# Meet my girls, Dot and Dash



## Marie5656 (Oct 18, 2016)

*Hi there.  I would like to take this thread to tell you about my little furkids. Sister rats by the names of Dot and Dash.  I named Dot first, because of the spots she had running down her back.  Given that, an appropriate name for her sister just had to be Dash.  Like morse code.  I got them when they were a few weeks old, and were ready to leave their mom.  Despite some beliefs about rats, they are very clean animals.  Always cleaning themselves or each other.  They are playful, and love running around on my lap when I sit in the recliner by their cage.  Dash, it seems, ls fixated on my nose, and will often spend time "cleaning" it.  They enjoy attention, and I will usually sit by their cage when watching tv.

Let me see if I can post a couple pictures.  Dot has the full white face, and Dash has the grey hood over her face.*


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## Mrs. Robinson (Oct 18, 2016)

Very cute! My daughter had pet rats when she was around 10-14. I liked them-much friendlier than hamsters.


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## fureverywhere (Oct 18, 2016)

AWWWWW! My daughter has a two level cage in her room and five white rats. They are so much brighter and more friendly than other rodents. When we open the cage they climb out for attention:love_heart::love_heart::love_heart:


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## Gemma (Oct 18, 2016)

Beautiful little creatures they are.  My niece had a couple of them and really enjoyed them too.

Marie, didn't you use to raise Chinchilla's?


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## SeaBreeze (Oct 18, 2016)

Your girls are as adorable as their names Marie!    My nephew had a white rat that he was very fond of.  Bet they love it when mom watches TV by them, that's so nice!


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## Marie5656 (Oct 18, 2016)

Gemma said:


> Beautiful little creatures they are.  My niece had a couple of them and really enjoyed them too.
> 
> Marie, didn't you use to raise Chinchilla's?


Yes, I had a chinchilla before I got the rats.  She passed away in 2013.  Or so


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## Mrs. Robinson (Oct 18, 2016)

I just remembered...my grandmother had a white rat named Gertrude. She would bring her whenever she came to visit. One time she went into our fireplace and fell down the ash trap-or what ever you call that. We had to run down to the basement to the cleanout to rescue her lol.


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## Ruthanne (Oct 18, 2016)

Those are some handsome ratties there!  Never had them but had hamsters who were great buddies.


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## Ralphy1 (Oct 19, 2016)

Guess you don't have a cat...&#55357;&#56860;


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## fureverywhere (Oct 19, 2016)

Guess you don't have a cat...&#55357;&#56860;

Funny that you mention that, we have a houseful of cats and always have. But surprisingly rats are quite territorial. A cat that would sit on top of the cage would find their tail or paws under attack. Of course the average cat can easily kill a rat. But they might think twice if the rat is going to fight back.


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## Marie5656 (Oct 19, 2016)

Ralphy1 said:


> Guess you don't have a cat...&#55357;&#56860;



To be honest, a cat would have been my first choice as a pet.  Sadly, I am allergic and hubby said no felines.  I know people who have cats and rats.  Each have learned their place.  When I take my rats out to free roam, I go into our back bedroom and shut the door. So if I had a cat, it would not have access to them.


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## fureverywhere (Oct 21, 2016)

I'd have to find a new hubby. Dogs and rats but I will always be a cat-person at heart. Funny though that my hubby will say he hates cats. But who buys the biggest bags of kitty yummies every week? Who is holding a cat on lap and shoulder late night? Yup a closet cat lover:love_heart: If he had said no cats early on...total deal breaker.


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## tnthomas (Oct 21, 2016)

I raised hooded rats as a kid, they are the best rodent pets!   Dot and Dashare some cute girls!


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## Ruth n Jersey (Oct 21, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> I'd have to find a new hubby. Dogs and rats but I will always be a cat-person at heart. Funny though that my hubby will say he hates cats. But who buys the biggest bags of kitty yummies every week? Who is holding a cat on lap and shoulder late night? Yup a closet cat lover:love_heart: If he had said no cats early on...total deal breaker.


