# i give up, i am now a crazy rat person



## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

i guess i’ve been converted. for some context, i started breeding rats to feed my snake, now i love the rats and might need to rehome the snake. keeping the snake would be a huge fight, and i’ve had more of a bond with my rats than i’ve had with my snake. i love him, he’s really pretty and he’s fun to interact with, but i feel like someone else can give him the attention and focus he needs while i might always be fixated on the rats. i know i could probably deal with continuing to feed him, even with the babies i have had a hand in producing, but honestly more emotional stress is the last thing i need right now. i suppose i now am one of the crazy rat people, and i already have plans to spend an insane amount of money to get them a good cage and a good life. 
unfortunately, i cannot keep the multitude of babies i will soon have (1 definitely pregnant rat, 1 probably pregnant rat, and 1 maybe pregnant rat) so if anyone is looking for rats in the dallas/fort worth area of texas, i will be raising these rats as pets, and i will soon have many in need of homes. 

i’d also love advice on what to put in rat enclosures since mine has been on the smaller side and the new cage i’m considering would be massive.

but you guys were right, rats are really just that great, and it’s gonna be miserable to give some of them up, but i can’t exactly hoard 8 million rats effectively. im really glad i’ve gotten the experience and im excited to spend all the time i can with my fur babies


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## SonicRat (Jun 30, 2021)

Rats do have a magical quality that wins you over,either that or they brain wash us with ultrasonic😁I only had rats temporarily until I could get a dog......here I am 17 years later,still with rats and could of got a dog years ago and totally not interested Cage interior basics that I use are climbing ropes,parrot wooden chew toys,hammocks( you can make these yourself out of old fleeces,sweatshirts and t shirts) I have an igloo on the bottom of the cage,hats ( make sure they are not made of a material that the rat can get their feet caught in) as the rats LOVE to sleep in them,I have trouble getting their lazy butts out of them on a cold Winter morning.I also have some plastic tunnels and as girls are very active,a solid rat wheel.


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## Newtorats (Jun 28, 2021)

Hahaha. I totally understand. I got my rats about a year ago today and have probably spent $100 on them. That may not sound like much for a year but I’m 12 so don’t make a lot of money and my parents buy all their food and they bought their cage and spent the money to actually adopt the rats. So basically I have spent half the total money I have gotten all year on getting my rats treats and toys lol.


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Newtorats said:


> Hahaha. I totally understand. I got my rats about a year ago today and have probably spent $100 on them. That may not sound like much for a year but I’m 12 so don’t make a lot of money and my parents buy all their food and they bought their cage and spent the money to actually adopt the rats. So basically I have spent half the total money I have gotten all year on getting my rats treats and toys lol.


lol i’m only sixteen and i don’t have a job, but i do have some saved up money. my family is against the rats, except for my stepdad, who was against the snake, so i’m not getting any help with the rats at all (except for using my moms credit card and then paying her back). my family is also not doing amazing right now (my parents got divorced, which is the second time for me since my bio dad and mom already went through a divorce and this is my stepdad. my parents are also probably going to go broke, and have a fun amount of debt, and i have twin three-year-old brothers who are being fought over for custody. i’m really not in a place where my main concern should be rat cages, but my life has always been interesting and screw the humans, rats are better) 
my mom almost rehomed the snake today, but i freaked out since she never asked me and i was going to wait until he finished shedding and i thought i had like another week with him. 
if anyone has suggestions for what bird toys work the best for rats, i’d love to hear them, and i really want to be able to free roam my rats but we still have six cats in a small house. i’d use my bed or my room, but my sister and i share a room and she is not a fan of the rats. the only space in the house that i have any claim over has already been overtaken by rat stuff, and i can’t go outside with the rats (1. cats are also outside, 2. i’m absolutely terrified of wasps and will not go outside when it can be avoided, and 3. it’s actually about to freeze, which is rare for texas, it’s currently actually nice outside, but today the temperature plummets and i’m not naïve enough to hope for snow, but at least it will be about freezing) 
it’s a few years until i can move out probably, and even though my sister turns 18 this month, she’s not going anywhere until college. 
i have a limit of 5-6 rats and currently have three females and two males. since i won’t be breeding them, i’m only keeping the females, so i can maybe keep two or three of the babies if i can trick my mom into it or if i give a friend one of the rats so she can stay with her babies. i’d also love any name suggestions and just any tips in general (i keep wanting to do the smiley face but it switches to an emoji on here and i hate it)


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

SonicRat said:


> Rats do have a magical quality that wins you over,either that or they brain wash us with ultrasonic😁I only had rats temporarily until I could get a dog......here I am 17 years later,still with rats and could of got a dog years ago and totally not interested Cage interior basics that I use are climbing ropes,parrot wooden chew toys,hammocks( you can make these yourself out of old fleeces,sweatshirts and t shirts) I have an igloo on the bottom of the cage,hats ( make sure they are not made of a material that the rat can get their feet caught in) as the rats LOVE to sleep in them,I have trouble getting their lazy butts out of them on a cold Winter morning.I also have some plastic tunnels and as girls are very active,a solid rat wheel.


i’ve currently got a giant igloo, three small igloos, a sputnik/space pod, an igloo that’s supposed to be a burrowing toy for dogs but was perfectly rat sized so i repurposed it, a hammock that’s in process, and a lot of various cat toys, as well as an old beanie that’s now chewed to pieces, and a cardboard castle i spend far too much time on a while ago
are there any types of bird toys you’d recommend? i’m thinking of getting actual ladders (instead of making them or doing something cheap) cause they’re not too expensive on the petco app, and i’ve been trying to convince someone to take me to Ikea, but if you have any advice, recommendations, or name suggestions, i’m extremely open and would appreciate any help i can get


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## Verucasdad (Aug 31, 2015)

Newtorats said:


> Hahaha. I totally understand. I got my rats about a year ago today and have probably spent $100 on them. That may not sound like much for a year but I’m 12 so don’t make a lot of money and my parents buy all their food and they bought their cage and spent the money to actually adopt the rats. So basically I have spent half the total money I have gotten all year on getting my rats treats and toys lol.


Since I have no children, my rats are living large. I won a $250 gift card from Target and spent 3/4 or more of it on rat stuff. I got an Amazon gc and spent it on rat stuff. It is easy to get carried away when you have extra $$. $100 is not shabby and there are ways to get stuff on the cheap or free (such as cardboard boxes and paper rolls).


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## Verucasdad (Aug 31, 2015)

Pandemonium of Pebbles said:


> i’ve currently got a giant igloo, three small igloos, a sputnik/space pod, an igloo that’s supposed to be a burrowing toy for dogs but was perfectly rat sized so i repurposed it, a hammock that’s in process, and a lot of various cat toys, as well as an old beanie that’s now chewed to pieces, and a cardboard castle i spend far too much time on a while ago
> are there any types of bird toys you’d recommend? i’m thinking of getting actual ladders (instead of making them or doing something cheap) cause they’re not too expensive on the petco app, and i’ve been trying to convince someone to take me to Ikea, but if you have any advice, recommendations, or name suggestions, i’m extremely open and would appreciate any help i can get


I use a lot of the hanging wood toys for birds and I also use a few ladders as well. The scarf hangers at Ikea are great for climbing. I think they are $3.99. I also use doll houses I got from thrift stores or garage sales. With some of them, I had to remove any electronics. You can also repurpose things like the shower caddies and such for climbing and napping. Ikea also has a cool wooden wine rack that I have in the cage and in free roam.


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Verucasdad said:


> I use a lot of the hanging wood toys for birds and I also use a few ladders as well. The scarf hangers at Ikea are great for climbing. I think they are $3.99. I also use doll houses I got from thrift stores or garage sales. With some of them, I had to remove any electronics. You can also repurpose things like the shower caddies and such for climbing and napping. Ikea also has a cool wooden wine rack that I have in the cage and in free roam.


thank you! 
i just ordered some ladders (on a good discount cause i’m cheap lol) and at the moment, i am making friendship bracelet-type rope to use for my rats cause i know how to do friendship bracelets and my grandma was a hoarder so i have almost an infinite supply of the thread. i’m not sure exactly what i’m going to do with it, but i’ve needed something like rope and getting transportation is difficult. i’ve got a trip to ikea on the menu, but that’s probably not going to happen because things that i want don’t happen. i currently have no free roam space, but i’m working on changing that. is there any adhesive that works for you? i’ve been wanting to use hot glue but they’ll just chew right through it


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## Newtorats (Jun 28, 2021)

Pandemonium of Pebbles said:


> lol i’m only sixteen and i don’t have a job, but i do have some saved up money. my family is against the rats, except for my stepdad, who was against the snake, so i’m not getting any help with the rats at all (except for using my moms credit card and then paying her back). my family is also not doing amazing right now (my parents got divorced, which is the second time for me since my bio dad and mom already went through a divorce and this is my stepdad. my parents are also probably going to go broke, and have a fun amount of debt, and i have twin three-year-old brothers who are being fought over for custody. i’m really not in a place where my main concern should be rat cages, but my life has always been interesting and screw the humans, rats are better)
> my mom almost rehomed the snake today, but i freaked out since she never asked me and i was going to wait until he finished shedding and i thought i had like another week with him.
> if anyone has suggestions for what bird toys work the best for rats, i’d love to hear them, and i really want to be able to free roam my rats but we still have six cats in a small house. i’d use my bed or my room, but my sister and i share a room and she is not a fan of the rats. the only space in the house that i have any claim over has already been overtaken by rat stuff, and i can’t go outside with the rats (1. cats are also outside, 2. i’m absolutely terrified of wasps and will not go outside when it can be avoided, and 3. it’s actually about to freeze, which is rare for texas, it’s currently actually nice outside, but today the temperature plummets and i’m not naïve enough to hope for snow, but at least it will be about freezing)
> it’s a few years until i can move out probably, and even though my sister turns 18 this month, she’s not going anywhere until college.
> i have a limit of 5-6 rats and currently have three females and two males. since i won’t be breeding them, i’m only keeping the females, so i can maybe keep two or three of the babies if i can trick my mom into it or if i give a friend one of the rats so she can stay with her babies. i’d also love any name suggestions and just any tips in general (i keep wanting to do the smiley face but it switches to an emoji on here and i hate it)


Wow that’s a lot. My parents have been divorced since I was 6. My dad got remarried about a year and 1/4 ago (met the women 1 3/4 years ago (if you do the math on that one that you can probably see why I’m mad at him) he also has not mentioned it to me his literal daughter. So that always my little family troubles rant and as for what you can get your rats give them empty cardboard box’s. Yesterday was my rats adoption day and I got them a $15 hammock and I also gave them an empty box because I finished a box of cereal and they liked the box better lol.


