Rats My Pet and Me

-Hi, I'm Ferne.

-And I'm Rory.

-We love animals.

Some animals can make brilliant pets. Pets are great.

We like meeting your pets.

I'm off meet some new friends today

but I'll be back later to tell you all about it.

-Would you like to come with me?

-See ya.

# My pet My pet and me

# My pet My pet and me

# Down every street Are pets to meet

# Some big some small Some scaly some furry

# Some keep very still Some are always in a hurry

# Some have four paws

-# Some have sharp claws... #

-GIGGLES

-# Some quack

-some bark

-some purr

-some moo

-#

-Some grunt

-some squawk

-Some cock-a-doodle-doo

# My pet My pet and me

# My pet My pet and me

# My pet My pet and me

# Have you met My pet and me? #

GIGGLES

We're in Stoke-on-Trent to meet Dylan and his sister River.

Those got some pets they'd like me to meet. Shall we go find them?

-Ferne!

-Hi, Dylan!

-Hi, River. What are you guys doing here?

-We've come to see you.

Oh, that's brilliant!

-And you must be Mum.

-Hi, Ferne.

So, where are your pets?

-At home.

-Shall we go see them?

-Yeah.

-Let's go.

-Wow, who lives in here?

-Rats.

Rats! I love rats, how many do you have?

-Three.

-Three! That is amazing.

-And you've got such a great big house for them too, don't you?

-Yeah.

Rats are rodents, like mice, and they're very

curious animals, so they need lots of room to explore and climb.

This cage is perfect for them.

It's nice that you have three of them,

they like to live in little families.

And who's this, in the food bowl?

Tommy, I think.

-Does Tommy like his food?

-Yeah.

How old is Tommy?

-I think he was nine months.

-Nine months, so that's still quite young.

And what about the other two rats,

what are the names?

Gordon and Sven.

Hello, Gordon, nice to meet you.

Hi, Sven. He's gorgeous.

I like the way they're all different

colours so you can tell them apart.

Shall we one of them out for cuddles?

Yeah, Sven loves them.

We'll take him out.

Here we go, come on, Sven.

It's important that you be gentle and calm when picking

a rat and you should never pick them up by their tail.

We don't want to hurt them, do we?

Pop him in here.

Wow! Hello!

We have to be very careful when we lift up rats, don't we?

Hello, Sven.

He loves his cuddles, doesn't he?

You can see his whiskers twitching

about as he sniffs all around him.

Whiskers are very important for rats

and other animals that have them.

It helps them when they move around

so they know how close things are.

So it's very important that you never trim their whiskers.

He's very playful, isn't he?

Can I hold him for a little bit?

For a bit, then give him back to me.

I will, of course.

As you can see, as well, when he's in your hands,

he uses his tail to balance and he can wrap it around your arm as well.

It makes them feel a bit more secure,

doesn't it, Sven?

Sven is such a playful rat, I really like him.

Rory, can you tell us some more furry facts about my new friend?

Of course, Ferne.

Rats have different colours of fur

and some rats have no fur at all.

Rats love to chew on things, not because they're naughty,

they actually use chewing to investigate new things.

They chew to stop their teeth growing too long.

Rats are really athletic,

they can jump far and run fast.

We all like to be cared for and your pets are no different.

You have to look after them well

and one way to keep them happy

and healthy is to make sure where

they live and sleep is nice and tidy.

-So, should we get started cleaning the rats?

-Yeah.

Rats like to sleep a lot during the day,

so it's better to clean out their cages in the early morning

so you don't disturb them later on.

River, would you like to put him in?

Good job, River. Here's Sven!

-Would you like to put Sven in?

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

Would you like to put Gordon in?

Good job.

-So, how often do you clean the cage with your mum?

-Once a week.

So, what should we do first?

-Clean the bars.

-OK, let's go.

-So, am I doing your mummy's job today?

-Yep!

Next, we have to empty out the dirty litter tray,

where the rats go to the toilet.

It's importance to get all this out, isn't it?

Now, fill the tray up again and pop it back in.

Now our hands are nice and clean,

it's time to top up their food.

-Here we go, is this their food?

-Yep.

-They're lucky.

-That's a very, very good.

There's lots of nuts and grains,

so it's really good for the rats.

Do you think I'd like to eat it?

-No!

-No, me neither.

Almost done. What's next?

-Water.

-That's right.

-Will you pass me their bottle?

-Yep.

Lots of fresh water for the rats.

-They need it, don't they?

-Yeah.

-Think that's enough?

-Yeah, good.

-More?

-No, stop there.

Yeah, that's good.

Good job. Well done!

