Vampires ~ Anders Hove ~ Ghost Hunters ~ Ghosts ~ Haunted Places ~ Halloween and more at

www.laurawolf.com

 

RAT FACTS

 

Laura's beloved rats ... MANY rats.

 

* Rats are intelligent, social animals that can make great pets and are easily tamed and trained.

* Rats, like cats, love to be clean and spend hours during the day grooming themselves and each other.

* Rats are nocturnal, so they will be most active at night and prefer to be kept in darker places.

* The Rat is the first symbol of the Chinese Zodiac - A symbol of cunning and prosperity

* Rats are social so do best if kept with another rat (or group of rats).

* Rats have poor vision. To compensate for this, a red or pink eyed rat will often weave its head side to side to add "motion" to see better. It is also believed they do not see color as we do.

* Rats mate very quickly ... speedy mounting which takes only a few seconds!

* In general, male rats make better "lap" pets, they love to be scratched and tickled softly and simply be close to your body. Female rats are more curious and love to explore and play games.

* Rats might wish to eat smaller pets. They are omnivores, and sometimes display an instinct to kill and eat birds, fish and even some smaller rodents. There are times, unfortunately, they will nibble up their own young, though not that common.

* Rats do not have canine teeth.

* Rats do not have thumbs.

* The oils in cedar and pine are toxic to rats, and should NOT be used as bedding.

* A rat's temperature is regulated though its tail. An over-heated rat will lay on its back so that it can "sweat" through the soles of its feet.

* A group of rats is called a mischief.

* Males are called bucks, females are does, and babies are pups or kittens.

* Red discharge from a rat's nose or eyes is usually porphyrin, not blood. Unlike blood, porphyrin is flourescent under UV light. It is produced in glands behind the rat's eyes. Overproduction of this discharge can be caused by stress or illness.

* A happy rat will chatter or grind its teeth. Often, chattering teeth results in "vibrating" eyes, caused by the lower jawbone pressing the backs of the eyes. This is a good sign, regardless of how silly it looks.

* A rat's jawbone isn't fused in the middle like ours, so it can make it appear as though the lower incisors have wiggled apart a bit.

* Rats can't vomit. A rat can, however, gag on something if it eats too quickly.

* It is highly unlikely you will ever catch rabies from a rat.

* A rat's saliva has some pink pigmentation, which can cause a light-colored rat to look discolored. A warm washcloth with baby shampoo is great for those trouble spots.

* PEW stands for "Pink Eyed White" the fancy rat terminology for "albino" or any all-white rat with pink eyes. Conversely, BEW stands for "Black Eyed White" (which is not an albino).

* Rats have bellybuttons.

* Rats do not have gallbladders.

* Rats do not have tonsils.

* Rats can be trained to do many tricks and like dogs, learn to understand much of what we say to them.

* Do not feed your rat rice, it will swell in their bellies and they will likely NOT be able to pass it ...they may suffer painful bloating and die.

* Do not feed them gassy foods due to inability to burp or vomit, this can be deadly for them.

* It is okay to feed them cookies and sweets, (THEY LOVE IT) but make sure it is not their main diet, best saved for special treats.

* Average life span is 2-4 years.

* Rats reach puberty very young - at 6-8 weeks of age.

* Females go into heat every 4-5 days (for about 24 hours) and may seem agitated or restless during this time.

* Rats are very curious.

* The herb Valerian is the Ratty equivalent of Catnip.

* The ancient Mayan civilization used to worship the Rat, as did the ancient Egyptians. To this day, there is a Temple in Deshnoke, India (The Karni Mata Temple near Bikaner by the border to Pakistan)

 

devoted to the rat where it is estimated that thirty thousand rats

scurry around in safety and harmony with their human friends.

 

Vampires, Laura Wolf, Anders Hove, Denice Duff, Jonathon Morris, David Gunn, Thomas Ian Griffith, Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee,

The Vampire Synn, Webtramper's Vampire Chamber, Dark Poetry Tomb, Vampire Dreams and Desires, Vlad Tepes, Elizabeth Bathory,

The Marquis De Sade, Haunted Places, Halloween, Bats, Witch Ways, Voodoo Dolls,Wiccan Wonders, Screaming Souls, KURTZ, Curt (Airbrush Artist),

Hypnotism, Lucid Dreaming, Remote Viewing, Alien/UFO'S, Edgar Allan Poe, Coffin Makers and Funeral Info, Famous Gravesites, Fantastic Freaks,

TAPS Ghost Hunters and more, Folklore and Superstitions, Alice Cooper, KISS, MiniKISS, Favorite Incredible People, The Padded Room,

Links, Skeleton Hank the Translator, Skeleton Hank's Weather and Sky Booth, Sanctuary Nurses Station, Nature's Health Garden, Freaky Things,

Where's Charlie? , Logo Pics , The Dungeon, Full Moon Calendar, Ballet Ballroom, Laura Wolf Quotes , Eyeball Illusions, Freaky Facts,

... and many other hidden treasures and topics to find and explore along the tour in my sanctuary.

This site is new, therefore, some links are not yet activated and expect many changes as I re-vamp and organize this site.

MORE TO COME

Laura Wolf Welcome Page, News/Updates/Notes

Flashed Laura Wolf Intro www. Laura Wolf .com Laura Wolf Chamber

contact: laurawolf_dot_com@hotmail.com