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Wow. I love this story. I can understand the appeal of those little rat faces and how you ended up having a soft spot for them. All the best for being a new pet rat owner.


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

ratbusters said:


> Wow. I love this story. I can understand the appeal of those little rat faces and how you ended up having a soft spot for them. All the best for being a new pet rat owner.


thank you!
i have a rat that dives into my jacket the moment i open the enclosure, and she has so much personality, it made me sad that she would’ve been fed to a snake so young and no one would’ve gotten to enjoy her antics. she’s probably what did it for me overall. they now run up to greet me when they hear me nearby, and i’m so excited to pamper them to high heaven  but i do have this rat who’s gonna be a feeder but my snake is shedding so when we put him in with the snake, he couldn’t see the rat and was very confused and scared. normally i’d bond with the rat and that’d be the end of it, but this rat is the singular most infuriating rat in the world and probably the only rat i refuse to fall in love with. also he’s got signs of an RI so i can’t put him in with my other rats. he chewed up my fake plants and the hide i gave him (now he just has a can, but he’s managed to make it be the loudest can urg) sorry for the impromptu rant but i just wish my snake would eat the rat so i stop having to deal with him. all of the other rats are incredible and i love them and i can’t wait to raise the babies, but this slightly deformed, sick, annoying rat is one i can handle having die. 
i had no idea rats would be such great creatures when i got into it, but i certainly don’t regret making that decision.


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Newtorats said:


> Wow that’s a lot. My parents have been divorced since I was 6. My dad got remarried about a year and 1/4 ago (met the women 1 3/4 years ago (if you do the math on that one that you can probably see why I’m mad at him) he also has not mentioned it to me his literal daughter. So that always my little family troubles rant and as for what you can get your rats give them empty cardboard box’s. Yesterday was my rats adoption day and I got them a $15 hammock and I also gave them an empty box because I finished a box of cereal and they liked the box better lol.


lol nice.
my dad left when i was eight, didn’t show up for any of the custody hearings or divorce stuff, just packed up and left. i haven’t seen him in a long time, and the older i get, the more i resent him for it. but yeah, family is great and the only family members i don’t have an issue with are my three year old brothers (twins) because even tho i am their personal playground, they can do pretty much no wrong. 
my rats have loved this igloo i got them (a dog burrowing toy that was repurposed cause it was only $5) and an old beanie, and it’s probably because they can chew them up pretty bad and now there’s a whole bunch the bars where they can stick their faces out to see what i’m doing and sometimes i’ll give them treats. i don’t know how four rats can fit in that thing, but the only thing not in that igloo all the time is a singular tail. i have so much stuff that’s just piling up next to their enclosure since there isn’t space in their current one and i’m just waiting for the DCN, which was ordered last night (should be in by wednesday!)
i’ve been hoarding boxes and i’m running out of room to keep them lol, but also my rats favorite snacks have been blueberries, rat cookies i made them, and cinnamon toast crunch, which is so unhealthy but they love it so much that i still give them some occasionally.


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## Newtorats (Jun 28, 2021)

Pandemonium of Pebbles said:


> lol nice.
> my dad left when i was eight, didn’t show up for any of the custody hearings or divorce stuff, just packed up and left. i haven’t seen him in a long time, and the older i get, the more i resent him for it. but yeah, family is great and the only family members i don’t have an issue with are my three year old brothers (twins) because even tho i am their personal playground, they can do pretty much no wrong.
> my rats have loved this igloo i got them (a dog burrowing toy that was repurposed cause it was only $5) and an old beanie, and it’s probably because they can chew them up pretty bad and now there’s a whole bunch the bars where they can stick their faces out to see what i’m doing and sometimes i’ll give them treats. i don’t know how four rats can fit in that thing, but the only thing not in that igloo all the time is a singular tail. i have so much stuff that’s just piling up next to their enclosure since there isn’t space in their current one and i’m just waiting for the DCN, which was ordered last night (should be in by wednesday!)
> i’ve been hoarding boxes and i’m running out of room to keep them lol, but also my rats favorite snacks have been blueberries, rat cookies i made them, and cinnamon toast crunch, which is so unhealthy but they love it so much that i still give them some occasionally.


Personal playground is the best way I have ever heard someone explain what younger brothers think older siblings are. If I lay down within 5 feet of my brothers next thing I know I’m their trampoline


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## PotHeadSteve (Jan 2, 2022)

Pandemonium of Pebbles said:


> i guess i’ve been converted. for some context, i started breeding rats to feed my snake, now i love the rats and might need to rehome the snake. keeping the snake would be a huge fight, and i’ve had more of a bond with my rats than i’ve had with my snake. i love him, he’s really pretty and he’s fun to interact with, but i feel like someone else can give him the attention and focus he needs while i might always be fixated on the rats. i know i could probably deal with continuing to feed him, even with the babies i have had a hand in producing, but honestly more emotional stress is the last thing i need right now. i suppose i now am one of the crazy rat people, and i already have plans to spend an insane amount of money to get them a good cage and a good life.
> unfortunately, i cannot keep the multitude of babies i will soon have (1 definitely pregnant rat, 1 probably pregnant rat, and 1 maybe pregnant rat) so if anyone is looking for rats in the dallas/fort worth area of texas, i will be raising these rats as pets, and i will soon have many in need of homes.
> 
> i’d also love advice on what to put in rat enclosures since mine has been on the smaller side and the new cage i’m considering would be massive.
> ...


Have you got any genetics background? Because you have really be careful when breeding rats for anything other then feeders. Gecko breeding is different they are easy to breed. But mammals in general aren't easy.


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## RattieRaven (Aug 22, 2021)

Oh woww! I love your story, let me know how it goes! Also I love how I'm but the only one who is obsessed taking care of our rats haha! My parents get so mad cause they are all I talk about at home and I spend all my time with them lol. My parents got the rats for us as a surprise on my first day at a new schl so it was really cool. Then they actually experienced what 4 rats actually means and wanted to give them back to the pet shop, but by that time it was already a month or two and I had already become besties with them before a week (which is really good considering my rats were brought from PetsAtHome) and didn't want to let them go back because it would most likely mean they would get eaten and I loved them too much. Long story short, I put up a massive protest and they finally let me keep them, provided they pay for bedding and food, and I do all the cleaning and everything. I've spent so much of my pocket money buying toys for them haha.

My girls are now maybe 5 months? And I'm so bloody glad I kept them because I cannot imagine being happy without them. I joined a new school very late and I'm catching up with every subject two years late in time for my GCSEs this year. It's so nice to come home and see them waking up just to see me (My mum told me they know what time I come home from school and they wake up a bit before I arrive to wait)

I've now taught 3 of my rats to turn around when I say it and all 3 turn at the same time it's so cute! One of my rats Dora is sick and can't balance, so I can't teach her. I feel so bad because her sisters are playing with me, but she can't learn to turn without falling, so she just sits on me and eats treats when I'm teaching the rest and I have to admit, being wobbly means I've been spoiling her way more than her sisters. The vet said she either will get better and the wonkiness has a chance to either go away or stay for the rest of her life, or it's something to do with the brain and she will either have to get surgery(which is not an option for me) or just live like that and have a happy life as best as she can, which I'm fine with, but if it gets realllllyyyy bad sometime in the future, she might need to be out down... 

It really sucks because she really is the most friendly out of all of them, She was the first one to come and see us when we first got her, and she wasn't scared of the vet when she first saw her, and she was the smartest out of all the rats to be honest, quickly picking up anything, like litter training and knowing when to climb up and down my shoulder if I told her up or down. It really sucks that there will be so much wasted potential, but even if she is a little wonky forever, She will still have the best life with me, and I can just teach her different tricks to the rest, ones that are less likely to make her fall over! 

I just read over and realised how I jumped from topic to topic but I can't express how much I love them so much and I have so much to say about them ahhh! <3


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## CindyC (Jan 5, 2022)

Pandemonium of Pebbles said:


> i guess i’ve been converted. for some context, i started breeding rats to feed my snake, now i love the rats and might need to rehome the snake. keeping the snake would be a huge fight, and i’ve had more of a bond with my rats than i’ve had with my snake. i love him, he’s really pretty and he’s fun to interact with, but i feel like someone else can give him the attention and focus he needs while i might always be fixated on the rats. i know i could probably deal with continuing to feed him, even with the babies i have had a hand in producing, but honestly more emotional stress is the last thing i need right now. i suppose i now am one of the crazy rat people, and i already have plans to spend an insane amount of money to get them a good cage and a good life.
> unfortunately, i cannot keep the multitude of babies i will soon have (1 definitely pregnant rat, 1 probably pregnant rat, and 1 maybe pregnant rat) so if anyone is looking for rats in the dallas/fort worth area of texas, i will be raising these rats as pets, and i will soon have many in need of homes.
> 
> i’d also love advice on what to put in rat enclosures since mine has been on the smaller side and the new cage i’m considering would be massive.
> ...


