Sept 2014

Issue 4/September 2014

h c a c n a nF ra Quarterly Jo

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h F a nc y Ra al of The Iris

t Association

The Irish Fancy Rat Association

Chairperson - Eoghan Duggan Hon. Secretary - Laura Woods Hon. Treasurer - Karl Woods Public Relations - Grace Daly Webmaster - Kayleigh Keegan Editor - Darren J. Fitzpatrick

Contents

4. The 2nd Generation 8. Rats on Drugs! c o ve r : Bo n g o This issue's a d F re d.

F ur y D r o p D e

10. A Rat Miscellany

Dear Members, Welcome to the fourth issue of an Francach and the last in our first year. In this issue, Laura writes about the progress at Bongo Fury in establishing a new line of Cinnamon Pearl coloured rats along with some beautiful photographs of the keepers from the most recent litter. Eoghan provides a drescription of the most common medications prescribed to rats which may prove handy if you mix you synulox up with your baytril. It would be great to have more reader participation in the magazine. As such, if you have a story you wish to relate or rat you wish to celebrate, please get in contact with us.

I hope you enjoy this issue.

Until Next Year,

Darren

Readers!

We need you!

If you fancy contributing, we are always after content. Perhaps there is an aspect of rat care you are particularly interested in, or a story you have about your rats. Maybe, you like to write short stories or about anything at all that interests you or even have a few nice pictures of your rats lying around. Please feel free to submit for the next or any issue. irishfancyratassociation@gmail.com

anFrancach | The 2nd Generation

The 2nd Generation of Bongo Fury Cinnamon Pearls Laura Woods

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s I sit here, writing this, I know that there are two cages in my shed, which are full of mental, pingy, happy little babyrats. They’re not really babies any more of course, they’re teenagers, but I still see them as babies.

This year saw the birth of our second and third litters in our Cinnamon Pearl venture, and they have not disappointed us. The first litter was Bongo Fury Oddsock (our first Cinnamon Pearl, a Rex buck, with bags of personality and a gorgeous face) to Bog Myrtle Gazunder (a Cinnamon Rex Irish doe that Nick and Sheena kindly gave to us at this year’s Bradford show). They gave us a gorgeous litter of 12 babies, and our first Cinnamon Pearl standard coat. I was absolutely over the moon, as she is what we were working towards. We had 4 Cinnamon Pearls in the litter including her, a rex buck who stayed with us and 2 double rex does, one stayed with us and one went to Grace and Eoghan, in case we need to borrow her back. Also in the litter were various coat types of Cinnamon, some Irish marked, and some not. All in all a lovely litter, and with so much choice for us for breeding from later on.

The other litter was Rivendell Casimir Funk (our Agouti boy from Ann at Rivendell)

and Bongo Fury Bracegirdle (a Cinnamon rex doe from our first litter in this line). They gave us a gorgeous litter of 6, which we neatly divided between ourselves and Grace and Eoghan, so that we could borrow them back if needed. There were no Cinnamon Pearls in this litter, however, all babies will be useful to us in the long run. We did manage to produce a Havana and a Havana Agouti, which are beautiful to look at, and may well be useful later.

So far they are shaping up to be epic little guys, all of them with unique personalities and sweet natures. They adore playing with each other, and with us, and from what I’ve been told, their various siblings in new homes have been just the same. Here’s hoping they all live long and happy lives, and go on to produce more wonderful rats in the same vein. Watch this space!

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The 2nd Generation | anFrancach

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anFrancach | Rats on Drugs!

Rats on Drugs!

Eoghan Duggan

O

ver the course of their lifetime, most rats will need some veterinary attention. There is a range of medical interventions for rats. Here I outline the most common antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, steroidal and bronchodilating drugs used for rats. This guide is for information purposes only and does not replace the advice of a veterinary surgeon.

antibiotics. Baytril 15mg is indicated for use in both dogs and cats for the treatment of bacterial infections of the alimentary, respiratory and urogenital tracts, skin, secondary wound infections and otitis externa. Normal dosage 7.5mg twice a day per 500g.

