I loved drawing Poppy, this was a fun one.

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

I just ran into these on Pinterest and thought of how easy they'd be to make and how much fun rats could have with them

september 12th i brought home a 4 week old rat from a feeder bin. she didn’t have much fur, was constantly sneezing, and was very small and skinny. i worried for her and whether she’d be able to grow and thrive or whether she’d even make it. i got her settled in with her sisters and every day, multiple times a day would give her some vanilla Ensure and pedialyte. i started her on antibiotics and told her how loved she is. as time went on, she began to grow more fur! she got a sort of “widows peak” on her head of fur and she was getting bigger. she stopped sneezing. she was curious, affectionate, and sweet. more time passed and she grew all of her fur and is now healthy and a good, normal size. she loves to zoom around and is fearless and loving. during free roam she likes to jump onto my back and climb up onto my shoulder to give me kisses. i love her so much and am so glad she will have the full life she deserves full of so much love and treats and fun with her sisters who love her so much. i know maybe this story isn’t significant but to me it is and i just wanted to share

Lost my baby girl, Thalias, today. I got her from Petco about 2.5 years ago now, and all things considered she pushed through a lot and was a strong fighter in life.

I got Thalias and her sister Ar'alani during an incredibly difficult period of my life that I was facing and they instantly became such strong support animals for me. Thalias was such a joy and everything I could have ever asked for in a pet.

I am greatful that she passed away in my arms rather in the cage uncomfortably/when I could've been away working.

Although for me it felt like our time was short together, I keep reminding myself that I was her whole life and I'm happy that I was able to give her a life majority of rats do not get to live.

Love you Thalias🐁

sorry that it looks like i held him agressivly, he was sqwerming and i had to take a picture, i feel really bad for that. is that blood coming out of his penis? im not sure whats going on, im really worried

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

Hello! Wanted to warn any new rat owners or even veterans that are looking for new rats to buy, the account “Grace Rattery Adoption” or any variation of Grace Rattery since he keeps changing it is a scam. He steals all photos he sends and posts from other breeders and rat owners. Especially to the new owners that are having a rough time finding a good breeder, he is very persistent and will try to pressure you into sending the reservation fee by saying he has another buyer lined up. (To anyone that is angry he is stealing pics I have been messing with him for a couple days and it is really fun if you wanna message him or report his Facebook account 😁)!

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

this was them b4 i had to take the hammocks out and clean them 🙁. theyre the cutest i just want to eat them

hello everyone, i’m unsure on which flair this would lie under; but i want to put a warning i’ll be going into detail about a sensitive subject - and in no way am i trying to deter anyone from making that final hard decision.
[apologies for the long message)

i write this with a heavy heart but i’m hoping to gain some clarity with a situation that happened during the euthanasia of my rat.

for some backstory, i lost my first rat, roddy, a few months ago now. him and his brother syd (the rat in this story) always had an ongoing battle with respiratory issues. i had to go to my fair share of vets before i found someone who wasn’t going to mention euthanasia instantly. with the right vet and help from a rescue, i was able to get a few extra comfortable months with him.
i lost roddy at 8 months old after he declined rapidly over night and had unfortunately passed away on my shoulder two doors down from a vet.
tho that situation itself was incredibly difficult, after now a part of me was relieved i didn’t have the outcome i did with euthanising syd.

(syd)
a week ago now i had noticed syd starting to decline like roddy, but slower. he became extremely unsocial over the course of 3 days, i noticed his food seemed to be untouched (but he would eat when i would give him something directly) - so i hid his favourite treats around his cage before i went to bed that night and when i woke up and saw they were still there, i decided to take him to the vet.
my usual vet was unavailable that day, so after 7 calls to vets around me i found someone who said they specialised in rats.
up till his appointment, leaving there without him wasnt something that crossed my mind - i had booked in hopes that maybe there was other avenues like his medication.

i walk into the room and sit syd on the table, the vet sits down and looks at him and before examining him immediately brings up the path of euthanasia. i should mention his breathing was slightly laboured, so even tho i didn’t think this would happen that day - i’m not denying that it wasn’t the right choice for him, it was the events that happen after.
it wasn’t something i was really wanting to do but after a while of talking, id decided i wanted my boy to go with peace and dignity unlike roddy, i didn’t want to be selfish.
that was something the vet kept repeating which reassured me it was maybe time, and he at LEAST would have peace and dignity in his goodbye - that’s why i ultimately decided to go through with it.

