Moonshine Mousery

08/18/2023

WHERE HAS THE POO GONE.

(Repost)

Image description: a three panel black and white comic featuring 3 rats.
Panel 1: The rats are going back into their cage after freeroam time. One rat says "omigosh outside playtime was so fun". Another agrees with them but looks suspicious. "Yes..."
Panel 2: The rats gather together, they're all suspicious now. One says "Wait.. something is different"
Panel 3: this is a big shot of the whole cage, with various accessories and rat toys. A rat hammock hangs from the ceiling, their food bowl is in the centre, a hidey hole and some ledges can be seen. The rats stand in front of this all looking outraged.
One rat says "The cage is clean?!"
Another: "All of our hardwork! The human ruined it!
The first that replies: "And the poo is gone!"
The final rat says "What do they want with our poo?!"
The cage is spotless. The rats are angry.

01/20/2020

Mini Yogurt Drops 8 oz. 3 Pack (1.5 pounds Total) Sugar Glider Treats

Just got our order of Mini Yogurt Treats from SunCoast Sugar Gliders. These are healthy treats made from human grade ingredients with no artificial colors. Since these treats have a melting point, they do not ship them in the summer months so order some now while the weather is still cool. The rats love them!

https://www.amazon.com/Yogurt-pounds-Sugar-Glider-Treats/dp/B014X69YP8?ref_=ast_bbp_dp

We've tried almost 30 different treats with our breeding colony here at SunCoast, and while it's up to us to only offer things that are good for our sugar gliders, the final say goes to the sugar gliders themselves. After months of testing, we have identified the top choices of the whole gang! Yo...

09/09/2019

Mammary Tumor Check Tips for Female Rats | Kelsey Bass Illustration on Patreon

Finding small lumps is important in preventing rapidly growing tumors. Not all rat tumors are cancerous, many are fatty tumors and are very fast growing. If you ever find a bump or lump that you cannot identify, your vet can help you make the determination if it is an abscess or tumor and what is needed to clear it up.

Official Post from Kelsey Bass Illustration: I was prompted to make this after talking with a fellow rat owner on Instagram. They asked what was a good way to look out for tumors developing on rats. The most common type of tumor are mammary tumors. Female rats are more prone to get them than males,....

07/03/2019

I have had a few people asking if it was safe to give their rats dog rawhide chews. My answer is no, most commercial rawhide is prepared outside of the US and is usually bleached and treated with formaldehyde to comply with product importation laws so not really rodent safe.

06/06/2019

I use pine shavings in all my cages and bins. All my rats are healthy and happy. This is an excellent article written by a fellow breeder that explains what actually causes sneezes and respiratory issues in rats and that the true causes are usually over looked. It also dismisses some of the common myths about using kiln dried pine shavings as bedding. I encourage everyone to give it a read through.

01/08/2019

Cosmic Bliss Rattery - Michigan

Cosmic Bliss Rattery - Michigan

DID YOU KNOW?

Ammonia is actually the leading cause of most respiratory infections you'll face with your rats, not dust?

Popular bedding options like paper and fleece are a huge proponent of frequent URIS due to their extreme lack of ammonia control. Brands like Carefresh are also notorious for excess dusty particles that have been found in the airways, nasal passages, and lungs of autopsied rats. Carefresh even failed lab run ammonia tests and was removed from the study for the safety of the animals.

Quality, ammonia-controlling bedding is essential to the health and well being of your rats.

My top recommendations, as well as the recommendations of other breeders are:
- Kiln dried pine shavings (basically everything you find in store in the US will be). I love Petco's brand as well as the fine pine bales at Tractor Supply Co.
- Aspen shavings
- Pine Pellets (I prefer to use them a thin bottom layer with shavings on top for extra odor control)
- H**p bedding (loose, mats can be great for levels. Unfortunately loose is hard to find in Michigan).
- Walnut shell pellets (Blue Buffalo purple bag)
- Newspaper pellets (not as great as wood based, but a good option if you're allergic)

Looking at my heath warranty you will see that use of paper bedding and/or only fleece is an immediate void of any health guarantee. This is because the research is there, outside of the hear-say pet community. I refuse to risk health and well-being of animals I've worked hard to produce.