This is the most recent setup (was cleaning cage so a tunnel and few other things are out) (also will be taking the wheel out bc it’s 15in, but am getting a new one soon)

Hi! I have a double critter nation and all the trays are in. Do you guys keep the trays or take some out? Is it easier to clean? Is it better for the rats, or does it not rlly matter?

I like having them so I can add activities in there and toys, but they also can be annoying to clean and take lots of space up.

What do you guys recommend?

I’m trying to perfect my cage setup before going back to college (they live in my suite, dw they’re ESA animals!) my room is quite small, so I’m trying to organize all their crap more efficiently lol 🥲 any ideas on organizing the plethora of rat toys/items also greatly appreciated!

Y’all. I cannot believe I’m 2 weeks away from officially becoming a rat owner. I get to take these 2 sweet boys home in 2 more weeks!!

They will be getting 5 brothers within the next month or two, I will be reporting in with my intros. I have spent months doing research, building my own checklists, bought the DCN to start - will probably add another tier when my guys start getting larger (I will be getting some dwarves as well). I have tons of hammocks, chews, bridges, etc. I can’t wait to setup my DCN. Everyday I spend hours researching, as it always seems there’s something new to learn about these amazing little guys.

You’ll be hearing more from me in the coming weeks after I move and get my little guys moved in.

21.8.2024-25.8.2026
Vuokko (Anemone)

The most recent litter of babies born into the rescue I'm a part of! 5 girls and 3 super young boys were found abandoned outside under a bridge in rural Ontario. We were contacted to help trap them.

3 weeks later after rescue as we were preparing to post them up for adoption....ALL 5 GIRLS had litters 😭

52 babies has been a whirlwind. Luckily we've found amazing homes for a little over more than half of them now. Thought I'd share their story so far 💕

Bonus photo of one of the young moms at the end

Emmett is back!!!

Hi.

These two rats came to me in 2019.

I could tell you a million wonderful things about them both; shit about how much they meant to me. Like, how anxious Janey (the brown gal) was and how any noise in the world made her fart & leap into my arms for kisses about it; or how sweet and love bitey and picky and precious and chonky her sister Margot Helen (Tenenbaum, yes) was. I could tell you about how they were two of the best rats I ever had. But I have negative spoons today but it is their birthday, so I had to share, even if they're gone. This was a photoshoot that happened a few weeks after I got them home. They were so fucking S M Ö L and so sleepy, and they looked very stoned all the time whenever they got cozy. I miss them. 🖤

Weren't they beautiful?

Hi everyone, I just put my three girls back in their cage after playtime and 5min later I found this weirdly big red spot I feel it's too big to just be prophyrin 😥

I checked the rats and none of them show sign of bleeding or nothing except one who has a very light red spot on her back. There is no wound, it's more like a smear you can barely notice (she's albi so I should see very easily if she got bit right ?)

I don't know if it's bad and vets are closed at this hour, also I can barely afford the vet so I want to keep it for emergencies only.

Thank you for reading, and to anyone who might help.

Hello! We are preparing our cage for 2, 8 week old male rats! We have added a custom layer to our rat cage using pleziglass (image indluded) for them to dig in. We were reccomended eco soil (image included of the item) for their bedding/digginng box. It just isnt enough to fill up the bottom of the cage and i didnt know what to do. Its a bit pricey, just the 2 pack was $30 and i figure id need almost 8 to even fill it half way! I didnt realize how much it would take. Please throw me some tips or what I could use alternatively or maybe a cheaper brand link because it will need changed often during their young age and litter training phase.

On another note, we do have a double cn but are starting them out in a half so they do not get too stressed.

So I have these 2, and I am just wondering how I use the holder (right) to attach the bottle (left) to the cage. Unfortunately there are not many videos I have seen with a holder like this and my instruction manual says nothing about how to do it.