I'm interested in the snake if you still have it. I started on snakes like u did, but I fell in love with a hairless rat. Unfortunately I'm allergic, are u interested in another Rat, cuz I always want more snakes


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

Just a comment on buying things for the rats’ cages: while good cages themselves tend to be a big expense (though sometimes you can get a discounted used cage), the toys and supplies you put inside for the rats really do not need to be fancy or cost much. Many items can be made from things repurposed from around the house or bought inexpensively from thrift stores. In spite of all the fancy cage tours and product reviews, most of the things rats enjoy sleeping in and interacting with are pretty simple and can be easily made without much cost. They may not LOOK as nice, but the rats don’t care. There are some great inexpensive ideas on The Dapper Rat (Rat Toy Ideas). Some of the simplest ideas are rat favorites: cardboard box hideouts, making hammocks/tunnels using the sleeves/hood from an old sweatshirt or the legs of old sweatpants, foraging toys made from toilet paper tubes. Yes there is a TON of merchandise you can purchase to fill the cage and free range, but rats don’t care how much you spend or how cute something is, they will chew holes in it, do their “business” in/on it, and otherwise live their lives making these things their own, and it will end up looking pretty “ratty” anyway. They don’t care about the Instagram value of their cage or play area. They will enjoy a homemade prop as much as something you buy, and if money is tight it’s better to find ways to repurpose household items for them to enjoy, and put your money instead toward a “vet fund.” That’s one of biggest expenses most people don’t prepare for, and proper vet care can make a huge difference in the quality of life for your rats. Since it sounds like you don’t have much support as a rat owner (financial or otherwise), it doesn’t seem like you can expect much help from your family if your rats need medical care, so it’s something to consider… In any case, I hope you and your rats thrive!


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

RattieRaven said:


> Oh woww! I love your story, let me know how it goes! Also I love how I'm but the only one who is obsessed taking care of our rats haha! My parents get so mad cause they are all I talk about at home and I spend all my time with them lol. My parents got the rats for us as a surprise on my first day at a new schl so it was really cool. Then they actually experienced what 4 rats actually means and wanted to give them back to the pet shop, but by that time it was already a month or two and I had already become besties with them before a week (which is really good considering my rats were brought from PetsAtHome) and didn't want to let them go back because it would most likely mean they would get eaten and I loved them too much. Long story short, I put up a massive protest and they finally let me keep them, provided they pay for bedding and food, and I do all the cleaning and everything. I've spent so much of my pocket money buying toys for them haha.
> 
> My girls are now maybe 5 months? And I'm so bloody glad I kept them because I cannot imagine being happy without them. I joined a new school very late and I'm catching up with every subject two years late in time for my GCSEs this year. It's so nice to come home and see them waking up just to see me (My mum told me they know what time I come home from school and they wake up a bit before I arrive to wait)
> 
> ...


awww!
i literally just made my rats a foraging toy and gave it to them, my first thought when they got it was “let the hunger games begin!” and i was right, i have a thirty or so second video of them going absolutely nuts! 
one of my female rats just gave birth yesterday so i’ve been bouncing around like a lunatic cause my dcn is supposed to come in like right now. i’m gonna try to attach the video of the rats attacking the foraging toy (which i was later taught was a piñata when they broke the top off and got treats spilled everywhere lol)
i’m not sure it’ll work, but i’m in the same boat of newfound rat obsession and everyone is so done with me.


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

Pandemonium of Pebbles said:


> awww!
> i literally just made my rats a foraging toy and gave it to them, my first thought when they got it was “let the hunger games begin!” and i was right, i have a thirty or so second video of them going absolutely nuts!
> one of my female rats just gave birth yesterday so i’ve been bouncing around like a lunatic cause my dcn is supposed to come in like right now. i’m gonna try to attach the video of the rats attacking the foraging toy (which i was later taught was a piñata when they broke the top off and got treats spilled everywhere lol)
> i’m not sure it’ll work, but i’m in the same boat of newfound rat obsession and everyone is so done with me.


How cool! It is so much fun (and so satisfying) to watch our rats absolutely DESTROY something we made for their enjoyment. Weird, huh? I’ve got the resources to get all the “cool” stuff for my rats and have gone that route, but at this point I realize a lot of the “pretty” accessories and color matching is about MY aesthetics, but the rats love a cardboard box as much as (or more than) an expensive store bought house. (One of the few purchased things I’d recommend if you can get a good deal: space pods/“Sputniks” — rats love these, and they are really not reproducible at home.) 

Good luck with the new mama and finding good homes for her babies, and don’t get too annoyed when putting together the DCN (hints: a rubber mallet is super helpful, and be careful not to accidentally pinch any skin between the panels when you are struggling to force them together)…


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

PeekaBoo said:


> How cool! It is so much fun (and so satisfying) to watch our rats absolutely DESTROY something we made for their enjoyment. Weird, huh? I’ve got the resources to get all the “cool” stuff for my rats and have gone that route, but at this point I realize a lot of the “pretty” accessories and color matching is about MY aesthetics, but the rats love a cardboard box as much as (or more than) an expensive store bought house. (One of the few purchased things I’d recommend if you can get a good deal: space pods/“Sputniks” — rats love these, and they are really not reproducible at home.)
> 
> Good luck with the new mama and finding good homes for her babies, and don’t get too annoyed when putting together the DCN (hints: a rubber mallet is super helpful, and be careful not to accidentally pinch any skin between the panels when you are struggling to force them together)…


my cage got delayed or something, i’m not sure exactly but it’s not in yet. i’ve got a space pod (got it at a good deal too) and i’ve been making more foraging toys since they loved that one so much. they’re trying to get the whole pasta pieces out and i probably need to refill it, but they’ve been playing with it every time i’ve seen them. the babies are getting more pigmentation in, and i’m really excited to find out what they’ll look like.
it’s a bit later and the babies are doing great, i refilled the rats piñata, but apparently the tank topper i have ended up coming off somehow (i suspect cats) and my rats are mildly traumatized. the one i’m the closest with was trapped in the tank topper on the floor while the rest were in the tank, and i’m worried she’ll be a lot more cautious now. they’re okay and i’ve been foraging for rocks and sticks i can use for them and researching things i can make for them :,) perhaps i’m a bit obsessed


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Pandemonium of Pebbles said:


> i’ve currently got a giant igloo, three small igloos, a sputnik/space pod, an igloo that’s supposed to be a burrowing toy for dogs but was perfectly rat sized so i repurposed it, a hammock that’s in process, and a lot of various cat toys, as well as an old beanie that’s now chewed to pieces, and a cardboard castle i spend far too much time on a while ago
> are there any types of bird toys you’d recommend? i’m thinking of getting actual ladders (instead of making them or doing something cheap) cause they’re not too expensive on the petco app, and i’ve been trying to convince someone to take me to Ikea, but if you have any advice, recommendations, or name suggestions, i’m extremely open and would appreciate any help i can get


Yep rats do brain wash you I was going to have just 2 rats but now I have 3 their names are martie Louie and alfie their all boys and they are nesting ain’t that weird I give them a paper towel they shred it and martie brings it to the plastic hut and Louie is making a nest in his litter box (why)  alfie just switches sleeping spots a lot I’m 12 yrs old and a new rat owner I recently got them the best quality cage I could afford the critter nation double they absolutely love it if anyone’s is having a hard time deciding what cage I really recommend critter nation double i am in love with rats they have just the most quirky little personality’s


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Yep rats do brain wash you I was going to have just 2 rats but now I have 3 their names are martie Louie and alfie their all boys and they are nesting ain’t that weird I give them a paper towel they shred it and martie brings it to the plastic hut and Louie is making a nest in his litter box (why)  alfie just switches sleeping spots a lot I’m 12 yrs old and a new rat owner I recently got them the best quality cage I could afford the critter nation double they absolutely love it if anyone’s is having a hard time deciding what cage I really recommend critter nation double i am in love with rats they have just the most quirky little personality’s


Hi there, welcome to the Rat Fan Club! Yeah, boys nest as much as girls do. Think of it as “bedding” instead of “nesting” — not like birds nesting for eggs and chicks, but instead like creating a warm, comfy bed for kicking back or taking a snooze. Rats LOVE to “redecorate” their homes, and a DCN for three boys is truly a mansion! They are pretty funny about bringing things into their litter boxes (maybe he’s bringing the paper in for “reading material” while he’s doing his “business”). Mine always ate food in their boxes as well, and sometimes left food there. I did finally stop using litter boxes with the latest batch of rats, since they use the litter boxes only 50% of the time or so and the boxes took up a lot of room, so the boys now have no litter boxes and more STUFF in the cage to randomly poop on. Yes, our chosen pets are indeed quirky!


