Goosemoose Pet Portal

As promised, I'm keeping everyone updated on the little boy we caught. We have named him Sai; we just got back from the vet's and Dr. Clark gave him a clean bill of health - minus the chance of mites and the obvious lack of nutrition. No ear infection, his lungs sounded fine, and his heart sounded fine. Sai was alert. He's a very sweet boy, albeit scared. It's amazing that he's in such good health after what he went through.

He's been iffy about the touching; he grabbed my finger with his teeth (gently, but still seemed to be a warning) when I tried to touch him earlier, but he was fine when Dr. Clark gave him a little pet on the head. Sai didn't want to be picked up - he ran - but once the vet started the exam, he did okay. We were told to just keep up with the baby food, Ensure, and Pedialyte. Once he's stronger, we'll treat for mites.

Sai is doing a bit better since we've gotten some food and water into him. He's still weak, but doing much better than this morning. Mom just gave him a carrot and she said he snatched it; that's a very good sign.

I was wrong when I said earlier that Sai isn't a rex - he most certainly is! I got a better look at him in the vet's office; his fur is wavy and his whiskers are just a little curly. When I was able to pick him up, his fur felt similar to a rex we had about three years ago. We're forgoing a bath until he's stronger, though he's pretty intent on cleaning himself up.

I'll try to take a few more pictures tonight (hopefully I can get some of him in his hammock).

We re-set the one trap and checked them on our way home from the vet. If we don't catch another one by tomorrow evening, we'll see if the neighbors would let us stick a trap under their mobile home to see if there are any under there.

Woohooo! Glad to hear he is healthy (besides the mites). I bet he'll soon realize that humans aren't all that bad and that you are the coolest rat mom.

Aww, thanks wonderrodent. :heart: But, yes, I'm sure he'll realize that he's got a good home now and we won't hurt him - and he'll be spoiled rotten. (Our vet actually told Sai, "You don't realize it yet, but you've hit the jackpot with these guys.")

Sai is fine with licking baby food off our fingers; I wasn't expecting him to be so gentle, but he is. Until I try to pet him. Unless he's just been fed, he doesn't like to be touched at all. I tried this morning and he gave me a warning nip (this one actually hurt). I'm sure he'll come around eventually, though; after all, he's hardly been with us 24 hours.

I also got some pictures last night. I woke the poor little guy up with the flashy box:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1288.jpg)

And then proceeded to disturb his bath:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1284.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1285.jpg)

I only managed to get one good shot of him in the little hammock (don't mind how crappy the hammock looks; I'm not the most talented with a sewing machine...or cutting the material X3 Sai doesn't seem to care, though)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1289.jpg)

I'm sure the poor little guy is lonely, but it'll be awhile before we introduce him to the rest of the colony. He's still got to get his strength back and be treated for mites, and we'll watch him for the next month (at least) for any signs of illness before he gets to make some friends.

he is such a beautiful little guy. I am sure he will learn that he is going to be living the high life and realize that you are going to be spoiling him rotten  :rattysmiley:

What a cutie! I'm happy he's safe and sound.

This is such a great story. I can't wait to read more of Sai's updates. :)

Thank you; he'll be even more beautiful once he gets a bath and actually looks white and blue (as opposed to yellowish and gray-brown) :BlueDumboSmile: He will learn, eventually - especially once he gets to go in the Martin's R695 (I believe that's what it was >_>; we bought it off Kaia when we realized Akiya didn't want more rats in his cage ::)) with the others.


Thank you :) We're happy he's safe, too. I was so relieved when I got the call that he'd been trapped. He's quite a lucky boy to have so many other people concerned about his safety.


I'll be updating at least once a week about his progress, maybe more if I end up with cute pics or stories I can't wait to share :)

Hey! He looks like velveteen or something, not quite rex. Addie is the same I thought she was rex but over time her whiskers have gotten somewhat straight and her fur is more kinky than curly. But I say rex cause I dunno just what she is.

That's how Sai is, which is why at first glance after we caught him, I thought he was just scruffy. When I looked closer I saw that some of his whiskers are kinda curly and he has waves in his fur (not really curly). Maybe they're just poor rexes. Dunno, but he's fluffy :BlueDumboSmile:

Can someone link to the original part of the story or sum it up for me?   :help:

I read everything and then realized I have no idea what had happened in the first place!   :yelcutelaugh:

I posted about it here (http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat/topic,4040185.msg4408650/,#msg4408650) originally (I had made another post asking for help on ideas to catch him, but this one about sums it up, and it also has the post right after we caught the little guy.)
I guess maybe I should have linked to it in the first place X3

He's one pretty boy! He'll probably need some time to warm up. If you can get him into a play pen and sit with him while he plays, that would be a good way for him to get to know you.

Thanks for posting the link! That is so sad. I hope you catch as many as possible. 

