I wanna dye my rat's fur LOL

Hey now, hey now. I think Twizz's idea isn't so bad, if he does it right. Rats are very similar to people in most regards(whodda thunkit?)... Why do you think in all those labs they use rats in place of us(horrible stuff!).

I think Twizz's want to dye his rats hair is an expression of how much he cares about his animals... He obviously spends alot of time with them and enjoys thier presence, which is what every pet deserves.
And when it comes to cig smoke and weed? That's probably fine too. Again, rats are very similar to people... They ENJOY getting a little extra just like the rest of us... Alot of animals do. My parents raised rats commercially(no not a rat factory... The ones we kept were like little members of our family) and a favorite of a few (not all, it was up to them really) was beer. They loved it. And they would get all sloshy, just like a little person. And they enjoyed the attention they got. I think as long as Twizz hasn't got them in a vice grip blowing it down their nose, and instead they sit back and enjoy catching a contact, then they are perfectly fine, and probably much better for it. At least he isn't one of those collectors who gets an animal for shits and giggles and then leaves it in its cage all alone to be bored out of it's mind.
And, for the original subject... I know exactly what you can use to dye their hair, that should have pretty permanent effects, which is ABSOLUTELY SAFE.
Henna or Indigo. I use henna on myself(look at my pics, crazy orange hair) and I have used leftovers on my cow, and she never had a problem with it. It is all natural, as long as you buy the body art powder and mix it yourself, and don't buy the stuff they sell for hair, which can have chemicals and metals that aren't even good for people. A little henna and lemon will NOT hurt your rat. I assume if the rats hair is white, that you would end up with an electric orange rat. Indigo will make it blue. Thing is, you have to let the dyes sit for awhile, so you would have a crunchy rat for a bit I think, but I think you could probably get really cool results even leaving it on for a little bit... Get the henna REALLY warm and tons of dye will release really fast. If you wanna do it, you can ask me some questions personally, I am a henna whiz! A good place to get it is online(Hennaforhair.com has good howto stuff and a link for good suppliers) or you can look in your local healthfood store or hippie shop. JUST DON'T GET COMPOUND HENNA, the stuff premixed for hair. Get pure body art henna and mix it yourself. I'd be happy to walk you through it if you are serious about having a cool looking(and very happy to show off) rat. What does your rat want? It wants to be loved by it's person, and if it's person wants a colorful rat, I'm sure it would be happy to be orange or blue.

 

Oh... And about that hennaforhair.com site... If you send them a pic of your results, they send you $12 worth of free henna. I bet they have never had someone send a pic of a rat. *haha*

 

No, Twizz's rat does not want to be dyed. It doesn't get anything out of it except maybe 'what the hell is happening to my fur?' and it never asked to be dyed. Twizz thinks his rat is there for his entertainment when really Twizz is responsible for the welfare of the rat.

If he wants to dye it's fur with something 100% safe (not that anyone can prove what the rat thinks or feels about it) then fine - I'm not going to judge whether or not he loves his pet because I'm sure he does. But getting it to smoke? My god. Did he tell the rat beforehand that while smoking may make you look cool and gets addicting that it can actually result in a slow and painful death as a result of lung cancer and coughing so that the rat could make an informed decision? I didn't think so.

 

My best friends dyed my hamster pink without me knowing somehow, when we were kids... Strawberry Kool-Aid.

He was fine and led a long, happy (I'm pretty damn sure he was content) life.

 

I respect your opinion MaccaByrd... But it comes down to splitting hairs(gak, no hair pun intended). Anything a person does to an animal can be construed as being outside of what that particular animal really wants. Was the first domesticated rat able to make an informed descision about whether or not it wanted to be captured? Would all rats be happier if they had been left in the wild to live very short, very hard-scrabble lives? We can't know because, unfortunately, our animal friends cannot speak to us. Yes he is responsible for the welfare of the his pet, and as far as anyone can see, his rat is unharmed. For him to even post on here about the subject proves that he cares greatly about his rat. Entertainment? Sure... When choosing to have a pet most people are not thinking "I promise to be a steward of this animals safety and well-being, always thinking of thier needs first". Of course there would be many less abused and neglected animals if that were so, but most people go into it wanting an interesting addition to their life. The love/affection/friendship comes later. And it is obvious that Twizz's pet is his friend... He shares with it many experiences that he enjoys himself. His rat could be FAR WORSE OFF than it is.
And about "What's happening to my fur?"... Rats like being handled, touched, and played with... They also like being clean. For Twizz to dye his rat's hair all of those things will happen, plus a washing. Rat day at the spa. Would you object to a day of pampering and a free hair do?
All that aside, they have pretty short lifespans... It seems to me like Twizz's rat is getting the rock star treatment, and will die happy and loved when the time comes.

 

I would never force anything on ANY animal I own. The reason I buy an animal is to look after it and care for it.

I blow smoke towards the rat and he sits there and inhales it. If he didn't like it he could move or not breathe. He also licks my neck when we have a joint lit and he isn't getting any. He's just a stoney rat, just like I am.

My rat is my buddy, and I treat him like a human.

 

I believe it Twizz... My sister has a great dane, and when we would be in the back yeard passing the bowl around the circle, Sarge would sit in the center of the circle and follow the bowl from person to person putting his nose out to each person for his hit. He just loved it. I have a cat that likes it too, but she sits backs and sniffs away while we smoke... She isn't as up close and personal about it. Some animals just have a thing for it, just like people.

 

Food coloring???

 

Hahaha! This thread causes people to lose IQ points when they read it.

Hey Twizz, pet groomers do sell paints that are specially formulated for cat/dog/rodent skin, are nontoxic, and will eventually wash off.

My mom is a pet groomer and she frequently dyes animals. I'll find out the name of the exact product for you.