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

PeekaBoo said:


> Hi there, welcome to the Rat Fan Club! Yeah, boys nest as much as girls do. Think of it as “bedding” instead of “nesting” — not like birds nesting for eggs and chicks, but instead like creating a warm, comfy bed for kicking back or taking a snooze. Rats LOVE to “redecorate” their homes, and a DCN for three boys is truly a mansion! They are pretty funny about bringing things into their litter boxes (maybe he’s bringing the paper in for “reading material” while he’s doing his “business”). Mine always ate food in their boxes as well, and sometimes left food there. I did finally stop using litter boxes with the latest batch of rats, since they use the litter boxes only 50% of the time or so and the boxes took up a lot of room, so the boys now have no litter boxes and more STUFF in the cage to randomly poop on. Yes, our chosen pets are indeed quirky!


Thanks for writing back  I have endothermic question how do you Introduce rats like if you have two very small lil guys


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Not endothermic sorry typo


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

And three older guys


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

I went to the pet store yesterday for our dog and there were these lil baby rats they were agouti and black and white they were in the snake row i felt so bad for them because their future is in a snake and I didn't want them to have that future no rat should have that future and so I’m thinking but I’m worried what should I do I got my rats from a breeder known as perfect storm rattery that was the only breeder in my area thx


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Oh and look this is my rats daily fruit salad I give them fruit in the morning (no oranges) and vegetables. At night


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Hi and this is me and my rats


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Marties little funny face and Louise home in the litter box








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Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Marties little funny face and Louise home in the litter box
> View attachment 307154
> View attachment 307155


aw! you’re adorable and so are your rats! 
i’m lucky because i never had any problems introducing my rats, i just threw them in together and they did just fine, but have you heard of the carrier method, neutral space method, or any of the various introduction methods? if not, i’d look it up on the forum.
getting feeder rats is a huge debate in general, but if you like the rats and you’re willing to put in the time and patience some feeder rats need, i don’t see much of a problem with it. ask the pet store for any information on them you can get, definitely quarantine for two weeks, and enjoy your new rats! (also definitely make sure they’re sexed correctly bc that’s a common issue) i don’t have good experience with the double cn, as of last night, i wrote an entire spicy review on it, but it was awful and i’m going to have to try and return it and hopefully get a new one that isn’t entirely messed up (really i just wanted a cn that worked since i’ve heard such wonderful reviews on it, but my moms trying to find a different manufacturer, and i still want a dcn, just not the piece of junk sitting in my living room rn)


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Pandemonium of Pebbles said:


> aw! you’re adorable and so are your rats!
> i’m lucky because i never had any problems introducing my rats, i just threw them in together and they did just fine, but have you heard of the carrier method, neutral space method, or any of the various introduction methods? if not, i’d look it up on the forum.
> getting feeder rats is a huge debate in general, but if you like the rats and you’re willing to put in the time and patience some feeder rats need, i don’t see much of a problem with it. ask the pet store for any information on them you can get, definitely quarantine for two weeks, and enjoy your new rats! (also definitely make sure they’re sexed correctly bc that’s a common issue) i don’t have good experience with the double cn, as of last night, i wrote an entire spicy review on it, but it was awful and i’m going to have to try and return it and hopefully get a new one that isn’t entirely messed up (really i just wanted a cn that worked since i’ve heard such wonderful reviews on it, but my moms trying to find a different manufacturer, and i still want a dcn, just not the piece of junk sitting in my living room rn)


Thx for the advise  I love to share my feelings about the beautiful creatures of our planet


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Thx for the advise  I love to share my feelings about the beautiful creatures of our planet


also here’s a picture of me with my (i’m not picking favorites but she’s my favorite) rat and it really shows her personality








(also pls ignore the angle, it was just awful but yeah) and the other day! i’d totally forgotten about this cause i wrote it off as a dream since it was too good to happen to me- but my totally-not-favorite rat was in my shirt (as she always is) and she let me pet her and stopped moving and i felt her head vibrate so i think she was boggling! after she was done, she licked all my fingers and my hand and was very sweet


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

I can’t choose favorites either and that would be awesome if that wasn’t a Dream my rats don’t sit still out side of the cage and how do you get to take your rats out on the couch and they don’t get under peoples feet ?and not scared my rats they get scared if I bring them upstairs (and of course I live in the basement ) it’s quite my sister is super loud !! So I stay away every day I give them a little salad I recently learned (like yesterday) that broccoli is extremely healthy for rats and can make them live longer lives help bone development and dental Health I have enough time to do this because my parents both have COVID and im stuck at Home but I’m getting a ratty box soon !! My mom sighned me up for this thing everymonth you get a new little box full of rat treats and hammocks and chew toys that’s cool right!! What does your cage look like I’d like to see a few pictures Sunday is my cage cleaning day I use cardboard as their bedding because one of my rats martie my sisters favorite my sister always pushing me to choose favorites I’m their mom I can’t choose favorites ! He has very sensitive respiratory system I just love when I meet people that get rats like me we’re I live it’s a very small town not that small but so not that many people under stand why I like rats ! But my school libraryien does and you look cool 👍


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

How do you write that thing under your name thing and wow you have five rats six cats a dog a snake and a bearded dragon I was going to get a leopard gecko but I have a snail now so I have one dog one cat 3 rats 2 snails and a bunny and maby a nother rat on it’s way to my home do you know what your rats birthday is all of mine birthday is July 1 and I’m worried if a get another rat that they wouldn’t get elong because they aren’t the same age ?


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Here’s a picot the cage after cleaning day


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Here’s a picot the cage after cleaning day
> View attachment 307170


Picture of


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Picture of


lol i just read all of the replies, introductions between rats with large age gaps can have their own quirks, but it usually doesn’t effect the dynamic too much (unless the younger rat is just super dominant or the older rat is more aggressive) i change up my cage setup every day, but as the CN didn’t work out well yet, all of my rats are currently in tanks. i separated out my females and males yesterday since Ruby (youngest, probably pregnant) has been getting scratches and patchy fur on her body and face. i’m worried the males were harassing her or the older female was a little too assertive or something, she’s been sneezing a lot but i think it’s because of the cage move. i have the females in a ten gal tank with a tank topper, again it was only temporary and hopefully a replacement cage will come in the next few days. the nursing mom and babies are in a 20 gal, since we wanted to give her the big igloo for more nesting space as the babies get bigger (and when they’re young hyperactive rat lets, they have more space to zoom around). the males are stuck in a ten gal on my book shelf unfortunately, but they’ve been housed there before without issue. 
my male rats were born probably in November, they’re both sweet and have great temperament, but are still timid as i’ve given more of my attention to the girls. they are married, deeply in love, and the best gay rats around. the albino was supposed to be a feeder but he really loved the brown one, they would hug and snuggle constantly and we couldn’t bear to feed the albino after that. i haven’t seen any issues with them, both with temperament and health, and i’d really like them to go to a home with someone who knows how to take care of rats 😅
don’t worry if you can’t take them, i will be able to find a home for them. i’m also in Texas, and you’re probably not. i have nine newborns, and more on the way. these will be raised as pets to the best of my ability and i’ll know considerably more about them than the ones who were originally feeders. 
also with all the cats, my “free roam” is more like having them in my jacket while i sit on the couch. i don’t have a rat-proof area yet, and thankfully no one steps in the rats since they haven’t been on the floor. the space im working with is pretty much my side of my room (i’m already crammed there and i have no room nor any way to make room) and my desk (i can’t even walk between my desk and the wall cause the chair blocks it off, my rat cages are stored on a bookshelf and a chest that’s full of blankets made for torturing people (aka blankets people keep as heirlooms and never get rid of and they haunt you forever) i’m actually breaking the laws of shared space since my girls are on the fireplace since they don’t fit on a shelf with the tank topper, but i have cleaning supplies, toys, food, everything. just crammed into a corner. i’m not allowed to keep the tote with the bedding in it inside so it’s sitting outside on the porch with the new bag but yeah) we’re going to rehome the snake soon, since i’m keeping the rats, and the dog went with my stepdad when he… relocated. the fish mostly went to his friend, but we have 4 betta tanks left. my sister got the bearded dragon because she’s great like that, and one day the bearded dragon will be mine because she’s great like that. i was only allowed to get the rats because the snake and my moms concerned about my mental health and thinks that since i don’t spend time with friends or running around being a teenager, maybe taking care of animals will give me something to do with my life. my home situation is funky, my mental health is funky, but at least i have rats. for the record, i do actually have a lot of friends, but i don’t hang out with them outside of school cause i’m an introvert. i’m hoping i can take the rats with me when i switch between what house i’m staying at, and whenever i finally get to move out, my one requirement is really just keeping my rats. sorry, i’m prone to over sharing. i’m hoping to get a job at a pet store near my house, and eventually i’ll have to figure out driving, but i don’t really want to have to adult yet so i’m just stuck waiting for something to change. 
really sorry about the infodump, my rats are doing okay and so am i.
you can access account settings somewhere and change what information is displayed, and your cage looks awesome! 
i’m going to start interacting with the babies more tomorrow and i’m super excited!


