Kingdom of Knuffel

i hope it all works out!

Turned out he bought the wrong cable :') and he can't return it, because he bought it "for the company" and Poland sucks with returning anything by companies, only consumers, which means natural person.... ugh, so annoying. So we have an additional cable. Good thing is, he checked for the cable we actualy need, it's super cheap, so we just need to find it...

yeah, but what is a crackling tube anyways? XD I have no idea what to google, really. I feel so dumb. For now I got rid of all the unnecessary cables (yes, there were some that weren't connected to anything, stupid me didn't notice earlier) and I curled the only left one under bf's 5kg weights (it was a really long cable), and I tried to keep all the cables in my eyesight. So now if I hear them, I'll start blowing raspberries at them again (sometimes it works, but not always, this experiment is in progress, lol). I have to figure out a way to let me know they're in Ash's cables again... Or try to prevent them from going there.
I just read on rat lovers forum that someone used a nail polish thingy for preventing biting on the nails, on the cables, and the rats don't bite them because it's bitter and ewy... I just don't know if it's really safe that much, don't want to risk it. Anyways, I have some options, just need to try something out finally.

Oh, and one more adventure today. I accidentally left the door slightly open. And surely enough Candy had to take the opportunity to flee to our kitchen and take a tour behind all the furniture, where there's plenty of dust and spider webs and what not... I tried to lure her out with a banana, but the dust was too interesting apparently. Tila would've killed herself while running for that banana tho, not complaining at all, just sayin' So after that I had to bathe her. Of course it was a war, but she's more a coward than a fighter. So when I finished with her, I thought, hey, Cotton stinks already, why not bathe her as well, hopefully Candy won't think she was bathed as a punishment (it was necessity, truly, her paws were covered in dusty webs... ), so I took Cotton in.... and she was a fighter So I didn't get to use the soap, just washed her (barely) with water only and dried her with a towel, but ended up with my hands really stinging (she's a kickboxer or something x.x). Good thing it's nothing deep, but still, I had to disinfect my whole hands. And at least I found some things under granny's sink that I had no idea existed there and packed it to trash. She hoards everything, ugh.

I was pissed an hour ago, but now I'm really just proud of the cable arrangement I've made XD I have no idea why they were all dragged behind the sofa (other than esthetic look that my grandma values over her own life Things must be nice on the eye and good on the ear, no matter how ugly it is in reality, and I mean social relations as well. Wow, this is turning into a huge rant about everything). So, what was I saying...? Ah, yes, now at least the cables are watched over

Oh, one funny bit, I was telling Ash how they barely even tried to chew on my laptop's charger's cable (the part that goes to the socket, not to teh laptop), and Candy was nearby, right? So I was examining the cable and telling him it was almost untouched, then I looked at Candy, and she chewed a chunk of the cable right on my eyes! Cheeky!
See? Not mad. I think I cooled off when Candy was begging me to stop bathing her XD I love her sqeak for mercy

Hey guys!

Honestly, I admire your sense of patience! I would have gotten rid of them if I knew where to put them. I couldn't live with a lack of sleep and always worrying if those beasts bite any of my holy cables. I see why Ash was mad and wanted to get rid of them....
I would keep them in a cage 24/7 actually.

Yea I am here because I am having a short break from my term papers.. I finished the short one yesterday noon and I am working on the second one since then. It is going okay I guess. But I want to finish 5 pages today. I have 3 now. Should be do-able.

Hi Julez!
Goodluck on all that writing!

@Feb: Thanks, I've looked through PL rat forums already, and I checked out the forums you recommended now but there's nothing that I wouldn't already know. All people say is "keep them off the floor, use a garden hose". Which doesn't really help me, I mean, if I buy that hose, it woul donly help us with just one cable, and we'd end up with a garden hose all over the room, because that cable is jst too long and I woulnd't be able to hide it anyhow if I covered it with that garden hose. The main problem is Ash's cables anyways, not that huge cable.
I obviously can't keep them away from the floor, no matter what I do, they are too smart. I can't let them run in the kitchen or bathroom, because both places are still dangerous. I guess bathroom would be better, but I can't hog that one for 6 hours a day and tell grandma or anyone else to just shit their pants because rats need to fucking run around for all day. So it must be our room.
I've read someone put a chewed up cable in their rat's cage and since then there was no interest in other cables, but I'm afraid I'd only encourage them (especially that dumbo devil that Candy is ), although I did let down that phone wire they ate into their cage last night (Candy went nuts, despite 8 fucking hours of running outside ) and they didn't really take interest.
Another thing I might try is to make a mixture that would deter them somehow, which is lemon juice, cayenne pepper and water mix. Of course no one tells how to make it with proper proportions, because fuck you that's why. #frustrated And of course I have no idea where to get a bottle with spray thingy....
It's hopeless it seems. Maybe I have something noisy to wrap Ash's cable in, so I would hear them try to get to them, idk.

@Julez: I'm a very patient person... Thus I'm also a pushover Once you understand they can't help their nature, you don't really get that mad, you just wonder how you can protect your treasures and keep your babies XD It's like eating a cookie and keeping one at the same time. But somehow people do it. and I don't lack motivation to keep them. Unlike Ash, I do understand that if he will keep leaving that phone charger on the floor and I won't notice, he'll finally lose it what a dumbass he is, i don't even If I'd keep them in cage 24/7, I would never get any sleep I always lack sleep, pets or not.

And what Nyuu said XD

Edit: Yeah, okay, that mixture won't do. I put lemon juice under Candy's nose, she wanted to lick it. I gave her Chilli Con Carne to sniff, she tried to eat the paper it was in. I dipped my pinky in lemon juice and dipped that into chilli, then again into lemon juice and put that under her nose... she SO wanted to eat that shit Eh...

Maybe the mixture of all ingredients together are how it's a deterrent? I'm not sure though

That's why I tried mixing the lemon juice and chilli (although they required cayenne pepper, and I didn't have that) together and she was trying her best to lick it off my finger. And I didn't want her to, because rats aren't supposed to eat neither citrus fruit nor spices... She stole a piece of ginger from my mug once, I am still wondering if she ate it or if it's rotting somewhere... I bet she ate it, but at least she's fine and that was a while ago. I don't suppose water is such an important ingredient here other than to just make it more sprayable. So I'll pass on that. I don't want to risk encouraing their appetite for something that isn't healthy for them and for chewing on the cables
And another barely slept through the night, this time I noticed Candy wasn't the only one playing the concert, Cotton joined her I should invest in some toys for their cage, but first we need to finally finish that cage, the crate is still not screwed in and Ash doens't make an effort to speed his uncle up a bit.

I see...
I googled a bit and I cannot find any mixtures, smells etc. People are recommending to secure the cables on the wall or under kind of cable tunnels.

Thanks, I am at 8 pages right now, going to finish at least 10 today.
I am craving for sweets right now though ._.

I had chocolate and coffee earlier and now i feel nauseous