Ratty Corner and the Brandywine Rats

Health: Some stressy warbling during intros at around 3 months old. Fine once I gave them a break.
8th July 2008 - Lump under neck. Possibly abscess?
9th July 2008 - Vet visit. Lump is probably mammary. Removal tomorrow.
10th July 2008 - Abscess drained - too deep in neck to remove entirely. Return on Tuesday for post op appt. Metacam .1ml, Convenia .1ml.
15th July 2008 - Flush abscess and repeat Convenia injection. Return on Friday.
19th July 2008 - Flush abscess, remove necrotic tissue. Draining well. Convenia injection. Return on Tuesday.
22nd July 2008 - All clear, healing nicely.

Temperament: Alpha doe. Usually wriggly and friendly. Happy to be picked up. Occasional berserker fits where she seeks out my hand, clamps on and bites deep, maybe once every three/four weeks, but I'm wise to her now so not getting bitten. She squabbles with the other girls when she's in this mood too. No obvious cause.
Nov 2007 - Seems to have grown out of biting.
6th Dec 2007 - The little grotbag bit me. Not very deep. That'll teach me to pay attention.
10th Dec 2007 - Tried to bite. In season.
15th Dec 2007 - Bitey again. 16th Dec 2007 - In season. ???
1st May 2008 - Rosie has been very good lately. I think a lot of her problem is that she is season far more than usual.
July 2008 - Completely stopped biting. No problem for ages.

About Rosie

and lives with her sister Megan and some other rats. I did have a little problem with her biting at first, but I was given some advice and it seems to work. I was told to show her who is boss by flipping her onto her back and holding her there. I've been doing this every time she seems a little stroppy with me, or when she looks like she is thinking of biting, and it worked wonderfully until I dropped my guard. Ah well, start again!

I'm beginning to think that it's the smell of boys that sets her off. I'm having some success with washing my hands well before going to the cage.

Rosie is a stroppy little madam, but such a little character. She took advantage of Pyramus being ill to take over as alpha, and I can't see her letting it go. She's a very solid little girl too, much heavier than her sister Megan. She's difficult to get out of the cage, doesn't like being lifted out and prefers to exit on her own. Once she's out I can pick her up with no problem.

Pictures