meet PJ... my baby! - Page 4

beckdg · #31 (**permalink**) 06-24-2009, 06:10 PM

no problem... happy to oblige, especially on this.

hupababy83 · #32 (**permalink**) 11-05-2009, 08:17 PM

wow I found Duckys prom date hehehe. You got any pics of your tank setup for him, im still looking for visual insperation

froggsong · #33 (**permalink**) 11-05-2009, 08:50 PM

Hey beck, got any new pics of him for us?

beckdg · #34 (**permalink**) 11-05-2009, 09:36 PM

no... and i may need to be reminded... don't let me forget... i gotta get some pics to my dad too... months ago... oops...

hupababy83 · #35 (**permalink**) 11-05-2009, 10:07 PM

dont forget pics for your dad lol

beckdg · #36 (**permalink**) 12-22-2009, 05:45 PM

alright finally... updates for you guys. this first set of pics was from yesterday. these display what he does to tell me he's hungry. it's getting a little late this time of year. he has already skipped one meal and he's exactly a week late for this one. so he's right on track for the season.

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beckdg · #37 (**permalink**) 12-22-2009, 05:49 PM

the rest of the pics were taken today... at feeding time

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beckdg · #38 (**permalink**) 12-22-2009, 05:55 PM

these should give a good idea of how he stretches. they should display how the jaw and scales separate to make it possible to have so much room. i'd say if i were to guess this rat was between 8" and 10" snout to vent (not including tail). bigger than the jumbos in some places and definitely bigger than the ones i've seen sold as pets locally.
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EDIT: ha... gotta fix the date on the camera. i've taken quite a bit of pics of the kids lately so that's gonna be confusing later. oops! like i mentioned... the first set was hungry, yesterday. the other two sets were eating today.

froggsong · #39 (**permalink**) 12-22-2009, 06:36 PM

Nice! Always the educator, you... lol.You really can see how the scales stretch though, pretty cool.

I'd say that rat was probably around the size of my boys, was it a male? Females don't normally get that big. Too bad you're not just down the street, I'd let you have the boys for feeders... I've had them all this time and I still can't pet them or hold them. It took me over an hour to get one of them out to clean the cage, and then I still had to scare him. I just lost my patience...

Anyway! PJ is looking GREAT! How big is he now? I love the way you have the enclosure set up. Could you take a full shot of it? How are those bark chips working out? They look great. I've been meaning to mix up some of the mix kyryah was using for my Graham, but I haven't done it yet. I really need to do something though. That aspen has been in there for a few months. I keep taking it out and baking it for a bit after I spot clean to make sure there's no nasties inside. I'm afraid with my (now minor) mite problem, that his tank might get infested if I use a soil/sand mix. If the bark is working for you, I might try it out. Does it transfer heat well? It certainly looks more natural than aspen.

lol... I'll shut up now.

beckdg · #40 (**permalink**) 12-22-2009, 07:19 PM

definitely a female this time. she seemed like she was prime for breeding too. i don't know if it's where we're getting our rats or what but the females (usually pregnant) are the only ones this place sells as jumbos. i think they might be holding the older males back for breeders or maybe letting the girls grow out longer. i don't know this is purely speculation on my part. either way i rarely get a very big male.

actually i have not measured him lately but he doesn't seem to be growing any length to me.

no, i actually can't really take a full shot really. he's in my bedroom and i sleep in a cave or it's no go for me. for that reason i have used limo tint (2.5%) on almost half of his cage as well as the windows, clock displays, led's on all the electronics, etc.. a full shot would consist of half an enclosure and half a reflection. i did try to see if i could get something from the other end of the tank but it was either just a black spot or a reflection every time.

the bark chips are actually coco|dan coconut croutons from the hydro store. it was like $16 for what they call a cubic foot. i actually have a mix of sand and cocofiber under it and the heat transfers well this way imo. of course i do have a heat rope directly under the glass below his hide. i'll have to post a pic of that so you can see how i get the heat to penetrate about 6" of substrate. the chips are very light and fluffy kinda. they look rough in the bag but it really isn't so. i have no idea how the heat would transfer completely through it but for a guy who likes to burrow i'd say be careful just like with aspen.