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Wow me two I usally share way too much but it’s cool that’s how you can get to know people better I used to not like rats until I met one at a pet store I fell in love so I decided to become a rat mom I have a small room too that is their free roam I recommend just taping togeather a bunch of cardboard peces and Vualla you have a play pen this is the Lay-out of my room I have a small tank on my shelf for my snails in this pic I’m taking a pi from the door of my room my rat cage takes up a large chunk of my room my rats love corks from wine bottles to chew on you should find some corks my rats went absolutely crazy for them ( the corks) I recommend the critter nation tho I got mine off of chewy and it came in perfect shape I of course used all my savings I’m nearly a teen in a few month I will be of course my family thought I was crazy when I wanted rats but i convinced them in the end these are two of my boys getting treats from their spinner I don’t have That many friends my mom says you have to be a unique person to own rats  Im a big chatter box by the way I’m not good at math in school and I’m not a popular kid I’m one of those side people that the main people always play tricks on but I have a small group of friends we call ourselves the haha have a hug association . By the way I consider you my Friend  I live in California I recently moved here from Germany I lived in Germany for 8 years I speak fluent German my dad was in the military  toodles i am a happy person even when IM sad all people ever see in me is my smile ( and emojis )


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Wow me two I usally share way too much but it’s cool that’s how you can get to know people better I used to not like rats until I met one at a pet store I fell in love so I decided to become a rat mom I have a small room too that is their free roam I recommend just taping togeather a bunch of cardboard peces and Vualla you have a play pen this is the Lay-out of my room I have a small tank on my shelf for my snails in this pic I’m taking a pi from the door of my room my rat cage takes up a large chunk of my room my rats love corks from wine bottles to chew on you should find some corks my rats went absolutely crazy for them ( the corks) I recommend the critter nation tho I got mine off of chewy and it came in perfect shape I of course used all my savings I’m nearly a teen in a few month I will be of course my family thought I was crazy when I wanted rats but i convinced them in the end these are two of my boys getting treats from their spinner I don’t have That many friends my mom says you have to be a unique person to own rats  Im a big chatter box by the way I’m not good at math in school and I’m not a popular kid I’m one of those side people that the main people always play tricks on but I have a small group of friends we call ourselves the haha have a hug association . By the way I consider you my Friend  I live in California I recently moved here from Germany I lived in Germany for 8 years I speak fluent German my dad was in the military  toodles i am a happy person even when IM sad all people ever see in me is my smile ( and emojis )
> View attachment 307173
> 
> View attachment 307172


Just curious where you moved in California. I’m in San Diego, we have a military base here so I thought maybe you are in the area. If so, I can recommend a god place for rat adoption, food/treats and also new and used items for cage/play area. (I’m an almost 50 year old woman so not a good option as a “friend,” but am always happy to help other rat parents ;-)


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

PeekaBoo said:


> Just curious where you moved in California. I’m in San Diego, we have a military base here so I thought maybe you are in the area. If so, I can recommend a god place for rat adoption, food/treats and also new and used items for cage/play area. (I’m an almost 50 year old woman so not a good option as a “friend,” but am always happy to help other rat parents ;-)


Haha, “good” place, not “god” place — not bringing religion into it!


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Ooh and I love to DRAW this is a drawing I did in paper but colored it online (and I love raccoons/ trash pandas when ever I look at my rats I just imagen a rat in a little trex onesi because of their little arms or little rats that are pears because rats are shaped like pears


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Haha I consider people who like the same things as me like rats rats rats !!! Friends I live in the San Louis Obispo area  and deffently not bringing religion into this it can cause quit a few misunderstandings


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

Darn, San Luis Obispo is a bit of a stretch, hopefully there are some good spots near you. I bet you’ll meet more folks locally who are keen on rats, and if they don’t know enough about them you can always be a rat ambassador and create converts. Have you checked out ”Shadow the Rat” on YouTube? It’s a great channel for rat enthusiasts. Best to you and your ratties…


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Wow me two I usally share way too much but it’s cool that’s how you can get to know people better I used to not like rats until I met one at a pet store I fell in love so I decided to become a rat mom I have a small room too that is their free roam I recommend just taping togeather a bunch of cardboard peces and Vualla you have a play pen this is the Lay-out of my room I have a small tank on my shelf for my snails in this pic I’m taking a pi from the door of my room my rat cage takes up a large chunk of my room my rats love corks from wine bottles to chew on you should find some corks my rats went absolutely crazy for them ( the corks) I recommend the critter nation tho I got mine off of chewy and it came in perfect shape I of course used all my savings I’m nearly a teen in a few month I will be of course my family thought I was crazy when I wanted rats but i convinced them in the end these are two of my boys getting treats from their spinner I don’t have That many friends my mom says you have to be a unique person to own rats  Im a big chatter box by the way I’m not good at math in school and I’m not a popular kid I’m one of those side people that the main people always play tricks on but I have a small group of friends we call ourselves the haha have a hug association . By the way I consider you my Friend  I live in California I recently moved here from Germany I lived in Germany for 8 years I speak fluent German my dad was in the military  toodles i am a happy person even when IM sad all people ever see in me is my smile ( and emojis )
> View attachment 307173
> 
> View attachment 307172


aw!
im certainly not a popular kid, and i’m not the kind of kid most people are equipped to handle, seeing as im queer and genderqueer, so a lot of people don’t accept me. even before i came out i was bullied cause i was always the quiet weird kid. i have a certain kind of person i can’t stand (just the basic popular teenage boy) and right off the bat, i give very spicy responses, which they think is hilarious and in turn keep messing with me. it’s never that big of a deal, i just don’t want to waste time or energy on them, and they keep annoying me while i’m trying to work. i actually have quite a few friends (because they’re all queer) and i’m doing a lot better socially than a few years ago. 
anyways, your room looks great! my sister and i have always shared a room, and she’s supposed to go off to college in a few months, but she’s the worst roommate and i’m not going to miss having her here. my sister puts her stuff on my space and won’t let me keep the rats in our room, which would be fine if she wasn’t constantly leaving stuff everywhere. she just doesn’t think about a lot of things, and so the house is full of her random socks and candy wrappers and she turned out the light while i was in the shower twice. she’s got a thing with putting her stuff in my sink and not taking it out, as well as putting her stuff on my beanbag. i gave up a while ago and now i just live with a random air purifier right next to me and her laundry hamper by my feet. i have to pick my battles or else everything will be a battle because of how much stuff she’s done. my moms a bit… fun. she’s got some issues and gets angry really easy. my dad left when i was eight, my mom remarried 7 years ago, and my stepdad just filed for divorce, taking my three year old brothers with him. he was supposed to take me and my sister, but my mom has custody and he’s not the biggest fan of my sister. my sister does not have many people who have to deal with her constantly and enjoy it. she’s a basic teenage girl, with a few exceptions. boy problems, friend drama, crashed the car 3 times this year, all that fun stuff, and she’s also super into band. she plays bassoon and is head drum major for our school. that’s great, except now our house is full of human sized instruments, and i secretly despise most classical music so it drives me crazy when she randomly plays it or practices. she’s really good tho, just made all-state, which is a huge deal. she’s getting good scholarships, her college is not going to be an issue since bassoon players aren’t very common, particularly skilled ones. she drives everyone in my family crazy because she keeps making stupid choices, but that’s a rant for another day. 
my mom is a lovely person. i know her better than anyone else and i got a lot of my personality from her. unfortunately, she’s not very… safe. she has a tendency to be physically and emotionally abusive, and if anyone needs proof, just look at me. 
speaking of which, me. on the note about mental health, mine plummeted freshman year and hasn’t gotten a whole lot better. im mostly just super depressed, all the time. rats help. if i’d had rats earlier in life, my life would be so much better. i went through a lot of stuff freshman year, and in my life in general. cps has gotten involved, the police have gotten involved (those were both sophomore year tho) and pretty much my life is a slapstick comedy and i’m the humorous sidekick. im there for comic relief, as people watch my life and wonder what the heck i did in a past life to deserve this. im mostly joking, but seriously, life can really suck. im trying to make it until i can move out, but with the custody war over my brothers, everything is super messy. my moms been through some highs and lows, and she’s just super toxic and constantly emotionally attacks people because she thinks she’s right. my stepdad is not a good father and i don’t really like him. he’s pretty much a basic stepdad. balding, dad bod, a software developer with a side passion for scuba diving and nerd games. im not gonna say his name cause internet and all, but it’s as basic as it gets as well. he’s ok. the reason i’m on his side in all of this is that he’s trying to make things right and he’s trying to get better. my mom says she is, but she’s never changed, and i’ve given her so many chances. 
sorry for the random family rant, im just super stressed about everything rn. 
my brothers are amazing, fraternal twin three-year olds who are wonderful. they like me because i don’t ever get mad at them, and everyone else does, and also i give them sugary stuff and snuggles and let them jump on me. i miss them. they were here today, as part of the custody agreement, but i’m just always missing them on some level. 
as for me, im apparently the kind of person little girls drool over? idk, this one girl asked me if i was some kind of rock/pop star, which is pretty fair since my hair was purple and i was wearing one of my more put together outfits. she invited me to eat her birthday cake and im pretty sure she would’ve kept talking to me, but her mom came up and went “honey, that’s not a boy” and she pretty much went “what?”
it was fun. i then got to explain to these unsuspecting innocents that i was actually not a boy or a girl. the mom was very nice and actually got it, which is good since that could’ve gone very badly. but i mean, what was i supposed to say? “i’m actually 4 raccoons in a trench coat” is a good start, but then they wait for the “real” answer and i don’t want to lie to them. 
good god apparently you get my whole life story. 
i never really considered getting rats since my whole life we’ve always had an ungodly amount of cats, but my stepdad likes rodents apparently and hates snakes, and he threw such a hissy fit over the snake that it didn’t make sense to go to legal war over a snake i wasn’t sure i really wanted to keep. i told him he was being a turdbucket about it, but i often end up taking the paths of least resistance. between me, my mom and my sister, we dont have a whole lot of food i can use as treats for my rats. my sister survives on sugar in various forms, my mom eats mostly healthy, and she’s my best source for nuts or vegetables or fruit since she keeps some so we can feel healthier than we actually are. i subsist on blueberries, occasionally instant oatmeal, and the microorganisms in the air, so the rats get the blueberries that aren’t up to my standards. 
i gave them a dog treat (one of those crunchy bone-shaped bars) and hopefully it’ll help keep their teeth worn down. they like their foraging piñatas and it gives me endless hours of entertainment to watch them struggle to pull a whole almond out of a hole that’s much smaller. 
i live in texas, and it sucks. the weather is trying to murder us, the people are trying to murder me, and i’m really not what one would consider a “texan”. i don’t wear cowboy boots or a hat, no texan accent here, and i’m certainly not about to wrestle a cactus for dominance. a lot of the people here are much more old fashioned in their views and i don’t particularly want to be hate crimed :,) 
this part of texas is green and populated heavily, no tumbleweeds, deserts, or errant horses. my neighbor has longhorns in his back yard. we just have wasps. so many wasps. im terrified of them and i can’t go outside. i literally don’t go outside during the summer because there are wasps and also im super pale and thin and not built for outdoor use. (tho i was in the girl branch of boy scouts since they couldn’t give me a whole patrol all to myself just cause i’m not male or female) 
im scared of wasps, the dark, people, and also literally everything. my favorite colors are black and gold, my favorite animal in general is a dragon, but at the moment it’s rats. im a poster child for “don’t try this at home, kids”
but it’s fine. im lucky. im not good at math (retaking algebra 2, but really not because i failed it, i just didn’t get credit) and i like english, and i vow that every free writing assignment my teacher makes us do, i will fit rats in it somehow. if it’s an essay on how Shakespeare’s Macbeth was all a ploy and Lady Macbeth was secretly a pile of rats all along, i might fail the assignment, but she might be humored enough to not murder me


