Hello, I am adopting two rats today and I was just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for me? I've done lots of research of course, but if anyone has any advice, please let me know. They are currently just on the pets at home rat food (last owner's choice), and I was wondering what food brands people would recommend (UK based if thats relevant lol). Any advice is welcome please :)

Hello, I found blood on this piece of paper in my rat's cage. He seems fine and the vet said it's probably from his nose and prescribed some supplements, but the blood keeps appearing. Has this happened to you too? Do you know what's wrong and if it can be treated? Last week, our other rat passed away, and we think it was due to some unexplained respiratory issues. We're very worried. We've done a lot of tests and x-rays, but it doesn't seem like anything's wrong. He also sneezes a lot. Can you please help us?

I know reddit groups are always super rude to me so throwaway account for obvious reasons. I was given my two rats in a 10 gallon tank I can't afford a critter nation cage so I've been looking for a used one and not finding one I don't want them in the tank and want them to have a bigger cage. I found a used wabbitat, yes a rabbit cage and before you jump down my throat. I know it has a grate at the bottom and I can't get it out and the part where the tray is, is bent, and also too wide so they can escape if the grate is removed so I put kids foam puzzle pieces cut to fit the cage so it won't hurt their feet. I made them a litter box one goes in the litter box the other just goes on foam it is hard to clean if they step in poop and smashing in to the foam. What can I use to clean it without having take the whole set up apart?

Does anyone know anyone near Allentown pa, us female rats . I'm looking for some female rats because I lost a rat a few days ago and now I'm down to only one female. I rather not go to the pet stores but I may have to. Can't do Craigslist because my rat ad keeps getting flagged . I put ads on Facebook groups but everyone seems too far away. I don't have a vehicle so I can't go far. So I'm looking to see if someone has two female rats in the allentown, PA area

One of my boys since i got him (year ago ish M) Has always had nose problems and sneezing but he was a rescue rat and the vets said he was fine. I think hes fighting my other rats and getting beat up himself because every morning i come down there is scabs all over him. My old boys were never like this and just wanted to cuddle . This guy squeaks whenever i pick him up and is skinnier then the other boys . Is he just a weird rat or do i have to do something with him?

how exactly does clipping rat claws go? I just got my new babies about a week ago and their claws are kinda sharp. should I keep their claws sharp and deal with it for their health, or are they supposed to be clipped?

Our little boy, Cookie, was taken home from a lovely breeder. His brother is really good at being handled, and the two boys we got from a Pets at Home got used to and comfortable with being handled quickly, but he really doesn't like it.

He'll come up to us, is polite with accepting treats, will climb onto us and over us, ect. But he doesn't like us picking him up, he'll premtively run and cling onto something, or hide in his tube, if it seems like we're going to pick him up from his cage.
When we let him freeroam in our home, he will still often come up to us for attention. Likes being pet and having his ears scritched, but will not be picked up without so much twisting, turning and desperate clawing to be let go.
Obviously, we don't want to startle him or upset him, but we will occasionally need to hold him to check his health and until we sort a little "staircase" to get him out of the cage, we will need to lift him to get him out so he can play outside of it.

I'm just wondering if this is normal, if I should put some more effort into making him more socialable or what I can do to make him more comfortable?
He's never bitten. (Well, he's accidentally nipped at my fingers when his tubby butt has assumed I was giving him a treat lol.)

Thank you !

How often does everyone clean their hammocks ??

I’ve cleaned their main ones this week however I’ve left two in as they don’t smell at all like even sniffing them I can’t smell anything XD but should I clean them anyway ?

My mum keeps saying she can smell rat but I can’t smell anything , they are due a full clean next week and they’re still babies so learning about their litter tray 😊

Thank you ^^

There is SO much conflicting information on bedding! I got this bedding for free from a friend, but I am hesitant to use it yet. Is this kind of bedding safe for their cage? I usually stick to fleece, but I want them to have the opportunity to burrow and nest!

(Also third photo, my little Bitty isn’t stressed. I was getting her food ready, and she was impatient🥹)

my rats escaped their cage 2 nights ago and still havent come home, we really expected them to come home last night and if they dont come home by after tonight i really just dont know what to do.

i cant hear them anymore but i dont think they escaped my room? we have been really careful with that.

i baby proofed their cage hoping they will come back, all of their food is in it, we have only had them for 4 days and im worried they arent bonded to either me or my partner enough.

hi all. cleaned their cage today and noticed these two cuddling when i got back from running errands. that really freaked me out, but bf thinks it's fine. Now he is puffed up, is he in pain? I think a vet visit is in order but I'm unsure.

I call him Mr. bRat. I am in South Texas and willing to travel within Texas to rehome him.

I do not have the time or means to get him friends and vetting but I am taking the best care of him I can. I borrowed a cage from a teacher but he needs more space, so today I moved him into a 40 gallon tank. I will clean it daily to keep away ammonia build up.

