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@christinatrains
When you put liners on your rat cage what did you do to hold them down? I've been using twisty-ties but it usually takes more time to put them in and take them out, it there an easier method? thanks :3
Hello! I use binder rings - I got a box from staples and they're very convenient. I wash and re-use them, too. Hope that helps!
our very own waffle and pancake are featured in this upcoming year's Mainely Rat Rescue calendar! they're the May pin-ups! ( : support MRR and buy a calendar filled with adorable ratties!
This is a phrase behaviour analysts say a lot. I recently attended the Geneva Centre for Autismâs Summer Training week where Nancy Marchese, a BCBA presented to a room full of teachers and related education professionals. âIt depends!â was her answer to many âWhat should I do about a student who...
I love this - it is of course also applicable to my clients when talking and asking about their dogs. So many times they expect a clear cut answer, but so many times I disappoint them (initially) with "it depends"! Then of course we get into more details.. Thanks, Tricia-Lee, for writing this out so well. ( :
Ever since I started learning about dog behavior and spreading that knowledge to dog owners, I noticed a stark difference between what vets and I were telling owners regarding puppy socialization. Do not ever forget that the critical period of socialization for a puppy is between 3 and 16 weeks of age. Many vets tell their clients to keep their puppy inside until they have received all their shots, which usually happens at 16 weeks. RED FLAG!! Read this position statement published by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) that emphasizes the importance of getting your puppy outside and socialized within the first three months - and feel free to bring it up to your vet if s/he says otherwise!!
I love when our ratties sleep with their head tucked under their body. Waffle sleeping.
a rattie update
I can't believe it's been four months since we adopted Pancake and Waffle. We have learned so much during that short time, and both of our ratties have gotten so much more comfortable around us. Waffle still doesn't like being picked up all the time (I blame his being under socialized), but he now rarely "eeks" when we do so. They both love exploring our bed and hanging out with us in the bonding scarf. And, of course, they like eating! Pancake's favorite is picking out the peanut from chunky peanut butter and Waffle's favorite is.. well, let's just say he's not that picky.. ( : Anyway, all in all, we love our ratties!!
first time on the sofa! I love how curious they are, but itâs so hard to get a good photo! â¤đ
it took me a week to get comfortable enough to pick up waffle and pancake. I tried it once and I felt like it was stressing them out - especially waffle. he would eek! and run away from me. after many emails, their foster mom convinced me how important it is to get them used to the handling. my husband and I spent about three days just leaving our hands in the cage. if the ratties came up to or on our hands we'd give them yummy foods! if not we'd leave and try again later. by the third day of doing this, both of them would let me pet them. I think doing this and taking it slow definitely helped. they seemed much more comfortable with us afterwards and even let me pick them up for their first sofa session!
zZzZzZ sleepy time for waffle.
introducing.. waffle & pancake!!
I know I'm still in the process of going down the adoption, but I couldn't wait any longer! My hubby and I adopted Waffle & Pancake from Mainely Rat Rescue (MRR). Waffle was previously known as Blaze and Pancake was previously known as Cookie. You can read about our match here.
Waffle is a boy:
enjoying a grape!
a bit blurry, but sniffing away!
Pancake is a girl:
whatcha doin over there?
caught on camera! (can you see waffle's tail?)
They are both an estimated nine months old. We've had them for exactly seven days now, and we are in love. Well, I can't speak for my husband, but I definitely am! ( : I can't wait for our adventures and for us to all get to know each other!
why RATS?: shopping spree
I love shopping. If I could, Iâd do it all the time. I love watching QVC. I have bought two things from them in the past ten or so years Iâve been watching, but I just love shopping so much that I watch it. So, I was very excited at the thought of shopping for all the new supplies for my ratties. I didnât buy anything until I was approved to adopt by Mainely Rat Rescue (MRR), but before the approval I was window shopping and just made the sales final when I was approved. All of the things I bought were purchased after a lot of research and what I thought would work best for two ratties.
