what shall i do

[Julia]

what shall i do i'm going on holday for 4 days and i need someone to look after my rats and i don't trust my brother because when he had a rat he didn't feed her or give her water, so my mum said i could have her because i looked after when he didn't  and i got another rat so she would have a play mate. i was going to let my friend to look after them but shes on holday too, my mum can't look after them coz she will be at work and my sisters don't like ither the rats or can't be bothered. so what shall i do?

[Anmllvr731]

I'm not sure of the cost, but they do have services that
will come in and care for pets. Maybee check it out and see what's available in your area.
Good luck

[kmw]

If you're going on holiday for only 4 days, fill their food dishes up as full as you possibly can, I use two if I'll be gone a weekend, fill the water bottles up, and ask your brother to look in on them.  If your water bottles are large enough, they shouldn't run out in 4 days, but they may get low.  Can your brother just look at them?  If he didn't feed or water them, do you think he'd be able to at least check on them?  Maybe if you offer to give him a bit of money, but tell them he gets it only if the water bottles are full and the rats look happy - cash is a great motivator

[Ali]

Maybe if you offer to give him a bit of money, but tell them he gets it only if the water bottles are full and the rats look happy - cash is a great motivator

I agree with kmw - Bribery is the way to go.

Add an extra couple of water bottles if necessary. Sometimes I've put as many as four in if I'm going away just for a night or two in case one gets jammed, or leaks,  or if it's very warm. It sounds excessive but too much water is better than none at all - and water is even more important than food.

This is of course if you can't get anyone to look after them for you. Do you have a friendly vet office? Sometimes they'll board small animals.

[Spiralgirl]

Put an addtional water bottle on the cage too.

When I'm gone for 3-4 days I put alot of long lasting lab blocks in various places around the cage, and make sure that there are two full FUNCTIONING water bottles on every cage....I once made the mistake of not checking to see if the water bottles were working correctly before I left, and my boys were a bit thirsty and pissed off because they could smell the water but couldn't get it out of the second bottle.  

[RatStalker]

I agree: just give them an extra water bottle and extra food, especially hard foods like lab blocks.  They'll be OK.  Clean the cage before you go, and clean it when you get back.  It's only 4 days.  They should be fine.

[Anmllvr731]

Wow, you learn something new everyday.
I'm so glad to hear everyone thinks it's ok to leave ratties for up to 4 days. That'll make things a whole lot easier when we go camping.
Although I'm not sure I can be without them that long

[SonyaFancifulRats]

I wouldn't leave them for four days, I think people were figuring that other members of your family would be home to at least check on them and make sure they were ok??  I personally wouldn't leave mine for more than 1-2 days without someone to check them.

[Spiralgirl]

I've left mine for 4 days without anyone checking on them.  I cleaned the cages before I left, and made sure they had a more then adequit supply of food and water.

Something else I thought of, make sure that you leave the heat/ac on for your ratties too.

[kmw]

That'll make things a whole lot easier when we go camping.

I took one rat camping one time.  That's it.  Never again.  It was Mem Day weekend, 40 degrees, and rained.  Drew, me, Will the dog, and Sam the rat in the tent.  It was 2.30 am, I was so cold, I was pretty sure hypothermia was just around the corner, and Drew pokes me:  "WHAT is that rat doing?"
Me:  **chatter, chatter** "Whaaaa?"
Drew:  "The RAT.  WHAT is he doing?"
Me:  "He's a nocturnal critter.  It's nocturnal, and he's crittering."
Drew: "Make him stop."
Me:  **flick, flick**  "Sam!  Knock it off."
10 minutes later....
Drew:  "He's doing it again.  I'm going to put him in the truck..."
Me:  "It's not the rat.  It's your stupid dog, he's licking the tent."
And it was, the dog spent 3 hours licking the tent.  We left early that weekend, and went to Drew's parents' house - at least it was warm there

[Suebee]

*snicker* I rescind my comment about rats being as smart as dogs -- that's insulting to the rats!  

[DesertSands]

ROTFLMAO!!

kmw, I can't stop laughing!  

[star]

When I have gone away for a weekend or longer, I have my exhubby come in and check on my critters, he doesn't know much about them, but at least he comes in and checks to make sure that they have water and food. I also trained him to give them Yogies, lol. (My ex and I are good friends and I trust him)

[Yresim]

I will not leave my rats for longer than 2 days without having someone to at least check on them.  I would ask your mom to do it.  She sounds like a very reasonable and responsible lady.  Explain that all she needs to do is check each day when she comes home from work and make sure they have food/water (and that they are moving around if she makes a loud noise).  Most likely, she will never need to touch them, or spend more than 3 minutes/day in the room.  You can even then call her once a day from wherever you are and confirm that they are okay (so you don't need to worry).

You might offer her money.  Alternatively, you can schedule a pet service to come in after 2 days to give them food & water, and check on them.  That way, they don't spend more than two days alone.