Here it is - the long awaited 2nd edition of The Scuttling Gourmet by Alison Campbell.
Have you ever wondered what foods are good for your rats? Have you tried to think of new treats that you could give to your rats, knowing they were nutritionally well balanced?
Well wonder no more - in Alison's book you will find out about base foods, foods to avoid, foods to help rats throughout their lives, from lactating does to old and infirm rats.
The Scuttling Gourmet book by Alison Campbell
£6.80
Vetzyme Veterinary Antibacterial Powder 40g
I have a doe, storm, who had a lump removed and the wound refused to heal - she was looking at her third operation to sort out the "decaying flesh" when Gill Thomas, from Headstrong, suggested keeping the affected area dry and using an antibacterial powder - I bought this one and I personally believe that it saved Storm's life. There were no signs of healing, then after using this powder - dusted onto the site - it almost completely healed within 3 days. I won't ever be without this "miracle" powder again.
£3.00
SA-37 200g
This powder is ideal to sprinkle on wet food for rats. It contains a mix of minerals and vitamins especially useful for ill ratties, but can be used for all of them. One tub will last for ages.
£5.40
Hatchwells Seaweed powder 90g
According to Alison's book The Scuttling Groumet : "Scientific evidence has confirmed that it contains large amounts of vitamins, minerals and trace elements ..... increases fitness and aids good tooth and bone formation, also aids digestion"
Sprinkle on wet food
Buy either as a 90 tub or a "saver" bag of 200g
90g tub
£1.70
Pill Crusher
Sometimes the vet prescribes tablets and they need to be broken into several equal pieces - have you ever tried to do that? It seems impossible - now you can crush the tablets and divide them into equal sized pieces.
£4
Sherleys Lactol
This is the ratty equivalent to baby formula milk
It can be used for lactating does, kittens, sick and elderly rats (mine have it mixed into some of their dried food - if you read Alison's book you will see lots of recipes which can benefit from having this milk added to it.
£4
To continue shopping - just click on the menu on the left hand side to go and see more Acrorats products
This page was last updated: March 6, 2008
The Dr Squiggles Health care range
Dr Squiggles Guardian Angel 40g
Comprehensive in-water or on-food supplement for sick or stressed animals. Immune support, probiotics, vitamins, minerals. Long-term energy.
£7.90
Dr Squiggles Daily Essential
A quote from The Scuttling Gourmet:- "A soluble powder that is designed to be added to drinking water, which seems extremely palatable to rats (and a good way to increase fluid intake in dehydrated rats, or those with kidney problems)."
50g 100g 400g
£4.40 £6 £16
Dr Squiggles Essential Plus
A quote from The Scuttling Gourmet:- "A powdered vitamin and mineral supplement designed to be added to fresh food. Also contains essential amino acids and herbal extracts."
100g
£9.50
Dr Squiggles Poly Aid
Emergency nutrition for acute cases. Gives birds and animals a fighting chance!
40g
£6.60
Choose Guardian angel where dehydration is critical and Poly-aid where starvation is critical. Contact Dr Squiggles advice line on 0845 1308600 if you are unsure
The First Aid Kit for rats
Do you have a human first aid kit at home?
Do you have a ratty first aid kit at home?
What will you do if you go into your rat's cage only to find him laying on their side panting or all floppy and your vet says that as it is a bank holiday at 3 in the morning he is not interested in seeing him until 10am the following morning?
Do you realise that the treatment you give your rats in those first crucial hours could make a massive difference to his chances of a full recovery?
Here is the chance to buy the Rat First Aid Kit - or alternatively you could buy the separate components and make your own. Many people would not think about what to do in an emergency - it is great having books on the subject - but as a human you do not wait until you cut yourself before going out to buy plasters.
Here is a list of contents and reasons why they are in the First Aid Kit:
Contents:
Hospital tank with lid (Show tank size) ........ This is ideal to house your first aid kit contents but then doubles up as a hospital tank as soon as it is necessary - all of your kit can be kept together where it can be located immediately. If your rat needs surgery you can transport him/her to the vets in it and when he/she recovers from an operation she is ready to go home in it.