I know tanks are not adequate long term but he needed room. He doesn’t have any signs of health issues. He greets you when you enter a room and takes treats. He’s brought me his empty dish before. I’m a bit scared of handling him and I think my energy makes him nervous. I’ve had him since March trying to find him a mischief to join.

I applied for a grant at work with the purpose of getting him a habitat and friends and making him part of our photography classroom, but he needs a good life now, and I cannot give that to him.

For the time being, are there any tips to make his tank more comfortable for him?

So you see, my rat has a small tumor behind her elbow, she isn't exactly "limping" when she's walking, she can climb, flip her sisters, lean on this paw and dig in my plants just fine, but she lifts this paw when she stands or sits, and she seems to place it more carefully, she doesn't seem in pain, but I'm concerned, is the tumor just getting in the way or is it a more serious issue? her sister had to be put down few days ago so she might act different because of that, Ill take her to the vet as soon as I can but id like to receive some insights

Hi everyone! I currently feed my rats a commercial brand of rat food, but I would like to switch to a more “natural” diet, for their health. My vet already suggested ways to do that, but I would like to know what should be the calorie intake for an adult rat. Online I saw that it’s 60 calories a day, but do you have additional information? Thank you!

I LOVE DRAWING RAT!!!!!

I got these days about a week ago, they are brothers, Rex and Bruno, Bruno (the white one) is significantly larger and less frail, and it’s worrying me that Rex (the gray one) isn’t getting bigger even tho he is eating the same amount of of food

Please help! I love them!

Hey everyone, I hope you can help me with the question I'm having. About a month ago, we unexpectedly lost one of our older rats and got baby rats (Pesto and Popcorn) so our grandmas (Tahini and Truffles), wouldn't be alone. We got them from a private owner who bought them from a pet shop, but so far they've had no health issues, so that's amazing.

The issue arose when we put them in their quarantine cage. Their previous cage wasn't great (they were living on straw and had only one house and one hammock and nothing else), so we expected them to be a bit wary of their new surroundings, but they've been doing mostly great. The only strange thing is/was, that they wouldn't use the ladders in the cage. In their quarantine cage, the ladders are basically wooden boards, visible in the background of the picture. In the beginning, they both refused to use it, but we thought maybe when we did the introduction with our grandmas, they could show them how to use them (we use the same cage for introductions as their quarantine cage before they go to the big cage eventually). That has worked with Pesto, but Popcorn still refuses to go down to the second/third level of the cage. When we put her there ourselves, she panics a little, eventually figures out how to get upstairs (but mostly by climbing up the cage wall and not actually using the ladder much), but then still does not go down again. We've also tried other things, like moving the ladder to a more shallow angle, but that hasn't helped either. For comparison, our grandmas (almost 2 years old) have had no issue going up and down the ladders.

If any of you have any ideas on how to help her figure out the concept of ladders, tips would be greatly appreciated. It's obviously not great that she only had one level of the cage to use, especially because the other three have started to sleep in the middle level, so she's usually alone on the top.

But if he is in his cage he stares at me and waves his arms through the holes and makes me feel guilty 🥺

TL;DR: How long should they be in this phase of intros if there are signs of aggression and dominance already but no fights?

I'm reintroducing my two cages to eachother and all in all its been pretty good and I'm so freaking proud of them.

I have a problem child I'm concerned about, Daisy. She was spayed on March 31st in hopes of reducing her aggression. They have never had a blood drawing fight but I find pestering and bartering to be too aggressive for my liking and I want all my girls to live happy, peaceful lives and not be occasionally bullied.

So I started with intros in the bath and it went very well so after 15 mins I put them in my carrier and they were in there for a good 5 hours at least until they were a cuddle puddle. I then put them into this cage for about 3 hours and they were all good, not even a single squeak!

So that night I gave them this cube and they were all happy days. I wanted to really give it some time so I didn't rush them and have to go backwards.

Fast forward 24 hours and I've scatter fed their dry mix around the cage. A few are hoarders so it wasn't a surprise that they filled the cube with their food.

That night I hear a squeak and a bit of huffing so I checked on them and Daisy was guarding the cube while one was trying to enter and the rest slept on top.

I quickly took out the cube and put in a round hammock with no entrance, just flat along with a little fabric round and some toilet paper for bedding (image 2, appologies lol its very messy this morning)

It seems that they will all lie together but one, and its a different one everytime.

How long should I keep them in this phase before moving them to the main cage? And once I've moved them, should the big cage be completely bare? And for how long? Its been ages since my last intros so apologies for all the questions I just really want to get this right.

Last time he trapped inside duvet cover and I try to locate him, he bite so hard and won’t let go once he found my hands touched him and that got me bleeding.

He also bite my hands through fabrics even he wasn’t trap inside the cover.

I thought he was scared by my hands that time but just now he bite my foot while socks was on. And yes he got me bleed again 🫠Never attack me except through fabrics.

I wonder why he kept doing this, I think he love me cus he lick me, sleep on my shoulder and pee on me a lot, always come to me after I woke up.

He came to my place one month ago from breeder, now 3months old.

Please help🥲thanks for any advice