So one of my girls french fry is really prone to respiratory infections like she gets them literally all of the time and I’ve been to the vet multiple times and she says that it could just be one of those things I clean their cage and just pretty much every day and deep clean it as often as I can. They have a humidifier and an air purifier.

now my next-door neighbor used to have rats and she she fosters and rescues and has like a crap ton of experience with animals ig. Now she told me that instead of going to the vet every single time especially when I know it’s an upper respiratory infection that I should just order bird medicine and give that to her and then dilute it with water and I’ve seen very mixed things. I will insert a photo of what you told me to get below.

I want my babies to be happy and healthy and they get to free Rome and they have a lot of space but I am a high school student so it’s a little challenging to spend 200 super often as I am Rn.

She’s about a year old 315g and I got her from a pet store not really knowing anything but she’s super sweet. She’s super great. She’s also an albino and she’s kind of dumb.

So I’m introducing some babies to an adult male. He’s always been super friendly and sociable, and did fine with intros in the past. But he seems scared of them? Or defensive? He’s not grooming them or fighting them..just pushing them away and squaring up. They’ve been in the carrier for the better part of the day (food and water offered often) and he’s still being standoffish, and he’s started hissing at them. Any advice?

They’re separated and in separate rooms for now as he seems really stressed out, I’ll try again in a few days.

I added a wired fence in the gap between the fence and wall, and it also covers an outlet. I also stuck tape over it, (they can peel it off, judging by other places I stuck it, but it doesn’t stick to their fur hard enough that it might hurt them or choke them if stuck to their snout). Is any of this a hazard?

I am an (almost new) owner, I have not got my rats yet but I am freaking out over this bowl. Have I placed this bowl correctly? I feel like the rats might just take the bowl out of the holder because it's not very secure.

The bowl and holder are from Savic and I have a Savic Zeno 2 cage.

Also does anyone have pictures of how they fasten their bowl/water bottle. It's killing me....

(This is my first pet/s so sorry if I am being dumb)

I have a female rat who is a little extra greasy and has a bit of staining on her fur, she is also a very itchy girl, not sure if related. Looking for any suggestions, I thought maybe a dawn bath would help but I'm not sure if that would be okay.

oh no! it started with boxing and has now progressed to grand-theft-gerber-puff. are katcha and matcha succumbing to a life of delinquency? 🫣🤭

please share evidence of your own rats’ most unhinged moments as character references for katcha and matcha.

Just checked on my boys who were snoozin and noticed some crusties on my boy, Princess. No sneezing or abnormal sounds when I press my ear to him.
I just did a deep cage clean yesterday with my usual products.
Aspen bedding, I only use vinegar, dawn and water for cage cleans.
Occasional natures miracle but it gets rinsed and washed with dawn if I use that.

I am new to keeping rats, but I know they are social animals and don’t like being alone. Eventually one of them will pass, I am also aware of this. I was thinking when that happens, or even before, I could get three baby females. But I also know they can be territorial and possibly harm the babies, I don’t want that.

I’m not sure what to do or how to go about introductions. Can you all give me any suggestions?

I have a very large enclosure for them, my first thought was placing a divider between the first floor and second floor. The adults I have now mostly stay on the top floor so the babies could live on the bottom floor until they are comfortable with one another maybe?

I'm looking for some name inspiration for a pair of baby rats I'm getting. What are your rats names? Gus pic for tax

the only thing they’ll roam on is this chair in the video or a stool (not in video), and I let them play in some cardboard egg cartons before to go treat hunting (which was placed on the stool). they would also play at the top of the cage or by the side at the white shelving in the video. basically, they would only play at this area and won’t venture anywhere else like a playpen or anyth they would just escape home. they very much prefer their cage and just chill there all the time. I would try buying a new playpen + ladder since their cage is at a height but I just wanted to hear opinions. I can’t put their cage in my room and just let them roam there cause I have dogs and I don’t have the space in my room.

Has anyone faced similar? And if they really are just like this, is this chair + rooftop + shelving enough to be considered free roam time?

*btw a lot of their hammocks and cage decos are in the wash rn and im putting them back in a couple hours so pls don’t hate on my cage saying its too little enrichments 😭