# You know you have a rat when....



## xojayro (Nov 25, 2013)

Random things that remind you that you have cute little ratties.  My example is this chewed pen thanks to my baby Cambridge.


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## saratherussiandog (Aug 9, 2013)

·your favorite snack is baby puffs 
·you have random clothes stuffed into holes around your room(ratproofing)
·you sneak food into your room for unknown reasons...
·All your pencils have missing erasers


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Haha I have the same pen! Just not chewed.

I know I have rats when I'm doing homework and then leave my room and come back to chewed on paper or can't find my pencil.

Can't listen to music anymore.
Can't where that shirt anymore.



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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

When your clothes/boots have holes in them and you don't care. 
When you have no pencils because the rats have stolen your entire 50 pencil collection and stashed them excellently. 
When you are trying to explain to people that it's normal and possible for your pet to eat your homework, and showing them a $200 textbook as proof. 

When you have scratches all over your neck but don't notice
When you grocery shop healthy food and explain to the poor clerk you just need to know about pesticides for your rats. 


And recently...explaining that the cat tree that retails for $150 is for your rats Christmas presents. 


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## xojayro (Nov 25, 2013)

When you take home empty toilet paper rolls from work.

When your manager tells you, "you need to have a baby or a puppy" because youre obsessed and spoil your rats so much.

When someone asks you why your keeping/buying something random/looks like junk.

When you try to find ricebones at the petstore and the employees have no idea what youre talking about.

When your fiancé calles you a "crazy rat hoarder." Ha ha. But he loves them just as much.

When you have the critter nation cage in your amazon chart waiting for the price to go back down.

When you look on craigslist all the time for random stuff you could put in their cage.

When you find yourself looking up "is ..... safe for my rats" all the time.


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## ratsaremylife (Nov 5, 2013)

When you beg your mom to get special health food for your babies. When you save random old clothes/towels/cloths for making rat hammocks and toys. When you ask your homeschool co-op to save toilet paper tubes and tissue boxes. When there is rat raisins in the dining room and your grandma freaks out. When your siblings complain about the room stinking like rat or about the rats taking over a room in the house. When you beg your mom if you can bring a rat to your classes or just out at all. When you spend hours trying to convince your grandma rats are the best pet. This thread is fun!


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## xojayro (Nov 25, 2013)

Thanks! 
This was made to be fun to do, and funny to read. 
I love hearing everyone's rat stuff. I can relate to almost all of it. Lol.
Rats are sure a special animal.


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## RattasticRatstache (Nov 26, 2013)

When you have little bedding scraps everywhere

When you have tons of food stashed in your room next to their cage for them and the bags they were in are now pulled inside the cage and chewed up

When you freak out when you see something in their pantry new for them to try

When you get a tissue box and take out ALL the tissues without even using them once to give them a little hide out they can chew up. 

When they poop out of the cage you find yourself simply just picking up the poop with your bare fingers and flushing it down the toilet.


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## .275057 (Oct 22, 2013)

For me it's when: I find holes in the pillow cases and no longer get upset, when I have new scratches all over my arms on a daily basis and don't care, and when I steal cardboard tubes and things from work because "my rats are bored".


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## Devyn (Oct 30, 2013)

When no one at work is allowed to throw a box away without your permission.
When a concerned aunt quietly pulls you aside to ask about your scratched up arms.
When the buttons on all your TV remotes have been nibbled at.
When your finger nails are chewed up, and you didn't do it.

I wouldn't have it any other way, though.


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## NuclearMuse (Nov 26, 2013)

When you have 5 extra cages laying around in storage because you can't bare to get rid of them in case you need them for elderlies or quarantining.
When you have multiple extra phone chargers and an extra computer charger in the drawer next to your bed just in case they get destroyed and you don't have a spare like last time.
When your entire closet is full of hammock bins and you need to beg other people in the house to use half their closet for bedding. 
When someone at the grocery store asks how old your baby is because of all the baby food in your cart.


I majorly identify with the scratches as well; I have a 3-legged girl that loves to ride on my shoulders, but she uses her claws to SLIDE down my torso inside my shirt when she wants to nap on my stomach or waist ;_;


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## Mball77 (Jul 3, 2013)

When your apt looks like a recycling center from cardboard forts and plastic egg carton barriers
When you hear scuttling in your floor cabinets and still have no idea how they found a way in.
When you find yourself always walking carefully and lightly because they always sneak up on your feet. (ive kicked them so many times and i'm sorry)
When you always save a bit of yogurt and banana from your breakfast.
When you sit cross-legged (legs up on your chair) while eating breakfast because they will climb on you. They know you have bananas.
When you have dedicated wireless rooms.

When you explain the baby teats your buying is not for babies (and no I'm not a mom and honestly why are you asking) and watch with glee as the cashier contorts their face in ways you never imagined.


