Abra

Hello! I just adopted an elderly female rat from PetCo (she's over 2 years old). She was neglected and came in so sick she had to be at the vet for two months. She's a bit scruffy but she loves to cuddle. :D Anyway, her back legs don't work too well, and sometimes she seems like she goes to the bathroom without being able to control it, so I think she's slightly incontinent.

I've read that when urine stays on a rat's skin too long they can get urine sores so I should bathe her, but I've also ready that bathing a rat too much can deplete their natural oils and make their skin dry.

What's a good middle ground that will keep her clean but have healthy skin? Is there a way to combat the dry skin? I've read olive oil helps, but I'm not sure.

Thanks!

So I just got my first apartment at the beginning of the summer, and my dad sent a care package. He and h is girlfriend are whole-food vegans so they decided to try Vegemite... and hated it (must be an Australian thing. :P). So, they sent it to me in the care package so I could try it. XD First impression: Smells like soy sauce. Second impression: Tastes like soy sauce on a cracker with a weird after taste. So, I'm not a huge fan but I'd eat it.

Then, I was like: "Hey it has veggies I bet Opal and Olivia (my two girls) would eat this!"

So, has anyone fed their rats vegemite? The only thing I'd be worried about is maybe salt content...

Today I left them alone for the whooole day for the first time and didn't play with them since I left right after I got up, and now they freeze when they see me and wont' come greet me at the door like they usually do. ;_; I'm such a guilty rat parent. Are they "mad" at me? D:

I have two rats, Opal and Olivia. I just had the most brilliant idea ever. xD Dress up as a pokémon trainer and dress them as Raichus for halloween. :P Of course it'd probably just be for some pictures since I don't want to take them out and about for fear of something happening, but anyone have any idea as to how I can dress them as Raichu? XD Cause that would be pretty awesome. lol

Yeah not really a question. Just excitement and sharing. xD

I've been looking into better diets for my two girls, and was wondering how people liked the Rat Whisperer died and how much it costs, cause there was a looooot of stuff I've never even seen in there and I'm a college student. lol One batch of the RW diet would last my rats 3 months, so I want to try and do some price comparisons between popular rat diets.

Thanks!

Overall it was a fun visit; the vets thought Opal and Olivia were adorable and Opal had to be pried out from under my shirt to get her checkup (:P!), and both of them are healthy. Oliva has been exhibiting possible URI symptoms, though, so the vet sent me home with antibiotics to treat her just in case.

It's something called Trimethoprim. It's supposed to be cherry-flavored and easier to feed to rats than Baytril since they actually like it (though my vet said she could give me the pill form of baytril mixed with piña colada flavoring instead and they also usually like that). Anyone have any experience with this medication?

Im restricted to a bus system and after working out all the possible times, I can't get to the pet store and back to my rats and then make the bus that will take me to the vet. Would it be better to use a cardboard box? Or should I line my empty backpack with fleece and stick them in the big pouch so they have room and can burrow around?

I gonna get a carrier yesterday but my at conditioning was getting fixed... So I didn't make it to the store in time. :/

Hello!

I just got two adorable female rats from the pet store about a month ago (one is sleeping in my shirt right now :3), but one of my girls, Olivia, is making weird chirping noises. O_o It's not constant and it's only when she's out playing with me but it doesn't sound like bruxing... So is this a normal thing or is it a sign of a URI? :( They live in a giant cage (Martin R-695 I think) and I clean it once a week and they're pretty much litter trained now so it stays pretty clean, but she could have already had it when I got her I guess. I'm going to take them both to the vet soon-ish for their first checkups, but it's like $38 per rat so I have to save a little. xD I'm also dealing with brand-new apartment expenses, but I should be able to take them in a couple weeks.

Thanks! :)

About a week ago, I got two rats from a local pet store (there are absolutely no breeders anywhere near me that I could find), and both of them are adorable. I decided the cage I got them with is probably too small, and they're young females so they can slip through the 1" bar spacing. I don't really mind when I'm there because even if I don't leave the door open they can go exploring, but it worries me when I'm gone. So, I'm upgrading to the Martin Rat Skyscraper (695?) and it should get here on Thursday.

I decided to try using a fleece sheet for bedding on the bottom floor so they wouldn't get bumblefoot from the wire, and because it would save me money on having to buy bedding all the time. At first I just doubled up two pieces of fleece I cut to the dimensions of the new cage, but then I had the idea to also make it something they could play in because I saw a "play mat" on the Martin website that rats and ferrets could crawl through and bury themselves in, etc. So, I added a large pocket and two smaller pockets that the rats can crawl through, all interconnected, and I thought it might also discourage them from trying to get under the actual fleece "bedding" part.