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

christ on a cracker, sorry for the novel lol


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

hi i just made a cool hammock for my rats I call it the warm & cool hammock it’s made from real silk really fluffy cotton and old jean strips of fabric


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

That’s a long story  not quite your hole life tho . I’m more of a tomboy I have a Wako uncle that lives all over the place and sometimes doesn’t call for months on end ya and I have lots of adopted aunts like my aunt that wants us to call her cousin so she can be younger . I have had a dog once befor in my life marley was her name we have a dog now called buddy but a had a fish tadpoles worms a hamster named Josie than my sister murdered my hamster I was so mad at her for years ( still holding a grudge) my dad is bald and my moms birthday is today wooohooo I dident have rodents till years later now ! I have never had my own room until now I always had to share it with my sister here it’s always kinda chilly were i live my town doesn’t have that many kids it’s mostly retired people like 70% retired and 30 % family’s. So when it was lockdown and I was stuck inside I had a mental break down and started feeling horrified at the idea of going to high school it’s so big it’s so many people and it’s Hard  I want to start selling hammocks for rats online that I make by hand  the end toodles


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> That’s a long story  not quite your hole life tho . I’m more of a tomboy I have a Wako uncle that lives all over the place and sometimes doesn’t call for months on end ya and I have lots of adopted aunts like my aunt that wants us to call her cousin so she can be younger . I have had a dog once befor in my life marley was her name we have a dog now called buddy but a had a fish tadpoles worms a hamster named Josie than my sister murdered my hamster I was so mad at her for years ( still holding a grudge) my dad is bald and my moms birthday is today wooohooo I dident have rodents till years later now ! I have never had my own room until now I always had to share it with my sister here it’s always kinda chilly were i live my town doesn’t have that many kids it’s mostly retired people like 70% retired and 30 % family’s. So when it was lockdown and I was stuck inside I had a mental break down and started feeling horrified at the idea of going to high school it’s so big it’s so many people and it’s Hard  I want to start selling hammocks for rats online that I make by hand  the end toodles


i’d like your opinion on something
one of my pregnant rats was getting injured and i wasn’t sure who was hurting her, so i separated the females. yesterday i saw her freshly injured and went to put her by herself, but she bit me. hard. i was gushing blood from my finger, but i spent some time with her after stopping the blood flow, and she was doing okay. i thought she bit me out of fear since she hates being picked up, but today she bit me again; i’m currently typing with my left hand since my right hand is applying pressure to a napkin on my thumb. this one was definitely not out of fear and most certainly not a warning bite, it’s at least as bad as the one from yesterday. my mom was talking about feeding her to the snake, so i had a bit of an… episode last night. today she said we should feed her since she bit me twice in two days. i was crying so she was really mad, but i really don’t want to feed her. this might be from her being pregnant, and i’m not sure what to do. at this point i might keep her with minimal contact until she gives birth, and then, depending on my other rats, i might foster the babies out to the other rats and give her to a nearby rat rescue. i can’t let her near my brothers, i’m scared of her now, and i’m worried she might pass her temperament on to her offspring. i’m miserable, my moms mad, and i need to clean and socialize and spend time with my rats but also i can’t do much with my thumb like this.
what do you think i should do?


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> That’s a long story  not quite your hole life tho . I’m more of a tomboy I have a Wako uncle that lives all over the place and sometimes doesn’t call for months on end ya and I have lots of adopted aunts like my aunt that wants us to call her cousin so she can be younger . I have had a dog once befor in my life marley was her name we have a dog now called buddy but a had a fish tadpoles worms a hamster named Josie than my sister murdered my hamster I was so mad at her for years ( still holding a grudge) my dad is bald and my moms birthday is today wooohooo I dident have rodents till years later now ! I have never had my own room until now I always had to share it with my sister here it’s always kinda chilly were i live my town doesn’t have that many kids it’s mostly retired people like 70% retired and 30 % family’s. So when it was lockdown and I was stuck inside I had a mental break down and started feeling horrified at the idea of going to high school it’s so big it’s so many people and it’s Hard  I want to start selling hammocks for rats online that I make by hand  the end toodles


also this is a life response, instead of aforementioned dilemma.
your hammocks look so cool and i’d totally buy one  i’ve been getting into rat genetics and it’s fascinating. i think i want to actually breed rats when i’m older, and maybe be like an exotics vet or something. it’s totally not to avoid vet bills (it totally is)
high school isn’t really that bad. my freshman year was the worst, but my freshman year was… unique. in general, art kids are usually really nice, and if you’re just pleasant and cheerful towards everyone, you’d probably get through a lot easier than me. a lot of girls are really nice, but i avoid guys most of the time since high school guys are gross. don’t worry about relationships, that’ll come with time if it’s something you want, and never let anyone make you do something you don’t want to. high school is big and scary and hard to navigate, but you’ll get it pretty quick and it’ll be okay. the bathrooms are special and we have a weed bathroom. vaping is probably gonna be a thing, just try and stay out of it if possible. you’ll make friends and have a good time, and no matter how bad it gets, you’ll make it through this. 
also my baby rats are getting their coats in, i have 6 golden/brown babies, 2 albinos, and one that’s black with white front feet. fascinating, since albino is recessive and so is black. that means she must be heterozygous for both 
i think my brown and white hooded rat might not be the one hurting ruby since i saw her scratching at the injury site so im really not sure. i’m excited to see what the other babies look like!!


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Mabye she was biting herself have you noticed if she moves a little funny Mabye she can’t feel her leg and like dog try to chew it off but when she bit you I don’t know there are always grumpy when pregnant but Mabye she was trying to get you not to touch her leg if she was friendly befor and künde like this than most likely it’s hormones from her pregnancy


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

Just on the pregnant rat biting… She may either just be on high alert from the other rats injuring her, stress (and hormones from being pregnant) can trigger fear biting. You also mention a snake and other rats. Depending on if you handled the others before handling her (especially the snake), or if her sensitive snoot can pick up the scent of the snake or rats who’ve been aggressive nearby, she might also be reacting to a general sense of danger heightened by the smell of the other critters. A rat’s sight isn’t great, so they are more likely to avoid smells that are “scary” and if they can’t avoid them (like when a human hand swoops in) they may bite. It’s probably not a “temperament” issue, more likely she’s just had a hard time of it lately and is sensitive to potentially being hurt, so she’s “protecting” herself. It’s tough to be a prey animal…


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Hi so this is what happens when I pack for a trip my rats raid my suitcase


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Mabye she was biting herself have you noticed if she moves a little funny Mabye she can’t feel her leg and like dog try to chew it off but when she bit you I don’t know there are always grumpy when pregnant but Mabye she was trying to get you not to touch her leg if she was friendly befor and künde like this than most likely it’s hormones from her pregnancy


she’s injured on her shoulder/neck area and i think she might have scratched it, since i saw her scratching at the scab earlier. her fur’s been puffed up a bit and she bit my finger again today. anything she thinks is a finger gets chomped. i have three fingers out of commission and she bit my sleeve until she realized it wasn’t a finger and then she tried to get to my fingers. i’m pretty sure it’s just hormones from her being pregnant, but i’m worried that once she gives birth she’ll keep biting, since the babies need to be with her for at least five weeks and i can’t really handle a snappy rat while socializing the babies. the only plus on me giving her up would be that i might get to keep another baby since my mom is drawing the limit on how many i can keep. every time i reach in there to give her food she goes after me, and it seems like she’s actively trying to bite me. the momma rat bit me when i first got her, it was completely out of fear and she’s never tried to bite me again, it wasn’t as bad as these bites. i think the rescue might be the best place for her since they have experience with biting rats and know how to handle them. i’m also struggling to find homes for the babies and her going to the rescue would mean that she gets a home and another baby gets a home. i don’t want to give her up, but she seems to be actively trying to attack me and my mom wants her gone.


