New member intro

Welcome aboard.

I wish/hope that I could afford to bring home a pair of piebalds. I think they range about 10,000 each if I'm not mistaken. Give or take a couple of thousand dollars.

Anyway, again, welcome aboard!

I said piebald CARRIERS! LOL I too cannot afford a piebald- but can figure out the $3000-3500 for carriers! (I'd like the have more experience in care, and breeding before getting expensive snakes though... Another way to look at it is I'm waiting 'til Marla has carriers available to send to me *G*

Emily~

oh. i was confused to. we call "carriers" hets. (heterozygous). but im sure you know all about that from rat genetics and such. how do you train a rat to do all that stuf?! seriously id like to know. i want a rat that does all that!
welcome to the site!

Hi, Welcome!
This is a great site with the nicest and best people
Good Luck with your BP

Rats are definetly very smart creatures. i was big into rats before I switched to "the dark side" ..lol
My last rat Bandit was always the best, very good with picking up new tricks!
Welcome to the site!
Rusty
PS: It's always a good idea to feed frozen thawed to your snakes, we do here, I still wouldn't be able to be around when a live rat is offerd for food, but we do have to have them in our freezer. It's easier on me, and I know how our distributors put the animals down. (humanely)
Just a quick note on the matter
Thanks

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Originally Posted by Mike

oh. i was confused to. we call "carriers" hets. (heterozygous). but im sure you know all about that from rat genetics and such. how do you train a rat to do all that stuf?! seriously id like to know. i want a rat that does all that!
welcome to the site!

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In rats they call it 'carriers' (most rat people have NO CLUE on genetics and explaining how recessives WORK is needed for them *G*) so I'm used to using that term. In birds it's 'split' which is REALLY confusing me! *G*

I'm a genetics minor so know a decent amount on genetics, but haven't taken many college courses yet. I've always been fasionated by genetics. Concidering a clay arts minor... which COMPLETELY contridicts the classes I already have down and my major- which is animal science/zooliogy (I could go either way at this point- just have to decide if I want to focus on behavior or nutrition)

I am glad that snakes use scientific terms. In the 'rat world' we have SOOOO many arguements over genetic terms and genotype over phenotype etc. It really gets old *G*

Anyways about training rats.... it's actually fairly easy- if you understand them and animal behavior. I'm a professional dog trainer and positive modivation comes natural to me so I just go with it. If a rat has a specific strength, or a game they like to play or something I associate a word with it and praise them when they do it. Rats are A LOT like dogs... actually in many ways IDENTICAL to dogs behavior wise so are easy to teach new things to.

Some scientists compare rats to humans and say they are a lot like people... hense being used in so many human behavior based expiriments.

I personally think rats make wonderful lively pets and can't imagine my life without them. They unlike dogs don't tend to have behavior issues- and in my experience their behavior issues are almost always health linked unlike dogs. Anyways I'll shut up now before I yap all day *G*

Emily~

Welcome

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Originally Posted by Rustysdragons

Rats are definetly very smart creatures. i was big into rats before I switched to "the dark side" ..lol
My last rat Bandit was always the best, very good with picking up new tricks!
Welcome to the site!
Rusty
PS: It's always a good idea to feed frozen thawed to your snakes, we do here, I still wouldn't be able to be around when a live rat is offerd for food, but we do have to have them in our freezer. It's easier on me, and I know how our distributors put the animals down. (humanely)
Just a quick note on the matter
Thanks

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Right now 'Rad' is on live food eating 2 large mice or one small *cringe* rat twice a month. I plan on switching him to Gerbils, and THEN to prekilled.

Right now he's getting ready to shed but when he's done, and hungry wish me luck! Luckly she says when he's hungry the food is in with him less than a miniute.

I'm thinking my game plan will be feed him a live Gerbil first then feed him a recently killed one (even if I need thongs) Since he's a good eater- and not very picky (his past owner would switch back and forth between mice and rats) I should be in luck and not have much issue swicting him over.

I would keep him on mice but they smell SOOOO bad, and are too small. He's not big enough for baby rabbits either otherwise we have meat rabbits I could part with infants from.

I just can't morally feed rats, and as long as he's happy, and healthy without them I will substitute rats with a just as or more nutritionally apprioate meal!

Emily~

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My last rat Bandit

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I had a rat named Bandit!!! Also had 31 others, lol... Bandit was one of my favorites though :)

yeah, I still accually have a framed picute of bandit, My husband just put it up for me.
I miss her, I keep thinking about owning another pet rat, but with 6 ferrets and the rabbit my hubby would shoot me if I brought home another mammal..lol
Rusty