# friend's rat care annoying me



## rattiesforlife46 (Feb 24, 2021)

Hi
I just want to rant away by my friend's lack of research before (and now) while owning rats. I'll admit i made some mistakes when i first got mine but i did research for 3 years before getting them.

She copied me as I got rats a while back. Her cage is too small despite the 'breeder' telling her it was okay. she didn't realise that the nuggets in her mix she made are high af in protein and fat so her mix isnt balanced what so ever as she changed the mix recipe she was following. I ended up giving her most of her rat products as she couldnt afford to buy them. She didnt know that she was meant to let them out to play she just thought it was so they can sleep on her. she calls Porphyrin, sleepy dust like wtf no its not.

then last night she gave her rats a bath. they didnt like it and started sulking about it instead.

like ive corrected her so many times yet feel like nothing is changing, i dont think i can stand going round her house ever again if i see the poor rats

EDIT: forgot to mention she only had them 3 weeks and they are only 8/9 weeks old


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## a1phanine (Mar 27, 2018)

I think its time for a new friend
If I were you i'd be saying seriously, you need to change or i'm not going to be friends with you

she is hurting the rats and they will die younger than necessary at this rate
how is she going to take them vet with no money?
they alreayd have respiratory infection by the sound of it


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## Angels with Whiskers (Jan 20, 2021)

I had someone who was like that too. He got rid of them after he stopped getting attention even though they loved him😭

You need to put your foot down. Tell her she's harming them and she is NOT ready for rats. Tell her they will die younger. Tell her everything she's doing wrong. Threaten to not be her friend if she keeps this up. Offer to adopt the rats if she won't take better care of them.

Explain why what she's doing is wrong and not just "YOU ARE A BAD RAT OWNER" so that she will hopefully understand. Try not to yell so that she doesn't think you're attacking her.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

What are the dimensions of her cage? Do you know what it's called or do you have a link?

What's in her mix.


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## rattiesforlife46 (Feb 24, 2021)

Thank you all for replying. Honestly i like her as a friend but i cant help but get annoyed at her rat care. she just straight ignored me after i replied to her snap story of her saying her rats were sulking after having a bath. I already said Im not going round there. I dont understand how she thinks she can look after then when she can't even afford a big enough cage and their supplies, like i said I've offered so much help, I've gave her some of my things and even sat and made her a bunch of stuff for her rats so they can have a "cage setup".

I would happily adopt them but I know she would never give them to me. I can tell she won't ever take them to the vets. They aren't ill when i went round there a few weeks back to see them, I always make sure to check how well they are when I go round to hold them.

I'm just at a loose end of what to do or say at this point. I just want her rats to be happy and well


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## rattiesforlife46 (Feb 24, 2021)

just wanted to add also, I'm scared of her ever coming round to see my rats now as well, just incase anything ever gets passed on to mine if they do get ill. I have a group of 5.


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## rattiesforlife46 (Feb 24, 2021)

CorbinDallasMyMan said:


> What are the dimensions of her cage? Do you know what it's called or do you have a link?
> 
> What's in her mix.


I couldnt fully tell you, her base of her cage is 18" X 12" and i would guess maybe 17" tall. it was an old bird cage but its not that big. I will try to see if i can find something that looks similar to her cage to show you.

Her mix, im uncompletly unsure of, she didnt ask for my advice on it or anything. I know she adds burgess rat nuggets in tho.

UPDATE: cant seem to find a pic online of anything that looks remotely similar. it has a white plastic base and I know its definetly 18x12 inches


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

Yeah, that's a small cage! You can make her aware of resources like websites, youtube channels, and forums to help give her better information. You could also work with her to find better solutions like cheap used cages or making a larger bin cage!

It doesn't look like Burgess nuggets are too high in protein to me (14%). Again, you could share with her the information you have or direct her toward other resources but I guess I'm not really sure what you believe to be the problem with her current diet.

It's great that you let her know that she needs to give her rats time out of their cage! I don't really see a problem with calling porphyrin "sleepy dust." Baths can be stressful and generally unnecessary but I wouldn't call them dangerous. 

I think you can walk a fine line with a friend. You don't want to come off as nagging or being a know-it-all but you also want to make sure her animals are well cared for. I'm worried you may be going off the deep end a little bit. Maybe you can start "learning" with her by watching videos or reading articles together!


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## rattiesforlife46 (Feb 24, 2021)

CorbinDallasMyMan said:


> Yeah, that's a small cage! You can make her aware of resources like websites, youtube channels, and forums to help give her better information. You could also work with her to find better solutions like cheap used cages or making a larger bin cage!
> 
> It doesn't look like Burgess nuggets are too high in protein to me (14%). Again, you could share with her the information you have or direct her toward other resources but I guess I'm not really sure what you believe to be the problem with her current diet.
> 
> ...


the problem is she doesnt seem bothered enough to correct it. A week before she got them, I told her cage was too small when she told me the dimensions, So i started sending her cages off of facebook market place which were big enough and were very local and were only around £15-£25! I've tried sending her links and videos to stuff before yet nothing changes.

I'll admit maybe i was wrong on the burgress food but tbf i never did tell her about it anyway as I'm still learning more about nutritional food balances and stuff myself (my rats follow isamu rat food recipe). 

The problem i have most is that she doesnt seem interested in listening and researching it to fix any mistakes


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## _dizzy_ (Mar 28, 2018)

Oh gods I have a roommate like this. She's been neglecting her parrots needs for years and it really shows on his health(and she has the nerve to say I'm mistreating my pets by giving them pellets). 
I'm taking her parrot to a rescue while she's at work as soon as I can(a day where she leaves the backdoor wide open so it looks like he flew out again). 
Anywho, be persistent and continue to correct her. Personally, I don't see a problem as coming off as nagging if she's mistreating her rats. Something you can try is nagging her until she rehomes them(hopefully to you). Sure you might lose a friend, but that's two less neglected rats. 
Idk, that's my personal opinion. I value animals above people lol


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## MinkShadow (Mar 5, 2021)

_dizzy_ said:


> Oh gods I have a roommate like this. She's been neglecting her parrots needs for years and it really shows on his health(and she has the nerve to say I'm mistreating my pets by giving them pellets).
> I'm taking her parrot to a rescue while she's at work as soon as I can(a day where she leaves the backdoor wide open so it looks like he flew out again).
> Anywho, be persistent and continue to correct her. Personally, I don't see a problem as coming off as nagging if she's mistreating her rats. Something you can try is nagging her until she rehomes them(hopefully to you). Sure you might lose a friend, but that's two less neglected rats.
> Idk, that's my personal opinion. I value animals above people lol


That's a great idea! The bird "escaped" lol


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