{"id":4122,"date":"2012-11-13T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2012-11-13T08:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=4122"},"modified":"2014-07-17T19:07:35","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T19:07:35","slug":"care-and-feeding-of-pets-especially-rats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/care-and-feeding-of-pets-especially-rats\/","title":{"rendered":"The care and feeding of pets (but especially rats!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u041c\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u0442 \u0431\u044b<\/span>\u0442\u044c, \u0432\u044b<\/span> \u0434\u0443<\/span>\u043c\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0435 \u0437\u0430\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span> \u043a\u0430\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e-\u043d\u0438\u0431\u0443\u0434\u044c \u043f\u0438\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u0446\u0430<\/span>?<\/b> (“Maybe you’re thinking about getting some kind of pet?”) But perhaps a cat or a dog wouldn’t fit into your \u043e<\/span>\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0437 \u0436\u0438<\/span>\u0437\u043d\u0438<\/b> (“lifestyle”) — or your apartment. In that case, allow me to recommend the lovable \u0441\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0430\u044f \u043a\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u0430<\/b> (lit., “gray rat”), commonly known in English as the “Norway rat” (Rattus norvegicus<\/i>). Over the years, I have had several pet rats — they’re extremely \u043b\u044e\u0431\u043e\u043f\u044b<\/span>\u0442\u043d\u044b\u0435<\/b> (“curious”), \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e \u0443\u043c\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0435 \u043c\u044b<\/span>\u0448\u0435\u0439 \u0438 \u0445\u043e\u043c\u044f\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0432<\/b> (“significantly more intelligent than mice or hamsters”), and also \u043b\u0430\u0441\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044b\u0435<\/b> (“affectionate”) \u0438 \u0445\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0448\u043e<\/span> \u043e\u0431\u0449\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442\u0441\u044f \u0441 \u043b\u044e\u0434\u044c\u043c\u0438<\/span><\/b> (“socialize well with humans”). Currently I’m the \u0445\u043e\u0437\u044f<\/span>\u0438\u043d<\/b> (here: “pet-owner”) of a tuxedo-patterned \u0441\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u043a\u0430<\/span><\/b> named \u041a\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0448\u0435\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/span><\/b>.<\/p>\n

Rats may strike many people as an unlikely choice for a \u043f\u0438\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u0435\u0446<\/a><\/b> (a word that can mean “pet animal,” though it’s also a synonym for \u0432\u043e\u0441\u043f\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0430\u043d\u043d\u0438\u043a<\/b>, “alumnus”!). After all, for thousands of years, \u043a\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u044b \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0447\u0438\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u044e\u0442 \u043e\u0433\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0432\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0434 \u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443<\/b> (“rats have caused enormous harm to humanity”). They steal our food, damage materials with their teeth, and are \u043d\u043e\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u0438 \u043c\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u0438\u0445 \u043e\u043f\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u043d\u044b\u0445 \u043b\u044e\u0434\u044f<\/span>\u043c \u0431\u043e\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0437\u043d\u0435\u0439<\/b> (“carriers of many diseases that are dangerous to humans”), including \u0447\u0443<\/span>\u043c\u0430<\/b> (“the Black Plague”).<\/p>\n

Even so, \u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0441\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0430\u044f \u043a\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u0430 \u0441\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e \u043b\u0435\u0433\u043a\u043e<\/span> \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0440\u0443\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f<\/span><\/b> (“the wild R. norvegicus<\/i> is tamed with comparative ease”), and since the 19th century, completely \u043e\u0434\u043e\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043d\u0435\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0435<\/b> (“domesticated”) varieties of this species have been bred — putting them in the “Top Ten” of the world’s most important laboratory organisms. Plus, they’re much more affectionate pets than D. melanogaster<\/i> (aka \u043f\u043b\u043e\u0434\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u043c\u0443<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0438<\/b>) or E. coli<\/i>!<\/p>\n

First, let’s take a quick look at the \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u044f \u044d<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0434\u0430<\/span><\/b> (“the natural history of this species”).<\/p>\n

