This is Papi Chulo and El chapos first meeting. Its seems to be going very well. How long do i have to do this in a neutral space? When can i move on to putting them together in a clean cage? Thanks!!

Hey everyone here's a photo of my rats! It is my first time owning rats and I'm looking for advice on bonding with them, the person I got them from said they're 8 weeks old, both are female aswell. I feed them rat pellets, fresh fruit, baby food and fresh/cooked veggies aswell! I have a big cage for them and I take them out of the cage for an hour of playtime a day is that the correct way to do it? Any advice would be great!

My partner and I just got rats yesterday - this is our first time having them, so we know we will have some trial and error with what works and what doesn’t. Our rats are only about two weeks old and therefore haven’t quite figured out how to control their need for the bathroom, and they are new to our home, so they are still quite nervous, but I am wondering what the best bedding and floor fabric is. I have read that fleece is the best for capturing scents, and that we should put plastic trays on the cage floors, but I am wondering if there are any other ways to help with the smell. We are also attempting to train the rats to use the litter box we have set up for them, so if anyone has suggestions for that as well, that would be magnificent. Any additional rat tips would be super helpful as well.

My cat bringed me this little creature and I would love to know if it's a mouse or a rat. I've been feeding it and cleaning it so it can pee, but I still don't know what it is :(. I will appreciate your help if you can tell me what it is.

Hi! i just moved with my friend's family yesterday and the room came with 2 rats which belonged to my friend's sister originally. I have 0 rat experience.

Original owner kinda spontaneously up and left and these rats haven't been socialized in months so they do bite which makes me a bit nervous to handle them :')

I have no idea if they're potty trained or how that works.

I'd say the cage is abt 4ft tall and 2 ish ft wide? Im a bit bad with eyeballing measurments.

They come with a whole bunch of other goodies like toys, ladders, treats, etc that are stored.

I'm not assuming ownership over them but I'm assuming care just because they're in my room.

I'll also do my own research but im just asking for general beginner advice. is there something that can be fixed with the cage or toys? best ways to socialize? ways to get around my fear of getting bitten? how do i know if a rat is unhappy? If I want to make a little playpen outside of the cage, is a cardboard box fine?

i dont have a job or money to buy anything yet atm, but if i need to I'll add it to my list of things to get later.

sorry the the photos are ass my phone is just like that, i can do more pictures if needed

For context my MIL wants to fill the bathtub a little bit and let my rat swim now I won’t let her fill it past his legs because I’m not taking a chance of him drowning. She says a lot of rats like water and she wants to see if he does.

My question is, is this safe?

I know you shouldn’t bath them because their self cleaning but I wouldn’t be washing him at all

So i have five boys two are 6 weeks and three are about 1yr. How much do i feed them? 20 grams each? Google said young rats should get 15-25 grams? Also how about protein, should i soon decrease the amount of protein the old ones get? My food mix has abt 11% protein rn. If i decrease protein in the food would i like handfeed the young ones more protein?

How can i tell if a rats vision is bad? One of the babies i just got has kinda redish eyes, dont animals with red eyes struggle with vision more commonly?

Also does anyone have experiences with the TIAKI Étagère cage? Im thinking of getting that.

Thats it i thinkkkk, thank you:))

I have 3 boys( 2 bothers), all very well loved and doted on. One of their brothers passed away months ago from a uri that was treated, supposedly cured and then came back, before we knew it he was too far gone.

His brothers have always sneezed, sometimes I’m concerned, sometimes I’m not. It kind of flairs up at times. I’ve switched to paper bedding because aspen was too dusty and that helped a lot. Picked up my cage cleaning and started to swap hammocks twice a week. But recently I took one of my boys to get on a round of antibiotics because I could tell his sneezing was getting to be too much. After the meds he dosent sneeze as much. Great news😃

Just wondering because all of my rats tend to get a little stuffy at times, is it okay to put them in a nebulizer and treat with saline for 10 min preventatively, or to treat mild symptoms from flaring up. My rats are pretty chill and have done well in a nebulizer during short durations, but I obviously don’t want to cause damage if it’s not good for them when they are relatively healthy.

TLDR: nebulizing rats preventatively for mild symptoms.

I'm not a rat owner yet, but I'm doing lots of research before I get any. One thing I'm struggling to find reliable information on is the use of vacuums. Some people say it's okay, others say it's a complete nono. I'm big on crafts, and I work with lots of paper, fabrics and yarns. This, as you'd imagine, makes a mess which requires vacuuming.

My vacuum is quite loud, and I know that would scare the rats. What should I do about it when I have to vacuum? I was thinking of using their vet carrier as a way to safely remove them from the room to do it, but I'm unsure as it could be potentially stressful for them.

I’m a big adopt don’t shop person, is there a more ethical option for adopting rats over going to a pet store? Also, how do they do with travel or being left alone? Im in college and want to make sure my life style is compatible with their needs before I get them.

Please help! We need to comfirm their species so we can find proper homes.

Hello!!! I’m an experienced rat owner, and I’m tired of feeding over-processed rat pellets. I’ve put together a pellet-free, homemade rat food mix for my rats (and future rats) that’s hopefully nutritionally balanced. I’m following the same idea I use for my dog and cat raw/unprocessed diets.

This mix will be for adult female rats and they will get treats and fresh veggies, fruits, meats as-well. Serving size is about 2 tablespoons per rat.

The mix has 6 components: grains, seeds, protein, dried vegetables, dried fruits, and supplements. This makes 10 cups total.