Sai is continuing to recover - he's still a bit on the skinny side, but he has a healthy appetite and I'm sure in another couple of days, he'll look better. The poor little guy apparently had a broken leg before - his right hind foot is bent funny; it's hardly noticeable most of the time, but I think it affects his balance a bit. When he washes himself, if he leans too much on that foot, he loses his balance. :-\ It doesn't seem to be hurting him, though, so it's an old injury.

I've been able to get him out to hold him :) He didn't like it at first, but now I think he's realizing it isn't so bad - he seems to love the attention. (And I did a bit more research on coat types, out of curiosity; it definitely sounds like he's velveteen/teddy rex, rather than rex. He's so fuzzy; I love his fur :BlueDumboSmile:) I wiped him down with a wet washcloth, so he's a little cleaner now. I can hardly believe this is the same little rat we rescued a week ago. He gets so excited when he sees us, and he isn't skin and bones.

He's still not quite strong enough to use his water bottle, but he keeps trying, so we know he knows how to use it. We're keeping it attached to the side of his cage, and he has a water dish. Hopefully, by next week, he'll be able to use the water bottle without a problem.

We're taking Lightning into the vet to get the stitches out of his nose tonight and we'll be picking up some Revolution while we're there. Sai's going to be so happy to finally get rid of those mites. The poor boy just keeps scratching and scratching.

Once he's out of quarantine, and we intro him to Paws, Lightning, Lucky, Rin (previously Sabrina), and Shizuku (previously Natasha; she, Lucky, and Rin came to us the night before we rescued Sai) we'll be moving them into the big home-made cage and the group currently in there into the Martin's. I think it'll be much easier on Sai's back paw to not have to mess with wire ramps and levels, which the home-made cage doesn't have.

I do have some new pictures of Sai, but I didn't realize we don't have Photoshop on this computer right now - I'll re-size the pictures tonight on my computer and post them tomorrow morning.

Unfortunately, even after moving the traps, we didn't catch any others. We were hoping we would, but no such luck :-\

EDIT:

We're re-thinking the broken leg - both his hind legs are bent funny...we aren't sure what's wrong, but I made a post in the rat care corner...I'll do some research and see what I can turn up.

What a pretty boy, nice coloring. I bet he is happy to have a wonderful home with lots of food and love. Im sure it wont be long until he is a cuddle bug. :BlueDumboSmile:










Just a pet peeve..LOL Velveteen and Teddy Rex are actually just poor rex coats. I know there will be breeders argue until they are blue in the face and thats fine. Until someone shows me the actual genetic markers for these types of coats, then Im going to stand on the soapbox and be like "nope, no such thing"  ;)

He seems very happy - and I'm sure you're right that he'll become a cuddle bug.

Poor rex coat or not, he's a fluff, and I love him :) (calling him a teddy rex is cute, though...my mom said his fur reminds her of a scruffy teddy bear :yelcutelaugh:). I don't really care about coat/color/markings, but I can't deny curiosity gets the better of me when I see something I've never seen before - I just have to figure out what it is X3

I have been waiting for an update on this little guy.  I am so glad to hear he is doing so well.  It certainly sounds like he is going to learn to trust hands again.    I can't wait to see updated pictures of him.

 ;D Here are those pictures of little Sai I promised yesterday:

I think he smelled the other rats on my arm; we were cleaning cages, which meant I was handling the others quite a bit before him:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1301.jpg)

He's getting to be a very curious little guy:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1306.jpg)

Even curious enough to check out Misao last night when she jumped up on the bed:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1321.jpg)

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1302.jpg)
Sai says: 'Hi dere Goosemoosers! Tank yoo fow all da nice tots. I's vewy happy so many peeples is glad I's okay and has a nice hooman family now! I's also vewy happy dat lots of peeples hewe gived my hoomans good advice to take cawe of me (like da baby food! It's nummy! Yoo awe good peeples fow tewing dem to give me nummy food! Maybe yoo cood tew dem to give me lots of yogies, too :BlueDumboSmile:). Tank yoo, tank yoo, Goosemoosers!'

He hasn't been treated for mites yet, so he still looks a little scruffier than he probably should, but we'll be treating him (and re-treating the rest of the colony) tonight after my mom gets home from work. I'll have more pictures next week, and hopefully the mites will have cleared up and he'll have gotten a bath.

oh wow, what a difference a week makes!! He looks so much healthier now.   And what a GORGEOUS boy he is!!!!! 

Oh and something tells me that you should give Sai ALL THE YOGIES HE WANTS.  LOL.

Keep us updated.