Vet Bed cut to size........ Vet Bed is used by veterinary hospitals all over the country - it will help keep your rat warm and because of its excellent drainage properties will keep your pet dry. The fabric will not support bacterial growth, is non-irritant, non-allergenic, stain resistant and machine washable. If you rat has had surgery it is ideal to let the rat recouperate in - no more bits of litter sticking to incisions.
Heat Mat ...... This heat mat is designed to go across one half of the hospital tank so that your rat has the choice of a warmer or cooler area in which to lie. It is only 7w so will not "cook" your rat. Much better than a hot water bottle as this heat mat will warm your rat gently as long as it is needed. This can make a massive difference to the recovery of your rat.
1 roll 5cm x 2m (4m stretched) cohesive bandage (various colours) ....... This has to be seen to be believed - it is fantastic - it stretchs and sticks to itself but not to the hairs on your ratty - therefore it is ideal for covering stitches etc where your rat is determined to gnaw it open again. Below you will see one of my rats sporting it - I wish I had known about this product before she had her lumpectomy. Just use a melolin sterile dressing first - shiny side facing the cut.
2 Melolin sterile dressings 5cm x 5cm ..... This sterile dressing is suitable for use under the cohesive bandage - there are 2 in case you need to change one. Further packs of 5 available on this site.
Dr Squiggles Poly Aid 40g ...... This is emergency nutrition for sick and injured animals - ideal to give to a really sick ratty who is showing no signs of wanting to eat or drink. Your rat can be syringe fed this.
Syringe ......... Useful for encouraging a sick rat to take water or other medecine. Many of you who have already visited the vet with a sick rat will probably have these at home - but first timers will not. Also there is nothing worse than getting a syringe out of the drawer only to find the black bit inside won't budge - at least you will always have a spare one.
Ferretvite (if out of stock - this product will be replaced with Nurish-um).......120g tube of Ferretvite - suitable for rats who need an appetite boost. With a rat off its food there is enough nutrition in a pea sized amount of this to keep it going until it is feeling better again.
Trimmex ......... If you trim your rats' nails and one bleeds you can use this to stop the bleeding immediately. Also occassionally rats pull off a nail and there is an incredible amount of blood - when it happened to one of mine I was sure there was something more sinister as it looked like a blood-bath.
Vetzyme antibacterial powder ....... Ideal if your rat has an post-operative infection or a large bite wound etc ... I find that this is more useful than the spray as it seems to dry the area somewhat.
Water bottle ....... again this is an item you may already have - but having a clean spare bottle where you know exactly where it is can still be very useful.
Please note that this First Aid Kit is NOT a substitute for going to a vet with your rat - it is designed to help keep your rat alive PRIOR to getting veterinary attention and AFTER seeing your vet ONLY.
Here are some more photos of the Hospital with First Aid Kit
Here is one of my rats with the cohesive bandage round her body - not very elegant - but she never managed to get it off!
Rat first Aid Kit
The Ratty First Aid kit is only
£43
150mm x 280mm
7 Watt
£12
Ratty First Aid Kit without the Hospital tank
This is for the first aid kit WITHOUT THE TANK (for those of you with show tanks)
£36
Pack of 5 5cm by 5cm sterile melolin dressings
£2
5cm x 2m (4m stretched) cohesive bandage (colour may vary from that shown)
£2.80
"The first Rat Planet Handbook is based on the most frequently asked questions received at Rat Planet. Many are from first-time rat owners who can't find the answer to their question in any of the rat care books around at the moment. The Author has been keeping rats for many years, all free-range, and many elderly and disabled. Much of this EBook is written from experience and is a great source of information and support for first-time rat owners."