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## EJW323 (Jun 18, 2013)

Oh I just love this thread! 
When I find pieces of oxbow littered around my basement
When my parents/brothers won't throw away toilet paper or paper towel rolls without asking me first
When you have more chewed up shirts than nice ones
When people ask you why there's so many holes in that jacket you always wear
When I have scratches *everywhere* 
When you take better care of them than you take care of yourself
When you're always looking for junk you could use as a toy


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## RattasticRatstache (Nov 26, 2013)

Just wondering, does everyone let their rats run around their house without keeping an eye on them...? Lol it seems like it from how many things get chewed up! Haha aren't you guys worried about losing them?):


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## .275057 (Oct 22, 2013)

I don't let them free range because the room we rent has too many hiding spots and if they got out of the room the woman we rent from would freak. They get supervised playtime on the bed and sometimes on the floor if we are both around to block off the bed and closet. 


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

My rats have my entire bedroom to play in. If I didn't have a dog, they'd hve the house. I play with them some hours other hours they play alone. 
I rat proofed my room so they can't really get anywhere. 


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## ratsaremylife (Nov 5, 2013)

My rats get to roam the dining room while I'm home and some times (like now) I come in and play or read or do the computer. They have to be put away at lunch and dinner or if we go out. It's a nice room to socialize Dobby. She has been getting better but still does not like being pet. She will climb onto my shoulder and play in my hair but if I touch her she runs away. Or flips around real fats like she is going to bite.


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## Mball77 (Jul 3, 2013)

Rattasticratstach, It took 2 months before I didn't have to hover over them during free range. They have tested the play area, they know not to chew on some things and problem places are guarded by plastic noisy things so I know when they are trying to get into a "no" area. When my boyfriend built the rat forts that helped immensely, they like personal nests where they stash shredded junk mail. This controlled their "hiding" places. All in all It took training and trust. They don't roam when I'm away or sleeping or not in my kitchen/computer area. I can read, cook, play games and let them do their rat things. They jump on my feet if they want attention, or climb up my leg if I didn't react fast enough (normally happens when I'm cooking). Sure they cause some problems but its not unlike when I had a dog.


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## Batman (Sep 11, 2013)

You look for an extra water bottle and find they all have chewed holes

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## kjgannon09 (Oct 16, 2013)

This is such a fun thread! There is a lot I can relate to that has already been said.
Lol I know I have ratties....

When I'm always bringing home empty shoe boxes from work
When little squeaks or thumping from who knows what wake me up in the middle of the night
When an important part of my puppy's training is learning to be gentle with rats
When I have to explain to a concerned coworker why I have holes in my socks
When I go to get a piece of gum and find rattie teeth marks in every last piece
When rearranging cages is what I do in my spare time
And when I have an entire kitchen cabinet and laundry-room shelf devoted to "rat stuff"


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## ahrat (Aug 12, 2013)

When you have to say the sentence, "Oh, no, someone peed on your head!"


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Oh I have another one when you have six sheets on your bed an one backwards on your mattress o your rats can't get in the mattress.
When you sit for hours seeing holes back up in your mattress so your mother doesn't yell at you.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

A new one from today. Explaining the paper shreds tucked in your hair must've been your rats helping you decorate. 


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## RattasticRatstache (Nov 26, 2013)

Yeah!!! I'd think that I'd hover sooooo bad. I would wanna lose them or have them lost):


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## PurpleGirl (Oct 12, 2012)

When you're scared to play with them spontaneously if you have a new item of clothing on, for fear of the holes you know you're going to get in them.


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

The thing thats chewed that I take everywhere with me is my ipod earphones!
Got Rosie's teeth marks on it!
>.<


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## xojayro (Nov 25, 2013)

When you stay up all night looking up new rat things to lean, and watching rat stuff on youtube.


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## Charlottesmom (Nov 27, 2013)

xojayro said:


> When you stay up all night looking up new rat things to lean, and watching rat stuff on youtube.


LOL! I do this and we don'y even have our new rats yet (getting them in January) we did have a pair of brothers around 5 years ago, awesome pets!


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## Batman (Sep 11, 2013)

When people ask you why you have empty paper towel and toilet rolls in your purse or why you only use your dehydrater for certain fruits and veggies or when your shopping with friends and you see something and go oooo my rats would love this or you have an extra room just for your rats and most of your fabric is for rat hammocks

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## golden704 (Oct 18, 2013)

When you buy the good paper towels to use on your rats shelves and the whole family knows the cheap ones are for them. 

No one throws away a toilet paper roll. 

Petsmart is your favorite store to go to. 

You have tiny scratches head to toe. 

Getting peed on is no big deal. 

You always make something for dinner that the rats can eat. 

You have your rat fort disassembled in a corner and it looks like a pile of trash and old boxes and your entire front room is arranged oddity to accommodate the fort. 

Your kids run around telling people we have rats and you have to explain that they aren't wild because the random stranger looks ready to freak out. 

At any point in time during the day you might see a rat scurry across the kitchen counter and no one bats an eye. 







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## xojayro (Nov 25, 2013)

The only thing you purchased on Black Friday was a sewing machine to learn how to make rat hammocks. 

When you have to save up 150 dollars for your rat to go to the vet, so you try selling all your art that you've had since you made it in high school.


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