Now, we just have one last mission.

-We have to wash our hands again.

-Yeah.

-Let's go!

So, Dylan, what are we doing now?

Taking the rats to see the vet.

Oh, that sounds good. Let's go!

We have the rats in a nice, safe place where

they can have a play and get some exercise too.

What should we do with the rats?

Put them on the obstacle course.

A ratty obstacle course, what a good idea!

What obstacles do we have for them?

The bumpy road,

the seesaw,

the ramp and the tunnel.

Who's going to go first?

-Gordon.

-Gordon, OK.

Shall we put the rats down?

We've put food along the obstacle course so the rats can

learn to go over the obstacles and get a treat at the end.

On your marks, get set, go, Gordon!

I think Gordon's a bit tired.

-Shall we give Tommy a go?

-Yep.

Yes! Good job.

Oh...

Halfway!

OK, I think, because Gordon

and Tommy aren't doing very good,

I reckon Sven is going to rock it.

I think the rats are tired and they're more happy

to have a little ratty cleaning party and a bit of a cuddle.

Aren't you, rats?

They tried.

Dylan, I think your rats preferred cleaning and cuddling

instead of their obstacle course. Do you?

-Yep.

-Cheeky rats.

If your rats could do anything in the entire world,

what do you think they would get up to?

If my pet rats could do any job in the world,

they would be train drivers

and they would drive for Ratty Railways.

And they would be a conductor, too,

and the train would go into the river and down into the sea.

All the rats on board would wave to the whales and dolphins.

Thank you, Jess, for letting me

watch as you check out the rats.

So, which one's first?

Let's have a look at Gordon first.

Come on, Gordon. There you go.

Hello, Gordon. Let's pop you on the scales.

-Good boy.

-Is that a good weight?

530 grams is a really good weight, yes.

So, let's have a little look at his eyes and his ears.

They're nice and clear.

Nice, clean ears.

Good boy. Teeth? Oh, lovely.

Nice, normal length and very healthy. Good boy.

You check the teeth cos they're always growing?

Yes, if they've got problems with their teeth, they get too long

and then we have to trim them down.

We wouldn't want that.

Shall we listen to your chest, Gordon?

His heart and lungs sound very clear and very normal.

Very healthy. Have a little feel of your tummy, Gordon?

And why feel his tummy?

To make sure there's no lumps or bumps in there.

His check-up's going very well.

-Is he done? He's done.

-Good job, Gordon. Well done. Who's next?

Let's do Sven next.

-There you go, go to Jess.

-Hello, Sven.

On the scales. There we go.

He's heavier, he's 550 grams.

Wow, is that OK?

That's OK, he's a big boy though.

Let's have a look at these eyes.

Good boy. Ears.

Teeth.

-Lovely.

-Good, healthy teeth.

Good, healthy teeth.

And what do you look for in his ears?

Making sure there's no dirt and that they're nice and clean.

That's good news. Can I have a listen?

-Do you want to listen?

-Yeah.

-Just there.

-He's breathing very fast, is that OK?

That's normal for rats, yes.

-All normal, all good.

-Well done!

Hello, Tommy. On the scales.

He's the smallest, he's 460 grams

but he's still a healthy weight.

Let me see your teeth.

He's cheeky, he is.

He's fine. Three lovely, healthy rats that are obviously very well

loved and very well cared for.

In perfect health, just like last time.

That is fantastic, isn't it? Do you want to come over and say hello?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Well done, rats.

-That's great news.

-In you go.

I love you, rats.

Thank you, Jess, for letting me

be here and thank you,

Dylan and River, for letting me meet your rats.

It's been so much fun!

Hi, Rory!

How you doing? How was your day?

It was so amazing, let me tell you all about it.

Today, I met Dylan and River and their rats,

Tommy, Gordon and Sven.

I got to help clean out their big cage and give them good and water.

I even got to go with them to the vet

to play on a mini assault course

and watch the rats get their checkups.

That sounds amazing and you've made some great new friends too!

I did, it was wonderful.

But it's important to ask the owner's

permission before you go touching any pets.

But one pet you can play with is ours.

Go to...

We just love meeting you and your pets.

I've had such a wonderful day.

-# Today we met... #

-OINK OINK

# A lovely pet

# We see how much you care for them

# Thank you so much for sharing them

#Time for us to Just remind you

# After you've played with your pet Wash your hands

Don't forget

# It doesn't matter what pets you've got

# You might have one You might not

# It's still fun finding out What having a pet is all about

# My pet my pet and me My pet my pet and me

# My pet my pet and me Come back and see

# My pet and me. #

-Bye...

-Bye!