Ronnie and Derek are occasionally allowed to lick up the remains of food, such as from the bottom of yoghurt pots – see video below. They’re not allowed to do it too much otherwise they’d become overweight and risk ingesting too much sugar!
Yesterday morning I sent a text to Alex Lester on BBC Essex, as he was talking about bizarre thefts, so I ‘shopped’ Ronnie to him and revealed his habit of thieving Derek’s food! He read out the text on-air – listen below.
BBC Essex, Alex Lester, 30/12/19
I’ve also texted BBC Essex about Ronnie and Derek in the past when they’ve been talking about pets – listen to these clips below.
BBC Essex, Alex Lester, 2/9/19
BBC Essex, Sonia Watson and Ben Fryer, 10/5/19
Today’s Photo of The Day, selected randomly from the Photos page. There’ll be another tomorrow!
Ronnie in the bedding, Jan 2020. (Click thumbnail to enlarge image.)
Today’s Photo of The Day, selected randomly from the Photos page. There’ll be another tomorrow!
Ronnie (foreground) and Derek in the bedding, Jan 2020. (Click thumbnail to enlarge image.)
-and-Derek-in-the-bedding,-Jan-2020.jpg)
Watch below a video of Ronnie and Derek enjoying tucking into the remains of a cooked piece of chicken. They weren’t allowed to eat the whole thing – just a small bit!
Click thumbnails to enlarge. More photos on the Photos page.
HAPPY NEW YEAR from Ronnie and Derek…
2020 is also the Chinese Year of the Rat!
Today’s Photo of The Day, selected randomly from the Photos page. There’ll be another tomorrow!
Derek trying to get out of the tunnel with Ronnie on top of him, Feb 2020. (Click thumbnail to enlarge image.)
Today’s Photo of The Day, selected randomly from the Photos page. There’ll be another tomorrow!
Derek asleep in the shell, Apr 2019. (Click thumbnail to enlarge image.)
We were told Ronnie and Derek were approx. six to eight weeks old when we got them on 30 January 2019, so to set a date for their birthday, I worked backwards seven weeks from 30 January which gives 12 December.
That means Ronnie and Derek will be celebrating their 1st birthday on 12 December 2019.
This is coincidentally the day of the UK General Election – something rats are unfortunately not eligible to stand or vote in, which is a shame as a Parliament of rats would surely do a better job! The 12th also happens to be one day before my 32nd birthday.
I recently weighed Ronnie and Derek again using kitchen scales. It’s quite tricky to do because they inevitably don’t want to keep still – particularly Derek who kept wandering off! See the photos below.
Ronnie’s previously been a bit heavier than Derek, but now Derek is slightly heavier at about 540g (and Ronnie at 535g). The ideal weight is a bit less at about 500g, so I’ll slightly reduce the amount of food I feed them and see if it has an effect. Another good method is apparently to scatter dry food around their cage instead of placing it in a food bucket.
Exercise is obviously the best way to reduce weight though, including running up the stairs, which Ronnie and Derek like doing!
Click thumbnails to enlarge. More photos on the Photos page.
All content hosted on this website, including text and visual materials, is Copyright © David Watts 2019 - 2026. 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 our pet rats. 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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