Let’s keep this light hearted and fun, while also respecting that we are entering the end of Dr. Fleabonius Rex’s time. This man has held the line at the top of his pack for 2 whole years now. He protected his brother when another pack mate became violent over illness. And he has been excited to see me and be held against my chest every single day of his life.

Here’s a positive thought to start things off: Rats are a wonderful exercise in being present and making the moments count. These guys have taught me more about making a year count than anything else could.

The blob is melting under the sheer weight of his own girth.

Greedy little fckers (this was their first time fishing)

Video from last night's heatwave, safe to say he was cozy anyways.

While I type this its raining like crazy outside, so now we're hoping for colder days ahead for my babies

Hello! I realized yesterday after posting that I never introduced the boys, so I'm fixing that.

Introducing Remi (the smaller black one) and Emile (the bigger agouti one)! They're thought to be around 9mo. They're my very first rats, and I figured an adult bonded pair would be a little less overwhelming than babies for the time being.

They're very sweet and a little shy. Remi is very curious and seems interested in us, but does not want to be touched for now. He loves sleeping out in the open, splashing his face with water, and would sell all earthly possessions for a banana chip. Emile is a little more nervous and hides often if there is too much noise or movement, but he's been coming out of his shell slowly to follow Remi around. He's a foodie, will eat just about anything, and the only one who seems to understand the concept of nesting but he has the attention span of a border collie, so there's a lot of paper all around the cage and very little in the nest lol.

They've only been here for 3 days, so I'm giving them space as much as possible, and just give little treats when I have to open for a cleaning or water change. Regardless, they're a joy to have around and I love to watch their antics. I hope I'll be able to give them as much joy as they give me.

Side note: the bedding in the pictures is dried corn, not wood, and has already been switched out for hemp pellets. No worries, I've been very careful with which substrate to use!

I’ve made quite a few posts here worrying about my baby mimmi, after following a lot of people‘s advice as well as just letting her come to terms with the fact that her sister has died she’s actually doing so much better. she’s coming out the cage and she’s much more herself. Her eating has improved and she just seems to have more energy. Thanks to everyone for the advice and here are some pic of the baby.

Do you have any recommendations for playpens for my three little ladies? I have no idea what to look for, especially the height and size and material of the little fences of the playpen…

I live in Poland, so online shops that deliver in poland are well appreciated!!

Naked Wanda for rat tax 🫡

Sorry for the long video but my 11 month old rat Dimitri has been sick and gone to the vet multiple times with antibiotics Meloxicam and Doxycycline. Just now he’s been sneezing as he has mycoplasma but now hes now having these squeaks which is really concerning as he’s only had bacteria only in his nose (nothing in the lungs or upper lungs). Idk what I should do at this point as I am really struggling financially

Long time visitor, first time posting, love this community. I have two young girls, almost 4 months old (one slightly older than the other), and I've had them for a month. I'm completely smitten, but a bit worried about bonding and handling. They are happy to eat baby food off my fingers, and will jump into a snuggle sack for treats/snacks, and tolerate light tickles in the snuggle sack, but they both really hate being picked up.

For the past two weeks, I've had them out to free roam in a DIY playpen (transported via snuggle sack), and they will happily play with me also in the pen. I use a cat toy for them to chase, and they will climb on me (sizing up the walls for escaping), so I'm obviously deemed "safe" enough to be around, but as soon as I go to pick them up, nope! I've tried the scoop technique and the claw, and both seem equally offensive to my girls. 'Human hand transportation? No thank you. I prefer to transform into a wriggly furry slinky, incapable of handling.'

Any suggestions on how I can build trust to be handled? (Pic included because they are both criminally cute.)

Oh, I'm sorry. What did you think iy was YOUR tea?

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Hey guys I had a quick question about the recent diarrhea epidemic going on, I usually give my rats greens and fruits that I'm munching on but idk how the cyclospora (?) Stuff would affect them? Idk if it affects rats but should I not give them any just to be safe ?

hey all! Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I am doing research in preparation to potentially get rats. I’ve been trying to find a good cage while still staying somewhat in my budget, and had a mutual recommend this cage. However, I really just want to get more opinions or suggestions on some good cages since they are pretty pricey. I just want the best that I can give whilst not breaking the bank. Thank you!

Sound on for rat munchin :D

In light of all the people sharing negative interactions with others about their rats, I thought I'd share some positivity.

So the air quality around here has been absolutely awful in the past few days due to wildfires up North. I'm in the middle of moving so I don't have my good air filter. The AC unit is keeping my room from getting too bad, but it's still not ideal for the rats. My mother is visiting to help with the move and she has really bad asthma.

To give all of them some respite from the smoke, I put the rats in the big carrier and had her drive them to the nearby university campus to hang out in the clean, climate control air. Again, this was an indoor escapade, plus they were in an all-metal carrier with the door closed the whole time they were out of my apartment. For the brief walk in from the parking lot, they had a wet sheet on the carrier for protection from sun and smoke. Safety was the first priority. I've taken my rats on campus before and it's always been great. There are indoor passages between most of the buildings and I have a little cart for their carrier.

Dozens of students came up to meet the rats, as well as some staff and one prof's kid. My girls are specifically trained to accept treats through the bars, so the students were able to do that. The rats had a ton of fun meeting everyone. They got to the point where they didn't even want treats, they just wanted to lick everyone's fingers. The students were so excited and full of questions. They all said the rats were super cute and improved their mood immensely. My mother is a college teacher on summer break, so she really enjoyed all the interactions. It was a positive experience for literally everyone involved. Plus, the rats' breathing got a lot better, as did my mother's.

Now they're back home in their cage and just sleeping. They probably won't need free roam tonight, which is good because my room is a dusty mess.

So wven if your current community is being unpleasant about your rats, there are people out there who will appreciate them. You just need to find them.

yes they both absolutely need to be in the smallest hide in the whole 2-story cage and they need to both fight for who gets to be in it (they were previously in a vicious battle for it but as soon as I start filming Hannah tries to act like she wasn’t)

Ive had these 3 guys for just a couple months, I gave them a few weeks to get used to their new cage before starting out of cage time, but whenever i let them out they just hide under a chair the whole time. Ill also take 1 at a time out sometimes and hold them on the couch for a bit while the dogs are outside, and they'll generally explore a little more walking around staying up on the couch. But in the room I have for their out of cage time they all just huddle together and hide.

It makes me not want to do out of cage time cause I dont want to be making them uncomfortable, but i also dont want them cooped up in the cage all the time. Should I try to remove hiding places, or would that make them more stressed? Should I try doing out of cage time more often but for shorter stretches maybe to get them used to it?

Ive kept rats on and off for years, and ive had a few rats before who've been uncomfortable with out of cage time and would hide the majority of the time, but ive never had mt whole mischief be that way.