I wasn't expecting to make another update on little Sai so soon, but I just couldn't wait to share what happened last night (and the pictures that go with it).
Wednesday evening, we treated everyone for mites and thoroughly scrubbed down their cages. Because of Sai's legs (it looks like the beginning of hind end degeneration) we moved him into our big one level cage, so he wouldn't have to deal with the ramp in the cage he was in before. The move to the new cage (and probably the smell of the outdoors, since we had a bunch of windows open) stressed him out and when I tried to get him out later to give him some attention, he bit me. Hard. Served me right, because he made it clear he didn't want to be touched.
Yesterday evening, I tried to get him out again, since he'd had time to settle into the new cage. I was able to and let him run around on mom's bed. Sai was happy to be out and get attention. I got up to do something on the computer (which is in my mom's room) and mom sat with him on the bed - he didn't want her, though, he wanted me. As soon as I sat back on the bed, he ran over to me. After a while, he started getting a little warn out, came over to me, and curled up with his head on my arm. By the time mom got the camera, he'd moved, but he was still cuddled against me.

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/sai2.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/sai.jpg)

Unfortunately, because of him probably having hind end degeneration, we won't be putting him in the home-made cage with the others, after all. We're adopting one more rat from HVRR (just waiting on his neuter) and we're hoping that he and Sai will get along so Sai isn't all by himself. If that doesn't work, we're going to try to figure out which female (all of whom are spayed) we could put in with him.

Sai seems to be doing better since we treated him for the mites - he isn't scratching quite so much. I love Revolution - that stuff works wonders; we had tried the ivermectin once and it didn't work nearly so well or so quickly. Sai's becoming a very happy little rattie - it's really amazing what almost two weeks has done for him.

And ratgirl2, he'll be getting lots of yogies once the ones we ordered get here (we kinda ran out X3) ;)

oh, those pictures just warms my heart.  He definitely seems like he might be coming around a bit.  I am sorry about the bite.  I had a girlie rat once who would warn me and if I didn't listen would bite the heck out of my finger.  She was a brat, but I loved her...LOL.  I wasn't expecting an update so soon, but I am glad it was a happy one.  And he gets more and more gorgeous every time I see a picture of him...I love the ears  :BlueDumboSmile:

He definitely is coming around. We have a rat who sounds just your girlie; Nanao puffs up as a warning (and we know it) but mom didn't listen and Nanao went *chompchompchompchomp*. I know Sai just did it because he was stressed - and I'm used to getting bit, anyway. Our cage-aggressive girlie (RIP, Aki) would come out of nowhere like a shark and go *chomp!* if we weren't careful, so I've been bit quite a few times. We love our biters just as much as we love the others, even if their idea of showing us love includes making us bleed all over :BlueDumboSmile: We love his ears, too. (That was the first thing we noticed about him when we saw him for the first time X3 "He's a dumbo!" and the neighbor woman didn't know what we were talking about :yelcutelaugh:)

What a great story about little Sai!  :) Also, I like your InuYasha shirt.  ;D

Get him some children's liquid Tylenol (generic brand is fine) Get the kind that comes with an eye dropper. Give him one dropper full mixed with what ever flavor of Boost he prefers, just enough that he'll slurp it all up in one sitting. I start all of my old guys on this as soon as I start to see signs of them having difficulty. The results can be surprising! Jett was injured in a fight with Q'Bert probably about 9 months ago. He lost the use of his right hip and back leg. Since he's always been very untrusting of humans, I rarely saw him at our old place. Now he and BooBoo love their private bedroom and come waddling up to the barrier for treats any time they are awake and hear me in the hall, well, Jett kinda scoots diagonally lol (he's very cute when he does it) Any way...lol. after about 5 days on that mixture, he can actually lift his hips off the floor again!!! He's still very wobbly, but I was elated to see my nearly 3 year old grumpy guy lift his rear end up off the floor after almost a year.

So, long story, sorry, just wanted to give you something that might make him more comfortable and the reason for me recommending it lol!

I appreciate the recommendation :) We'll definitely try it. We want him to be as comfortable as possible.
And I'm glad your Jett's doing well with the Tylenol.


Thank you :)

Hey Kita, might want to check with the vet about the Tylenol.  Metacam may very well be a better long term choice as it is more similiar to ibuprofen than tylenol (acetimetaphin) -spelling- and metacam could be a better choice for long term use. 

