hi all! so i have 6 rats and they're split up into 2 separate single critter nations. since moving into my apartment, i've kept the two cages in a room by themselves along with their supplies, but because they're separate from the rest of the apartment i've noticed i don't spend much time with them at all.

we also have a cat so the door stays shut. i want the room to be more comfortable if that makes sense? what are some things i could put in the room to be more of a "hangout/pet therapy" room?

the windows in the room don't open and their aspen bedding is VERY dusty which also makes it more uncomfortable.

i don't have a whole lot of ideas. beanbags? fairy lights? ask landlord to make windows open-able?

another issue, i cant have all 6 out at once because they fight. when i have 3 out, they go to the cage of the other 3 and climb on the bars and mess with them. any way to stop this?

any and all advice would be appreciated!!!

Looking to get more rats soon! I had females in the past but I’m considering switching it up and potentially getting males. Any input? Which gender of rats do you prefer owning, what’s the differences, and what are the pros and cons :)

https://preview.redd.it/yuikibqeq2xc1.png?width=951&format=png&auto=webp&s=afda2964ffeaa2f116dc94857eb4349bb76d5649

We have accepted the transfer of three older ladies from @multcopets. We will pick them up this weekend if they are not claimed by the end of their stray hold. Two of the three have multiple mammary masses, so we need to raise funds for their evaluations and probable surgeries. Each exam is $85, and mass removals will run $500-1000 each, depending on the size, location, and attachment of the masses. We will also attempt to spay if they are cleared for surgery to minimize the chances of more masses forming. We will have some new rat paintings by the Mixed Nuts as well as Darby and Buffy soon, but in the meantime there are still many available paintings, cage ropes, and stickers available now!

How to help: V3NMO: @ ratwaysanctuary More donation options and shop at www.ratwaysanctuary.org

I know they cannot properly digest hay, but if I gave them some to just forage in and use as nesting material, will they know not to eat it?

Yes or no Idk what to flair this

My rat has a lump on its right hindleg. We went to the vet but they said to wait till it's bigger. Cause if they got a biopsy. They would need anesthetic and its a big needle for the biopsy. I'm just wondering how long we should wait? I don't want it to get worse and I'm worried it could be cancer. It's not a hard lump it feels loose and about grape sized. I really don't want her to die. She can still move around fine. I'm just a bit at a loss right now.

We took our boy to the vet, he was bleeding from his urethra. The vet noticed he had been chewing on his penis, but other than the bruising and blood from that she couldn't tell anything else. We can't afford xrays right now as rent is due in 3 days and we're already scraping by, but she wouldn't have given us the option for outpatient + meds if she didn't think he would do fine with it. He did! He was/is on antibiotics and pain meds, he got an e-collar so he'd stop chewing, he had no change in eating or drinking habits or energy levels, we added a splash of cranberry juice to his water to encourage him to urinate more to make sure it wasn't bloody urine. None. No diarrhea, no bloody urine, nothing. Vet said his bladder feels soft and comfortable on palpation. We set up a check up appointment for the next week. He spent most of his days trying to get the collar off, itching, and trying to groom with it on. Again, no other signs of illness or pain, eating and drinking normally, etc. We're keeping him seperate from his brother for about 16 days. He stopped bleeding, the bruising healed, no swelling, no plugs. He started bleeding from his penis again for a few hours the night before his vet appointment. We checked him the next morning and no blood or irritation. The vet found no blood or damage, but she did find that the vet tech that put the cone on put it on too tight, which caused fur loss and some injury around his neck. She seemed more concerned about that than his random bleeding, which was sort of relieving?? We were given a cream for the wounds that was covered by the vet bc it was their doing, and more antibiotics and pain meds. He has been grooming like a madman to make up for the week he wasn't able to reach anything. We took him home (15 minutes ago) and he started bleeding from his penis again, he doesn't care about or notice it. We're all very confused. Could it be a stone despite there being no straining to urinate? He's about 12 weeks old.

so sorry i didn’t respond to anyone recommending vet care i took the advice obv and grandpa basil is going to get checked out and taken care of in three days <33 thank you everyone for the advice and recommendations ! i promise they didn’t fall on deaf ears hehe

I saw a couple old posts about this topic but I wanted to see if anyone has any new advice or experience doing this. For context, I am NOT buying or adopting this rat off of someone who is breeding them so I'm not supporting that in any way. I'm very against that.

A few days ago, my mom told me there was someone looking to give away a rat they were originally going to use as a feeder. It was bred to be a feeder but their snake didn't show any interest in eating it. They said the rat has no physical injuries, the snake and the rat didn't even make contact. They'll be coming home with me sometime today or tomorrow

I do have experience in rat care. I had pet rats for years but about 2 years ago my last baby passed away and I was too heartbroken to adopt any more. So I don't have any right now but I have all the supplies needed to take care of it. I already have a vet appointment set to make sure it's healthy. I've just never had a rat that came from this situation and I need some advice.

They're coming to me as a single and I don't have any info about their background or where they came from. All of my other ones were already socialized or came in pairs at least. Is there a certain amount of time I should wait before introducing more? I plan on giving them at least a couple of days or maybe a week or two so they don't get too stressed and I can do some bonding. Is there a recommended way to introduce a single to more rats? Are there any extra behavioral or health issues I should look out for?

I just want to make sure I'm not totally traumatizing this one even more than it might already be. Thank you!

It seems like I might have got myself a very small dog in a dog crate. This small dog was once grey but seems to change color. This might be due to the dog like sleep postures she has. Here she shows you the ‘stretchy patato’

-no but for real, got my girls a small dog crate on the second hand fair today. The amount of happiness coming from these four is unreal. One of them has been running all over the upper floor. The other three haven’t left their cage and snoozed.

My rat’s coat is looking/feeling a bit greasy (greasier than the pic, which I’ve included for rat tax lol) and I’d like to give her a bath. She’s 6 months old and has never had one. I’ve read that you can use baby shampoo if you don’t have dog or cat shampoo. I’ve also read dish soap but that seems a bit harsh. Does anyone know if a gentle, unscented Cetaphil could work?

So I have 5 male rats, 3 are about a year and a half old and I have 2 7 month Olds. Recently one of my older boys has developed issues with the younger 2, it's really confusing me because the younger ones have started to be really nervous around him half the time and the other half everyone's fine? My guess is that now that my younger ones have reached a mature age that the group dynamic is changing or something but I'm not sure, the fights are very similar to real fights just no blood.

Does anyone with more experience have any ideas on what's going on with my group?

Just found two little ones, I would love to keep them alive. Need help on how to do that. What do the eat and drinks as babies?

Hey guys. As you can see I got a rather roomy cage for my 2 girls but I just feel they don't have enough to do in there when I don't let them out for a free roam session. If you can give me some accessory ideas as well as a good UK website to buy them from I'd be super grateful. Thank you!

In my last post I seeked help from you people regarding my male rattie (2.2years old). Well I took him to the vet, and the vet said it is very common for old rats to behave this way. They also handed me some multivitamins to give him daily which is do, but still he shows no interest in his surroundings, grooming himself, etc. Moreover he eats very less and his health has declined to the point where I can see his bones and feel them while holding him. From past 1-2 days he has lost majority of his hind legs mobility. Is his time near? Also how to prepare for this hard time.

My boy, ColbyJack, got out, and my bf had to get him and sent me this picture after he successfully grabbed him lmao (cage in the back is not for the rats, just want to clarify lol)

Found two piles of rats , total of 14! Knew the mother was close so I left for lunch for 30 min and everyone was gone. Just wanted to share. Ps I did not put them in the insulation.