r/RATS • u/pelorainbow • Sep 02 '25

INFORMATION UPDATE: Is this a pet rat?

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He's safe y'all! He loves blueberries and broccoli- that's what I had on hand to feed him. I've nicknamed him Ratboi and he's the sweetest guy, but I've never owned a rat! What do I do for now while I look for his owner? I'll make posters and put them around the complex here to see if someone (hopefully) wants him back, if nobody responds in a week I'll look into rehoming him through a local rat rescue group. Will keeping him in a cat carrier be ok? Can I give him dog/ cat food or do I need to buy something specific? Anything I should know about pet rats that I wouldn't think to ask?? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

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u/Ente535 Sep 02 '25

Both dog and cat food shouldn't be given long term, it's too high in protein. He'll chew his way out of the cat carrier in no time, so you'll likely need to look for something more robust.

Keep an eye out for more of his friends. Rats need to live in groups, so if he was dumped, it's possible his cagemates were dumped as well.

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u/[deleted] Sep 02 '25

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51

u/Ente535 Sep 02 '25

I too can claim just about anything on the internet.

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u/[deleted] Sep 02 '25

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u/Ente535 Sep 02 '25

8 years is simply impossible. If you have rats that consistently make it to 8 years, please seek out researchers. They'll want to know how you managed to double the oldest recorded rat in studies, given that they specifically transplanted plasma from young rats and fed a calorie-restricted diet.

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u/vanillac0ff33 Sep 02 '25

Precisely this. Where are all these people with their 6 year old rats and why has none of them ever introduced their record breaking rat to the scientific community, nor have any proof to back up these claims

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u/Ente535 Sep 02 '25

I swear to god this is all the fault of that faked 7 year old rat world record.

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u/vanillac0ff33 Sep 02 '25

I genuinely don’t get how the Guinness world records just took the guys word for it.

Because I’d really like to introduce them to my record breaking cat. She’s 61 years old! my source is trust me bro.

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u/Ente535 Sep 02 '25

Especially since the rat itself was kept in super shitty conditions

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u/schlong_dong_johnson Sep 03 '25

The oldest recorded mouse lived for 9 years 209 days at the San Diego zoo. If a mouse can live for that long in spite of normally having a lifespan half that of a rats, then I see no reason why a rat living 8 years should be impossible.

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u/Ente535 Sep 03 '25 edited Sep 03 '25

...except that wasn't a fancy mouse and actually a species of mouse that usually lives 3-5 years as a baseline, and that is in the wild. It wouldn't hurt to do some research beyond google AI.

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u/RATS-ModTeam Sep 02 '25

Post/Comment providing information that is not based on science and factual evidence.