Yesterday was a sad day, with our loss of Yuna...Sai managed to brighten it up just a bit though. He let me pet him in his cage for the first time - and not just a little pet on the head. He didn't struggle when I picked him up; he knew it was play time.
We have him out a lot, and he loves the attention. Even though it looks like he may have the start of hind end degeneration, I've noticed his back legs are stronger now - he has most of his strength back. He's pretty comfortable outside his cage; he'll eat any treats we offer if they smell good enough to him, and he has no problem drinking out of a cup.
And the best news yet IMO: I was woken up at 4:30 in the morning (<-- not the good news) by the sound of the water bottle. He can drink from his water bottle :hyper:! (<-- is the good news X3) I'm a pretty light sleeper - light enough to be woken up by the water bottle, anyway - and I was pulled from sleep by an incessant clicking noise. I was groggy for a few seconds before I realized, "that's a water bottle...why am I hearing a water- Sai's drinking from his water bottle!" That's the quickest I think I've ever figured something out after waking up *is not a morning person* :yelcutelaugh:.
Sai is definitely a happy boy now - I made him a new hammock the other day, so we'll have a better hammock to switch out with his first one, now; we had hung one of the hammocks meant for the larger cages and he didn't like it much. He loves the blue and white hammock he had when we first brought him home; that's the one in his cage now and he's so happy to have it back. He laid in it immediately after we put him back in his cage after cleaning it.
And, of course, I bring pictures. He's looking a bit better since we treated him for the mites, though I think we may still have to treat him again in a month, just to be sure.

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1355.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1356.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1360.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1363.jpg)

And he crawled onto my shoulder last night!
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1358.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1359.jpg)


We'll do that. We plan to take Sai in for a recheck in another week or two, just to make sure he's completely healthy, so we'll talk to our vet then. Right now, if he seems to need it, we give him a little bit of baby Motrin (since that's all we have); we gave him about .5 ml and it worked fine, but he doesn't seem to need it, anymore - he's all over the place ;D

wow!! look at that sparkle in his eyes.  You can see he's a happy boy now  :BlueDumboSmile:  He keeps getting more and more handsome every time you post pictures. I am really glad to hear he is getting stronger and stronger and finally drinking out of the water bottle.  What a big accomplishment for him  :balloon: 

Awww, he is super-super-cute  :heart: :heart:

I just love him!He looks so unique!He also looks like a sweety pie!

Sai is continuing to do well, but we've noticed he has a bit of a head-tilt :-\ I'm a little concerned, since we don't know his medical history, so I've scheduled an appointment with our vet. They could have squeezed us in today, but since they had an appointment actually open tomorrow, I went with that, that way Dr. Clark can take more time without backing up any other appointments he has. I'm probably over-reacting and being paranoid, but I'm so afraid it might be a pituitary tumor (or something else untreatable). I guess that's just because the poor little guy's already had such a rough life and I'm afraid we won't get a chance to really make up for it. I haven't noticed any other symptoms that could point towards PT, but we won't know for sure until tomorrow. In the mean time, we've had him on Baytril/Doxy, just in case it's an infection. I can't say for sure, but I think he may have had the head-tilt before - it's just so hard to say because of how weak he was.
He loves attention - he gets so excited when we go near his cage, and he crawls right out of his cage by himself. He doesn't mind us touching him in his cage for the most part, and his water bottle is actually needing to be refilled. Sai eats his lab blocks like a good little rattie (something we can't get the others to do; they store theirs).
And we rubbed olive oil all over him, hoping it would help his itching. It did - he's hardly scratching now. His fur is so much softer, too. He sure looked funny right after we did it :yelcutelaugh: He's pretty good at cleaning himself up - a day later he was mostly clean again, and now you can't tell we rubbed the oil on him (except for the nice results). We decided to for-go a bath completely and just got some pet wipes to wipe him down - those worked pretty well, and got him so he's not looking quite as yellow.
And, of course, I don't come without a couple of pictures:

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1485.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1481.jpg)

He's so wonderful, and so curious about everything. It's amazing how he's only been with us three weeks and already he's as much a part of the family as the others. I want to cry every time I see how happy he is with just the little things - a nice treat like a bite of cake, being called a cute boy - because he had it so bad, and almost died. Somebody was so cruel and so heartless, that this little guy almost didn't have a chance to live a happy life. He's certainly being spoiled now (and I really hope we're able to spoil him for a long time to come).

Kita, I have to ask.  Did you get him at Stratford Villa????  I live in Walled Lake and rescued a hairless rat from there in June.  Our friend Lolleen found him in her yard after he was thrown out in the trash from a nirghbor.

Yes, as a matter of fact I did (and just a week after you rescued yours)! We live in Stratford, actually, just a few blocks from where the rats were dumped. Wow, so you're the one who took the hairless boy. We got a call from Lolleen's neighbor to see if we wanted the hairless, but you got to him first. How is he doing?

