My handsome man Pinto... 🧡

Hello!!! I am just here to post tips on how to help your rats lose weight, especially if only one is fat for some reasons and how I made my rat lose weight without making the others on diet ... So my spayed girly got overweight because of the surgery and my vet asked me to make her lose weight because it could be bad for her (she used to be 420grams and I got her down to 395g in 2 months :)) she's still on the journey!!! She needs to be 370-80g ideally, I'll see based on her tangle appearance) so basically I feed my rats with Science Selective Rat kibbles... I averagely give them 25 grams a day (for a duo) and I sprinkle the kibbles everywhere in the case for them to forage. Then I use complex toys (like use boxes and fill them with paper towels and I close them rather firmly) with maybe 15 kibbles inside for the night. As for treats, my rats LOVE treats.... To avoid frustration, I give my fit rat her usual treat and my overweight one a raw pasta, some oatmeal, or even a piece of salad. She loves it!!! Hope it can help people after everything that were going on after that Perky situation. Feel free to share your weight loss tips for your rats and what worked for you!!!! Love x (also rat tax)

Ive switchd my 3 boy's into what ever was the biggest available at the time but truly what is better for the rat cause in the tank i still supply them with climbing stuff and hanging chews and clean them with the same frequency like every 4 days. Whats healthier/more enjoyable.

one of my rats got injured and had a really bad cut. after a week there was a lump where she got hurt. now about five days later it’s completely gone. should I still go to the vet appointment i have for tomorrow or is it fine since it went away on its own? (I didn’t want to have to wait as long as i did to go to the vet but that was the soonest i could get an appointment with the vet.) edit: she’s also little and still very skittish so i would love to avoid stressing her out with a vet visit.

Lando still hasn't quite got the hang of sleeping IN his hammock... Rather he would prefer to hang over the side 😂

Hi all,

First of all, I am extremely sorry about the latest news with Perky. I truly hope that she and her siblings get the care that they need and deserve. Thank you to the mods for investigating Perky's situation and taking immediate action.

I'd like to start an educational discussion about benign fatty deposits. If this is not an appropriate post, I will remove it. Reason for the post: I believe it is important for us to actively discuss medical knowledge, so that we are prepared to address problems appropriately and do not spread misinformation. I was trying to start such discussions on Perky's posts, yet was met with hostility from Perky's owner. In light of recent events, I think now is a good time for us to engage in this open discussion.

To preface, I am a human doctor, NOT a vet. However, I have also spent extensive time looking up benign fatty deposits online and have had rats with this issue and therefore would like to share my knowledge on this topic. I encourage anyone with any additional information to post it in the comments.

Benign fatty tumors are also called "lipomas". You can read an overview about lipomas on the Rat Guide. In rats they appear just like they do in humans (and I've dealt with both before) - round squishy masses that are very prominent. If you look at the images in the Rat Guide, they are round and obvious, unless the rat is obese in which case the fat may cover the lipoma and then you'd only be able to find it by touch. However, it's important to know that lipomas do not cause obesity. From the sources I've found, obesity is a risk factor for developing lipomas. Yes, they can develop in normal weight rats, but obesity increases the risk of them forming. With lipomas, treatment is surgery although they are often left alone because they are benign and only pose a problem if they compress an organ and worsen the rats quality of life. So, if a rat has lipoma + obesity, you treat the lipoma with surgery if it's affecting function and you treat the obesity through diet and exercise. Even if there are other medical issues going on (like thyroid problems, a pituitary tumor, etc, which are quite rare), when you see morbid obesity the best approach is to always incorporate exercise and diet changes!

A last point of discussion I'd like to make - I've seen many comments on different pet subreddits in which people say "oh, it's ok that X is happening, they just have a medical condition!" Arguably, medical conditions make pets especially vulnerable to abuse because owners may not provide appropriate care to manage the medical condition. Please don't forget that abuse can happen even in light of a medical condition.

I'd love to hear your insights into these topics as well. Please feel free to comment and hold an educational discussion below. I now have to run to work, but if anyone would like links to additional information I can gladly provide them to you once I'm home.

