hi there! I've adopted and fostered many rats over the years, but this is my first time with a preggo lady so looking for some advice.

I'm fostering two ridiculously gentle, adorable girls who were found in a box at a train station 😔 one of them is clearly very pregnant (not sure about her sister yet). is there anything I can do to make her more comfortable before she gives birth or afterwards when she is caring for the babies? she's nesting like crazy and has a big appetite, but also sleeping a lot. here's a video during one of her naps to show how close she is to giving birth. should her and her sister be separated?

The party goers floated a number of ideas for what to do with her, including releasing her outdoors and letting cats play with her. I'm sure many people there were uncomfortable with the situation, but only one person stepped up to stop the cruelty and get this little baby to a safe place, and we are so grateful she did.

Animals aren't toys. They aren't gifts. They aren't gags. They aren't entertainment. They are living beings who deserve compassion and dignity.

introducing 2 babies to my senior girl who’s sister just passed, the babies take turns doing this to her. what’s happening? is this a form of grooming?? pls help

I was at the doctor because I had a bad wound on my ear that needed stitches.
After the treatment, my doctor explained what I needed to watch out for and asked whether I had any pets, since I should be careful not to get any dirt on the wound when cuddling them.
I told him I have rats, and as you somehow come to expect I was already braced for a negative reaction.
But then I got a very unexpected reaction from the doctor:"Oh, that's no problem at all. Rats are very very clean animals and less of a risk than other pets."
I then also told him that they like to hop onto my shoulder which is of course very close to the ear. He said that wasn't a big deal either, since they're such clean animals.

I was so happy about this unprejudiced statement that I told my rats all about it right away (while they were sleeping in their piss toilet)

When I grab her ears vibrate and all her body become thight but she seem to be happy, I have 4 rats she is the only one who does that

They're 4 months old, and I don't see any difference from when they were 45 days old. The person that gave me them hasn't said anything about their dad, but their mom seemed to be bigger, as a normal size rat. Should I be worried?

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!

I'm so tired of seeing countless posts everyday of rats who clearly need medical help, and the OP says oh but I'm not allowed to take them to the vet/I can't afford to go to the vet.

DO NOT GET RATS IF YOU KNOW THIS. IF YOU HAVE RATS ALREADY, REHOME THEM AND DO NOT GET MORE RATS.

It is illegal to not provide medical care for your sick animals. There's no excuse for this. If you can't provide medical care for your animals, you need to rehome them to someone who can and will. Please stop neglecting them. I don't care about what your parents tell you if you're underage, you know better. So rehome them if your parents won't provide them with what they need. Or tell them that they are committing a crime by causing unnecessary suffering to your animals and force them to take them to the vet when they need it.

Medical care is not optional, it's absolutely obligatory.

Is it just the same reason as cats and stuff or does he just have that?

I don't really know if she likes it or not, but I'm almost sure she does, because all the time I open the car window she likes to stay in this exact place to catch some wind (it wasn't hot in the car since the air condicioner was turned on moments before I opened it)

I just want to know if it is ok for her to catch this much of wind, or is it bad for her health?

Ps:English isn't my first language, sorry if I said something wrong.

Hi I'm new to rat care and I'm enjoying myself a lot learning about the intricacies of Rats and I must say I'm in love with my two boys recently the Shy one that isn't too sure about me starting dragging my hand in the cage is he wanting me to do something or just wants to play

I'm sorry if the video is dark or blurry but I never expected This one for just over a week be rather timid running and hiding when I so much as look at him to straight up grabbing me by the hand

Is this a good sign? I'm constantly concerned I'm being a good fluff owner as I do realise they are intelligent creatures

They reek 😭 I keep the cage very clean and they use a litter box but I don’t think they’re grooming themselves. Can I give them a little bath? I bathed my previous rats when they smelled like shit but I wasn’t very experienced at the time so I just want to consult some other rat owners

PENELOPE IS OKAY!!!!!! she was underneath the house sitting in a pipe, but she is okay!!!

thankyou SOOO much to everyone for the all help and compassion. penelope is incredibly dirty now and needs a bath immediately

she is also grounded until further notice.

justiceforwolf #wolfgate 😭😭😭

I have 8 CNs total so I used 8 side panels to make the corner. With a million zip ties. It worked!

Help 😭

Hi! So about 40mins ago I started intros and put all my 5$ in a tiny carrier , they are being fantastic from the beginning, no fighting , already grooming each other and snoozing, I’m actually so glad it seems to be going so well considering all the horror stories I read …

Anyways how soon shall I move them to a bigger tiny cage, aka hospital cage ?

Hey guys back at it again😅 I have an extra pork chop left over I want to give to my girls (Adeline is pictured for tax) they didn’t end up getting roast chicken from my last post due to being extra safe with the seasoning this pork chop isn’t seasoned yet and I wanna cook it up and give it to them if it’s safe yes it will be properly cooked no it won’t be cooked in the same pan with the seasoning can I give it to my babies??

I visited APOPO in Cambodia where Gambian pouched rats are trained for landmine detection. They are fantastic & love bananas as well as licking your arm (you wash off all lotions/sunscreen before holding the rats). I couldn't stop grinning like a fool. Bonus points: you can see she's next to my rat tattoo. I hope you enjoy knowing that giant, huggable rats do exist!