Rat owners help!

[Barbedwirecat]

Hey guys,
I have owned rats for quite awhile and I decided to get another buddy for my female/male (she/he is a hermaphrodite, only the female parts work, she actually gave birth a few of you might remember) So I got a teeny tiney rat furred baby, he's a blazed lilac banded if you know your breed colors (he's about mouse size). Doing my reading I found that younger rats are more easily accepted into the colony. He's a feeder rat.....but some of you may know how that goes. I wanted to save him fron that fate (I have nothing against feeding live prey, but he had a VERY good temperment not skittish playful).

He will be quarentined for at least 2 weeks and then gradually introduced to Skuttlebutt my shim He will not be with her full time until he is castrated, or she is spayed. I'm working on getting her over allergies right now and a possible slight URI (she just got a checkup today).

Regardless this is NOT my problem.

I went to a very large hell hole on bristol viginia (I will not mention the name, but if you are from around here you probably know of it)today because I knew they had hairless rats, as I had inquired earlier. I had gone there previously and seen the poor sick and inhumane conditions they had them living in and had decided I would "rescue" all I could get. They had two females I bought them knowing I would have a large vet bill on my hands later, URI and they had very bad eye infections. They were house in a 10 gallon cage with about 20 other rats. These would be considered medium rats, not babies. I got a "tour" of the backroom and it was HORRIBLE, clouds of flys, cages filled to the top with mice and rats. They have a couger there and more than a dozen venomous snakes they do not take care of propperly, they are a roadside attraction. The biggest thing is them keeping 2 12 ft burms in a single 75 gallon cage. I mean.....WOW. You walk in the door and it smells like death and amionia. The rats themselves are bad off. They were severly dehydrated. I have them completley seperated from the other rats in a large cat carrier for now in a completley different part of the house.

The problem:
One of them looks like it has a very rotten eye. It had either been scratched and then infected or has an ulcer, she will be giong with me to the hospital as soon as I can get up there (with work thats next wednesday, exotic vet around here is only open 8-6, I work 9-8. I could drop the rats off but not pick them up intil the next morning. You see the dilema.) I think we'll need eye surgery. Doe ANYONE have any ideas on how I can make theses ratties more comfortable until then. I'm using sterile saline to flush the eyes out and applying neo-poly-bac I had left over from a box turtle I nursed.

Sorry about the long post I am so furious I am about to cry. And before I hear the lecture of not giving them my money and buying the rats in the first place.....I am on a mission to shut that place down FOR GOOD. Most of the animals will be destroyed if this happens, I am going to save what I can. If anyone would also like to help to sign petitions and sign some letters I will be sending to the health department, animal control, fish and game, and a few senators and even the governer if I have to, please PM me on AIM me as xinsanexdesignx


Thanks guys n gals.

 

[bugmankeith]

You have a hermaphrodite rat, I didn't know that, those must be extremely rare to find! So if he/she gave birth and produced milk, what part is male?

Post pictures of the parents and baby, I would like to see.

Sorry to hear about the cruelty you discovered, report it, and that's great you saved a few rats from what would have been certain death.

Mabye you can contact people that live nearby and ask them to rescue some animals so they wont have to be euthanized, unless they are suffering so bad they cant be saved.

 

[Barbedwirecat]

Well unfortunatly the babies did not survive, the female rat did not lactate at all (as with about 75 percent of all hairless rat mothers) I purchased this rat as a male, in the male rat cage at the store. My exotic veterinarian today confirmed my statement that this was a hermaphrodite. It obiously has a uterus and female parts, but it also has a penis and quasi testes. It actually urinates out of the penis, which she was shocked to find out considering her female anatomy works too. Also the chances of a hermaphrodite carring to full term is INCEREDIBALLY slim. She was showing Shim off to all of the doctors in the clinic she was so ecited! So....weirdly I most likeley have the ONLY hermaphroditic rat on the planet that was able to give birth hand have fulling functioning anatomy (We do not know if this rat had sperm, with the mutaion of hairless/dumbo/hermaphrodite, its very unlikley, but when we spay her we will find out-I'll do a swab and put it on a slide we can see if theres any lil wigglers)
This is the eye trauma, soaking and rinsing out about 3 times a day.

 

[bugmankeith]

Wow that is truly amazing, that's a very special rat. Hope the eye gets better.

Sorry to hear about the babies.

I got a laugh about what you said happened in the vet's office, I bet they were surprised

 

[Barbedwirecat]

Oh definitly. She looked at me like I was crazy when I said the rat had babies. My BF was there and he was there the night I found out she had them, he vouched for me. I used to work with the vet so I know she knew I wasn't lying. I think she might document the surgery in a textbook or paper, so I'll have a famous rattie!

 

[IguanaMama]

Go to Yahoo.com and click on GROUPS, there are a lot of rat groups there, I know that there is one specifically on rat health. There is a women in california that really knows about rat health too, I think her name is barbara, but I can't remember right now, but she runs a yahoo rat group, you just have to sign up for these. People are really nice on these groups, they should be willing to help. If you are having trouble finding these groups, lmk and I will help you, I just don't have the time right now, but I just wanted to get you started. As far as closing down this place goes--you can call or email the aspca. They are in NYC, they have a website, just google it. And of course there is PETA, maybe they will help.

 

[Barbedwirecat]

I'm already part of those rattie groups, I'm posting on every forum I can think of

 

[AneesasMuse]

I hope your ratties get better. The shim story is very interesting, too. Wow!
Have you tried www.goosemoose.com ? They are very knowledgeable and I believe they may be affiliated with some of the Yahoo groups, as well. I always go there when I have a question about my rattie kids.