He is doing good but we don't have him anymore.  His name is Yogi and he is almost totally blind.  I didn't have the room to keep him (I have girls) and I am not familiar with the upkeep on a hairless rat.  I know they need a little more care than the others.  I nursed his wounds and such and found him a wonderful home in Belleville where he can be with other boys.  I wanted to keep him so bad but didn't want him to be alone.  I had to do what was best for him and not what my heart wanted.  Here are some pics of Yogi.  I keep in contact with his new parents and he seems to be happy.  He is such a sweet little boy.
When we first got him.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a396/Viking_Camper/Yogi002.jpg)
AFter his recovery.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a396/Viking_Camper/Yogi014.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a396/Viking_Camper/Yogi013.jpg)

Oh, my goodness! So he is the one whtnyte mentioned! I wasn't sure and figured he probably wasn't. I can't believe it...oh, but I'm so glad he has a good home now. He's quite a handsome boy. I'm really, really glad he's doing okay.

I'm so happy to learn about Sai.  I just hope there wasen't anymore.  It just breaks my heart to think of what might have become of them.

I hope there weren't, either...we left out live traps, just in case, but didn't catch any... I hate to think that any ratties died, just because someone was cruel enough to toss them out, but at the very least, I suppose, two were saved.

I don't know if we will ever meet but if we do I would like to give you a hug for saving Sai.  He is such a good looking boy and he deserves to be happy.  Just reading about him here has givin this old man (I'm 51) tears of joy. 

I called my wife and told her about the good news a aboput Sai.  Lolleen had told us that another had been rescued, found hobbling in the street in bad condition.  This had me so angry I wanted to hit soemone.  I know, not the best of things to do but I can not and WILL NOT condone cruelty to rats or any animal for that matter.

He looks like my Cheerio. Velveteen, has what looks to be evil cowlicks all over and lots of body to his hair, like an herbal essence commercial. His whiskers kind of look like someone got him with the crimper. lol. He's so pretty. Can't wait to see more pics of this little guy.  ;D

Maybe one day we will meet, but until then *virtual hug* (to both you and your wife for your kindness)
We don't condone cruelty either, and it's sad that there are people who think it's okay. Hitting people may not be the best thing to do, but considering what those people do to animals, a few whacks with a big stick is well deserved.

Cheerio is adorable :BlueDumboSmile: I love rexes/velveteens. They're so fluffy. I'll definitely be posting more pics of Sai - just have to get him to hold still X3

I'm the one that took in Yogi :) He has eye problems and getting over a eye infection right now, but doing great. For being left in the trash he is sure a sweetie pie. He has lots of scars on his body which kind of scare me to think what happened to him in the past. We were thinking he didn't have a friend, because being alone seems to not even bother him he is so happy, but with the scars I wonder if he was with the boy you caught maybe who knows though. Here's a few pics of him with my hubby he gets daily kisses & he is very well loved and fed. After all he's been through this boy gets all the attention he wants lol.

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b48/ratmomm/yogi877.jpg)

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b48/ratmomm/yogi-1.jpg)

Yogi looks so much better! :) I'm glad to hear he's such a sweetie. Sai is getting to be, too, as he gets over his distrust. He may very well have been with Sai - Sai doesn't seem to care for the smells of the other rats, so maybe he beat up on Yogi.
That's so cool that you're on the forum, too. I had no idea X3 I (and my mom) are so glad Yogi has a good home now.

(And my mom said Yogi is a handsome boy, for a hairless.  :BlueDumboSmile: I agree, but I think nekkid ratties are cute, anyway.)

Yogi and Sai are both BEYOND handsome!  :heart: :heart: :heart:

Aww.. what a nice "reunion" of sorts for Yogi and Sai. Their parents were able to come together and share the love of their stray babies.

I just realized that we took Sai to the vet a couple of days ago and I didn't let everyone know what was up with the head-tilt.
It looks like an inner-ear infection, so we're treating him for it; he's been taking his medicine pretty well (mixed into a bit of Ensure) but we're going to have find something else to give it to him in soon - he's a picky little thing!
He did very well at the vet. The receptionist/tech who had given Sai's spotter our number (and a couple of the other techs) hadn't seen Sai yet, and we got him out and they all said how cute he is and gave him little pets on the head. I let the one tech know about Yogi, since she had been the one to get the first call when they were trying to figure out what to do with him. She was glad to hear he has a good home now.
Sai had to get a shot, but he didn't try to bite Dr. Clark, or my mom (who was holding him; I don't think he quite trusts her now). He wasn't real happy with us the next day, but he's happy and his old self again. In fact, he tried to get the cat's tail and drag him into the cage :yelcutelaugh:
He still has the head-tilt - I know the anti-biotics need a little more time to work, but I think he may always have a head-tilt. Mom's more worried about that than I am, I think - I know he'll be able to adjust to it with time. He's a tough little guy.

