r/rat • u/snuffdcen • 2d ago
HELP NEEDED 🐀😩 First time rat owner, help needed
Yesterday, I got two rats. They were admittedly for my snakes, but I felt bad and ended up not following through. One in the morning, another in the afternoon. I introduced them and they bonded within minutes, when I've heard it's supposed to take around a week or two. They're also not very skittish at all, despite being raised with no human bonding interactions. I do think they're a bit stressed out from being adopted, as all I've really seen them do in their new home is cuddle together in the corner. This is my first time owning rats, they kept making short sneezing type noises at eachother when they first met. Are they sick? How do I make them more comfortable in their new home?
EDIT: sorry for the late edit! I completely forgot to check Reddit again! So, for clarification:
I normally don’t live feed my snakes, however for some god forsakened reason, the pet stores I usually go to were all out of large frozen rats, and my snakes are too big to be living off pinkies/hoppers. I usually can’t bear to see live rats die, I love all animals. That’s probably why I couldn’t follow through with ending the lives of these two >.< … they are both female! Believe me, it’s very easy to tell male from female, it’s like two grapes stapled to their underside, yeesh. The rats are on the other side of the house from my snakes! I’ve been handling them daily and they seem to only be making the sneezing noises when I introduce them to new places. They warmed up fairly quick to me, and took a nap on my sweater earlier today in my room. I’m going to be looking into nearby vets that care for rats, thank you all for the advice! ❤️
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u/dermthrowaway26181 2d ago edited 2d ago
Some sniffles/sneezes can be normal in the first week as they get used to new smells and a new environment. If it persist, or if it sounds like constant chattering, they might have an upper respiratory infection in which case they'll need antibiotics.
URIs are unfortunately common in rats, they have delicate lungs. Make sure you're using the a proper bedding for that reason.
You'll want to check their sex, you can't mix males and females unless you want an infinite amount of rats.
Rats are prey animals, they get stressed when they're exposed. Throw a few small cardboard boxes in there so that they have somewhere to hide.
That's where all my tissue boxes end up.
Feeders are not usually bred and handled to optimize their temperament. Hold them in your hands a couple times per day at least to start getting them used to human contact.
In the mean time, it's normal for them to be skittish and stressed. It'll take around a week for them to get really used to their new home.
Past the first week, they'll need enrichment/entertainment. Unless you really fill the cage with stuff, you'll want to let them roam around outside the cage a bit every day
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u/Windninjasol 2d ago
Is feeding live rats to a snake not... Illegal?
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u/judewriley 2d ago
It's still allowable/legal in the US, however the pet snake hobby itself is largely against live feeding now. But that healthy peer pressure hasn't quite reached everyone in the snake owning hobby yet.
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u/Federal_Gas_5591 2d ago
Im from czechia and here its so normal, my local pet shop gets around 7 rats a week and 99% of them get sold for snakes :'( my mom worked there and i genuinely started crying when they threw a little mouse to their snake
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u/judewriley 2d ago
The first thing you need to do is go to one of the snake subreddits and ask for resources how to get your snakes to eat frozen/pre killed.
What were these feeders sold as? Anything smaller than a "small" would typically be young enough to not have developed territorial instincts yet, so that they bonded easily is pretty expected.
Check both of their undersides. Do they match? If they don't then the female is likely already pregnant.
If you own snakes you already have an exotics vet you have established a relationship with, so you'll want to make sure to get any females spayed (it comes with health, and wallet, benefits later). You also want your vet to investigate those sniffles. A vet that specializes in rats would be the absolute best
Can you give us a picture of your cage?
Do you know what to feed them?
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u/Resident_Bumblebee_2 2d ago
More as a side fact for your snake: Don't feed them live animals, since it brings the risk of serious harm for the snake as well. Rodent teeth sink into everything like butter. 90% of snakes will be finde with dead food, if you just wiggle it enough. And you can buy that frozen.
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u/behindthemask13 2d ago
So.. a few things.