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

Honestly if there is a rescue with rat experience near you that’s probably the best option. They will have the ability to provide for mama rat, get around the biting issues and socialize the babies for adoption, which may be more challenging for you if you are nervous about being bitten every time you try to check on/handle the babies. Better than getting fed to a snake, for sure…


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Little noses


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

When her fur is puffed up it means she’s cold or sick Mabye she has a infection and rats hide being sick very well so Mabye when you try to pet her she doesn’t want you finding out she’s weak ?


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

But it’s most likely hormones momma rats are very protective


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

I have a problem on hand my rats are very aggressively fighting eachother during free roam and cage time like they were puffed up and side kicking and standing on hind legs slapping eachother with their itty bitty hands they stood all tense and like frozen only two are fighting one of them is completely non aggressive but he keeps going up to them when they are having a stand off and getting between them and so they slap him with their itty bitty hands and they were crab walking sideways and karaty kicking in the tummy I don’t know what to do im worried they will actually hurt eachother and it makes me sad to see my baby boys fighting like that there has bin no blood yet just tiny scabs I find in their fur once in a while I’m writing now because a few minutes ago they were fighting and how do I know when to stop them from fighting


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Luckily if anything ever gets out of hand I have powder to stop the bleeding I got it from the breeder she gives every person that adopts her rats a care packet like food Medicine Sehringes and I Little paper to show how to use it like meds for resperitory infection I tried seperating my rat martie the firsttime he got sick so I could give him the meds but he wouldn’t eat so I put him back into the cage with his friends and he ate martie got the sickness three times in the first 6months and then I learnt that my bedding was focusing the raising of myco so I use card board instead my parents always order stuff so now I’m a box hoarder (you should look in my closet ) full of boxes ) I use really big boxes to block the door so they make a wall and my mom likes to just randomly open my door so I use the boxes so my rats won’t run into the main house with the cat and the dog and the large human feet I love my boys  the ratty trio


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Oh i do have a small survey what would your dream rat look like my dream rat would be either A Harley silver mane dumbo or a velveteen Rex agouti or Irish dumbo my boys are standard fur dumbos with one is a black self another is a Russian blue and another is a mink birkshire but I just go crazy for harleys or Rexes any color but preferably dumbo ears I did a lot of reaserch on different rat coat types and markings and ears and eyes someday i want my own litter of ratty baby’s and to keep a few and give the others to a good home theirs a sort of magic when you see things grow up befor your eyes


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Ops one more thing I might dye my hair blue faded it would look so cool


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

If they are not hurting each other, it’s not really something to worry about. Are they neutered? That’s always the first option for male rats being aggressive. But some rats also do a lot of bickering without it leading to anything dangerous — they often sort things out on their own. Are they doing this with any particular stimulation — over food, say, or territory (a favorite hammock or hide)? 

(There’s a really cute video showing this behavior in female rats, courtesy of Shadow the Rat’s YouTube channel: 



 — just shows the type of behavior that is pretty normal rat squabbling…)


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

They aren’t neutered and I haven’t noticed them fighting over anything they just start fighting if one rat play fights too hard it starts to escalate did you know I have my own rat YouTube channel ? Here’s what my videos are called nats rats YouTube channel you will than see three rats in a traiangle hammock picture on the front and than press on that than press the thing that says bill with the face and the red background and you will see all the videos and my dads


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

Just a little tip, for new discussions (new topics, questions, etc like advice about rats fighting) you may want to start a new thread. If people already think this thread has been answered they “stop following” it, so you won’t get as many responses to your posts. I’ll be sure to look up your YouTube. The rats scuffles are really normal and fine as long as they don’t hurt one another. The usual rule of thumb about rats squabbling is “No blood, no foul.” Have a great day!


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

sorry for late response, but if your rats aren’t screaming like they’re being murdered or bleeding, they’re probably just fine. rats play fight a lot, and i think the most important sign is if they’re screaming. rats tend to squeak when they fight, but they’ll really scream if they freak out and want another rat to stop, so they’re probably still comfortable with it unless they’re screaming. little scabs are okay, as long as there are no serious injuries or large amounts of blood. they know how to handle each other, and if a rat gets uncomfortable, he’ll make sure everyone knows it, so there’s no need to worry unless they’re screaming. (i have never experienced rats scream, but i’m told you’ll know it when you hear it)
i’ve been wanting to hoard boxes so bad but i don’t have anywhere to keep them and we just keep getting so many boxes. you should also totally dye your hair; i’ve been thinking about giving myself some purple streaks once i’ve gotten a haircut, but i haven’t gotten a haircut yet and it’s been forever.
my rats have been doing great, ruby is still actively trying to bite me any time i let her near my fingers, but she’s due in like two days and i’m really excited. my baby rats opened their eyes yesterday (except for the albinos but they’re super close) and they’re so cute and active! my moms been trying to ship the rats off since they’re getting stinky, but they’re only stinky because she dragged me off to go to a thing with her last night and i didn’t have time to clean them. my sister actually picked up some poop today since she was super worried about how late she was running and wanted me to hurry up. our school just got temporarily closed, so i’ve got a super long weekend and i’m sure it’ll be full of cleaning my rat cages. my brother just tested positive for covid, but he might still be coming over to our house over the weekend? i’m not sure and i think they should stay home, but my mom is adamant. she said we could double mask or stay at a friends house, she said she’d have the boys sleep in her room, but really they shouldn’t be coming over if they’re sick. 
i’ve been studying rat genetics, at least everything i can find. i really love the russian dove color, but i’m not sure what markings i prefer. the hooded stripe isn’t my favorite but i like the fun patterns they make when they’re not actually in a stripe. 
my rat got so excited the other day that he fell out of the cage. i gave him spaghetti, he was trying to hold it and fell out, landed on the bottom rack meant for storage, and i had to pick him back up and he hated it so i gave him more spaghetti. 
the momma’s been more and more tolerant of me, which is great since i’ll actually have time to spend with the babies this weekend hopefully. 
my brown and white hooded female has been getting more and more round, and i’m not sure what her due date will be, but i know it’ll be close to ruby’s. i’m still hoping to foster out rubys babies to the other moms, but if she has a dramatic change in her biting rate, i might be able to convince my mom to keep her. it’s a bit of a long shot. she’s been very talkative about feeding her to the snake


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Ahhh ok my school is still open but I tested positive so I’ve just bin giving my rats extra free roam and late night free roam and I’ve bin making rat treats by baking them I grind up flax seeds Cheerios Gramm crackers oatmeal golfing berrys and make it into a doe and the I bake it in the oven and I FEED IT TO THEM they are quite happy


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Hi y’all I dyed my hair blue and the ratties love it (i think)


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Louiji her looks kinda unsure


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## PeekaBoo (Dec 22, 2021)

Color, cut (and smile) look great. Cute rat, too!


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Thx 😊


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

i love your hair! sorry for the super late response, things have been absolutely crazy. i’m currently at 27-ish rats and man a lot has happened. i almost ran away from home, i got engaged (platonically), my sister decided what college she’s going to, i figured out a career i like right now, and just a bunch of stuff.
to start from the basics, i have five adults, two of which are male. the biting rat has been escaping a bunch (she’s pushing off the lid of her enclosure, even when i put things on top) and my escape rat has gotten pretty fast at scampering out of my reach. the other day i didn’t realize someone opened the door to the room they were in until she ran under the door in the bathroom, which is across the house from the room she was in. she literally crossed the house without anyone noticing or stoping her. there were 9 babies in the first batch, and they are now almost 7 weeks old. 4 males, 5 females, all brown except for one male and female who are albino. the second batch was eight babies and the next day we got twelve more. those twenty have now been narrowed down to 14 unfortunately. my cats have gotten two of those and two of them passed when the moms wouldn’t nurse. the others have probably not made it due to the shortage of food, since there’s one mom trying to take care of 14+ babies. i’ve also ran out of rat food and no one is taking me to the store, so my rats have been getting lots of pasta and nuts and bread to make up for it. there were surprise dumbo babies, and they’re adorable (even though i personally prefer standard). my family has gone bankrupt, so that’s also super fun, and my bank account is getting frozen since it’s tied in to their accounts. to prevent the entire loss of my life’s savings, my mom put the money towards a car, so that’s now a thing. i pretty much forced my mom to stop threatening my rats, so now she’s moved to just talking about how i’m not taking care of them and she can’t handle all of the rats. the second and third batches of babies are now about 4 weeks old, so we’ll likely be distributing them soon. i’ve found at least one of the babies that i’m going to keep, and she’s absolutely adorable. most of the babies are berkshire and brown or black, but there is one very malnourished albino girl i’ve been desperately trying to keep alive. i think she’ll be okay, but i’ve been so worried about them. my mom has been… herself, which is just jolly good fun all of the time, and we just spent a day up at OU because my sister decided to go there. i was stuck in the tiny car between car seats the entire time and now everything hurts and my back is not happy. i’ve been going back and forth on whether to keep my brown hooded rat because i adore her and she’s absolutely wonderful, but she’s an escape artist with a new habit of pulling out my hair through the cage bars. i think i might get her a leash since she’s got the typical female personality and won’t sit still for a single second. i’ve been actually thinking about going to college for the first time in my life, because we went on an OU tour and i actually really loved it. i’m thinking about trying to be a wildlife rehabilitation person and one of my life goals is to raise baby squirrels. i’ve been constantly worrying because i might try to graduate high school this year since i’m kinda done with high school, and it’s not like i’m learning things the way i want to. the kids in my classes are also super fun and i just love spending hours with my old (and somewhat current) bullies. i’ve just been a bit of a wreck lately and my rats have been keeping me going. the brown hooded rat will run around the room until she gets a piece of food, and then she’ll literally bound back to me with little hops and eat half of the food and stash the rest somewhere on me. i’m really sorry i haven’t been on in so long, but i hope you and your rats are doing well!


