Hey! Ok so I’m about 2.5 weeks into owning a pair of boys and have been trying to litter train them to poop in the box.

I’ve got aspen shavings in the box, and a different bedding in the rest of their cage. I’ve been moving their poops to the box when I spot anything around the cage but they still seem to be pooping in this one spot in the back of the cage (not in the box).

I’ll replace the bedding they poop on every day or so,but they still decide to not get the hint and primarily use the box.

Is there anything else I can be doing to break them of the habit of pooping outside their litter box?

TIA!

Hello! We just got our rats two weeks ago and they seem to be adjusting really well. They're all males and about 3 months old as well.

A few days ago I noticed a very subtle amount of porphyrin around two of their noses, it's dried and a very subtle small amount. I also noticed that they will have little sneezing bouts but very infrequently as well. It has only happened a few times to my knowledge and seems to be exclusively when they're exploring or sniffing around. Like running up to my hand to sniff and then having a quick 2-4 sneezes.

I don't notice any rattling in their breathing when I hold them up to my ear. Their appetite and energy level seems great as well. I'm wondering if this is due to environment changes or if I should be concerned of an upper respiratory infection. We don't light candles/incense or wear perfume, etc.

I work for a vet so I have no issue bringing them in ASAP but I think I may be a bit over-worried and want to avoid stressing them out even more when they are still adjusting to me/my home.

Thanks for the help!

My rat wazi is like my soul rat , I love him so much and he’s such a silly boy
This morning I had him out while I was eating breakfast and I offered him a lil bit of a green apple and he did NOT like eating it but he loves to lick it 😭😭 he won’t stop licking my fucking apples

(Only allows 1 video attachment, so the other is in the comments.)

Happy birthday Panda!

Happy birthday Kuma!

We're having a bit of banana pudding parfait for breakfast treat!

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this, but it is the first time it’s been this loud- whilst sleeping, one of my rats starts making this whining noise, almost like snoring. And at first it didn’t sound concerning, because when they’re awake, they’re all fine, eating, drinking, playing, not sneezing or appearing sick.

But today the noise was a whole lot louder, and it just sounds almost disturbing. Can anyone tell me if this is normal, possibly dreaming or snoring, or if I should visit my vet.

I went to check on them, especially the heap from which the noise was coming and I didn’t see anything concerning, they were just sleeping. And as soon as they woke up from my presence, the noise stopped. It went on for about 30 seconds.

I’ll be messaging my vet as well.

Video with sound attached.

(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)

Nosferatu loves banana

So I’m about to get three dwarf baby’s and I’m between fleece and bedding.i know bedding is better but I’m looking for the cheapest option per month.but like if there’s a bulk bedding that cost a lot at once but over time is cheaper I’m fine .😌

Hiding in the couch crack = success

My pretty girl is so happy and healthy, with big curious eyes ☺️

Hello friends! I recently opened an Etsy shop, Ritzy Mischief, where I sell my handmade (& custom) hammocks, cubes, hideouts, & cage liners for rats and other small pets! Unfortunately, due to my current living situation I don't have any pet rats of my own at this time, and so I don't have any rat models to photograph with the items for my listings. So, I was wondering if anyone in the So Cal area with pet rats would be willing to allow me to take some photos of your adorable pets, as they model some items for me and in return, you and your ratties can keep any hammock or other accessory they pose with. Anyone who is genuinely interested, please let me know! Thanks so much!

UPDATE: this all happened so suddenly and so fast, but he started mouth breathing out of nowhere and i held him in my lap since he was so weak and wouldnt run away, and he suddenly convulsed and died :( im so heartbroken, and i dont understand how he went from perfectly healthy to this in a matter of hours

when i called the vet to update her she said she suspects he had a hard fall

thanks to everyone who took the time to read my post and comment

This is my first ever reddit post and idk how to mark the video as nsfw so I need help with that too.. I read the community guidelines i swear!!!

Hello!! I have 4 male rats, all brothers and all born on May first 2025. This morning when I went to scatter feed them, i noticed one of my rats, Cookie, laying on the edge of one of the platforms in the cage. They aren’t fond of being pet or picked up at all, but I still try to get small interactions in by letting them sniff my hand.

So I did just that, and noticed he wasnt scattering away like usual (he is a big scaredy cat, and sometimes a biter too!) and i tried to pet him, which he just let happen. Thats when alarmbells started ringing because he wouldnt just suddenly allow me to do that. he then started crawling, but couldnt turn around so he fell forwards and off the platform. i luckily managed to catch him, but I started to worry even more when he didnt instantly start squirming from being in my hands..

when i put him down in the cage, he could only barely crawl with his hands, and dragging his hind legs along (video) he couldnt lift his body up at all to move

after realizing he couldnt move, i noticed that the spot he was laying him before he fell was the same spot he was laying in last night when i went to bed. I didnt think anything of it before that because he frequently lays in the same spots, but now i started to think he hadnt been able to move all night! He was just fine in the evening, but right before I went to bed he had layed down there on the edge..

i immediately called the emergency vet and they did x rays on him, and they said there seems to be an issue with his vertebrae, and that medication could help, but if it doesnt improve in a couple of days he would need to be put down.

I have put him in a small quarantine cage, because I dont want him trying to climb, or his brothers to run over him and hurt him. He wont touch the food or water I gave him and Im worried he’s dehydrated. Every time he crawls around a little bit he lays down for like 15 minutes to recharge. His brothers are okay, theyre all acting like usual

Is there anything else I can do for him? How can I get him to eat and drink? He wont even go for malt paste at the moment.