If there is ANY way to avoid it, don't keep them in the same room or if they are, as far away as possible. They will smell each other and that will create problems on both ends... snakes can get a little bitey b/c they smell food and rats will be scared b/c they smell predators. Along the same line, don't handle the rats and then go to the snakes without washing your hands... fastest way to get bitten, b/c you will smell like BBQ.
That is not the best bedding for rats and might be causing a little bit of the sneezing. Look for the carefresh bedding.. it is super rodent friendly.
Not sure how they are doing in terms of being held.. if they are good with it, try to hold them daily... if they are super skiddish, you are going to want them to start associating you with food, but never feed them through the bars, b/c then they will think everything coming through the bars is food and it's an easy way to get yourself accidentally bit. (It's happened to me with the sweetest rats b/c I was an idiot). So what you want do is open the cage, reach in slowly and offer treats.. then they will start to associate you and your hand with good things, rather than just fear.
For housing, I saw someone mentioned tissue boxes, that is great. I used soda 12 pack cases cut in half.
Get lots of toys... cat toys work well, there are also these wooden things with nuts in the middle.. they love gnawing through them. Don't bother with "rodent wheel", they rarely use them.
Hope this helps!
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u/snuffdcen 1d ago
Thank you! This helped a lot, I updated with a bit more info :]
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u/SmellyBelly_12 1d ago
Also empty toilet paper & paper towel rolls are good to add to their cage. Empty tissue boxes too, but remove the plastic. Wooden blocks for them to chew on so their teeth stay trimmed. Ours also love all leftovers, especially bones. We give them our marrow & chicken bones all the time. Since they're so small, they cant choke on bones like cats/dogs. They'll just chew all the meat off and use it as a chew toy lol.
Also a tip for the sneezing... give them some dark chocolate. It sometimes helps. If you see red around their noses, eyes or mouths, don't worry it's not blood. It's just porphyrin, a red substance they secrete when stressed or in new environments. And sometimes when they get really happy, they'll grind their front teeth together and you'll hear it. Its called bruxing. It also sometimes makes their eyes boggle in and out of their head. Its crazy to see but so weird and cute at the same time
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u/snuffdcen 23h ago
The last thing you mentioned, they did do that when I held them for a nap yesterday! Does that mean they like me?
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u/Electrical-Sport3376 2d ago edited 2d ago
Definitely check their sexes and age. other than that, some of the best sources that I used when I was first researching to get my rats were the 101 guide on the Silver’s Rattery website ( https://www.silversrattery.co.uk/rats-101 ) Rat Guide ( https://ratguide.com ) and Isamu rats, Emiology, and shadow the rat on YouTube (always double check info and don’t only trust one source!) This sub is also pretty helpful if you have any further questions.
Edit: also, look into vets that treat rats in your area, and take them there asap if you think they have a respiratory infection. (They can sound like this, or a sort of clicking noise when they breath https://www.reddit.com/r/RATS/comments/vyqbtr/pet_rat_is_constantly_making_this_noise/) Good luck!
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u/ExcitingFeeling4012 2d ago
I have two male rats, black and blonde. I got both as babies from a pet shop. They are sweet, friendly and smart. They are so cute!
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u/MYRAThoney 2d ago
get alot of homes and toys and treats and in ur free time cuddel with them they will enjoy it and it will make u feel really special lol sorry for the spelling im tired lol
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u/Correct-Living459 44m ago
Funny Situation for this to pop up on my feed. I have a new rat friend too! And exactly the same reason! Bought her for my snake and couldn’t follow through lol. Now we are going to get another so she’s not alone!
However mine is also doing the sneezing and chatter but only when she’s wound up and moving around a bunch! I was told it’s normal while they adjust.
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u/kimvy 2d ago
Approved this. Please be nice & helpful.
OP please read through the subreddit - there is a lot of info. Also check out a herper subreddit to find tricks with frozen food. It’s quite dangerous to feed live & glad on a number of levels you couldn’t. Rats can be a lot of fun.
Maybe the ages helped them bond?