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Oh that sounds ruff but at least you decided what you want to be when you graduate I currently am getting 2 or 3 more rats wich is super exiting and my parents got a new car but my aunt is moving away so we need to visit her next weekend and I’m going to get more rats next weekend I cat got run over by a car on our street it was awful . my rats are learning how to spin and my sisters birthday is today she’s turning 11 in April I’m turning 13 !! Thankyou I like my new hair style too ! And don’t mind that I always ALWAYS forget periods and capitals !


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Oh that sounds ruff but at least you decided what you want to be when you graduate I currently am getting 2 or 3 more rats wich is super exiting and my parents got a new car but my aunt is moving away so we need to visit her next weekend and I’m going to get more rats next weekend I cat got run over by a car on our street it was awful . my rats are learning how to spin and my sisters birthday is today she’s turning 11 in April I’m turning 13 !! Thankyou I like my new hair style too ! And don’t mind that I always ALWAYS forget periods and capitals !


i finally got most of the rats to a rat rescue, and i’m happily down to four. my mom really really wanted to only have two, but i won the discussion. i still haven’t named my rats, but i’ve got my escape rat (brown hooded), the first momma (light brown/caramel color), an adolescent girl with a chip in her ear (brown english irish), and a brown berkshire baby who’s had my heart since day 1. 
i’ve been really sick the last few days, but i’m excited to clean out my cage and set it up for my girls. i can’t wait for my baby to get bigger because right now i have a cat who’s decided that the baby rats are free real estate and keeps snatching them. i’ve saved a few, but some of them i didn’t get to in time. 
but my mom has decided that we are actually getting rid of the snake, and i’ve been the only one feeding my sisters bearded dragon for the last few days. i’m concerned since there might be a baby rat somewhere that got out, i’ve been hearing some random squeaks and all my rats are accounted for. rn my rats are split in half, with two of them in their cleaning cage and two of them in their normal cage (except it’s stripped bare from me trying to clean it) i got… interrupted in the process of cleaning and have not felt well enough to do it yet. i hate being home most of the time, and the only thing i like about it is my rats and my cats. but i love my escape rat so much, and i can’t wait to finally focus on only four rats instead of thirty


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Yes focusing on a smaller amount of rats is easier


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Doyou think it’s easier to have a Even amount?


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

I am getting more rats and they will be baby’s and guess what my rats know how to do a trick it’s going in a little circle and I just spin the stop of of my finger and they do the trick it’s amazing I have been training the for about a week now


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> I am getting more rats and they will be baby’s and guess what my rats know how to do a trick it’s going in a little circle and I just spin the stop of of my finger and they do the trick it’s amazing I have been training the for about a week now


wow! i’ve been meaning to start training my rats, but i think someone accidentally gave me a chipmunk instead of a rat. when i try to lead her to do something, she aggressively grabs the treat and holds on, and i don’t think dragging her in a circle actually accomplishes much. she’ll also beg like there’s no tomorrow, and she tries to fit every treat into her mouth at the same time. i’ve seen her with her paws up to her mouth, holding absolutely everything she can fit in her mouth with the aid of her paws, and doing some weird hop-shuffles to go store the treats and come back for more. if i give her a treat she doesn’t prefer, she’ll drop it and keep begging. she can have her mouth jam packed with almonds and oats and still plead like she’s on the brink of starvation. i love my rat 
four rats seems like a good number so far, i’ve got two adults, an adolescent, and an almost five week old baby. the adolescent and the baby get to play with each other, which is good since the adults can just flip and pin the adolescent when she wants to play. food competition is also pretty good, and everyone gets a good amount. what’s it like to have boys?


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

My rat martie does the same thing he stuffs his mouth full with as many treats he can Cary and runs of to eat them somewhere I use Cheerios as their treats they are healthy and my rats go crazy for them well it’s nice having boy rats tho I’ve never had female rats so I don’t know how to compare the differences but my boys like to sleep and they also like to lay down on my hand and sleep they love to ruff house with my hand and the solve puzzles like the slid puzzle I got for them from the dollar tree and they boggle every time I come home and they are just big love nuggets they are also chonkers and eat while leaning on my hand it’s so adorable


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> My rat martie does the same thing he stuffs his mouth full with as many treats he can Cary and runs of to eat them somewhere I use Cheerios as their treats they are healthy and my rats go crazy for them well it’s nice having boy rats tho I’ve never had female rats so I don’t know how to compare the differences but my boys like to sleep and they also like to lay down on my hand and sleep they love to ruff house with my hand and the solve puzzles like the slid puzzle I got for them from the dollar tree and they boggle every time I come home and they are just big love nuggets they are also chonkers and eat while leaning on my hand it’s so adorable


that’s so cute! i’ve heard that female rats are a lot more energetic and males are more chill, and so far that’s held up for my experiences. my females do not sit still, they’re always exploring and they don’t sleep or cuddle with me. the main affection i’ve gotten so far has been finger licks, running to come greet me, and my escape rat using me as food storage and a picnic table. my youngest girl has been hopping around everywhere and she’s an energetic little ball of fur (who thankfully has filled out and isn’t looking malnourished anymore). the second mom and i had a bad start because she got under my bed and i had to get her out and it was not a good experience for anyone and she bit me, but we’ve gotten better since then. none of my rats are chunky yet, and despite how many treats my escape rat consumes, she still remains a lithe little weasel. my rats have been ripping out my hair, and i have no idea why. they like to pull it through the cage bars and sometimes it gets ripped out, but they don’t seem to do anything with it or really care. i googled it, but all i found was rats barbering other rats. it doesn’t seem like grooming since they don’t do it when they’re out of the cage, and it doesn’t seem like they’re trying to get nesting material since they ignore the ripped out hair. they’ll frantically reach for it through the bars everytime my head gets close (by ”them” i mostly mean my escape rat and now the adolescent) and i can’t see what they do when they have access to it since the hair is located where i can’t see, but they do a lot of pulling and sometimes it isn’t painful, but it gets painful really often. we don’t have any non-honey cheerios because there was a revolution against them, so i’ve given them some honey nut cheerios sparingly and mostly used their treat mix (chopped almonds, pecans, cat food, granola bars, rice crispies, crackers, so on and so forth). what kind of slid puzzle did you get?


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

My rats do that witha my shirt the have a need to pull stuff into their cage and guess what I got three more rats don’t know what to name them I latterly just got them from the breeder one is a double Rex thinking of naming it figgy there’s another one that’s dark grey with a white blaze and than a tan one with red eyes with a white streak thinking of naming it dewy


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> My rats do that witha my shirt the have a need to pull stuff into their cage and guess what I got three more rats don’t know what to name them I latterly just got them from the breeder one is a double Rex thinking of naming it figgy there’s another one that’s dark grey with a white blaze and than a tan one with red eyes with a white streak thinking of naming it dewy


aw! i just thought of a name for my baby rat, she’s really sweet and hops around and likes to lick the inside of my mouth. i’m gonna call her cricket. still haven’t named the others, but i’m working on sewing a hammock for them rn, i also just got a lava ledge (pumice rock) for their cage, and i got a really good deal. the ones i’ve seen online have been like $8-10, and i got this one for about $4. i love rats so much, and i just wish there was more i could do for mine. my physical health has been keeping me from a lot of things i’d like to do with them, and my family situation has taken up most of my time, but i try to give them time every day. i can’t really let them free roam, and there’s not much i can do, but i’m hanging in there. i just wish that everything would settle itself out, but my family has somehow not gotten less hectic and SAT tests are coming up. i never cared about them before, but now i might actually go to college and that’s one scholarship my sister got, and she got like the second best one possible. i’ve recently realized how little i’m doing with my life at this moment. i get home from school, take care of my rats, make food, eat, take care of my rats, and go to bed. if i’m lucky, i have extra time to make stuff for my rats or make more treat mix or do more cleaning or more research on rats. i’m basically the life of the party over here. i couldn’t handle owning male rats because of their absolutely massive balls, but i think they’re really funny and i like the idea of cuddly rats. i wish i could buy more things for my rats, but everything is so expensive and the stuff i have to make things isn’t great. we have a million screws and nails and yet no nuts and bolts. idk, i’m trying to keep it together


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Ha well ya the balls do seem massive when the ratties little are little but they grow into them and guess what i got 3 more rats they are so sooo tiny baby’s got them from the breeder a double Rex baby named figgy but fig for short cream standard coat baby rattie called dewy and a black and white blazed rattie called berry here are pics they are so small they seem like mice oo by the way one is a double Rex


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## Pandemonium of Pebbles (Nov 30, 2021)

Ratsarebeautiful said:


> Ha well ya the balls do seem massive when the ratties little are little but they grow into them and guess what i got 3 more rats they are so sooo tiny baby’s got them from the breeder a double Rex baby named figgy but fig for short cream standard coat baby rattie called dewy and a black and white blazed rattie called berry here are pics they are so small they seem like mice oo by the way one is a double Rex
> View attachment 307787
> 
> View attachment 307786
> ...























this is Cricket. i don’t have many pictures of the others rn, but i’ll add some soon


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## Ratsarebeautiful (Jan 7, 2022)

Oh my gosh cricket is so cute


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