Life Dreams Rattery

Add your email to my newsletter list! I will send a newsletter monthly with news containing upcoming litters for my rattery, as well as other ratteries ocassionally, helpful tips about pet rats, and any exciting news in the rat community! ** I would like to announce that my newsletter will no longer be monthly due to a busy life, and lack of news every month. It will now be as needed, whenever I have news to share with everyone!

To be added to the list please send your email address and name to lifedreamsrattery@yahoo.com with the subject "Newsletter". I will then send you an invitation to join my email list!

Ok, I don't have much news this month. I do still have 2 little girls available. Princess has been with Benz for 3 weeks, but there are no signs of pregnancy yet. I will be putting Priscilla and Diablo together this week! So hopefully we'll have litters soon! There should be some blues and hopefully some minks too. So if you want on the waiting list please let me know!

I also added some Q&A's to my FAQ section, feel free to check it out!

Well, spring is finally here! Let's hope it brings baby rats along with the flowers! LOL It looks like Sindel and Bella are pregnant, though I'm not 100% sure yet. Anyone who is interested in these litters please check my upcoming litter page for an update in about a week! Those of you on my waiting list, (thanks for being patient) I will send you email updates.

Tip of the month: Did you know that when introducing a new rat you can dab them with a bit of vanilla extract? It will disguise their scent and distract your other rats! (FYI this was a tip from Jeanne who adopted a baby rat from me!)

Fun Facts: Did you know that some electricians train rats to wire buildings? They will tie a wire to thier tail and send them through a small pipe and then call them to the other end. Rats can get through very small places!

Rat Funnies: Primitive Texting

Happy March everyone! Spring is on the way! :) (we hope) Anyway, I have a litter that should be due in the next few days, so be sure to check back for updates on my available page! Sindel (mother) is pictured on my girls page and KC (father) is on my boys page. Pictures of the babies will be posted as soon as they are born!

 This month I am skipping my usual ratty stuff, I'd like to talk about something serious. As I'm sure everyone is aware, our economy is worsening on a daily basis. Seeing homeless people on the street corner is becoming a common occurence. But for every one homeless person we see, there are many more homeless animals that we don't see. They are not able to hold a sign asking for help. They can do nothing to help themselves. They can merely hope that someone will rescue them from their desolation and save them from the inevitability of death. If you are considering adopting a new pet anytime soon, PLEASE, please consider adopting an animal from your local shelter. And please check the ones that will euthanize their animals first, such as the pound and the humane society. If you are not able to adopt a new pet, please consider giving whatever you can to help. These animals need us, lets all do what we can. Every little bit counts!

Love is in the air! February is the month for love. We have new babies! :) Here are pictures of the proud parents:

Here is mommy, Hermione, she is a beige smooth coat dumbo. Daddy, Jax, is an agouti rex dumbo.

And here are the 15 babies! To get on my waiting list please email me at lifedreamsrattery@yahoo.com those who are on the waiting list prior to reservations will get first choice! I would also like to annouce that it is Life Dreams Rattery's one year anniversary! Thank you to all of those who have supported us!

Tip of the month: Did you know that it's ok for your rat to have small amounts of chocolate? I'm sure they would love a chocolate chip for Valentines Day!

Rat Facts: Did you know that a group of rats is called a mischief?

Rat funnies:

Happy New Year!! To start the new year off right, I have a pairing in progress, hopefully all will go well and I will be able to announce a litter by the end of January! I will be posting pictures of the parents shortly. Also, I would like to let everyone know that I got a new camera for Christmas, so, I will be updating a lot of my pictures. Please be patient through this process as it may take some time. So, wish me luck, by the end of the month we may have some new little ones! And Happy New Year! Sorry this newsletter is so short, but with all the holiday fun I had very little time! :)

Hey all! I have no news to report this month, sadly my last breeding attempt did not take. So, I will be planning some more breedings for the future and updating my upcoming litters page! Please check back to see what's coming!

Tip of the month: Did you know that rats enjoy a challenge? You can give them food that's challenging and fun for them! Some suggestions are a peanut in it's shell, or a hard boiled egg, make a tiny hole and watch them try to open it!

Rat Facts:Did you know that there are cities in Alaska that have banned owning pet rats? Apparently they are a nuisance!? We all need to watch these laws to try and prevent them from going farther! Those of you that live in Alaska can write to a member of your local legislation by going to this link:
http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/members/mla_list.htm

http://www.sophielynette.com/index.html

Rat Funnies:

Harrap's Rat-English Dictionary
Over 5,000 references, 80,000 translations and hundreds of new expressions! Contains usage notes to avoid being bitten, and slang signals on a wide variety of subjects. Contains examples to show how sounds are used.