Antibiotics

A small pink tablet.Synulox palatable tablets contain clavulanic acid as potassium clavulanate and amoxicillin as amoxicillin trihydrate in a palatable base. Clinically Synulox has been shown to be effective in treating a wide range of diseases in cats and dogs including: Skin disease, soft tissue infections, dental infections, urinary tract infections and respiratory disease. Normal

Synulox. Tablet. Available in 50mg, 250mg or 500mg. Recommended 50mg

Baytril. Tablet. Available in 15mg or 50mg or 150mg. Recommended 15mg.

A small brown tablet. Baytril flavour 15mg tablets contain 15mg of enrofloxacin which is a synthetic, broad spectrum antimicrobial, belonging to the fluoroquinolone group of 8

Rats on Drugs! | anFrancach

dosage 50mg twice a day per 500g.

0.05 mg per drop). A non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) for use in cats.

For alleviation of inflammation and pain in chronic musculo-skeletal disorders. Normal dosage 10 drops twice a day per 500g.

Noroclav. Tablet. Available in 50mg, 250mg or 500mg. Recommended 50mg A small pink tablet. Noroclav tablets contain Amoxicillin (as Amoxicillin Trihydrate) and Clavulanic Acid (as Potassium Clavulanate).

Indicated for treatment of the following infections caused by beta-lactamase producing strains of bacteria sensitive to amoxicillin in combination with clavulanic acid: Skin infections, Urinary tract infections, Respiratory infections and Enteritis. Normal dosage 50mg twice a day per 500g.

Steroids

Prednisolone. Tablet. Available in 1mg or 5mg. Recommended 1mg Small white tablet. Prednisolone or Prednisone is a synthetic corticosteroid drug that is particularly effective as an immunosuppressant drug. It is used to treat certain inflammatory diseases (such as moderate allergic reactions) and (at higher doses) some types of cancer, but has significant adverse effects. Because it suppresses the immune system, it leaves patients more susceptible to infections.

Normal dosage 0.5mg twice a day per 500g.

Ronaxan. Tablet. Available in 20mg or 100mg. Recommended 20mg A small yellow tablet. Ronaxan are round, yellow tablets each containing 20 mg or 100 mg doxycycline, as doxycycline hyclate.

Ronaxan can be used for the treatment of respiratory tract infections in cats and dogs, including rhinitis, tonsillitis, bronchopneumonia and feline respiratory disease. The therapeutic spectrum includes Pasteurella spp., Bordetella bronchiseptica, Staphylococcus aureus, other Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp.

Normal dosage 2mg twice a day per 500g.

Bronchodilators

Millophyline. Tablet. Available in 100mg.

A small red tablet. Cardiac and respiratory stimulant. As an aid in the management of coughing, respiratory distress or cardiac conditions in dogs. May be used as an adjunct to antibiotic therapy. Normal dosage 10mg twice a day per 500g.

Ant- Inflammatory

Metacam. Liquid. Available in 0.5mg per ml and 1.5mg per ml. Recommended 0.5mg per ml

Corvental. Capsules. Available in 100mg.

A half blue half white capsule A capsule that has to be opened and the little balls in it need to be crushed up. Corvental-D Capsules 100mg is for the treatment of bronchitis and congestive heart failure in dogs. Normal dosage 5mg twice a day per 500g.

