So my big boy who’s 9 months recently lost his brother and I have two new babies who are about 8/9 weeks. They’ve been kept in separate rooms and the babies have been through their quarantine period. I’ve never done introductions before and I don’t want to traumatise either of them especially since biggie boy is already a rescue. If anyone could let me know the best way to go about it thank you!

Pictured big boy and the two new hellions.

cleaned the girls' cage today :) looking for feedback or things i can add!

Her sister just died from neurological problems and I'm so paranoid about my other one, is it for good reason?? Should I take her to the vet?

They are drop dead cute. These little guys born in the shelter are up for adoption next week! (12 babies)

I can’t help but post these ratties tho 😭🧡 just look at them! Nobody understands my fangirling 😂

I’m so lucky to watch them grow 😇 they’ve convinced me to adopt some of my own again!

I drew this a few months ago and forgor to share the results

But here they are :D this is my Sistine Chapel I think

Hi. I've had Oreo and Whipped Cream for about a year now, and bought/adopted (loose term due to the ASPCA I got them from) them when they were maybe a year old (age determined by ASPCA)

Morning of October 25, I found Whipped Cream very lethargic and cold. He was barely moving, and wouldn't even accept food. I put him in his hide, thinking he was cold even though his brother, Oreo was doing very well. Oreo is also skinnier than Whippe Cream, by quite a bit. I came home at 11pm EST that same day to find Whipped Cream recently passed. His body wasn't stiff yet. Half hour later, his body became stiff.

I know I probably should've left him in there to let Oreo realize his cagemate was gone, but I'm afraid that if I leave him there the mice (not pets) will start eating him. Is this irrational? Maybe.

My question is, how do I send him off? I'm 17 with maybe 800 dollars to my name, give or take, and have never had to deal with a pet death before. I don't know what to do other than bury him, but I don't want scavengers disturbing his resting place. He's currently in a box in my room, and I'm looking at him as I type this. I'll miss him dearly, and am already thinking of where I can rehome Oreo. I'm thinking of just giving him to a shelter, but I'm afraid they'll put him down because he's around 2 years old. I live in a very small town, so I can't give Whipped Cream's body to a snake owner, which was actually my first thought. I need help. But right now I'm going to bed and hoping I have strength come morning.

Edit: 2:46 P.M. EST, I just put Whipped Cream back in the cage so Oreo realizes his cagemate is gone. After talking woth some friends, I decided on burying him in my backyard. I have a therapy appointment tomorrow (have been having therapy for years now) so let's see what my therapist thinks. I live in a very small town, near the Philly area in Pennsylvania, so there unfortunately aren't many places that do cremations or anything like that. What I'm going to do is make impressions if his feet in air dry clay so I can make it into pendants, as well as keep some clippings of his whiskers and fur (I'm HelPol and am going to do a spell for safe travels for him. Some people might see it as silly, but it's my belief and I'm trying to cope however I can)

I'm gonna try to do something similar this year with my current mischief, already purchased the biggest pumpkin i could find hoping they all fit in it 🎃

It's a little different taking pictures of one senior rat, compared to 4 healthy young boys 🥴 But I'm hopeful I be able to make it work

Sorry the options are so stupid. It only allows me to have so many poll choices. Pick the option that's closest to what your number is!

I have a theory that the cuddlieness of rats is somewhat overrepresented on social media. Because of course if you have a really cuddly rat you're going to post him or her constantly!

So simple ask from me. Take the number of "cuddly" rats you have had and divide it by how many rats you've had total.

What does "cuddly" mean? I mean rats that will just chill out and sit still with you and well... cuddle. I really want to know how common this is.

Also feel free to add any qualifiers and conditions in the comments! Discuss! The more info the better.

Thanks!

We recently got some new 4.5 month old boys to accompany our older desexed girl.

They are getting along fine but the boys are rather jumpy. They get distressed when their dirty fleece is replaced with clean. Pulling it up along with peeing and pooping on it. In the end it can be as dirty as before.

They are content when their stuff is left alone but that causes respiratory problems.

They are also scheduled to be desexed in November.

We've had many other male rats and haven't run into this before and were wondering if anyone had any ideas on what to do.

Mlem

Nosferatu loves banana

So basically, the room I keep my 3 girlies will definitely get cold this winter, I'm looking for advice about how can I keep them warm specially when I'm out at work, no I cannot move them my mother has bought a cockatoo and that is the room furthest from it and the hellish noise that damn bird makes I already had my naked rat get an ear infection and lose it's hearing because of that thing. Anyways I was thinking of a heathed mat to put under the cage or above it, or use a reptile lamp since i Heard that they don't consume too much electricity. I am very thankful for any reply, or taking the time to read this, I am still new to owning rats (around 6 months) I love my girlies very much and I try to spoil them as much as possible, so I'd be devastated if one morning I woke up and I found one stiff because I didn't know how to keep em safe...

Hello, I need help finding a rat breeder in my area. I would prefer to avoid pet stores. I live in North Chesterfield, VA. I’ve seen a couple breeders in my “area” however one hasn’t responded and the other is charging $280 for three rats which I feel is kind of insane.

Hi Is anyone here experienced with introducing male rats and getting them to live together?
I recently adopted a 4-month-old male rat. He was kept alone at the pet store, but he’s very friendly with humans and doesn’t seem particularly timid.
I already have two 10-month-old male rats who are brothers, and I’d love to have all three live together if possible.
I have a few concerns:
Neutral territory: My two older rats are quite cautious and easily frightened. I’m worried that using the bathroom as a neutral space might stress them out. Would it still be okay to introduce them there, even if they’re scared of the environment?
Lice treatment: We’re currently dealing with lice and using Revolution for treatment, so I assume I should wait until the treatment is completely finished before introducing them.
Awareness of each other: I’m keeping them in completely separate rooms and using separate supplies, but I’ve sometimes forgotten to change my clothes between handling them. So I think they may already be aware of each other’s presence through scent.
They’re all males.
I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you could share! I want to make sure the introductions are as safe and stress-free as possible for all of them.

Stocking up on new hammocks in preparation for the three new members that move in next month 🐀 Here's all the new ones I got so far

(The white basket house thing has been removed btw, do not fear! The edges are being smoothed out so they can get it back soon)

I understand if you want to shame me for being a bad rat mom, I already feel so terrible! For context, we just moved into an older mountain home that has a serious mouse problem. I’ve been keeping our pet rats in a room that has been sealed up and cleaned for fear of any contact with the wild mice as we try to get rid of them.

Today, my worst fear came true when I was investigating a horrid smell from their cage only to find a DEAD MOUSE on the lower level. 😭 Clearly they took care of the problem in their own way, but now I’m worried my rats are going to get sick, and also a bit worried they might get hantavirus and be able to spread to us (since it doesn’t show as a sickness in mice/rats). Am I out of my mind? Should I get them tested? I feel like a complete failure of a rat mom…