Publisher: Harrap, 1st Edition (April 2004)
1523 pages
Paperback dimensions (in): 1.75 x 6.75 x 4.50
Waterproof cover
Edges treated with bitter apple to deter chewing
CD-ROM pronunciation guide now included!
Over 80,000 words spoken by trained rat professionals. Develop your listening comprehension skills.

Hear words and phrases in Rat
80,000 words and phrases per language
Installs directly on your hard drive
Cross-referenced, thesarus capability
Minimum system requirements:

Operating system: MS Windows 95/98/NT4/ME/XP
Macintosh OS 6.07 or newer, Mac OS X
Memory: 32MB (64MB recommended)
Disk Space: 32MB

Sample page from the E section:

e [i:] v. left; e ip, left a bit!
e e [i:i] v. right; e e ip, right a bit!
ee [ii:] a. just right, ee ewp, ooh, yeah, that's just right.
ee eee ['i:ii] v. tr. to stop grooming; ee eee ip!, stop nibbling my head now.
eee [iii] v. to stop; eee! stop that!
eee e [iii:'i] v. to quit; eee e! quit it!
eee ee ['ii:i] v. tr. to want; eee ee awp, I want that pea.
eee ee ee [iii:'ii:i] v. to go away; eee ee ee eep! get out of the hammock now, it's my turn.
 

Hi all! I am very happy to announce that all of my 8 little babies are healthy and doing very well! Their eyes are begining to open and they are trying to chew on food! I am very happy with the results of this litter and plan to continue this line. There are only two females left that are not either being kept by Life Dreams or adopted by a friend. Reservations are now open to all, if you are interested in these females, please let me know ASAP, as they will be adopted on a first come first serve basis. New pictures will be up in the next few days when all of their eyes are open! *Update* All babies are now reserved, please check back for upcoming litters!

Tip of the month:
Did you know that pink eyed rats cannot see very well? That's why some rats, especially pink-eyed rats, will sway their head back and forth to try and better focus their eye sight on a particular object.

Fun Facts:
Did you know that the word "Musophobia" is the fear of rats or mice.

Rat funnies:
This was pretty funny, but too long to add to my newsletter, check it out!
http://www.ratbehavior.org/laundry.htm

Hi everyone, Happy Halloween! Wanted to update everyone, we are finally done moving! (whew) Beemer and Sindel spent a lovely week together, (I even caught them spooning! lol) Beemer promised to write! :) Now we have to wait. I expect to see a belly in the next week or two at the latest! I will be updating the available page! Cross your fingers guys!

Tip of the month:Did you know it's easier to introduce a new rat to the colony if you reduce their natural smell? You can do this by bathing each rat with a mild scented shampoo (floral or fruity) and introduce them one by one after the bath. If the rats become too agitated try giving them a can of tuna in a bowl, this will also help to mask the scent! (info found on Ratguide.com)

Fun facts: In Western culture the rat is reviled by many as a nasty disease carrier, this animal is viewed much differently in the East. Chinese mythology states that the rat brought the gift of rice to humankind. The rat is one of the creatures in the Chinese Zodiac.  He is revered for his quick wits and his ability to accrue and hold on to items of value; rats are considered a symbol of good luck and wealth in both China and Japan. Clever and quick-witted, the Rat of the Chinese Zodiac is utterly disarming to boot. Possessed of excellent taste, this Sign flaunts its style at every turn. Its natural charm and sharp, funny demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone. The Rat likes to know who is on its side and will treat its most loyal friends with an extra measure of protection and generosity like the western Zodiac, the Chinese Zodiac is also split into 12 animals, the first of which is the rat.

Rat funnies:

New element discovered

Element:  Rattium
Symbol:  Rt
Atomic weight:  450g

Physical properties:
A solid a room temperature, although has a tendency to melt into a pliable form when massaged.
Despite attraction for power cords, it is a poor electrical conductor.
Far from dense.
Thermally insulated by a layer of soft fibres which magnetically attracts human skin of the hands and lips.
Emits an audible alarm when squeezed or poked.

Chemical properties:
Rt+ attempts to bond with Rt- at any chance it gets.
Rt+ can become explosive when mixed with similar ions, but is effectively diffused by removal of large electrons to form neutral Rt.
Propensity to consume any organic matter it encounters.
Becomes excited by addition of Element Yg (Yogurtdropium).
Insoluble in water, although wetting tends to turn it into a harshly acidic reagent that is hazardous to human skin.
Once established in an area, it acts as a catalyst for the absorption of more and more of like element into that area.