H J Tomlinson - author
Pet Rats - A Rat Planet Handbook
This is an excellent source of reference for finding information on rat keeping. Written by a good friend of mine, Heather Tomlinson it comes to you on a CD-Rom or if you prefer, as an email attachment - giving you an even quicker reference "e" book for when you just can't wait!
Heather will be putting all of her profits towards
helping rescued rats and you can find out more by clicking on the link and going to her website:
Pet Rats by H J Tomlinson
E book on CD-ROM £4.99
Pet Rats by H J Tomlinson
E book as email attachment £3.99
Rat Health Care Guide by Debbie "The Rat Lady" Ducommun
This Rat Health Care book has been shipped in from USA and is filled with information on first and and general care for your rats along with common diseases and other information. This is a reference book with a lot of details on medications etc.
The new 12th edition is now available. It is 8 pages longer than the last edition, so please note the price has increased.
Rat Health Care Guide - 12th Edition
By Debbie "The Rat Lady" Ducommun £3.80
Trimmex
A stryptic powder which is invaluable if you have an accident when clipping your rat's nails or they cut their quick.
£4.50
Dr Squiggles Calcivet
Liquid calcium to add to water for healthy teeth and bones
30mls 100 mls
£3.40£6.50
100 Cotton swabs
6" cotton tipped swabs
£2.50
Snugglesafe Microwave pet bed warmer (with free cover worth £4.99)
£17
KEEPING YOUR SICK RAT WARM:
It is important to keep a sick or shocked rat warm. This can be achieved in a variety of ways and below you will find 2 of the best ways and the pros and cons of both:
Heat mat:- The main advantage of a heat mat is that it will deliver constant heat 24 hours a day if required. It is small enough to slip underneath any "hospital tank" you have chosen and should be placed to allow your rat the choice of moving away from the heat source if it gets too warm. On the negative side it is not as useful if you are transporting rats or do not have a power supply nearby and heat mats could be more likely to fail.
Microwave pet bed warmer:- The main advantage the microwave bed warmer has is that it can deliver a constant heat source away from a power supply. The down side to the microwave warmer is that without covering it well it may not stay warm for the 10 hours that it does when used for larger animals. The manufacturers say that if the heat mat doesn't stay warm as long as 10 hours you may need to put it in the microwave for an extra 30 seconds. Also not all microwaves work efficiently. You must make sure that if you place it in a hospital tank that there is enough room for the rat to move away if it chooses.
Both of these products are fantastic in their own right and I would personally recommend having both available.
Snugglesafe pet bed warmer
Heat Mat
I have spoken at great length with the makers of the Snugglesafe Pet Bed Warmer to ensure that our rats will not get harmed should they chew through the mat. It is a rigid polypropylene outer with a completely inert inner. I have read through a lot of supporting paperwork regarding this product and it has received widespread acclaim from veterinary sources worldwide.
Squeaky Clean
Shampoo 200ml
Need I say more?
£2.90
With an extra 40 pages on top of the 132 in the first edition (pink) you will be even more impressed with information on various rat diets from the Shunamite diet (I use this one all the time and have wonderful ratties) to home made treats to copper values of various rat foods.
Even if you have read the first edition - you will still be riveted to this one!
The Hamish Hotel ...... 5*
Following on from the corner bucket I would like to introduce to you the all new Hamish Hotel ..... let me explain how this product came about and how it got its name:
Hamish was a wonderful rescue buck who came to me from a very caring family to live with my girls after his castration. He was lovely.
Sadly a few months ago he began to suffer from hind leg paralysis and was unable to eat like a rat liked to, and instead had to "trough" at his food bowl as balancing was a problem. Also washing was a problem as he was unable to sit there on his "now wasting" back legs. Hamish was also unable to get into his favorite "sleep-zone" - his faithful Bucket!
Enter the sewing machine and design of Julie and Dawn - the Acrorats team! Tra la - the Hamish Hotel.
Made with the template of a family bucket - but using the bright red outer and lovely snuggly fleecy inner with a low entrance to allow a rat of limited mobility to climb in, yet move round to the other side and lean back on the fleecy inner. Hamish was once again able to eat pasta in style and groom all day!
