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Pumpkin, Pingu and Bramble
0A couple of weeks ago Charles and I added a few more members to our family – three more baby rats! We originally wanted two more to live with Mabel and Heather, as the intro between them and Miggley just wasn’t working, but when we found out that the breeder we use had three females left, we decided to get them all.
The three new girls are called Pumpkin, Pingu and Bramble, and they’re currently ten weeks old, and incredibly cute! Here they all are…
Pumpkin is an Agouti Berkshire and is a little feisty thing. She’s very confident and keeps play fighting with Mabel, which is always fun to watch.
Pingu (so-called because she’s black with a white belly!) is my little shy girl. She’s smaller than the other two, and quite timid, but she’s so loving. She reminds me a lot of Mog in her demeanour and appearance.
Bramble is an Agouti Hooded Dumbo – my first ever dumbo rat! Just look at those gorgeous ears. She’s feisty like Pumpkin, and also likes picking play fights with her big sisters.
The three new girls have the same dad as Mabel and Heather, which I think made the introduction process a lot easier. After a week of quarantine we let all the girls meet each other on neutral territory, and they got on straight away. Nobody showed any signs of aggression, and after two intros they were ready to live together!
Charles and I also invested in a Savic Royale Suite cage, which is a top-of-the-range piece of kit. It can fit about twelve rats, but we’re sticking to five for now, so they’re very lucky in terms of space! The five rats have now been living together since Monday, and we’ve had no trouble. In fact, they’re all like best of friends! Every morning I find them squished into one bed together asleep – so cute!
Naomi x
Introducing Heather and Mabel
0A couple of weeks ago I had to say goodbye to my beautiful heart rat Mog. She’d been suffering with a pituitary tumour for a little while, and though we tried every treatment available, it unfortunately got too much for her and she had to be put to sleep. I was absolutely heartbroken and I still miss her like mad, as does her sister Miggley, who was left alone.
Rats are very sociable animals and aren’t supposed to live singly, which left us with no choice but to get her some cagemates! After contacting many breeders all over the Midlands, I eventually managed to find two young females from Destiny Rats. After a week of waiting, last weekend we finally got to collect our new babies, and here they are…
Heather is a Russian Blue Berkshire, and Mabel is a Buff Berkshire, and they are both now nine weeks old, and so, so soft and cute! As they were handled from a very young age by the breeder and her family, they are both incredibly friendly and loving, and we get mobbed every time we go up to their cage.
We have only just started the introduction process with the two girls and Miggley, so they haven’t met properly yet, but they are very curious about each other from afar. They will gradually be introduced over the next couple of weeks, and eventually they will all be living together in one big cage. Hopefully they’ll all get along fine!
I plan on blogging about how the introduction goes, so check back soon for an update.
Naomi x
P.S. Miggley says “kmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm8ppppppppppppo[pyu”
The Furry Friend Tag
6It’s been quite a while since I last posted a tag post, but when I saw Claire had shared this Furry Friend Tag on her blog, I just had to do it. After all, I never pass up the chance to talk about my beloved ratties! Plus it means I get to add a few recent photos that I’ve been meaning to share with you all.
So, without further ado, here are my two female rats, who are now over one year old, and have lived with me for eleven months!
1. What are your pets’ names?
My two rats are called Miggley and Mog.
2. When did you get Miggley and Mog?
I got Miggley and Mog on 27th April 2013, when they were just seven weeks old.
3. What is something that Miggley and Mog do that annoys you?
I’ve had quite a few rats in my time and out of all of them, Miggley and Mog are definitely the most adventurous. Especially Miggley, who likes to escape onto the floor and hide under my bed! Her antics used to annoy me a little bit, but they don’t any more. I just think it’s cute… rats will be rats! But what does annoy me is when she fights with Mog. Rats love to play fight, but Miggley can get quite rough and aggressive and sometimes hurts her sister, so I have to separate them for a while 
4. What type of breeds are Miggley and Mog?
Miggley is a brown and white hooded rat, and Mog is a black silvered Berkshire, but she has rusted a bit over time so she now looks brown. Both have top ears, black eyes and standard coats.
5. Has Miggley or Mog ever had a near death experience?
No, I don’t think so – and I hope it stays that way!
6. Do Miggley and Mog know any tricks?
Both of them will chase paper and string, and they also know how to run an assault course around the living room. They even jump across the gap between the armchair and the sofa.
7. Do Miggley and Mog like to snuggle?
Miggley prefers to run around on the bed or the floor and get up to mischief, whilst Mog will happily sit inside my sleeve or cardigan. Both of them like to snuggle at night though, and they both sleep inside my dressing gown for a few hours before I go to bed.