EDIT- this is information specifically for lipomas and the relation they have to obesity. There are MANY types of benign (and malignant) tumors. Not all soft round lumps are lipomas! Only a vet would be able to confirm the type of lump through labs, imaging, biopsy. So, if you see a soft lump on your pet - SEE A VET.

i love rats AND cats. literally i would never give away my cats to have a rat but i really want to figure out a way to get a rat, but i cannot find a way. i have my room, but my cat naomi primarily is here. her litter box and food is in here. my mom’s room, which is next to me, is small (due to it being designated for a bathroom) and she doesn’t want naomi’s stuff to be moved there, which is completely reasonable. she also really doesn’t like rats, so i can’t move my rats there. my sister’s room is her room, and i know she’ll say no, so that is completely off limits. i don’t want it to be in the bathroom because anyone can go there and my sister and mom do not like rats. there’s an inside porch kind of thing where it’s not outside but it’s not really inside, and it’s cold there, so that’s off limits too. the cats are stubborn and persistent, so if we were to put the rats in a cage/put them up high, it would not work because they would be there all day trying to get the rats. ik it’s pretty much impossible, but i wanted to see if there was some way, because i really like rats.

i just wanna super thank the mods for being on top of the whole perky situation. obviously this is very upsetting for a lot of us but the mods got right on it when they noticed something wrong and took the measures to ensure that perky’s owner was not on here anymore. as well, all other harmful posts have been dealt with quickly. mods, you are all doing an A+ job here making this a safe community for all of us rat owners. thank you all SO much! :)

(picture of ivy for rat tax)

One minute the intros are fine and the next my old guy punches the baby in the eye and scratched his cornea.

I have terramycin I’ve put some on his eye. My regular vet is closed until Tuesday. I have meloxicam for pain I’m wondering if I should give it to him and what other steps I can take at home?

Can someone tell me if this will heal right or will it damage his vision permanently? He’s so young I hate that my old guy is such a jerk and that I’ve caused this

I know the proportions are a bit off

Raise

This week my dryer randomly caught fire. Luckily, it was minimal damage and we are all safe. However, in the middle of the fire alarm, smoke, and insane amount of panic at 7 am…I realized I do not have an emergency plan in set for my rat kids. I have a boy cage and a girl cage so I have a carrier for each cage, but beyond that I was in absolute panic.

I am wondering what some of your emergency plans include and how do you stay calm for your ratties?

Rat tax ~~> Kannibelle

Hi everyone,

I’m in a hard spot with my sweet girl and wanted to hear others experiences and opinions. TLDR: 3 year old rat needs a surgery, can’t decide if euthanasia or surgery is right.

My rat will be 3 in January. Recently her eye swelled - my vet recommended removing the eye. He got us in to a specialty clinic who was planning to perform the procedure that day. Sadly the procedure was postponed several times, during which the rat was hospitalized with them. Because they kept postponing for 3 days, the eye worsened and I spent the money I had set aside for the procedure on hospitalization instead. It was an extremely frustrating situation.

Now, my regular vet can perform the surgery in 2 weeks. The rat is on medication and comfortable and is acting bright and active. Vet says other than the eye she’s perfectly healthy. If you didn’t see her eye you might not notice anything wrong. But I know if the medication stopped she’d be in pain.

I guess my question is do I proceed with the surgery? I’ve spent a huge amount of money on hospitalization and don’t have much left, but I feel so guilty putting her down when she’s still so happy. My vet said the cause of the eye is likely a tumor or abscess and she may not have long after the surgery, but there’s no way to know without more extensive testing. I’m really just torn on what to do.

Thanks for reading in advance.

Hi everyone! I took one of my boys to the vet yesterday because I noticed when he sniffs things real hard, he makes noises. Not noises like squeaks or sneezes but he sounds congested. Vet prescribed oral antibiotics once a day for 7 days and nebulizer treatments twice a day for 2 weeks. I gave him his first treatment this morning and he was terrified the entire time. Vet recommended putting him in his carrier with a towel over it to ensure he’s breathing it in but I use shoe boxes which they’ve always loved. Problem with that is that I know eventually he’ll chew through it and I’d really like avoid stressing him out at all costs. I’m wondering if I should just go purchase a cat carrier and try it that way but I’m just not sure. If you guys have had to give breathing treatments or have any experience like this, please let me know. Thank you 🖤

Hello, I don’t really know a lot about rats so I wanted to come here before making a decision. Rats have found bird seed in my garage and started to take over. Every time I walk into my garage at night I hear them running around. So the question is, do I need to exterminate them? If I get rid of the seed will they just leave? Do they carry diseases or germs that I should be worried about? Is there a way to get rid of them without hurting them? I know they are extremely smart animals so o feel bad hurting them.

Hello! My partner and I have talked about getting rats since we moved in together a year ago, and yesterday we pulled the trigger! We do have other animals (2 cats, a dog, 2 snakes) and I'm wondering what we could use as a sort of "play pen" so the rats can have a designated wandering space. Obviously no other animals will be in the room when the ratties are out, they're kept on top of our dresser in their cage and I'm wanting to have a play pen for them to run around our room somewhat freely. Also looking for any tips on treats you use for training! I just want the rats to learn their names and how to crawl into our hands, but if they show interest in other tricks I'll teach them whatever I can think of. Thank you all in advance for any suggestions! Looking forward to sharing pictures of our Remi and Lucy once they're settled in and comfortable <3

nom nom veggies