Despite its name in both English and scientific Latin, the \u0441\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0430\u044f \u043a\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u0430<\/b> is not from Norway, or even from Europe; you can blame an 18th-century British scientist for that error! In fact, the Norway rat originated in eastern China and is not very closely related to the indigenous European \u0447\u0451\u0440\u043d\u0430\u044f \u043a\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u0430<\/b> (“common black rat,” Rattus rattus<\/i>). Because of natural climate barriers, the \u0441\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0430\u044f \u043a\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u0430<\/b> was never able to migrate by land from China to Europe, and only began reaching the West in the early 16th century or so, traveling \u043d\u0430 \u043c\u043e\u0440\u0441\u043a\u0438<\/span>\u0445 \u0441\u0443\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0445<\/span><\/b> (“on sea-going vessels”).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the 19th century, professional rat-killers in England would from time to time find \u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043e\u0431\u0438<\/b> (“individual specimens”) that had exceptionally \u0441\u043f\u043e\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0439\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0445\u0430\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0442\u0435\u0440\u044b<\/b> (“calm temperaments”), and realized that scientists were willing to pay money for easy-to-handle rats that could be bred as research animals. We can only speculate that at some point, the wife of an unknown scientist took one look at her husband’s laboratory rats \u0438 \u0432\u043b\u044e\u0431\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0430\u0441\u044c \u0432 \u0433\u043b\u0430\u0437\u043a\u0438<\/span>-\u0431\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0438\u043d\u043a\u0438<\/b> (“and fell in love with their beady little eyes”). What’s known for sure is that 19th-century British ladies were among the first to popularize \u0440\u0443\u0447\u043d\u044b<\/span>\u0435 \u043a\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u044b<\/b> (“tamed rats”) as fashionable pets — yes, despite the stereotype that Victorian women tended to \u043f\u0430\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u0432 \u043e<\/span>\u0431\u043c\u043e\u0440\u043e\u043a \u043f\u0440\u0438 \u043f\u043e\u044f\u0432\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0438 \u0433\u0440\u044b\u0437\u0443\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0432<\/span><\/b> (“fall into a swoon at the appearance of rodents”)!<\/p>\n

\u041d\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e \u0441\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0432 \u043e \u0441\u043e\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0438 \u043f\u0438\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u0446\u0435\u0432<\/b>
\n(“A few words about the keeping of pets”)<\/h3>\n

Whether you choose a rat, a dog, or a parrot, there are a number of key vocabulary terms that are generally applicable to pets. First, the most common term for “getting<\/i> an animal as a pet” is \u0437\u0430\u0432\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c\/\u0437\u0430\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span> (\u0436\u0438\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e)<\/b> — thus:<\/p>\n

\u041e\u043d \u043d\u0435\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u043d\u043e<\/span> \u0437\u0430\u0432\u0451\u043b \u0449\u0435\u043d\u043a\u0430<\/span><\/b>
\n“He recently got a puppy.”<\/p>\n

Of course, you can use a more generic verb like \u043f\u0440\u0438\u043e\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\/\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span><\/span><\/b>, “to acquire.” Once you’ve gotten a pet, “to keep a pet” can be expressed with \u0441\u043e\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c<\/b> (imperf. only): \u041c\u044b \u0441\u043e\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0436\u0438\u043c \u043f\u043e\u043f\u0443\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u0439\u0447\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0432<\/b>, “We keep parakeets.”<\/p>\n

“To take care of” a pet (or a person, or a thing) can be translated with \u0443\u0445\u0430<\/span>\u0436\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0437\u0430 \u043a\u0435<\/span>\u043c\/\u0447\u0435<\/span>\u043c<\/b> (imperfective only): \u041d\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0430 \u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430 \u0432\u043d\u0438\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e \u0443\u0445\u0430<\/span>\u0436\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0435\u0442 \u0437\u0430 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0438<\/span>\u043c \u043a\u043e\u0442\u0451\u043d\u043a\u043e\u043c<\/b>, “Our cat takes attentive care of her kitten.” Or you can use the corresponding noun \u0443\u0445\u043e\u0434<\/b>, also with \u0437\u0430<\/b> + instrumental:<\/p>\n

\u041e\u043d\u0430<\/span> \u043d\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0430 \u043a\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0433\u0443 \u043e\u0431 \u0443\u0445\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u0435 \u0437\u0430 \u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0437\u0430\u043c\u0438.<\/b>
\n“She wrote a book about how to care for roses.”<\/p>\n

And when your pet is hungry, you’ll need the verb (\u043d\u0430)\u043a\u043e\u0440\u043c\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c (+ acc.)<\/b>, “to feed”:<\/p>\n

\u042f \u043a\u043e\u0440\u043c\u043b\u044e<\/span> \u043c\u043e\u044e<\/span> \u043a\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u0443 \u043c\u0430\u043a\u0430\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u0430\u043c\u0438 \u0438 \u044f\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0435\u0439<\/span>.<\/b>
\n“I feed my rat macaroni and fried eggs.”<\/p>\n

This verb, by the way, is most often applied to animals, not humans, except in the context of infants or invalids: \u041c\u0435\u0434\u0441\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span> \u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043c\u0438\u0442 \u0431\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e \u0441 \u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u043a\u0438<\/b>, “The nurse is spoon-feeding the patient.” And the derived noun \u043a\u043e\u0440\u043c<\/b> means, exclusively, “animal feed.” (There’s also a noun \u043a\u043e\u0440\u043c\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/b>, which means “the act of feeding,” not the food itself.) And your pet needs fresh water, too: here, the verb is (\u043d\u0430)\u043f\u043e\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c (+ acc.)<\/b>, “give (a person or animal) something to drink”. You may remember that the song \u00ab\u041e\u0439, \u043c\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0437, \u043c\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0437\u00bb<\/b> ends with:<\/p>\n

