Rat tail carriage..?

Rats used to be the only animal that I was afraid of, until, I bought a pet store feeder to use for scenting f/t prey.

She had her leg broke when we bought her, so I forced to handle her to treat her broken leg. Then she dealt with the typical RIs caused by Mycoplasma, that you can expect to get at a facility that breeds in such poor conditions. Oh, and of course, her very early pregnancy.

So, the poor thing deserved love and oh boy did she get it. She was allowed to free range for the longest time, until her RIs started kicking back up.

So, needless to say, I got attached and now I have over 15 pet rats. Some of them rescues, some of them breeder purchased.

We do the same thing! Empty paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, toilet paper, newpaper, sea shells, etc. Rats are easy to please creatures :).

Also, around this time of year, you can find those kitty stockings that are filled with cat toys and they are really cheap after Christmas. The cotton toys they love tearing up and the balls, bells and other plastic toys make pretty long lasting items.

Another thing rats love to do is climb and scurry along thick ropes. Don't waste big cash on pet store ropes though, just hit a boating store or home depot sort of place and buy some thick pure cotton rope (not the plastic stuff). String it around, make huge knots in it. The rats will love it!

I don't know why, but I never thought of doing that with rope. That's an excellent idea!

I have ladders setup all over their cage, but didn't think about boating rope. :D

Ooo...good suggestion with the rope. My two younger girls love to climb, so that would be perfect for them. Thanks :D

Just a little info I found recently while looking up stuff about rats. I always knew they used their tails to indicate mood and to help them balance when they climb but did you know they actually use them to help regulate their body temp. That's why rats that are tailless have such a hard time with overheating. I have one tailless one, though she wasn't born that way, that I never realized would have this trouble. Now I know and it explains some of the reactions I've seen her have if the rat room got too warm in the summertime.

http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatTails.htm

Mother Nature is so very smart!

Weird..! I have never seen this in rats. But my cat does this; he constantly walks around with his tail up over his back. No, he is not spraying urine. He is neutered, and I would know if he did that. But especially when he is startled, or happy about something (being fed) he does this.