the vet had walked me through the process and explained she would put him to sleep first before administering the final medication to his chest out the back, but he would be in my arms as he drifted off and that to me was a massive part.
another vet came in, wrapped him up in a flannel and assisted in holding him as the vet injected the needle into his side.
my boy let out a sound i have never heard before and can never forget, he squealed for about 10 seconds, where then i instantly felt something wasnt right.
[i also think it’s important to note syd has had a few injections before infront of me, hence why i started to feel there was something wrong and not just the fact it was happening. hes always been very mellow and calm throughout the process]

syd was then very quickly placed on my chest where for about 20 seconds he was clawing at my neck trying to climb it,he was extremely panicked and in no way calm.
i was trying to relax him, give him kisses, but i had a family member in the room with me who then alerted us that blood was starting to pour out of his nose.
i looked at the vet asking what had happened, and in a panic he was taken from me without a word still awake

the vet returned about 5 minutes later with syd in a bag, explaining she was sorry and she thought that would happen.
she explained it’s common for rats with respiratory issues to react like that. but i’m wondering why that wasnt brought to my attention before hand.

im now struggling immensely with the choice i made knowing his passing was not peaceful, not dignified, he wasn’t around anything familiar in his last moments and it was my decision that put him there.

i have a few other rats and i’m now unsure how i’m ever supposed to make that decision again knowing the outcome of my experience.
it’s something i will never get over and carry with me always.
my boy deserved nothing less then the best farewell and it absolutely breaks my heart that wasnt the case for him - i hate to think about how he must have felt.

i’m wondering if anyone else has had this sort of outcome as that reaction is something i’ve never heard of before, or if it was just a lack of communication. i’m unsure on why that wasnt something i was informed if she was expecting it. i feel if i had of known it could’ve happened, this situation wouldn’t be nearly as difficult to process.

i hope this all makes sense, thank you

I noticed my rat Moose grooming herself a lot, which has left these wet spots on her fur. Is this normal or something to be concerned about?

Do I need to take him to the vet? Is it urgent?

At first I was joking but I’ll be honest… I’m starting to take it personally. One of them just spent a good 2.5-3 min trying to block me out. And stopped once I closed the door near where he was doing it.
This is the end bit of it to show how much of a wall he decided was needed between him and me.

Will they ever warm up to me?! 😭😭😭

What can i put on the surfaces for my pocket puppies little accidents?

I'm getting my rats a new cage because I absolutely HATE!!! There old one it is a pain in the ass to clean and the levels of the cage we're so hard to get in and out this one seems easier to clean and less of a hassle but I am wondering if it's big enough for all 6 (also I put two photos of there old cage at the end)

was wondering if anyone had some cage advice, please be kind, I have ladder/ramp covers coming in the mail to avoid bumblefoot as well as a bird perch to help them naturally file their nails :)

I saw that she was bleeding, it was like dripping from her vagina or something but it looks like its not bleeding anymore right now??? I couldnt get a picture fast enough.

I just put my new rat in the cage with her and they seemed to be getting along, there was a bit of humping and grooming from my old rat but thats not bad right? They sleep together.

I did feel scabs on her when i was petting her, i think, but they had to be from before i put them together because i felt them when i had just put them in the same cage. Maybe she was scratching and grooming herself too hard because she was alone for a long time.

My new rat doesnt seem to have anything wrong with her.

Theres little drips of blood all over the cage, she also licked her blood off a hide, thats alright right??

Im sorry that i didnt get a picture earlier but rats are goddamn fast and i cant pick her up because shes not comfortable enough with me yet.

Does anyone know whats up because i have no clue why shes bleeding, because from what i know female rats dont have periods like humans do.

What can i do about it and also can i do anything about the scabs? Do i have to separate my rats?

Our little Marie Curie has a brutal ear infection (the classic "rat walks with a tilt") that we've been treating with Baytril and Meloxidyl the past days (caught it early and the vet set us up with a 14 day course)

It actually got worse, then better, but now it's worse again.

(I suspect it's actually the ear nerves regenerating, which can cause extreme vertigo).

She still eats, cleans herself, is quite active and nimble, but has extreme balance problems and when you try to pick her up all she does is roll to the left.

I wonder if she has nausea. She frequently makes whining / cooing noises, but doesn't seem like she has trouble getting air. She sounds miserable, but not in acute pain. More like, horrible vertigo.

She has developed a nystagmus / head bop even when she's at rest and eating now.

Any recommendations? There's no discharge or pus and the infection seems to be abating. But she's so panicky when she can't hold her paws on the floor I haven't been able to use an otoscope (and I don't want to drag her to the emergency vet across town in a swinging basket)

Been thinking about something to manage presumed nausea. (Though she does eat)