Rat food, etc.

Question
Just purchased my first two fancy rats (have owned hoodies and white rats before)

Socrates is a 'teenage' white, patchwork, Dumbo rat, and Ghandi is a sister from a more recent litter- also patchwork, Dumbo, but generally gray.

Q1: Socrates generally squints, while Ghandi's eyes open wide. Is the squinting genetic and/or something to worry about?

Q2: As a chew toy, gnawing toy, etc. I was wondering about dropping a couple of walnuts with shells in their cage, and/or hanging one from the roof. Will the shells hurt them? Is there any nut that is safe (or that I should watch out for)?

Thank you!

Answer
Hello Mark, Socrates, and Ghandi!
  First, congrats on your Dumbos! I love mine so very much. I think they are the cutest! :0) Sounds like your Ghandi is eather platinum, blue or lilac, depending on the shade of grey. Now, about the squinting. Hairless, and double rex or also known as "patch work" have eye lash issues. The double rex rats are called patchwork because they have patches of hair that "move" around their bodies. What this actually is, is that their hair is very coarse due to the curling, and it brakes off, and pop comes a bald spot. Patch work and hairless are not always ALL hairless at any time, but they do have very curly wiskers and eyelashes. When they have eyelashes, they curl into the eye, and it can cause a red discharge. I call it goopy eye. This is not bad, like it is in furry rats. It is kind of like what happens to the chinese dog, the sharpi. The hair irritates the eyes, and makes them teary eyed or just makes them squinty. Or also what happens is that they have ZERO eye lashes, and therefore no pertection from bedding dust, also irritating her eyes. None of this is bad, it just is. It is some thing that you have to deal with, and there is nothing really you can do other than gentally wipe the eyes daily with a warm wet soft cloth. This could be the squinty problem, or, she could just have sqinty eyes. My Hairless boys all have what I call Cheech and Chong eyes, for obvious reasons. They are all dumbos. I have seen many other top eared hairless, male and female, that have great big round, normal eyes. Could just be that Soc. has cheech and chong eyes and Ghandi does not. But do not rule out the eyelash thing.

About the walnuts. I am not sure about that. I DO know that there are numorous nut shells that are poisonous if consumed, such as cashue and almond. There are many differant chew things that are way more fun and tasty than a nut shell. I also know that peanut shells are bad because they get a mold on them, like the stuff that dried corn gets that causes humans to halusinate, that will kill the rats if consumed. Any type of de-shelled nut is good and they will love them :0)  The hanging things from the cage roof is MUCH fun :0) I do it with those big seedless grapes, and black cherries. It is a lot of fun watching them figure out how to get them :0)

As for chew things. I give mine edible flavored Nylabones. They come in strawberry, grape, watermelon and bananna, not to mention peanut butter and various meat flavors. I give them a medium one about once every week or two, depending on how fast they eat it. This has never failed to keep teeth growth down and has just about eliminated them chewing up cage acessories. They taste good and will not harm digestion. You can find them in the dog section of walmart and any petstore.

I hope this has answered your questions. If not, please ask me again, and I will happily answer you back, usually with in 5- 10 hours.
Happy Ratting!
Becky

***Pine and Cedar wood bedding is TOXIC. The wood oils cause respritory infections, Mycoplasma flare ups, and canser. And these all will cause scaring of the lungs, killing your fur babies slowly and painfully. Use ASPEN or CAREFRESH instead, and you will have a healthier, happier, not to mention better smelling, rodent. ***



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