Has anyone done anything like this before? Does it sound like a good idea? I might also put a towel under the fleece to help absorb the urine.

Thanks!

OK, so, yesterday I went to my lfs to pick up some aquarium-safe glue to fix a filter, and a few bettas to attempt breeding them (I thought I'd put 3-4 females in my community tank and a male in his own 5 gal.). Unfortunately for my bank account, while I was there, I happened to find the discus fish... Now, I've wanted a discus for years, but never really seen any in stores. So what did I do? I bought a pair. They are temporarily in a 30 gallon tank (they're still young, maybe 2 inches from face to tail) with a few swordtails. I live in a dorm room right now, but will have my own apartment in a month and plan to upgrade them to a bigger tank and use my current filter cartridge to cycle it faster.

I know that I'll need to get about 4 more because they do better in groups of 5-6, so I plan to get a 125 gallon tank off craigslist once I move into my apartment.

I know they're very sensitive to ammonia and such, so today I removed all of the sand from the 30 gallon they're in (or as much as I could net out) so it would be easier to keep clean. I plan to go get a lot of live plants and tether them to large rocks this friday, and make a cave in the corner because I know they like hiding places and foliage to swim in... so does that sound OK? Any other tips?

Also, since they're still young, how often should I do water changes? Some people are saying as much as every other day, but I want more opinions.

Also, for the 125 gallon, would a few whiptail catfish or royal whiptail catfish and ottos be OK to help keep it clean? I'd probably also put in a few tetras to add some extra color and movement. ^^

Thanks!

OK, so, just today I went to my lfs to pick up some aquarium-safe glue to fix a filter, and a few bettas to attempt breeding them (I thought I'd put 3-4 females in my community tank and a male in his own 5 gal.). Unfortunately for my bank account, while I was there, I happened to find the discus fish... Now, I"ve wanted a discus for years, but never really seen any in stores. So what did I do? I bought a pair. They are temporarily in a 30 gallon tank (they're still young, maybe 2 inches from face to tail) with a few swordtails. I live in a dorm room right now, but will have my own apartment in a month and plan to upgrade them to a bigger tank and use my current filter cartridge to cycle it faster. I am, however, also very interested in fire eels and found a 125 gallon tank with everything included for a very good deal on craigslist.

Would a fire eel and a school of discus be compatible?

And also, any suggestions on taking care of the discus? I know they are extremely sensitive, and I've only had them a few hours but they're so gorgeous I'm already very attached to them and I'd feel terrible if I did something wrong and they died... the internet is not being much help right now.

Thanks!

So I'm going to be attending an anime convention at the end of July, and I want to get started on my costume so it doesn't totally suck. :P I think I'm going to try and go as Deneve from Claymore, because

1) most claymores have short blonde hair like me, and I'm too chesty to cross-dress effectively

2) Deneve is pretty much the awesomest Claymore ever.

Unfortunately, it's my first time trying to cosplay... so does anyone have any ideas? I don't want to have the outfit that the Organization uses--I prefer the black halter top outfit that she uses later. But I don't know how to sew. So... is now a good time to start learning? :D

Any ideas would be good cause I'm at a loss... xD

I already asked this but I would like a few more opinions just to make sure. :)

All right, I've been researching spiny eels these last few days and I really want to get one for my tank. Right now, however, I live in a college dorm room and the biggest tank I have is a 29 gallon. I was going to go for a peacock eel and just upgrade him to a slightly bigger tank when I get my apartment this summer and maybe get him a friend, but I also really like the fire eels or tiretrack eels... All of the sites that I visit say different things about the minimum tank requirements for a fire eel, so I'm not sure how large I'd have to go next summer. :/ Would a 120 gallon tank be sufficient? Or something like a 125 gallon long? In a tank of that size I'd plan to keep him/her alone with a sandy substrate and lots of hiding places and plants on the surface of the water, and maybe throw in a few swordtails or mollies just to add some movement/color.

Would a young fire eel be okay in my 29 gallon for the next 3-4 months before I upgrade him to the larger tank (and also give it time to cycle, making his actual moving time closer to 4 months). I also know for a fact that I'll be getting a 75 gallon tank with everything included from my roommate's uncle for a very reasonable price; how long would he be comfortable in there? Would it be plausible to keep him in the 75 gallon for a year or so before upgrading again?