Creamy coloured liquid. Comes in a dropper bottle for ease of measurement. Metacam Oral Suspension for CATS 15ml. Each ml contains 0.5 mg meloxicam as active ingredient (equivalent to 0.017 mg per drop) and 1.5 mg sodium benzoate (equivalent to 9

anFrancach | A Rat Miscellany

conducted a range of avoided by not posing behavioural experiments on questions that might provoke it. rats and pigeons. His model Darren J. Fitzpatrick was simple. Animals were Jaak Panksepp, a Professor at presented with a stimulus like a Washington State University Monica and Hillary play light. If the stimulus elicited a has been tickling rats for two basketball. They don't play competitively but they are quite correct response in the form of decades. During tickling capable of shooting a hoop. I a desired behaviour, the animal sessions, the rats produced vocalisations. These highdo not know if they particularly was rewarded and the frequency chirps are inaudible enjoy playing basketball but behaviour reinforced. The behaviourists considered to the human ear but made their joy on earning a rice emotion as unneccessary in audible with a bat detector. krispie when they score is their mechanistic explanation of Sound is measured in terms of evident from their bouncing its frequency using the Hertz frolics. Monica and Hillary are animal behaviour. Their (Hz) and ranges from the rats. Enquiry into the emotional theories did not require an lives of animals perhaps gained understanding of whether the infrasonic or low frequency to its first foothold in the popular rat was happy to recieve a treat ultrasonic or high frequency. or the pigeon angry to receive a Humans can hear sounds in the imagination after Darwin range of 16Hz to 20kHz. Rats, published 'The Expression of shock. This parsimonious like their close relatives the bat, Emotions in Man and Animals' approach to scientific emit ultrasonic vocalisations in 1872. The book, littered with understanding is succinctly and are capable of hearing odd and sometimes menacing captured by Occam's razor.

Complex explanations are sounds in the range of 200Hz illustrations of various facial to 90kHz. Panksepp bravely expressions was well received unecessary if a simpler explanation is sufficient. In the wondered if these 50kHz chirps at the time. Darwin was were laughter. Panksepp's rats concerned with how emotional field of animal behaviour, states are expressed physically Occam's razor was redefined not only tolerated tickling, they actively sought it out. When the as facial or vocal expression by the British psychologist and similar expressions in other Conwy Lloyd Morgan in what rats were given the choice to came to be called Morgan's avoid tickling by remaining in a species. This notion fitted Canon. In his own words, 'In no container, or to leave the comfortably with Darwin's theory of evolution where he case may we interpret an action container and seek a tickle, as the outcome of a higher those who voluntarily requested describes species not as psychical faculty, if it can be tickles, chirped more than those discrete entities but as a interpreted as the outcome of who simply endured them. The continuum. the exercise of one that stands researchers also noted that the lower in the psychological incidence of chirping declines When the scientific study of as the rat ages. Could this behaviour began to flourish in scale.'. With such principles the late 1900's, it manifested defining the basis of the study chirping in young rats be primarily as the behaviourist of animal behaviour, enquiry analagous to laughter in infants school best personified by B.F. into the existence and role of who also respond in a similar Skinner. Skinner is reknowned emotions became taboo. The manner to touch? for the invention of the operant possibility of scientists committing the grievous sin of The study of affective or conditioning chamber or anthropomorphism was best emotional states is hampered Skinner box wherein he I Laugh Therefore I Am

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A Rat Miscellany | anFrancach

by the impossibility of observing typically attributed only to krispie. They seemed eager but or measuring the actual humans, have an evolutionary I was curious to see if they emotion. Such has to be enjoyed the exercise. I found a history that predates the inferred. Herein lies the risk of emergence of our own species. cheap child's bat detector, laid anthropomorphism. Panksepp If such an assertion is correct, it out the arena and asked the himself calls for a 'critical will have major consequences rats to play. On the topic of anthropomorphism' whereby for how science categorises basketball, they were the possibility of complex emotion and pathologies like conspicuously silent but on emotions in animals can be presentation of the rice krispie, depression that involve it. discussed. The existence of they were positively chirpy. primal laughter in rats makes After many weeks of evolutionary sense. Mammals encouraging, luring and bribing share similarities in brain Monica and Hillary to play structures not least in the basketball, conditioning had subcortical regions that have worked. They understood that if arole in emotion. Panksepp they put the ball into the proposes that the primal improvised miniature basketball biology of emotional states hoop, they earned a rice

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