Usage:
Industrial use is limited to minor fertilizer production and as a biological paper shredder.
Considered by some to be a rare and precious commodity in it's natural state.

Cautions:
Prone to leakage of internal fluids.
Without careful monitoring, can cause environmental degradation.

Hi all! I apologize for skipping August's newsletter! We've been really busy here! We are getting ready to move this weekend! I wanted to announce we have a pairing planned for the first week of September. Here are pictures of the parents:

The Mom (above) is a blue agouti, dumbo, rex.                    The Dad (above) is a pearl merle, top ear, smooth coat.

 FYI, I am being mentored by Tony from Raffinhouse! His predictions for this litter are: agouti, american blue agouti, black, american blue, with a chance for, cinnamon, platinum agouti, mink, mink based platinum, havana agouti, & pearl. Predictions are based on the history of the lines. I am very excited abouthis litter, and am hoping for a couple of merles! Please email me if you would like to be on the waiting list for this litter! Litter should be born by the begining of October, (if all goes well) This litter is a 3rd generation litter, both parents are babies from my own litters.

Update: The pair is together, and we are hoping for success! They were put together on Sept 21, 2008 so I am hoping for pups mid October! Please check back weekly for updates!

Sorry this month's newsletter is so late! But I wanted to wait until Lexi gave birth! Last night she had 13 healthy peepers! All are doing very well. Lexi is the perfect mommy! There will be more pictures on my available page when they get a little older, for now here are the little eepers! Please visit the available page for updated pictures!

Here are pictures of mommy and daddy!

Pups will vary in color with the possibilities of black or silvered black, agouti, chocolate, russian blue, and blue agouti. Hooded, capped and berkshire markings are possible. All pups will be dumbos, some will be rex and some smooth coat. If interested please email me to get on the waiting list!

Life Dreams Rattery Newsletter

We have not yet decided on a pairing, but are looking at our options now. Hopefully we will be updating the site with our pairing anouncement soon!

Tip of the month:

Two or more rats will bond with you more quickly than a single lone rat would. Rats feel braver in numbers. And an unsocialized rat can learn a lot from watching a socialized rat interact with you.

Fun Facts:

Rats bathe themselves, usually six times a day or more. A rat's saliva has some pink pigmentation, which can cause a light-colored rat to look discolored. A warm washcloth with baby shampoo is great for those trouble spots.

Rat Funnies:

Q.  How many rats does it take to change a light bulb?
A.  One.  Nimbus to hold the bulb in and wait for the world to revolve around him.
A.  Two.  One to remove the old one, the other to pee all over the replacement bulb so that it trips the electrical circuit.
A.  None, they prefer to be in the dark.
A.  All of them.  One to take the bulb out and the others to fight over who gets to stash it.
A.  Why change it?  The rats have already gnawed through all the house wiring, which is why the bulb wasn't working in the first place.

Life Dreams Rattery Newsletter

Sadly Mercedes is not pregnant. It seems she either absorbed the babies, or was never pregnant at all. Apparantly her "chubby belly" was a product of my wishful thinking! Well, these things happen. We have no pairing to announce at this time, we will be making plans this month and hopefully will be able to announce another pairing by June.

Tip of the month:

Rats tend to see other animals as either predators or food, and they can and will kill smaller rodents. So, just because you have a rat and a hamster, does not mean they can be "playmates" rats are better with other rats.

Fun facts:

Rat Funnies:

Rat Property Laws

Life Dreams Rattery Newsletter

We at Life Dreams Rattery have a pairing to announce this month! Our beautiful American blue rex dumbo "Mercedes" has been paired with our Silvered Chocolate dumbo "Diablo" We are hoping for babies the first week of May. We are expecting some blue variations, some chocolate variations, and some black. All will be dumbo, 50% rex, and 50% standard fur. Please send us an email to get on the waiting list!

Tip of the month:
Did you know male rats should not eat oranges? Oranges conatin something called d-limonene and if your male rat eats enough of it, it can cause kidney problems and lead to cancer. But, female rats can eat oranges, they do not have the protien that causes this problem in male rats.

Fun Facts:
Did you know that this year is the Chinese year of the rat? In the "Year of the Rat", we can expect 12 months of plentiful opportunities and prospects not to mention being relatively free of turbulence, (which is great to know especially if you're planning on making some long-term investments, starting new projects, or keeping the home fires burning brightly).

Rat Funnies:
The National Institutes of Health have announced that they will no longer be using rats for medical experimentation. In their place, they will use attorneys. They have given three reasons for this decision:

1. There are now more attorneys than there are rats.
2. The medical researchers don't become as emotionally attached to the attorneys as they did to the rats.
3. No matter how hard you try, there are some things that even rats won't do.