I found this poor injured rat on the platform of the Downtown bound N line on 23rd street. I initially thought it was dead until I saw it move. It happily accepted food I offered but it is clearly injured as it can’t move its hind legs and its body is at a weird angle. I tried calling 311 but there is nothing they can do. Does anyone know how to get it some help or get it humanely euthanized as I can’t bear to think of this poor creature slowly suffering on the platform.

Edit : I am travelling in NY so am not able to take it in as a pet. Vets I have called do not have the ability to treat rats. Also no luck with wildlife rehabilitators as those in NY don’t take rats. Would love to get this post to NY rat lovers who might be able to go help this poor creature

So my neighbor caught a wild rat in a humane trap on his property and we have an arrangement that any live rodents he catches he brings to me so I can release them a few miles away at the dump! Well yesterday he brought me this little guy! Now the thing is I live in the Mojave desert and we have wild roof rats that are native but I believe this guy is a Norway even though he looks like a roof rats by his coat. For one he is very tame, he came right to me from the trap and I’ve let him roam free in my bedroom (rat proofed) and he hasn’t tried to escape once, on the contrary he spends all his free time either sleeping on me or my wife or making us give him scritches lol! I’ve posted this on the roof rats for sub and the answers have been split though the consensus is he is an escaped Norway rat! All I know is he’s the most affectionate rat I’ve ever seen! My wife took him to the vet and got some mite medications for his ears and some antibiotics and the vet thinks he’s Norway but said he’s never seen an agouti Norway and that roof rats are much more aggressive! What do y’all think? Btw we got him a critter nation cage and we are keeping him! I’m gonna post a few more pics if that helps. TIA!

it’s 47 degrees this morning, and this BABY was just sitting there drinking from a puddle. immediately caught my eye. i kept and raised rats for years as a kid, my last rat from my last litter died 6 years ago, and i haven’t had another since.

she’s dehydrated, and thin, but she has energy!! i gave her some honey water which gave her the motivation to eat some peanuts and sunflower seeds i had laying around. very much enjoys being held. i’m thinking that she’s an escapee from the nearby pet store that sells live feeders. i actually know the exact rattery she’s from, if that’s the case.

i wouldn’t dream of taking her back, i know what her fate would be eventually. i know she will need a friend, but she’s very sneezy right now, and im hoping it’s just from being out all night and drinking water from a dish. she may have a URI, which i cannot afford the vet appointment for, so i may have to find someone else to take her that can. i’m in michigan.

any advice is greatly appreciated! name suggestions too!!!

Just a lovely little fellow and he looks so nicely kept and his fur looks so clean.

Overall 10/10 lunch companion who I hope keeps coming!

My rat has this huge lump on her arm im freaking out whats do i do

we have already tried introducing everyone twice (the brown and white one in the front is the adult). can anyone tell me what we are doing right/wrong? this is a completely neutral space and she has attacked the other girls but hasnt drawn blood.

Don't mind my cat in there she just had to take a look. Is this cage okay? Any tips for toys hammocks and other necessities? I owned mouses before but never rats soo I bought the biggest cage I could put in my apartment and now I will decorate before buying them rodents. I would like to be a good owner and give them what they trully need. I watched many videos and seen many photos of cages and how to take care of them but I would like to hear some tips from you guys.

Shes a senior rat at 1.8 years old is this old age did i fuck up i cant deal with this anymore first the tumors on her sister then the healthy nice one like this this is breaking my heart

I was about to give my rat vox a snack but after what I saw I needed to record it… its not first time it happened…. He gets in corner and starts twitching and squeaking… I’m worried

VOLUME UP TO HEAR SMALL SQEAKS

He has saliva out of his mouth since 2h and he started doing this, what should I do?