8. Where did you get Miggley and Mog?
I wanted to buy from a reputable breeder but I couldn’t find one nearby, so I settled for a local independent pet shop instead. Luckily they are both healthy and have nice temperaments, but in the future I’ll definitely look again for a breeder. I hope to breed rats myself one day too.
9. Do Miggley and Mog get along with other rats?
Well they get along with each other, and they were housed with two other rats when I bought them, so yes. Once I have my own house I hope to get them a couple of friends.
10. Do Miggley and Mog get along with strangers?
Yes! They both love it when my family visit or there are new people in the house. They like to show off and perform their tricks, and will always accept fuss and treats from strangers.
11. How much do Miggley and Mog weigh?
I weighed them a few days ago and Miggley weighs 345g, and Mog weighs 330g. Mog used to weigh more than Miggley but she’s overtaken her now. They’re both a healthy weight though.
12. Do you ever dress Miggley and Mog up?
No, never.
13. Have Miggley and Mog ever tried to run away?
Whenever they’re on my bed they’re constantly trying to get onto the floor, especially Miggley, but I don’t think they’d ever genuinely run away. They don’t even escape when I leave their cage door open.
14. How did you come up with their names?
My dad used to tell me made up bedtime stories when I was a child about a frog called Miggley Mog. I have fond memories of those stories and wanted to carry on the name!
15. How much do Miggley and Mog mean to you on a scale of 1-10?
10! Without a doubt.
Feel free to carry on the tag if you wish! Please let me know if you do as I’d love to read about your lovely pets.
Naomi x
Last Minute Gift Ideas… For Your Cat!
1
7 years
by Naomi in Pets
With only three sleeps to go until Christmas Day, I’m sure we’ve all got our shopping pretty much done and dusted by now. But have you forgotten anyone? What about your pets? I always, always buy my pets a couple of little treats at Christmas, and this year I was kindly gifted a few bits and pieces by Pets at Home to give to my cats, Moo and Moth. Here’s what they received, and here’s what the cats think of them…
Door Hanging Santa Face – £6.00 / Reindeer Cat Teaser – £3.00 / Webbox Cats Delight Tasty Sticks – £1.00 / Catnip Flavoured Santa – £2.50
Moth always loves chasing anything dangly, so her favourite toy is the Reindeer Teaser, even if she’s too lazy to get up off the sofa to play with it! This toy seems quite robust so hopefully it will last a bit longer than their toys usually do, and at £3.00 it’s reasonably priced too.
The Door Hanging Santa Face is a firm favourite with Moo, although we aren’t too keen on having his claws near the wooden door, so we hold it up for him instead! This toy is quite large and has multiple, well made strands hanging from it that the cats love to attack, as you can see. This one costs a bit more at £6, but given its size and quality it’s well worth it.
The cats have had these Webbox treat sticks before and they always enjoy them. They even pull them out of the packet themselves if you open it for them first! I can’t find these on the Pets at Home website but I think they come in at £1 a pack, which if you don’t want to spend much is ideal.
When I first opened this Santa treat all hell broke loose! It’s catnip flavoured and the cats could smell it straight away, and were all over the packaging whilst I photographed it. When I gave it to them they pounced on it and had a nice little munch before I took it away from them. They can have more of that at a later date! These are £2.50 each and they’re a good size, and will last a while if you limit how much you give at a time. It’s such a good idea too, being able to give your pet a ‘chocolate’ santa at Christmas along with the rest of the family.
Pets at Home also have a fab Cat Christmas Stocking available for £5.00, which contains a few toy mice, balls and pom-poms, two packets of treats and a carton of cat milk, as well as other gifts for cats, dogs and small pets, to suit all budgets. So, if you still need to pick up some Christmas presents for your pets, Pets at Home is the place to go!
Naomi x
*These Pets at Home cat Christmas gifts were sent to me for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Meet Miggley and Mog!
5On 27th of April I brought home a couple of new additions to the family – two baby rats who I have named Miggley and Mog! At the time they were just 7 weeks old, very small and very shy, but in just over a week I managed to gain their trust (which took a lot of patience!), and they are now happy, lively, very quick and very lovely. And here they are…
Miggley
Mog
Aren’t they gorgeous? We used to keep a lot of rats as a family when I was younger, but these two are all mine and it amazes me just how much of a bond I have with them already. They love to sit in the bonding pouch that my mum made for me to carry them in, and they’re currently getting used to playing in the play pen pictured above. Ratties need free range time!
Here are a few of my favourite pictures of the pair…
Miggley and Mog are extremely adventurous, so expect more posts in the future all about their escapades! I’m determined to teach them how to swim so we’ll see how that goes.
Would you ever have a rat as a pet?
Naomi x