\u042f \u0432\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u044c \u0434\u043e\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0439,<\/b> (I will return home)<\/i>
\n\u041d\u0430 \u0437\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435 \u0434\u043d\u044f<\/span>.<\/b> (At sunset.)<\/i>
\n\u041d\u0430\u043f\u043e\u044e<\/span> \u0436\u0435\u043d\u0443<\/span>,<\/b> (I will water my wife,)<\/i>
\n\u041e\u0431\u043d\u0438\u043c\u0443<\/span> \u043a\u043e\u043d\u044f<\/span>!<\/b> (And I’ll hug my horse!)<\/i><\/p>\n

…or maybe it’s the other way around? \ud83d\ude09 Anyway, the derived noun \u043f\u043e\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u043a\u0430<\/b> can mean one of those special drip-bottles used for caged animals.<\/p>\n

Of course, for small pets like rats, there are a few other essential words. For starters, you’ll need a \u043a\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0430<\/b>, “cage”. A metallic wire cage is the best choice for rats, \u043f\u043e\u0442\u043e\u043c\u0443<\/span> \u0447\u0442\u043e \u043e\u043d\u0438<\/span> \u043e<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u043d\u044c \u043b\u044e<\/span>\u0431\u044f\u0442 \u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0437\u0438\u0442\u044c<\/span> \u043f\u043e \u043f\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u044f\u043c<\/span><\/b> (“because they very much love to climb along the bars”). \u041d\u0430 \u0434\u043d\u0435<\/span> \u043a\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0438<\/b> (“on the bottom of the cage”), you’ll need \u043f\u043e\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u043a\u0430<\/span><\/b> (“bedding; litter”), which can be torn paper or \u0434\u0440\u0435\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u043e\u043f\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u043a\u0438<\/b> (“wood shavings; sawdust”).<\/p>\n

Oh, and very important: inside the rat’s cage, there must be a \u0434\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u0438\u043a<\/b> (“small house”), which can be as simple as a \u043a\u0430\u0440\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u0430<\/b> (“cardboard box”) or a \u0436\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u0430 \u0438\u0437-\u043f\u043e\u0434 \u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0444\u0435<\/b> (“empty coffee can”). Even if your rat is so completely tame and fearless that you’ve trained it to take food from your lips, rats dislike eating “in public,” and need a \u0434\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u0438\u043a<\/b> where they can dine at leisure, without being bothered by the Hollywood paparazzi.<\/p>\n

But one thing I don’t recommend for a rat’s cage: a \u043a\u043e\u043b\u0435\u0441\u043e<\/span><\/b>, “wheel”. \u0425\u043e\u043c\u044f\u043a\u0438<\/span> \u0447\u0430<\/span>\u0441 \u0437\u0430 \u0447\u0430\u0441\u043e\u043c \u0431\u0435<\/span>\u0433\u0430\u044e\u0442 \u0432 \u043a\u043e\u043b\u0435\u0441\u0435<\/span><\/b> (“Hamsters [will] run in a wheel hour after hour”), but I’ve never met a rat who liked wheels. Instead, it’s a good idea to \u043e\u0442\u043f\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0443 \u043a\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u0443 \u0438\u0437 \u043a\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0438 \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0435\u0436\u0435\u0434\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0432\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0433\u0443<\/span>\u043b\u043a\u0438 \u043f\u043e \u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u043d\u0430\u0442\u0435<\/b> (“let your rat out of its cage for a daily stroll around the room”).<\/p>\n

Or, in hot weather, some rats even enjoy \u043a\u0443\u043f\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u0432 \u043d\u0435\u0433\u043b\u0443\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u0432\u043e\u0434\u0435<\/span><\/b> (“splashing around \/ wading in shallow water”)!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u0412 \u043f\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u044f\u0442\u044c \u043e \u0420\u0435<\/span>\u0433\u0431\u0438<\/b> (“Rugby”) (2003-2006)<\/b><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

\u041c\u043e\u0436\u0435\u0442 \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c, \u0432\u044b \u0434\u0443\u043c\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0435 \u0437\u0430\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0438 \u043a\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e-\u043d\u0438\u0431\u0443\u0434\u044c \u043f\u0438\u0442\u043e\u043c\u0446\u0430? (“Maybe you’re thinking about getting some kind of pet?”) But perhaps a cat or a dog wouldn’t fit into your \u043e\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0437 \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u0438 (“lifestyle”) — or your apartment. In that case, allow me to recommend the lovable \u0441\u0435\u0440\u0430\u044f \u043a\u0440\u044b\u0441\u0430 (lit., “gray rat”), commonly known in English as the “Norway…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":4130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8,7828],"tags":[1897,253057,2385,253056,111747],"class_list":["post-4122","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language","category-russian-for-beginners","tag-animals","tag-caring-for-pets","tag-pets","tag-rats","tag-useful-russian-phrases"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4122"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6533,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4122\/revisions\/6533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}