If this won't work, then I'll stick with my peacock eels. :P I just like the coloring on the fire eels better, but the peacock eels are adorable as well. ^^

Additional Details

I already have the tank set up but the only thing in the 29 is 3 swordtails and 4 mollies; I figure the eel can eat extra fry I don't want to transfer to my fry rearing tank as an extra food source (and a convenient way for me to not get overrun by fish). The filter is a Marineland Penguin 200 with the biowheel, so I don't think I need to worry about to

All right, I've been researching spiny eels these last few days and I really want to get one for my tank. Right now, however, I live in a college dorm room and the biggest tank I have is a 29 gallon. I was going to go for a peacock eel and just upgrade him to a slightly bigger tank when I get my apartment this summer and maybe get him a friend, but I also really like the fire eels or tiretrack eels... All of the sites that I visit say different things about the minimum tank requirements for a fire eel, so I'm not sure how large I'd have to go next summer. :/ Would a 120 gallon tank be sufficient? Or something like a 125 gallon long? In a tank of that size I'd plan to keep him/her alone with a sandy substrate and lots of hiding places and plants on the surface of the water, and maybe throw in a few swordtails or mollies just to add some movement/color.

Would a young fire eel be okay in my 29 gallon for the next 3-4 months before I upgrade him to the larger tank (and also give it time to cycle, making his actual moving time closer to 4 months). I also know for a fact that I'll be getting a 75 gallon tank with everything included from my roommate's uncle for a very reasonable price; how long would he be comfortable in there? Would it be plausible to keep him in the 75 gallon for a year or so before upgrading again?

If this won't work, then I'll stick with my peacock eels. :P I just like the coloring on the fire eels better, but the peacock eels are adorable as well. ^^

OK, I'm planning on getting a 10gallon aquarium and adding 3 dwarf puffers after it cycles, and then a few months later adding an oto or two. I know puffers like sandy bottoms, so my first question is: Will many of the common, low light plants establish a root/anchor system in the sand?

Secondly, if this will work, what are some nice, easy plants that will flourish in a low to mid-light tank and look good together? I'd like a background plant or two, a midground plant and a forefront plant. Looking on plantedtank.net, I rather liked the Narrow Leaf Giant Hygro (Hygrophila corymbosa), Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides) was all right, Cryptocoryne parve was good but might look too similar to the Giant Hygro if put together as back/midground counterparts, and I also really liked the look of baby tears, but am not so sure it would flourish in a low-light environment? I'm not sure how many watts the bulb will be. Really the only foreground plant I liked a lot and matches what I'm looking for was crystalwort, but people say that grows up instead of out and needs frequent trimmings, so I'm not so sure.... Any suggestions? I'm planning to use little flower pots and sea shells as hiding places, and some rocks if I can find any flat ones outside. Except it's winter. :P

I have one male molly and three females in a thirty gallon with one male swordtail and two females for him. Looking at my male Molly, I've come to notice that his gonopodium is extremely long, as are his anal fins. I've read about "ribbon fin" guppies that have gonopodiums so long that they're not useable as a functional sex organ, but is it possible for this to happen in Mollies? He is a lyretail Molly, if that would make a difference...

So I'm madly in love with the idea of having a dwarf puffer and plan to purchase a 5 gallon to house one, heavily planted with some flower pots etc. if I go that route, though, will the puffer be lonely? Could a small bottom feeder keep him company? I dont have room for a ten gallon to get two (even though I really want to :p), so would he be ok?

Also, I find varying information about whether they are fresh or brackish water fish? If they are/can be brackish, could I keep two in my 15 gallon with bumblebee gobies instead?

If I buy and cycle a five gallon tank, would I be able to keep a male and female dwarf puffer in it or would they be too territorial and fight?

I currently have a 15 gallon tank I just moved some mollies and swordtails out of. It's brackish with a specific gravity of 1.005, and I've been setting it up for some bumblebee gobies I ordered last week. Does anyone know if 4-6 bumblebee gobies would be compatible with a pair of white cheeked gobies (male and a female)? I can't find a lot of information on the white cheeks, except that they don't get much bigger than the bbgs and live in low-end brackish water (and can be picky eaters like my bumble bee gobies). I do have a brine shrimp hatchery set up and plan to purchase frozen bloodworms or something, so feeding isn't an issue... or shouldn't be. :P

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!