1 month! He's been with us for one month!! :party: It's so hard to believe how far he's come in that month. He still has a ways to go health-wise, but we're getting there. Once he's healthier, I'm going to see about getting him neutered - he acts aggressive when he smells other rats, so I'm hoping that'll clear up any aggression and we can give him a cagemate.
I let him out for a much-enjoyed play-time in the little bedroom a couple of days ago - Sai was everywhere! I made sure to get some pictures, of course, especially since he's at the one-month mark:

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1554.jpg)

Gotta take a break from 'splorin' for a snack:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1562.jpg)

I smell cats...where are da cats?
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1565.jpg)

Wat's dis? It wooks wike da tube in ma cage, onwy biggew:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1568.jpg)

And it smellz wike uder wats! Grr!
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1571.jpg)

Dis wooks fun. Wat iz it?
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1573.jpg)

It iz fun to cwawl ober...
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1574.jpg)

No more flashy ting, mommy! I's bathin' - some pwivacy pweases!
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/more%20ratties/100_1575.jpg)

We'll be re-treating for mites in a couple of weeks, and we'll try to get him back into the vet ASAP (you'll know why if you've seen my post in the care corner). Every week, we see more and more what kind of life this poor guy must have had before he was even dumped, and it makes me so angry that anyone could do to these poor animals the things they do. And even after all Sai went through, in only one month he's decided to trust us and love us - he's still weary of being picked up, but only struggles; no nips, no bites, no aggression, just struggles and cute pleading looks to let him run some more.

I want to thank everyone for the support you gave when we were trying to catch Sai, and the support and advice after we caught him. And Viking Camper and crazydaisy, you guys deserve a big thanks, too, for saving Yogi and giving him the love he deserves. :heart:

HAPPY ONE MONTH ANNIVERSAY SAI!!!!!  I'm excited to see he is doing so well.  He sure is a cutie I must admit.  Keep the photos coming. 

yea Sai!!!!!!  He really gets more and more handsome and looks really happy now  :rattysmiley:

I must say this whole story started out as a tragedy...but seeing these two boys have finally found loving homes really makes it a happy ending.   :hyper:  We need more of those for the ratties...

He is just so adorable I love that hair  :heart: It just amazes me all the things these rats go through. I'm just glad he's doing better I hope everything goes ok at the vet.  :-* to Sai :)

I was really surprised when my daughter (Kita) told me that the two people responsible for saving Yogie (Viking Camper and crazydaisy) are also on this forum. I was so happy to hear that Yogie is doing so well and I'm just as happy that Sai is a part of our family. Sai is quite a character and has made a lot of progress since we first brought him home and we love him a lot.  :heart:

How is Sai doing? It's been a little while since we had an update.

Yo Sai Man! Are they giving you enough yogies??? If not you just come visit with The Sillies for a week or so okay?!  :thumbsup2:

i hope someone as genuinely good as you guys found my ghandi outside and took him in...  :puppy_dog_eyes:

Well, here's an update on little Sai (since ratgirl2 reminded me that I didn't post one yesterday like I'd been planning X3)
whtnyte, he has been getting lots of yogies :BlueDumboSmile: He likes them a lot, but I think he prefers popcorn now. He says he might enjoy sharing some yogies with The Sillies, but he doesn't know yet if he likes other rats or not - he appreciates the offer all the same :BlueDumboSmile:.

We're going to give the antibiotics a chance to clear up the ear infection, and when we take him in for a recheck, we'll talk to the vet about the little indentation in his skull (the reason we were wanting to get him into the vet). Since it doesn't seem to be affecting anything, we aren't worried; he's been doing better since we started him on the antibiotics.
We let Sai sniff some of the other rats...he doesn't like them (or at least, he doesn't like Mia). For a moment he seemed okay, but then he attacked Mia (Mia, of all rats. She and her sister are the sweetest!) :worry: So, we don't know. A neuter may solve the problem. When he's on the couch, he likes to go over onto the end table and sniff at the Martin's (which Isane is in). Isane doesn't like other rats outside her cage, I guess. She squeaked at him (loudly) and started huffing and trying to get him. We thought it was just him, but then I held Lightning up to the bars later and she did the same thing :yelcutelaugh:
Anyway, Sai is still improving, but it's amazing what five weeks have done! He doesn't struggle at all, even when it's mom getting him out of his cage. He knows it's playtime and he loves every minute of it, whether it's on the couch, on my bed, on mom's bed, or in the playroom. We do have to keep an eye on him - his balance is still a little off and he'll topple over washing himself. Sai is on my mom's bed as I type this and he's having so much fun - he likes me staying close, though; I wasn't close and when I went back to the bed he was practically dancing in my lap. :yelcutelaugh: Sweet little guy.
Oh, he isn't scared of the cats, either. Or maybe he is and that's why he nipped Luna on the nose, but either way :yelcutelaugh: Luna jumped up on the couch last night and Sai was sitting on my lap. Mom scratched the spot on Luna's back that makes her wash everything in front of her. Sai was in front of her. He had his head up, sniffing the air and Luna went to wash his chest - Sai nipped her nose. Poor Luna. He didn't get her too bad though - just a warning. So, we won't try to get Luna to wash him again (don't want her to get bit for real).
As usual, I come with pictures. These were taken on my bed:

This is what happens when I move too far away from Sai - he tries to follow me:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/100_1638.jpg)
Mommy, where awe yoo goin'? Come back.