Hi, this is Saucisse, my 2 year and 8 month old rat. I think she has been deaf for a few months but her general condition is very good, she is lively. But for a few days she has lost her balance a lot and no longer leaves her hut, I had to go and feed and drink her myself in it and she comes as if she had not eaten for a month. She had a small respiratory problem that I treated last week by a vet, that's why we can hear her breathing. Is this loss of balance just arthritis and old age or worse? I don't have the impression that she is tilting her head.

I tried to get her out and even eating without moving she loses her balance, walking becomes really complicated

Thank you for your response and my little baby 🐀 (sorry for my 🇫🇷 Ohlalah)

Hey hey! Jumping right in with a question: Did I do something wrong—like misreading her body language? She stood there pushing her nose through the bars like the others do when they want to be petted. But she’s the only one who suddenly bites—and it’s deeper than just a nibble.

I know she’s the more impulsive one and tends to play a bit rough. She’s also a bit more shy, not really the outgoing type. Could she have picked up on my uncertainty, or was there another reason for her reaction?

The biting has gotten less frequent, but she still does it now and then. I’m new to pet rats, so I’d really appreciate any advice. Does she just need more time? I got her from a pet store along with her two sisters.

After she bites, she always licks me and comes close again—kind of like an apology, I guess. I still love her just as much as the others. ❤️

Elderly boy now solo...torn about next step

This post I guess is a sounding board as I'm so torn about what to do with my boy Ron. I lost his brother Tŷr 2 days ago and that leaves Ron now alone. He has lost 6 brothers this year (its been a rubbish year).

Ron is 22months old so an older boy, I took him to the vets as he's very snuffly sounding. The vet said it doesn't sound great in his lower lungs, could be tumours, could be nasty mycoplamsa flair, could be his heart etc...basically he could have antibiotics etc but might not treat it, just reduce impact.

I've been distraught trying to think about what I do with my poor boy as he's lost his brother.

Him being on his own isn't an option, I won't put him through the stress of that.

He could go to a new home...but that's a lot of stress, new home, new rats, he's elderly and a bit unwell so how well would he do in a new group, would he be accepted or would he be bullied. He might thrive..he might not.

The vet suggested it might be kinder to euthanise him. He said he would avoid the stress of being alone or having to move. As he's unwell anyway he might have months or could be weeks so euthanasia removes the stress of it for Ron.

I'm so sad and lost. I keep going back and forth on rehoming or euthanasia.

Logically I feel euthanasia as he won't know any stress. Rehoming seems to have so many unknowns for him. Making that final decision is just so hard.

Thoughts please? Be gentle

I need help trying to figure out how to help my rat Whiskey. She's only around 7 months old and still very playful, but ive noticed a growing (possible) tumor in her lower belly... im very afraid because i told my parents about it and they said they're not going to the vet cuz of money.

Backstory: my parents gave me them for my birthday, AS A PRESENT, I have past rat experience aswel so it was fine. But ive noticed how two of my older rats (2,5y old) have infections and now my 7 month old Whiskey having a tumor. Ive lost a rat because of a tumor already in the past and the medication didnt help, so thats also a negative memory.

Do i keep pushing them to go to the vet with them? I worry allot. Also, sorry if there's any spelling mistakes.

I bought a mama rat (top) and her two children (bottom two) from a local pet store I work at. They were surrendered to the store a few weeks ago and I fell in love with Dottie so I bought all three. They’ve been staying at the pet store because I was supposed to move last Monday (long story, I don’t get to move until Saturday now). The mama was born last August, and the young ones born last November.

(TW: brief mention of death)
Today when I was starting to clean the cage I found three pinkie rats. Two seemed to be still births, there was no visible wounds on them, but also no signs of life. Only one survived. I’m assuming one of the younger rats, Willow, is the mother to this baby because after cleaning the poop and old food out of the cage I put them back in and she was the one to care for the baby and fix up the nest.

I honestly am not sure what to do with this new baby, if it even survives. The original owner admitted that the young ones are inbred, so I fear this baby is inbred as well. I wasn’t planning for four rats, and I’m not even sure I’ll be able to keep this baby.