I know where you are coming from. My Dad loved animals but insisted the only place they should be as pets is on a farm. I wanted a pet so bad as a child. I got an old leash and dragged a stuffed cat around wherever I went. He finally gave in , I guess out of embarrassment, and got me a beagle. It wasn't long before he was sleeping with the puppy on his bed, buying him snacks,sharing evening snacks with him. The beagle got his ice cream before me. He even bought him Christmas gifts. They sure have a way of getting into your heart. Dad cried for a week when it was finally time to say goodbye to our wonderful dog.


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## Marie5656 (Oct 22, 2016)

They are very entertaining to say the least.  Friends laugh when I tell them that on their first birthday last month I created a tiny little birthday "cake" out of mashed potatoes.  That is their all time favorite snack.
When I first brought them home, I still had one single rat from my first pair, her name was Daisy.  Her sister Roxy had died about 2 months earlier, thus the reason for getting a new pair.  I had to introduce them outside the cage in neutral territory.  They wer very curious about Daisy, but she did not take to them well at first.  When I did put all three in the cage, Dash was the first to really keep pushing on trying to make friends.  Dot was pretty intimidated, and spent about 45 minutes out in the recliner with me, curled up on my shoulder sleeping.


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## jujube (Oct 22, 2016)

We had two gerbils and a cat (who thought he was a dog) at the same time.  The cat had no animosity toward the gerbils but just wanted to play with them a little.  

As the gerbils were the Harry Houdinis of the rodent world, we would have the occasional escape; we would just send the cat looking for them.  He'd find them and bring them gently to us.  Not once did he ever put a mark on one, but he could always find them, no matter where they were hiding.  He was a good mouser, but seemed to know the rule about not eating members of the family.


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 18, 2017)

Marie, thought you might like these cute pictures of rats, more here (4 pages, click forward arrow to see more). http://www.boredpanda.com/proof-rats-are-the-most-adorable-creatures-ever/


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## terry123 (Jul 19, 2017)

I can think of a lot of other animals to have as pets than rodents.  One gets in my house and they are going to find themselves in a trap or poisoned.  To each their own I guess.  Just find it gross!


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## Ruthanne (Jul 19, 2017)

terry123 said:


> I can think of a lot of other animals to have as pets than rodents.  One gets in my house and they are going to find themselves in a trap or poisoned.  To each their own I guess.  Just find it gross!


If you've never had one as a pet then you don't know what lovely pets they can be; they are sweeties!


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 4, 2017)




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## SeaBreeze (Nov 4, 2017)

Thought these illustrations were cute Marie, more HERE.


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## Marie5656 (Nov 5, 2017)

*Thanks, SeaBreeze.  I will have to share these on the rat forum I belong to on FB*


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 13, 2017)

Lab rats who were freed, photos of them in their new world of freedom.  More HERE.


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## RadishRose (Nov 13, 2017)

I never thought I'd admit it, but in these photos, they are cute.


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## SeaBreeze (Apr 13, 2018)

No rats, but I'm hoping Marie doesn't mind my posting some cute mouse pictures on this thread.  More HERE.


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## Marie5656 (Apr 13, 2018)

*I am dying here.  These are all so cute.*


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## Marie5656 (Apr 13, 2018)

*These little cuties belong to the person who runs the FB rat group I belong to.   Left to right, Bean, Augie and Cosmo (Cosmo is the black on in the back.)

*


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## Keesha (Apr 13, 2018)

This thread is just the cutest.


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## Marie5656 (Apr 13, 2018)




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## SeaBreeze (Apr 13, 2018)

Bean, Augie and Cosmo look so cute Marie, nice photo!


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## RadishRose (Apr 13, 2018)

LOL. The Rat Pack


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## RadishRose (Apr 13, 2018)




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## SeaBreeze (Apr 13, 2018)

Rat Pet by Irina Miroshnikova


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