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/100_1636.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/100_1635.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/100_1633.jpg)
Wookit all da bookses, mommy! Can I haves some fow my nest?

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/100_1631.jpg)
Hey, dis iz a nice fowt. Isa stay in hewe. Iz comfy and warm.

All in all, Sai's doing pretty darn good. We'll be doing a re-treat on the mites in another week, just to make sure we get them all, though I haven't seen him scratching or anything.
Thank you, everyone, for the nice comments. Sai loves all the compliments (he gets so excited when I tell him how cute and handsome everyone thinks he is).
I'm just about finished with the next oh, rats! comic, and it's featuring Sai! (and the stupid cat who can't stay away from the rat cages no matter how many rats charge the bars at him :yelcutelaugh:)

And melikerats, I'm so sorry your Ghandi got out. I sincerely hope you're able to find him (or, as you said, that someone took him in). Don't lose hope, though. Kaia's (Blackthorn) girl Rhi, who had been a stray, was outside for at least three weeks before she was caught; she was in bad shape, but survived. I've been keeping you and Ghandi in my thoughts.

Thanks for the update, I felt like I was going through Sai withdrawal  :hyper:  That first picture is to die for, what an absolutely gorgeous rat he is, I love the look on his little face.

I am so glad to hear that all in all he is doing really well.  He sounds like a sweetheart (with humans that is...LOL)  I look forward to more Sai updates in the future...the near future that is  :BlueDumboSmileTongue:

I guess I'll have to make sure to keep my updates on time from now on :wink5:
He is an absolute doll with people. Three of my friends dropped by Sunday evening, since one of them had just gotten back from Japan the day before. I got Sai out so that one friend could meet him and the other two could see him again. He was perfectly fine letting them hold and pet him - three weeks ago, I wouldn't let my friends hold him because I was afraid he might bite them. Now if we can just get him to be like this with other rats :BlueDumboSmile:

Such... cute... ratties...

*Thud*

He looks so happy Kita and so adorable as usual  :heart:

An update a day earlier than planned - because we put a wheel (one of our old ones, which is why it looks chewed up in the pictures X3) in Sai's cage. He absolutely LOVES it. We put it in after we cleaned his cage, put him back and he didn't know what to think for a moment. Then he went in, walked on it...came out, sniffed it and made it spin, then went in and ran on it - as best the poor little guy can run, anyway. He got in and out of it a couple more times, then decided to sleep by it so we wouldn't take it. We'll be getting him a new wheel (the one with bigger openings) soon, but we wanted to give him a wheel now, so this one had to do.
He also decided to chomp Luna's tail - for no other reason than that she was sitting by him - when we had him out on the couch. He made her yelp and fly off the couch and across the living room. Except for hurt pride, Luna's fine. She sure looked offended, though :yelcutelaugh:
His ear infection appears to be clearing up, and he's taken a liking to sitting on shoulders. Fortunately his balance is getting better, so he doesn't have such a hard time staying on our shoulders.
We're slowly trying to introduce him to the other rats - we let him sniff them for a couple minutes, then take them away when he starts acting agitated. He always goes crazy trying to find them when we take them - he runs around, jumps on my lap, sniffs, jumps down, runs around some more...if he would just stop acting aggressive, he could have a cagemate without waiting for his ear infection to clear up so we can get him neutered...
And, as usual, I have pictures of little Sai. These were taken yesterday afternoon, when he decided to guard his wheel:

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/100_1691.jpg)
Awe yoo gonna take my new spinny-ting?

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/100_1692.jpg)
Oh, iz jus' da fwashy ting. Okay.

He is so darn cute!  ;D

He looks so happy just to have something to call "MINE!" I don't think he wants a brand new one, he's just happy mommy gave him something he never had before!

Ah, poor little Sai...we had to force him to take his meds last night. He was taking them fine in baby food, then got sick of baby food (or figured out what we were up to)...a little bite of cake only worked once, cookie worked once...we tried juice last night, but he only took a couple licks. So, we held him down and squirted the meds into his mouth, which he did not like at all. And he was still happy to see me this morning; I feel so bad :-[ (even though I did it so he'll get better).


Sai says, "Tank yoo :BlueDumboSmile: I twy."


I think so, too, but we ordered him a new one anyway (the new one will be easier for him to get in and out of). And that one really will be all his, since none of the other rats will have gotten a chance to remodel it :yelcutelaugh:.

The only thing in his cage that is actually his and was never touched by the other rats is his blue and white hammock, which I made especially for him. I don't think the little guy knows what to think of even the 'hand-me-downs', let alone the stuff he has/will have to himself.