This product allowed Hamish to enjoy his last month with us in complete comfort and with dignity. It also came in very handy with an old girly belonging to my daughter - Splodge, as she too could get inside.
Incidentally - a rather large rat called Storm also enjoyed climbing in on top of Hamish and snuggling down just to prove that you do not have to wait for your rats to get old or infirm to use the Hamish Hotel - The Hamish Hotel - 5* luxury!!
Hamish Hotel £10
I am your pet Rat
£4.90
There is every chance I may sound biased selling this fantastic book - I do not necessarily recommend it because most of the rats in the book are mine! .... nor do I recommend it because I think the photography (of my rats) is splendid, not because it has been well researched and is one of the few books that says no to sawdust and suggests good healthy management of your pet rat .... but for all of those reasons!
Aimed at children, but loved by adults, it has great bite-sized pieces of information and great facts .... I love it - I watched it fly off the table at the Acrorats Birthday bash by very experienced rat owners, who seemed to think it was wonderful.
I am your pet Rat - Best Friends Care Guide
After listening to Heather Tomlinson from Rat Planet going on about how good this product was with young and old rats alike, I found myself struggling with a sick rat and took up the offer of a "free sample". I have to say that with Ferretvite the powder is amazingly simple to feed to rats.
Well, I could not believe how well my girl responded and I handed these freebies out to a few people who had contacted me with ill rats and the feedback was little short of "mini miracles". This is especially well suited to young rats that wheeze when you first get them too.
Grapefruit seed extract is an exceptionally powerful antibiotic, which is non-toxic. It is available in two forms: a solution in glycerine, and as a powder. The extract is made commercially by the rolling and fine grinding of grapefruit seeds and pulp from the production of grapefruit juice.
Grapefruit seed extract inhibits and kills hundreds of different types of harmful micro-organisms, such as Staphylococcus, streptococcus, salmonella, escherichiacoli, candida and many others. It is highly effective, not only against bacteria, but also against a wide variety of viruses, fungi and parasites as well. However, it hardly affects the natural intestinal flora, which are necessary for our health. Thus it can cure an extraordinarily wide range of complaints and problems, without harmful side effects.
Grapefruit seed Extract capsules and drops - brilliant product!
As a general guide - 1 GSE capsule will last one rat one week. Open up the capsule and mix the powder with something like porridge (see pinhead oats on the "Ratty Treats" page) or tinned baby food, cat food etc. Ferretvite seems to work well on almost all rats for getting medications into them - (click here to buy ferretvite from this page)
The liquid can be diluted as a surgical scrub or antiseptic. Drops can be used with water in the same way as the powder, but the liquid is much more bitter (I can tell you that from personal experience!) and would be best suited to syringing into your rat's mouth.
If you have ANY queries regarding the use of GSE please do not hesitate to contact me.
Citrosept Grapefruit Seed Extract - liquid
20ml 30ml
£3.49 £4.99
Citrosept Grapefruit Seed Extract -Capsules
60
£6.99
New
Anti-Parasite Spot On
Rats can carry lice and only show signs when they are under the weather. Lice are easier to spot on a light furred rat - look close to the skin - lice are often described as little red "rice-shaped" crawlers!
This product is the only non-prescription drug on the market and contains Ivermectin - the same product that your vet will use on your rat.
This box contains 4 pipettes - one for each rat affected.
Effective against lice, mange mites, other mites and roundworm.
Can also be used on guinea pigs, ferrets and rabbits.
Acrorats recommends Derma gel (on this page) to help treat sore areas caused by continual scratching by your rat.
Anti-parasite spot on
£3.50
200g saver bag
£2.50
Garlic Powder
A medical marvel - garlic seems to have it all - good for the blood, the heart, fighting off bugs and helping to keep "crawlers" at bay.
Buy either as a 500g tub or a smaller 100g "tester" bag