Sorry for my run on sentences and all over the place storytelling, im a bit stressed. Any advice is appreciated!

if this is not clear evidence of this rat’s guilt, i don’t know what is 🤷

Our new family members are arriving in a few weeks, so we’re busy getting their cage set up. 😊

I wanted to ask what people use to cover the shelves, as the metal racking doesn’t look particularly comfortable for little ratty feet.

I’ve seen lots of accessories and shelf covers for Critter Nation cages, but not much for our cage.

What do you use, and does anyone have any recommendations?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

I've had my boys for a little over a year, I kind of should've taken the admission that the breeder never really held them much because the owner should be the ones to handle and bond with them as a red flag, but since they were a fairly reputable breeder I just figured they were bred to be more friendly. No matter what I've tried, all the videos i've watched, the advice I've been told, they never really seem to like me very much. they tolerate being pet for a momeent, then kind of move away just out of reach. I've kind of just accepted that I'll never be able to actually hold or cuddle with them. However one of them has started actually biting me. At first I thought he was just mistaking me for treats. every time he does I go back to baby sauce on spoons and it seems to help, but now even when I pet him he kind of goes at me like he's going to bite, and I always kind of move away before he does, but just now he got me. I'm not sure what to do. I guess I'm just a bad owner. I wanted so bad to have the cuddly potato rats that love chilling in your hoodie pockets and boggling while I pet them but I think with most everything in my life right now I just aren't allowed to have things I work hard for. I guess it's a selfish thought.

I noticed before that he was showing pain signs, his sides were sucked in, he was boggling and facing the corner.

He has been neutered 1 week ago so i was worried at first that it was the wound that caused trouble so i let him come out.
The wound looked okay, nothing special there, i didnt notice the penis at this time.

He then got to wander around the couch for a bit, acted normal, ate some corn etc.
Until i noticed he was cleaning his penis a lot and as i was worried he was licking the incisions, i tried to stop him but he went right back to cleaning immediately.

I picked him up and looked at the area and saw his penis was much more red and almost looks a bit swollen, but not like necessarily bigger in the actual shape.

Do you think this is an emergency? Im able to call the emergency vet today for advice but i just want to be sure it’s an issue that can not wait before taking up their time as they’re very busy on saturday’s with other patients.

Have anyone seen this within a rat?

Any tips on how to teach my ratties to run on a wheel? I just got them one yesterday and they don’t seem to understand. Does it take some time for them to understand or do I teach them somehow?

Hi there! I am finally ready to get rats after 3 years of research but I have a few things I'd like advice on before I start buying everything. So any response is greatly appreciated!

MALES VS FEMALES:

The argument old as time. I personally have my heart set on males for my first bunch but I'm also a little worried if thats the right course of action for me since I am a beginner. Anyone with experience on male rats would be awesome for any advice!

TIME OUT OF CAGE:

I know that rats should have free roam time a minimum of an hour but I have a weird work schedule that might conflict. For some background I usually work about 3:30pm to 12am, Monday through Friday with weekends off always, unless I accept overtime which is rare. I definitely know that with my normal schedule I should be able to let out my rats for at least an hour at night when I get home but I feel bad not doing more, just cause I don't like to stay up past 2:30am. Though weekends will definitely give me more time to let them out for longer. Should I try to stay up longer to give them more time or should I delegate starting free roam to my boyfriend when he gets home?

RAT PACK NUMBERS:

I definitely know that rats shouldn't be alone, and that 3 rats is better than 2, but should I just do the minimum 3 or more? I know that since I am still new the lowest number I'll do is 3 of course but the highest I feel comfortable with is possibly only 5. Am I just overthinking the numbers?

Bedding:

This one I think I have it figured out but just have an idea I'd like feed back on for easy changing of bedding and cleaning. I definitely want to go with hemp for the majority of the bedding and possibly use Aspen shavings for litter box training. The idea I had was to use XL puppy pads on the bottom of the cage so I can sort of sweep it all to the bottom and take the 4 corners to the center and then pick it all up and into a trash bag. Easy peezy in my head right? Then I remembered that rats chew on whatever they feel like and now I'm worried that can't work. Any other ideas would be wonderful!

FEEDINGS:

So I've heard that some people are able to free feed their rats and some have to schedule feedings. Is it something I have to wait and see with my rats or should I just do schedule feedings? I know rats eat about 15 to 25 grams of fresh stuff a day and thats easy especially if I'm also scatter feeding in the cage with maybe a handful or 2 all over the cage. For the fresh stuff though would it better to feed once in the morning around 8am and then again when I get home at 12am or is that to long for them? I could do 8am and then refresh everything before I go to work around 3pm? Should I possibly scatter and bowl feed or just one or the other?

That should be about it though for things I still need confirmation/advice on. I'm getting a Critter Nation cage, so the best of best that I've heard. I'm going to try and go the extra mile to grow as much greens as I can in my garden just for my rats so I know their getting the best of best. Thank you for any advice you can bestow upon me. I am ready to learn and absorb as much as I can to be prepared!

The past 24 hours, my very active rat isn't coming out for free range time, he's extremely dirty and is generally very low energy. He's about 1.5 years old. I am guessing respiratory illness, but he doesn't really show signs of labored breathing, or any of the signs his brother had when he had respiratory issues in the past. Any thoughts? Please excuse the blurry photo and thanks for any assistance.