1) Martin's Cage R-690
(although mine is black powder-coated metal)
I read online that Martin's made good rat cages and I liked how they had a lot of variety. I also liked how they made cages especially for rats - as opposed to "small animal cages". I chose the R-690 because of its small footprint - an absolute must in a small apartment!
2) Tall Corner Litter Pan by SuperPet
Mine looks a little different than this one. It's purple and it attaches to the cage by two little teeth on the back of the two sides that face the cage. I wanted to potty train my rats (or at least poop-train), but it's definitely a work in progress. My ratties like to dig and kick out the litter I have in here. Which brings me to..
3) CareFresh Ultra Bedding/Litter
I chose this to use as litter based on research. However, my rats like to kick it out of the litter box so I think when I finish using it (or maybe sooner than that), I'm going to try alfalfa-based rabbit pellets. I've read good things about using that, too.
4) Fleece
No picture for this one, but I bought a bunch of fleece from Jo-Ann Fabric. My husband measured and made cage liners for our cage. He also made ramp covers, too. We have already switched out the liners once (after two days) so I'm glad we have two sets right now. It'll definitely be beneficial to have at least three since we do laundry once a week.
5) Harlan Teklad 2016
This food was recommended by MRR and it's what my rats were fed at their foster home. Harlan Teklad lab blocks are highly recommended in general and I hope they are good for my ratties! I buy them from MRR so I can support the organization while buying food for my ratties.
6) Lixit glass water bottles 16 oz.
I read that glass water bottles are cleaner than plastic since it naturally inhibits bacterial growth. I bought two 16 oz. bottles to place on the first and second floors of the cage.
Those are the essentials that I bought for my ratties! I will post next time about all of the accessories I bought for them. ( :
why RATS?: the adoption process
I admit. The adoption process with Mainely Rat Rescue (MRR) was a bit more complex than I thought it would be. First, you have to fill out a survey and answer a lot of questions including how youâre going to set up the ratsâ environment. After everything on that survey is cleared, youâre put in touch with an adoption counselor. The counselor is there to help answer any questions you may have about rats and their care. We had many emails back and forth and when the counselor and I both agreed my knowledge of rat husbandry was sufficient, she sent me back to the adoptions coordinator. She then helped us choose our rats.
All I knew in the beginning was that I wanted two well-socialized rats that were cute. I thought at the time that I wanted two male rats because I read that boys are more cuddly. However, after researching online, the general consensus was that males were cuddly and lazy while females are more agile and willing to learn. MRRÂ assured me that those were generalizations and you could always have rats that don't fit into that stereotype. The adoptions coordinator asked if I would be open to the idea of getting one male and one female so I could experience both genders. I said "sure!" and asked about Blaze
and Cookie:
The Coordinator thought they would be a great match for us and they were reserved for us after we paid the adoption fee.
I am now grateful for MRRâs rigorous adoption process. Although I had done a lot of research on my own, there were still things that came up while I was thinking of what supplies to buy for the ratties. In addition, it was great to have somebody to ask these questions without feeling like a burden. I think MRR is a great organization, and I would definitely recommend them and adopt from them again.
Now on to the SHOPPING! :D
*Photos courtesy of MRR
teaching my Maine pooches to wait at the door before going out. can you spot the three-term contingencies in play? A: door opens B: dog gets up C: door closes = negative punishment why? A: door opens B: dog stays seated C: I say "okay" and dog can go outside = positive reinforcement why?
why RATS?: the beginning
Ever since my husband and I signed our lease, Iâve regretted it. The broker had written in âno petsâ as per the landlord. But given the value for what we were getting and the fact that at the time neither of us had time to get a pet, it didnât really hit me. Until a few months ago. I really wanted to get a companion animal. I started looking at my favorite shelter everyday to see what dogs they had posted on PetFinder. I started looking up breeders and even thinking about how Iâd save up money to get a pedigree whippet. After allowing myself to live a month of this nonsense, I forced myself to wake up. Money isnât too much of an issue, but time was! I was gone from my house eleven hours a day while Logan had an unpredictable schedule since heâs in law school. It wouldnât be fair for us to get a dog when we wouldnât even be able to spend the whole weekend with her. As a dog trainer, I knew how unfair that was. So then I started looking at other options.
I donât remember how, but I came across Mainely Rat Rescue (MRR). Loganâs from Maine and we go up there pretty frequently so it didnât seem too preposterous to adopt from Maine. Through MRRâs website and the links provided through them, I learned so much about rats.
Did you know they may be the smartest of rodents?
Did you know they are very social and love human attention?
Did you know there are fancy rat clubs?
Did you know that pet rats have been domesticated since the 1800s?
Most importantly to me, though, was that I knew that rats are SO trainable - thank you, Skinner (and less important-to-me âpsychologistsâ).
So I decided I wanted rats! Thankfully Logan was very on-board with it and he even asked our landlord for permission and our very puzzled landlord ("I thought she wanted something cute and cuddly.. like a rabbit..?") said yes! As long as theyâre caged. I wouldnât have it any other way!
So we decided to adopt and the adventure begins..
changing it up: moving on to bigger and better!
no, Iâm not going anywhere! but this blog is soon going to be renamed: Christina Trains (christinatrains.tumblr.com). the blog will continue to be a place for me to write about my passions and interests, but I would like to put more of an emphasis on hands-on training - not just for dogs, but any animal (maybe even including humans)!
some more exciting news: my hubby and I are soon-to-be adopted parents of two rats (currently named blaze and cookie) so Iâm sure Iâll be posting about them and my training adventures with them as well.
happy training!
âa tired dog is a good dogâ - not only will exercise keep them from gnawing on inappropriate things inside your house, but dogs focus much better on training after some good physical activity.
as the weather gets warmer, give your dog the physical exercise he needs then follow up with some mental exercise. your dog will be extra tired at the end of the day!
a visual example of really good stimulus control:
A: dog sees biscuit B: dog sits C: dog gets to chomp down on biscuit
I didnât even have to say âsitâ!
intermittent reinforcement
When I train dogs, I use positive reinforcement training and my reinforcement of choice is food. Food is a great way to teach a dog new behaviors.. as long as the dog really likes food! In my experience, I can count on one hand the number of dogs I have met that are not food motivated. I think it is definitely 100% possible to teach dogs without using food as long as it's something else that's reinforcing for the dog. However, I think food is always fastest, and I believe that's because food is a primary resource for dogs. And aren't we always looking for the fastest and most effective ways to teach our pets?
Along those lines, as much as I love using food to teach, it is equally, if not MORE important, to know how to wean off the food. You don't always want to have a treat in your hand when you bend over to ask your dog to sit! Is this a common scene around your household?
This is a big concern for many of my clients. They worry that if we train with food, you will always need food to get behaviors from your dog. FALSE.
Q: How to wean off food effectively? A: intermittent reinforcement
Well, the number one answer would be to use a hand signal that doesn't need the food to be visible.* Once the dog has learned the behavior, then use intermittent reinforcement. The classic example used when learning about intermittent reinforcement is the slot machine. We've all seen those people sitting in front of slot machines. How often do they get rewarded? Who knows? It's random. That means the person sitting at that machine doesn't know when s/he will get rewarded. That's why they're still sitting there after an hour! On their 10th and 18th pull of the handle, they got a payout - maybe they'll get another one! They never know when the next payout will be.
This should be what your dog is thinking:
"OOH! OOH!! MAAAYYYBEEE THIS TIME SHE'LL GIVE ME A TREAT!!! I'LL DO IT! I'LL DO IT!"
Get it? Randomize the times your dog gets a treat - maybe every other time, then one out of five times, then one out of ten (on average). Your pup will be a slot machine junkie before you know it!
But all that being said, remember that intermittent reinforcement is to be used AFTER the behavior has been acquired. When your dog is first learning a behavior, I would reinforce after every instance of the behavior (continuous reinforcement) to make sure that becomes a strong behavior.
*Trainer tip: Fade your food in session one!