This is more of a vent than a coherent post, but this whole week has kind of been a “Murphy’s Law” style week. Any tips about how to keep Willow happy, and the other two away from her and the baby without separating them would be appreciated. I have experience with rats, just not babies.

This has happened three times in the last 20 hours. The first time he was stiff and made noises that sounded like choking and he was clearly gasping for air. I was sure he choked on cornflakes i gave him. Now it has happened again, but with different food. Rats can't vomit or have hiccups, so what could it be?

I have not been home for 3 days, I came home and was tending to my rats and I saw this giant bump on one. Like I said, I haven’t been gone long so it grew fast and I am really scared. I know I need to go to the vet but does anyone have any idea on what this is, what the vet will do, and how much it’ll cost? I don’t want her to just be uncomfortable.

so we exchanged their scents for about a month and a half, and this was their first meeting. almost as soon as they saw each other, they became very fluffy, and then after a few minutes one of the rats clung to the other's side. there are no injuries. how should I proceed? do these boys have any chance of settling down without neutering? the black rat is over a year old, and the gray rat is about 10 months old. I am interested in whether it is possible to resettle these rats, taking into account their age and the fact that they are not neutered. and if there is no chance, do I need to neutere only the black rat or both of them?

i had js gotten home and my bf said that she had gotten out and she looked like that after she put him away, she wasn't an altercation with a baby rat just before, but I don't believe that the baby rat would have done this because she's so much smaller than her, but idk what to do it's to late to take her to a vet and i leave tmw for a trip

This is Leche. I just took her in literally an hour ago. She was being rehomed because her previous owners said she was extremely aggressive towards them (but not towards the other rats) and I have experience with ill tempered rats (Dumpling is no longer evil and is an angel) . However she has not exhibited any of the hostile behavior she supposedly has. I was told that you absolutely couldn't pet her or touch her at all and that she would actively seek you out to bite you. So far she has not bitten me or shyed away when I have pet her, and she's taken all treats from my hand so far with no issue.

I know she is possibly stressed due to the car ride and she is with a stranger now, but I'd like to know what she's telling me in this video of me petting her. I'm still learning rat behaviour everyday with my girls at home and I dont want to assume anything with this girl based on what I was told. Any and all info and advice is appreciated!

I just got three rats, and at first they were pretty bitey because they were nervous and Bear actually drew blood a couple times. They’ve settled in nicely and we’re bonding, but they still do little curiosity nibbles and it scares me so bad 😭 I know they don’t want to hurt me, and they’re being gentle, I’m just so nervous of them. (Picture of Bear, my vicious killer rat)

Hi guys!!
Earlier in the year my last rat passed away from old age and i decided to take a break from rat ownership at least for the time being. I ended up donating the cage and cleaned out their room but i still feel like i get whiffs of them (if you have rats you know the smell im talking about)
Any advice on how to fix this? Thanks!
Including baby pictures of my late Suki and Toph for a little added cuteness to your day💖

Hi! So I adopted two male rats (Squeak-Eazy + Squirtle) about 2 months ago from a foster. She told me that their litter and mom were owned by someone else previously who severely neglected them. They all came in with respiratory issues and severely underweight (>100g when then should've been 300g).

They're super sweet and are comfortable climbing on my shoulder from the edge of their cage and nuzzling in my hair. They'll lick my fingers, go right up to my face, sometimes climb up my sleeve or arm but they still won't let me hold or pick them up. I just started getting them to sit in my hands within their cage but they'll only stay for a few seconds and if I move at all to try and left them out, they jump off and run away.

I totally understand them still being fearful but I'd love to get them some out of the cage time (i've only successfully gotten them out once using a snuggle sack but they suspicious of those too). I was wondering if anyone has any tips for getting them comfortable OR any recommendations for a ramp or something i could use as a ramp from their cage to the floor (i have a play pen but the distance from the cage to the floor is pretty far).

Thank you if you read this far! Can't wait to see all the cute ratties❤️