.
All content hosted on this website, including text and visual materials, is Copyright © David Watts 2019. It cannot be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the copyright holder. All information provided on this website is based on experience of caring for Ronnie and Derek. Whilst the information will hopefully be useful to those interested in caring for rats, it must not be treated as a defintive care guide. If in doubt regarding the health and well-being of your rat(s), be safe by contacting your vet.
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