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Photography / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Rat
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Just a recent one of my wild boy, Oscar.
Yep, he's still here, doing great, loving his buddies, and happy he isn't out in the cold this year!
Yep, he's still here, doing great, loving his buddies, and happy he isn't out in the cold this year!
Category Photography / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Rat
Size 960 x 711px
File Size 127.2 kB
He's doing great. I accidentally left his door off the latch recently because I had to rush indoors in a panic, and he leaned against it and fell out of the cage. I was panicking because I thought he might run for it and dash back out into the wild, but he climbed up the cage and was trying desperately to get back in with his friends! He had no interest in leaving, he just kept peering back into the cage and grabbing at his buddies! Picked him up and put him back and he was like 'what the hell happened?!' It was nice to know at least that he likes living here, even if he had a chance to run off!
Yeah, I don't think most people would see a difference. He's very tiny though, never got any bigger really, but he has put some weight on. I don't think he'll ever be a big or fat rat, but he's at least chubbier than he was when I got him when you could virtually see his ribs :(
I still have him, but as of 3 weeks ago, he no longer lives with my other rats.
While he did just wonderful with them for a long time, he began to behave very unpredictably around them, and one of the things wild rats tend to do is 'pick off' any rat they see as old, weak, ill, or a threat to the group's survival. Sadly, Oscar showed these tendencies by continually picking on weaker rats than him, to the degree he caused a few serious injuries.
His behaviour around other rats became very unpredictable; some he would cuddle up with happily for months, then one day turn on them, for no apparent reason. It basically got to the point where he was upsetting my other rats, and I could not trust him.
If he were a domestic rat, he would be neutered to calm his behaviour, but I fear the stress of that might be very bad for him as he's not used to anyone but me.
We're looking into chemically castrating him with Tardak to see if it helps any, but if not, he will probably have to live alone. I don't like it, but I don't like the way he makes my other rats feel. Oddly, he actually seems happier alone, he is eating better now than he has for a while and he seems more relaxed without constant group stresses. He was a lone rat for many months before I caught him, so maybe he just prefers it that way.
Its sad in a way, because for so long he got on with the others, but grouping with wildies is very complex. Numbers in the group have to be excessively high, they can't just live with one or two others as they'll butcher them.
They need very large, strong groups to live in, and if those numbers die off and get too low, they turn. Its a constant 'spinning plates' effort to ensure the group remains large enough to prevent Oscar turning on others, while also ensuring old rats or any ill ones are removed before he attacks them, and then having to replace their 'slot' in the group with someone new right away so numbers don't drop.
So its all up in the air right now about him. He's getting on a bit, and he got very ill a few weeks ago, but we got through it so I don't know how long he'll be about....but a lot longer than he would have been, at least.
While he did just wonderful with them for a long time, he began to behave very unpredictably around them, and one of the things wild rats tend to do is 'pick off' any rat they see as old, weak, ill, or a threat to the group's survival. Sadly, Oscar showed these tendencies by continually picking on weaker rats than him, to the degree he caused a few serious injuries.
His behaviour around other rats became very unpredictable; some he would cuddle up with happily for months, then one day turn on them, for no apparent reason. It basically got to the point where he was upsetting my other rats, and I could not trust him.
If he were a domestic rat, he would be neutered to calm his behaviour, but I fear the stress of that might be very bad for him as he's not used to anyone but me.
We're looking into chemically castrating him with Tardak to see if it helps any, but if not, he will probably have to live alone. I don't like it, but I don't like the way he makes my other rats feel. Oddly, he actually seems happier alone, he is eating better now than he has for a while and he seems more relaxed without constant group stresses. He was a lone rat for many months before I caught him, so maybe he just prefers it that way.
Its sad in a way, because for so long he got on with the others, but grouping with wildies is very complex. Numbers in the group have to be excessively high, they can't just live with one or two others as they'll butcher them.
They need very large, strong groups to live in, and if those numbers die off and get too low, they turn. Its a constant 'spinning plates' effort to ensure the group remains large enough to prevent Oscar turning on others, while also ensuring old rats or any ill ones are removed before he attacks them, and then having to replace their 'slot' in the group with someone new right away so numbers don't drop.
So its all up in the air right now about him. He's getting on a bit, and he got very ill a few weeks ago, but we got through it so I don't know how long he'll be about....but a lot longer than he would have been, at least.
As sad as it is, this behaviour is what ensures the survival of the species, and is one of the (sad) secret of success of rats. Other species show the same behaviour, to a certain extend. My girlfriend's cats were terrified if one of them returned from a vet operation, still semi-nuked with tranquilizers - he was behaving oddly, and the other cat was constantly ready to attack if he would come too close. Same thing as of protecting themselves of probably diseased mates.
I think, the way he looked, that every week that has passed since you recovered him and took care for him is a gift for him anyways, so however this goes out, you already did a great job, and he already has had much more than he would have had out in the wild. And who knows - if he was a loner before, and has adapted to this, he might really feel less stressed without a constant need to fight. You may give him a single cage in the shed, provide fresh food and water, so he even might lead a semi-wild life (of course with the risks coming with that). Or you just keep him single in a care, and see to it that you are his un-rivaleable "super rat" size companion that provides food and cuddles. Could work out well too.
Hope he gets healthy again! Best of luck, for both of you! And give the others a big hug and a yoghurt drop from me - don't want to give the impression that they are less special because they are "just" regular domestic pet rats ;)
All the best!
I think, the way he looked, that every week that has passed since you recovered him and took care for him is a gift for him anyways, so however this goes out, you already did a great job, and he already has had much more than he would have had out in the wild. And who knows - if he was a loner before, and has adapted to this, he might really feel less stressed without a constant need to fight. You may give him a single cage in the shed, provide fresh food and water, so he even might lead a semi-wild life (of course with the risks coming with that). Or you just keep him single in a care, and see to it that you are his un-rivaleable "super rat" size companion that provides food and cuddles. Could work out well too.
Hope he gets healthy again! Best of luck, for both of you! And give the others a big hug and a yoghurt drop from me - don't want to give the impression that they are less special because they are "just" regular domestic pet rats ;)
All the best!
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