I haven't given an update on Sai in what seems like forever. It's hard to believe it's been 13 weeks since we brought him home. He's doing much better - still has the head-tilt, but that's surely permanent now. He's adjusted to it just fine, though. His fur has grown back completely (didn't realize just how much he lost from the mites and being outside) and he's gained a lot more strength, so he can climb the back of couch all by himself :BlueDumboSmile: He's quite a fuzz, and loves attention and running around in the playroom.
Slowly but surely, we've been able to introduce him to a couple of the other rats. Ukitake and Lucky seem to be his favorites, though he doesn't appreciate it when Ukitake tries to wash him. I think we'll be able to work him through that, with a little time, since he's made so much progress just being able to be around other rats.
He has a new cage! We contacted Kaia (Blackthorn) to see if she had a cage we could buy off her or knew of someone who had one that we could modify for Sai - and she had the exact kind of cage we were looking for! We only had to take off the wire bottom and lower the top level (just to make it a little easier for Sai to get up and down) but that hardly took any time. Sai's happy in his new cage. And still a little cage aggressive ::) I don't think we'll ever break him of that, but he's a sweety when he does want to come out.
We also got him a dragon snuggle from Tiffany's Snuggles. At this point, he doesn't know what to think of it, but it always takes him a few days to get to using something new (except his hammock and the wheel, but I think those are essentials for rats).

He loves his MRR hammock. It's almost impossible to get him to come out of it once he's in.
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/sai3.jpg)

Not sure what to make of the dragon...
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/snuggle.jpg)

This is what we have to put up with just about every time we look over at his cage: Sai begging to come out. When we say his name, he'll run in a little circle and then run back up to the bars and wait for us to get him out.
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c115/kitaeru/Sai/sai2.jpg)

He's a spoiled little guy, but he deserves to be (just like all the others :BlueDumboSmile:).

Hi Kita,
He is so adorable.  I wish I had found him first...hehehe. 

*sigh* for Sai... :thumbsup2:

The first pics I saw, I thought, eww, what a grubby grotty tail - and look at it now, all pink and sparkly :yelcutelaugh:

His attitude might just be like my Oberon's - just really objected to other rats around him, once all the others had died and he was the only one left, there was no aggression in the slightest and he wouldn't go anywhere without insisting a human came with him! I had another very clingy boy who wasn't at all aggressive but would velcro himself to me the whole of 'out time' and even had a full-on sulk when I put him on the floor once! Sai could just have found his heart-human, like we have our heart-rats.

It's so heartwarming to hear the story unfold. I hope his health continues to improve and that he's with you for a long old time!

What a sweet boy Sai is... and he smiles for the camera!  :heart:

oh he certainly is turning out to be one of the most handsome manrats I have ever seen (don't tell my boys I said that...LOL)  I have been thinking of Sai lately and wondering how he is doing.  He has just one of the most wonderful stories with the best happy ending possible.  Yay for Sai!!!

I love absolutely everything about him. His color, his fuzzy fur, and his ears  :heart: That hammie pic is so darn cute.

It's so hard to believe it, but Sai has been with us almost 5 months.
He loves attention and since my friends have been coming over more, he's proving to be pretty friendly with new people, too. He wants to go back to mommy pretty quickly, though :BlueDumboSmile: My friends love him - they love all the rats, but my two closest girl friends tell me that Sai is their favorite because he's so sweet, and cute, and fuzzy. He gets to have some closely supervised out-time with Lucky (who tries his hardest to get away from Sai, because Sai is so insistant on sniffing him) and he really enjoys it.

Unfortunately, a few days ago I noticed that he had little red bump on one of his hind feet. Mom was sure it was bumblefoot (we dealt with it once before, with our big russian blue dumbo, Genma (RIP)), and after some research, sure enough - it's bumblefoot. We got some Tri-Top from our vet - scout mentioned using it for bumblefoot in a post I came across during my research - and some amoxicillin. We're cleaning his cage every day now, rather than every other day. At the very least, the bumblefoot isn't getting worse - it's stayed about the same, which I think is positive after how fast it sprang up. He doesn't like the ointment being put on his foot, but he loves the amoxicillin; it's bubblegum flavored, so I think you can guess why ::)
Other than the bumblefoot, he seems to be in pretty good health, so I think he'll be just fine if we can just keep this bumblefoot under control.

Looking back at the pictures from when we first caught him, I can't believe how far he's come. He used to be so scared, dirty, and malnourished. Now I can hardly tell he's the same rat - clean, friendly, a healthy weight, and his eyes have gotten so bright.
I don't have pictures this time around, but I'll take some soon and post them; he just doesn't like to hold still for the camera anymore :yelcutelaugh: