I'm Not The Only One Who Spoils The Rats...

That's Ken *hubby* with Bandit. He wasn't a rat person before we brought our first rattie girl into the apartment. But he sure is now. 

And as you can see, they love him. Bandit laid there for a while getting snuggles from Ken. 

Weekly Rat Facts: Treats

Lucky with a Yogi in his mouth.

It's ok to give rats small treats every once in a while, but it shouldn't be an every day thing. I give my rats a yogi treat or small piece of chocolate a couple of times a week. 

Unlike dogs, rats can eat chocolate in small amounts without any harm. In fact dark chocolate is good to give to a rat if they are having breathing problems because it works as a bronchial dilator and helps rat breathe a little better if they are having respiratory problems. But it should be given in small amounts. 

As long as you are feeding your rat a nutritionally complete diet, there's no reason not to give the occasional treat. 

Rats don't know what treats are, they like pretty much all food. So you should give healthy treats when possible. Things such as fresh fruits and vegetables should be a daily part of their diet along with a staple dry food. I use Oxbow Regal Rat food as the dry food they always have available and during the day I give them different fruits and vegetables to go along with the dry food. 

Any fresh foods you put in their cage in the morning should be removed by the end of the day if not eaten because it can spoil and make your rat sick. 

Some foods that can be given as treats are:

Carrots, banana, apple, pear, yogis, dark chocolate, yogurt, broccoli, corn on the cob, watermelon, cherry tomatoes, white rice, brown rice, oatmeal, wheat germ, and pretty much any other fruit of vegetable. 

My boys love oranges but because of something in the rind of the orange that can cause cancer in male rats, if you are going to give oranges as treats you should peel the orange and rinse it off before giving to rats, especially male rats. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too.

This week I received a really nice card and 4 samples of Avon from the lady I buy my Avon through. If you'd like to order some Avon products, did you know you can now do it totally online? I know! it's so convenient. My Avon representative is:

Cynthia Netherton and you can use this link to order through her store.  

I also received a box from Smiley360 with the three sample tubes of Arm & Hammer Advanced White toothpaste. 

I also turned in My Coke Rewards points for a free 20oz bottle of coke and got the coupon in the mail.

I received two sample packages of Tums Freshers and a FREE Uniwigs Colorful Clip-in Hair Extension and a free Futuro Brand Carabiner bottle opener and I found the link for all of these freebies on Freebie Shark. 

 This week I was also fortunate enough to win a box of romance books from SOS Aloha in a blog contest. Kim is a delightfully fun woman who owns the blog and has contests to win books all the time! You should definitely check out her blog. 

The Triple Double Oreo

Now this is new *at least to me*. Hubby saw this at the store and thought I might like it. *well yeah!*

It's three crispy Oreo cookie wafers and in between is a layer of chocolate and a layer of the white creme. *Is that vanilla? Not sure*

Talk about improving a product. I approve.

The Big Shirt

The other day my daughter came over with my grandson and Ken thought it would be cute to put one of his big shirts on Logan. 

Logan looks thrilled. LOL 

Grandpa is goofy. 

Leash Training Animals

My brother had a pot bellied pig and he was able to leash train his pig by starting out when he was young and letting him get used to the harness being on him. When my brother brought Wilbur over, he didn't mind the harness or the leash at all because he was used to it. 

This was my sweet Dusty. I had him and his brother Oreo back in 2008 and while Dusty didn't mind having the harness on him and the leash, Oreo wanted nothing at all to do with either of them. I was able to put the harness on Dusty and take him for walks outside, which freaked out several people in my apartment complex. lol 

I started out letting him see, smell, and play with the harness. After a few days I slipped the first loop over his head and let him get used to me putting it on and taking it off. After a few times he didn't care and didn't try to stop me from  putting it over his head and I was able to get the second loop around his body. Then I would give him a treat like a yogie and after he ate it I would let him walk around on the couch, the floor or on me with the harness on. After a couple of days I attached the leash to it and let him walk on the floor which he loved. 

Then I took him outside for a couple of minutes and he loved it. He was sniffing everything and didn't seem scared at all. If he had seemed scared by trying to crawl up my leg, or get out of the harness, I would have taken him back inside. But he was happy to sniff the grass, the tree's, and get a pet from a few people who he came across. Of course I ONLY took him outside for a walk when the temperatures were cool. The sidewalk was not hot or even warmer than warm because I didn't want the heat to hurt or burn his tiny paws. 

He had a lot of fun but Dusty was the only rat I've ever had that let me put the harness on him and take him for a walk. You can't force an animal like a rat to do something they really don't want to, that's not fair to them.

Oh and if you're wondering what type of harness I got for my rat, it's this one. 

Ferret Harness

Homemade Rat House

Marbles and Bandit shredded their last fleece cube so I thought I would give them something different to play with for a while. So I took a small cardboard box, cut off the top and cut two holes in two sides the put it in their cage. Bandit was scared of it at first, but he quickly started sleeping in it and now I find them in it all the time. 

Of course while I was trying to take a picture of it, Bandit came over to see what I was doing. 

Weekly Rat Facts: Re-Homing

Lucky sitting on the couch watching tv with me. 

Re-homing an animal can sometimes be necessary but sometimes it's just an excuse to get rid of a pet you no longer want. 

My Thoughts

Re-homing can be necessary if a family member passes away and they have an animal. You can either take the animal and give it a home or find a suitable home for it. In that circumstance I can understand re-homing an animal. 

What I cannot understand are people who come up with excuses to get rid of pets because they just don't want them anymore or have become bored with them. Once you bring home a pet, that animal is yours! They rely on you for everything and you should not adopt an animal if you aren't prepared to keep it for their entire lives. 

Recently I read a discussion where a person was trying to find a new home for her 2 year old rats because she was pregnant and didn't think she would have enough time for her new baby and the rats. Really? I mean, really? If you had another child would you be looking for a new home for her because the new baby was going to take up too much of your time? No, of course not. It was a total cop out. I sure hope this woman doesn't have any other responsibilities because she might not have enough time to do them due to having a newborn. People have dogs, cats and goldfish and newborns all the time and you don't see them getting rid of their pets. Unless they are a little stupid that is. 

This type of thing makes me so mad. I read another discussion where a couple was moving into another apartment and the new apartment wouldn't allow them to have their 6 rats. So they gave them away. If you're already moving, why not find a pet friendly apartment complex instead of moving into one that won't allow you to bring your furry friends. I know when I move, I will not move into an apartment complex that won't allow me to bring my rats. There are plenty of pet friendly apartment complexes but to give away animals that you took in and supposedly cared for because you are too lazy to look for a pet friendly apartment is beyond callous. 

The fact is, some people see animals not as pets but as disposable entertainment and that's just sad. I cannot tell you how many hamsters I took in back before I started having rats. Back when my daughter was in elementary school the neighborhood had a lot of kids with hamsters as pets. I took in 5 hamsters, a bunny and then my first rat from people who no longer wanted their pets. Most times the kids weren't interested in taking care of the pets any longer and the parents never wanted them in the first place so when they found out I would take them in, they brought them to me. 

We found a home for the bunny after realizing that my daughter was allergic to the little guy and I do advocate taking in animals with the sole purpose of finding a forever home for them. It's better than sending them off to the shelter where they may or may not find a home. I would have kept the bunny if we hadn't been able to find a home for him.

 It's ridiculous to think that you're going to get your 5 year old a hamster, rat, or dog and they are going to take care of that animal all by themselves. If you're not willing to take care of the animal you get for your child if that child becomes bored with it, don't get them one. 

Review: Lightpoints by Peter Kassan

*I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review*

What if you suddenly discovered you had a sense—and powers—that almost no one else in the world did?

When Amanda Lindner Nichols, a 24-year-old graphic artist living with her husband in Queens, New York, is revived from a near-death experience, she discovers she perceives everyone around her as points of light—but not with her eyes. She soon learns she can not only perceive the life energy of others, but she can give and take it. With the help of others like her, she brings her husband Chris to the brink of death and back to bestow on him the same remarkable faculty, and they’re the happiest they’ve been.

But not for long. All over the world, people who’ve been revived from their own near-death experience at just the right moment discover themselves with these same unusual powers. They find ways to use them—some for good and some for evil. When Amanda and Chris encounter a ruthless group of gangsters with the same faculty, tragedy follows—and Amanda faces the greatest challenge of her life.

My Take:

I can read most genres of books but it's been a while since I read a book like this one. I haven't really given any thought to near death experiences or what happens when you die. Would you see the bright white light? The tunnel where all your family and friends are supposed to meet you and usher you across to the other side? In this book we get an in depth look at what one author thinks it might be like to have a near death experience and come back...back with with an unusual power. Some use their power for good and some use their new power for bad, very bad. 

We meet a lot of different characters who all have had near death experiences and get together to help each other out like a support group would. I liked the inter-dimensional side of this story, learning about so many other people that have to face the same sort of challenges after having a near death experience. Lightpoints is an eye opening read, with accounts from several different people and their experiences with near death experiences. The author made me want to read what the next person had to share and read what their experience had been, as well as follow the main story of Amanda and Chris.

I'm not religious and was happy to see that this wasn't filled with religious quotes, bible thumping or trying to shove the belief that touching the light at the end of the tunnel is like touching god. There were a few religious characters that believed the new gift they brought back with them was a gift from god and they had to pray in order to use their new gifts for good, but what little religious reference there was made it easy to read it and move on ahead to the other story lines.

I really thought I knew how this book was going to end but I was totally surprised to read what the author came up with. I loved the ending of this book.

If you like near death experiences, bad guys, good guys, a slight paranormal feel and a little romance throw in for good measure, you're gonna love this book.

Now if I can just find a near death experience book that takes a look at people who have been to hell and come back. Maybe I've just given Mr. Peter Kassan an idea for his next book?

You can find this book at he following links:

Amazon

Goodreads

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too.

This week I received a BzzKit from BzzAgent that included 3 Special K Nourish cereals, and three Special K Nourish Breakfast bars. As well as coupons. 

I also received a free Schick Quatro Silk disposable razor. 

Free sample of Frizz Ease Shampoo and conditioner. 

I found the Schick Quatro and Frizz Ease on Freebie Shark

My Pen Collection

So I've showed you my book collection, book mark collection, Not pad collection and now...the pen collection. Although, I don't have nearly as many pens as I do other collections but there are still a good number of them here.. Last count was 71 pens. 

And again, I didn't buy a single one of them. I have been given them in swag bag prizes or with book wins from authors. 

What are you collecting these days?

Video of Lucky

Review: Northman's Passion by Kate Hill

Now you guys already know I don't write many reviews because frankly, I don't think I do them well. lol So instead of calling this a review, how about we call it a "I loved this book so much I wanted to let all my friends know so they will read it too" blog post. *wink*

Description from Ellora's Cave...

Erik Ice Tooth is used to getting what he wants. Undefeated in battle, no man is his match and no woman resists him, until he meets Bera, daughter of his King.

Disgusted by the hulking brute who asks for her hand in marriage, Bera adamantly refuses him, but Erik is determined to have his way. He abducts Bera, vowing that theirs is a match made by the gods—and he has many lusty tricks in store to prove it.

My Take...

Now it's been a while since I read a Historical because I've been on a crazy vampire high for a long time. But I won this ebook and decided to read it and you all know how I feel about ebooks. o.o I don't usually read them unless they are by authors that I already like because too many times I start reading one and it's bad...Bad I say!

But...this was so good! Oh My Gawd...I got it in my email and I decided to read the first few paragraphs to see if it looked like something I might like. I didn't stop reading until I was done. It didn't even occur to me that I was reading the entire book until I got to the end and was like..omg, that was fantastic!

The funniest part of the book by far is Erik meeting Bera for the first time because he had fallen into a dung heap and smelled really bad. He didn't even bathe before asking for her hand in marriage! It's no wonder she said no to him, I mean really...who wants to be proposed to, or in this case be bartered over for a bride price like some piece of cattle *now I remember why I don't read many historicals, I want to reach through the book and bitch slap the men!* by a man who smells like a filthy beast? Not me...

But the best part, *are you ready for this* I'm actually thinking of buying the second book after this one! *I know! Gasp! She's gonna BUY an ebook?* Kate Hill told me that Northman's Pleasure is now out and it's about Erik's brother, Grim. 

For those of you who would like to buy Northman's Passion, you can find it at this link on Ellora's Cave. 

While I was looking at Kate Hill's different books on Ellora's cave, I found that she also writes PNR! Hubby is going to dog sit for a few days at the end of this month and I think I just found a few books to keep me busy. *rubs hands together excitedly*

If you like paranormal reads then this one might peak your interest, I know it did me. 

Moonlight on Water

Oh, and since I won this first book on Shelly Munro's blog Taste of Kiwi, here's a link to one of Shelley's eBooks on Ellora's Cave. Because I never would have found Kate Hill without her. 

Playing To Win

Description Via Ellora's Cave

Professional rugby player Lane Gerrard is used to women throwing themselves at him, but a scurrilous tabloid article naming him as father of a child sends his temper soaring. The woman he confronts doesn't fit the blackmailer profile. Kate Alexander is attractive with an enchanting innocence, enticing. A total stranger. Her feistiness draws his unwilling admiration, but the child…he is the image of Lane.

Kate can't deny her son's similarity to the sexy man at her door but no way will she hand him over without a fight. Kate doesn't possess money but she can shower her son with love. With public speculation rife, Kate reluctantly works with Lane to discover the truth. They grow closer as distrust slowly turns to mutual fascination, but the tabloid articles bring out a stalker. Mild pranks escalate into danger, and suddenly Lane realizes Kate is a woman he could love. With Kate and her son, he could have a family. Now, with his heart on the line, this is one game he's playing to win.

Keeping Rats Cool In The Summer Months

Knowing that it gets really hot here in the summer months I've made provisions in case the power goes out for a couple of hours. I say a couple of hours because I wouldn't use this method for more than a few hours in the temps that we get here..ie..115 F

But if for some reason the power goes out for just a couple of hours I have ice packs in my freezer for emergencies to keep my rats cool. You are probably wondering how ice packs would keep the rats cool enough in temperatures like that? Well I'm going to tell you. But first I want you to take a look at the photos and see that I've bought all Non-Toxic Reusable ice packs. They last longer and are easy to keep in the freezer.

I have two different types and sizes of ice packs. These are smaller gel packs. These would be used inside the cage if needed. I would wrap them in a dish towel and let the rats lay next to them to keep cool. You can also freeze water bottles and wrap those in dish towels. 

They can also be used on top of the cage to create the 'air conditioner'. 

The second Ice pack I have is a larger CoolBrick. It's the size of a brick and lasts a very long time. I would use this on top of the cage for the *ratty air conditioner*

Weekly Rat Facts: Breeders

Lucky, 8 months old.

I know there are some people out there that say people should only adopt from reputable breeders when adopting rats. I'm not going to be rude and tell anyone what they should do, I will however tell you what I will and won't do.

After seeing pictures of sick rats and hamsters in the big chain pet stores, and hearing how the small animals are treated in those stores by people who have actually worked there...I will never again buy a rat or any other small animal from a big chain pet store. I have in the past but now I know that these pet stores often times get their rats and hamsters from mills. Like Puppy mills, there are rat mills that do the same thing.

There are also back yard breeders that do not know how to care for their animals and don't care who they sell them too.

I will also state that I will not adopt from a breeder at this time. Maybe sometime in the future I will change my mind but not until there are no more rats being given away on craigslist, shelters or rescues. I would much rather rescue a rat from a family who no longer wants them than line the pockets of a breeder who is breeding because they think the rats who have been sold in pet stores and are now not wanted are not worthy of a forever home.

I will not tell you not to adopt from a breeder but I will tell you what to watch out for when looking for a breeder to adopt from.

Feeder Breeders
If the breeder you are talking to about adopting a rat from, also sells their rats to people as food for their snakes, and other reptiles...do not adopt from them! I cannot emphasize this enough. A rat breeder who cares about their line, would never under any circumstances sell one of their rats to someone as food. Most breeders make you sign contracts that you will keep in touch, will not breed the rat they give you and if for whatever reason you cannot take care of the rat they give you, that you give it back to them. So if a breeder is selling their rats as food as well as pets...they are bad breeders and don't care about their animals.


Things To Watch Out For
Most breeders have contracts that they make you sign before you can adopt one of their rats and they may even want to do a home visit to make sure you have a nice cage and the room for the rats you adopt. But if they tell you that you have to pick your rat from pictures they let you see and won't let you come into their home to see where the rats were raised and housed, no matter what excuse they have, you will want to look elsewhere.

I've come to find out that there are quite a few breeders that will not let you see the rats before you pick one out from pictures. They will not let you in their home, will not let you play with the rats to see which one has the right personality for you and will not let you see where they were raised.

The most common excuse for this I've heard is that they don't want any diseases, parasites or bugs being transferred to their rattery where they care for their rats, on the clothes or skin of the people coming to adopt a rat so they make you pick a rat from a picture and then they bring it outside to you. This is not how I would want to pick a new pet. I want to be able to interact with the rats and see which ones have the personality I'm looking for.

I have also heard that some breeders have a clause in their contract that says something to the effect of...if you breed the rat they give you after you have signed a contract saying you won't but you have an oops litter that they have the right to either 1) take the babies from you or 2) have the first pick of the litter.

If you see this in the contract...put it down and run away...don't walk, run! Because this is just ridiculous. After you buy and essentially you are buying a rat from them not adopting..once money changes hands you have bought...not adopted..but anyway, once you have bought the rat, that rat is now legally yours and they cannot tell you what you can and cannot do with him or her and they certainty cannot tell you that any babies born to him or her belong to them.

Also, breeders sometimes ask you to pay crazy amounts for their rats. I saw where a breeder wanted you to pay $50 for a pair of rats and she only sold them in pairs. Frankly, that's a bit pricey is you ask me.

A Good Breeder Will...
Let you see where the rats live and how they are taken care of.
Let you play with the rats and pick the ones you want.
Not hassle you after you have brought the rats home.
Will want to be kept updated with pictures and maybe an email once in a while.
Not charge you a ridiculous price for a pair of rats.

Like I said, I'm not going to tell anyone what to do, just getting some information out there. Give you something to think about before you go looking for a breeder or go to a pet store looking to buy a rat.

There are alternatives to breeders and pet stores.
There's Craigslist- They always have pets on there looking for homes.
Local Shelter- call or visit your local shelter.
There are also Freecycle Groups- I became a member of Freecycle Las Vegas and found that they have a sister site called Las Vegas Pets

That Las Vegas Pets has listings for FREE pets that are looking for good homes. If you become a member of your local freecycle group they might have a freecycle group in your area for pets as well. I actually rescued a hamster from the Las Vegas Pets in my area and the lady gave me the hamster, his cage, food, bedding and everything she had for him...for free. She had got the hamster for her 5 year old son who after a couple of months wasn't interested in the hamster any more. Sad But true.

Frankly, I don't advocate breeding pets anymore because there are sooo many animals out there looking for forever homes. Yes, good breeders are trying to better the species they are breeding by only breeding from good lines and keeping records of everything. I understand that, but still think that it would be better for all animals to have humans stop breeding them and rescue the animals that are already alive and try to find forever homes for them.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too.

This week I have something funny for you. I found this pretty pink box in my mailbox the other day and was thinking, "I wonder what is in this pretty pink box? Feminine products? Chocolates? Hair samples?" So I excitedly opened it up...

And found a roll of toilet paper and coupons. LOL 

Then I remembered that Charmin had a giveaway going on their spanish website. The form for the freebie had been in spanish and I had to use Google Translate in order to fill out the form, but several weeks later it came...in a very pretty pink box. 

My Note Pad Obsession

Yes, these are just some of the Post it Notes that I have. I seem to get more and more than I can actually use. I don't think I will have to buy any for a very long time. 

I write myself notes all the time. You should see the area right next to my computer..it's a Post It Note Mess. 

I have note pads for Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day as well as other holidays. I have white as well as the rainbow full of colors. 

There are two note pads to the left of my computer right now and little messages to myself on note pads all over my desk and inside the top drawer where I keep all my pens. Yes, I have a Pen obsession as well. LOL 

I did not start out trying to collect pens or note pads. They started getting sent to me in swag bags, christmas stocking stuffers, and book wins. Authors like to send note pads and pens with their swag and books that they give away as prizes. I didn't buy any of these note pads...they were all given to me and now I have a nice collection of them. 

Do you now collect anything that you didn't start out wanting to collect?

Trip To California

A few years ago my daughter spent some time with her aunt in California and while she was there they went to Universal Studios and to the Beach. I loved these pictures and thought it would be fun to share some of them with you. 

My daughter and her aunt are in the front seat in this Krustyland picture. Isn't kinda cool that most of these places now take pictures of you while your on the rides that you can now get?

While they were eating luch a zombie walked up to my daughter and tried to eat her braaains.

Then they went on a water ride...they look like they had fun, yes?

And yet another ride was gone on...lol 

And my daughter got to stand by Chucky without worrying he would slice her to pieces.

Laster that week they went to the beach. That's one of the things I miss about living in California. When I was a kid we used to go to the beach almost every weekend. There are no beaches here in Las Vegas...just cactus...lol 

I might miss the ocean and the beach but i don't miss trying to get all that sand out of places it should never be...

A Little Sightseeing

Ken and I have taken trips to Red Rock and Mt Charleston here in Nevada and I was able to get some really good pictures from those trips. So I thought I would show you some of them. This is in Red Rock.

Red Rock. 

If you look out on a clear day you can see most of the cliffs that people climb. 

Like this one. My daughter and husband went up climbing on some of the rock and boulders that I would not and took pictures looking down from them. 

We did not climb this one.

This was a bit of a climb for them to get to the top.

But looking down from the top is pretty cool. 

I stayed on the ground, where it was safe. lol 

They climbed to the top of more rocks and took more pictures.

We pulled over on the side of the road on the way to Mt Charleston and took this picture. 

More pictures from the top of some cliffs.

Stop The Legalization of Marijuana

Do we really want a nation of stoner's?

If your answer is no, well then people better do something to stop marijuana from become legal everywhere because that's where we're heading. 

The fact is, Federal law bans the production, sale and distribution of marijuana for recreational purposes yet dispensaries are popping up all over in areas where medical pot has been legalized. So why isn't the federal government stepping in and putting a stop to it? 

All this legalization is going to have ramifications down the road. There will be more people high on pot on the roads, working, and taking care of those who they are responsible for children and elderly parents. 

There will be more people hooked on pot and seeking help for their drug dependency and who do you think will be paying for that?

And there will still be people trying to get over on the government laws by growing too much, selling to minors, doing things they shouldn't be while high like driving and operating heavy machinery, maybe even flying planes and operating on people in hospitals. All the same things we see happening with alcohol will be happening with pot given time.