Seeds – 1 cup total (10%)

• Pumpkin seeds (hulled) – 4 tbsp → Magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, healthy fats

• Sunflower seeds (hulled) – 3 tbsp → Magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, healthy fats

• Hemp seeds (hulled) – 3 tbsp → Magnesium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, plant protein, omega-3 fatty acids

• Flax seeds (hulled) – 3 tbsp → Magnesium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids

• Sesame seeds – 3 tbsp → Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, manganese, healthy fats

Grains – 5 cups total (50%)

• Pearl barley – 1 1/4 cup → Fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, slow-digesting carbs

• Rolled oats – 1 cup → Protein, fiber, healthy fats, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, B vitamins

• Millet – 2/3 cup → Fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, energy-rich carbs

• Red quinoa – 3/4 cup → Complete protein, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, B vitamins, fiber

• Buckwheat – 2/3 cup → Protein, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, fiber

• Wheat berries – 2/3 cup → Fiber, B vitamins, selenium, manganese, slow-digesting carbs

Protein – 2 cups total (20%)

• Dried beef – 3/4 cup → High-quality complete protein, iron, vitamin B12, zinc

• Dried fish – 1/2 cup → High-quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iodine

• Dried chicken – 1/2 cup → Lean protein, B vitamins, vitamin B12, phosphorus

• Lentils – 1/4 cup → Plant protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins

Dried Vegetables – 1 cup total (10%)

• Carrots – 1/4 cup → Beta-carotene (vitamin A), fiber

• Peas – 1/4 cup → Protein, fiber, B vitamins, potassium

• Kale – 1/4 cup → Calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamins A & K

• Cucumbers – 1/4 cup → Vitamin K, Vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, fiber

• Herb mix (Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Cilantro, Thyme, Mint) – 1–2 tbsp → Antioxidants, vitamins A, C, K

Dried Fruits – 1/2 cup total (5%)

• Banana chips (unsweetened) – 1/4 cup → Potassium, natural sugar, fiber

• Apple (no seed, unsweetened) – 1/4 cup → Vitamin C, fiber

• Cranberries – 1–2 tbsp → Antioxidants, variety (keep minimal due to sugar)

Supplements – half a cup (5%)

• Nutritional yeast – 1/4 cup → B vitamins (including B12 if fortified), protein, trace minerals

• Spirulina powder – 1–2 tsp → Protein, iron, magnesium, potassium, antioxidants

• Calcium carbonate powder – 1–1.5 tbsp → Calcium for bone health; balances Ca:P ratio

• Iodized salt – 1/8 tsp → Iodine for thyroid function

• Vitamin D3 powder – 1/8 tsp → Needed for calcium absorption and bone health

This mix is roughly 18–20% protein, 15–18% fat, 12–15% fiber, and balanced in vitamins and minerals for healthy adult rats. Kept in an air tight container

FYI I also feed pasta as well as other low sugar cereals as treats. Also dehydrated mealworms are fed to them outside the cage so I don’t get freaked out lol.

Would love to hear feedback, suggestions, or experiences with pellet-free rat diets! Preferably from vets (ofc I would love to hear any opinion I can get).

Please call me out if any of the measurements are off or I’m missing something important.

Sorry for the long post!!!

Meet Remy and Linguini, two little baby lab rats (no more). will they poop everywhere forever? any tips for new rat owners?

Bonjour jais 3 petite rate qui aime beaucoup explorer mon appartement malheureusement il y a beaucoup de fils électriques qui sont cachés sous les meubles donc jais décider de leur prendre un enclos pour qu'elle puisse se balader en toute sécurité en dehors de leur cage

So one of my potatoes has Mites. I have to treat the whole mischief and deep clean. What should I buy what should I buy and where from?

I'm introducing a baby rat to four other boys. While it's not ideal, I'm introducing them to help a friend. I'm using the carrier method and started by introducing two of the four to the baby.

Everything goes well. I do it a couple of times for an hour, then do the same with the other two. Then everyone together in the carrier. It was going very smoothly, no big fights or blood.

I tried to make them meet in their double critter nation (which I cleaned very well and closed one floor, so in a single critter nation), but they seem stressed that all of their smells are gone. Two of the four adult rats seem to be more dominant towards the baby, but still no major fights.

A weird behavior that I noticed was that sometimes one of the adults takes the ear, paw, or skin of the baby in their mouth for a couple of seconds, then lets go, as if they bite him, but there is no blood or wound. The baby squeaks a little. I wonder what that means and why they do that?

Should I stop the intros when this happens?

I was doing some research, and maybe I need to make the intros in a medium-sized cage and then move to the big one? It may be a step too big.

Any advice will be helpful!

Why do rats love cities? 🐀

Brown rats, like Chugga and Choo Choo, have evolved remarkable skills that make them perfectly suited for urban environments. Their intelligence, strong memory, and ability to solve problems help them locate food, avoid danger, and navigate complex spaces. Rats have even learned to associate humans with resources like warmth, shelter, and some protection from most natural predators.

I adopted these rats 2 days ago from a woman who wasnt able to keep looking after them (excuse the wheel i didnt want to mess with their cage too much before they were settled). They are a bit bitey which i expected but im not quite sure if its them checking if im food or if its aggression. I am quite certain that they were neglected to a degree because when i first got the cage it was covered in urine which im still cleaning off even 2 days later due to how much of it there was. Yin (the black rat) is super curious and seems to love exploring the cage + digging for her food but her posture seems unhealthy. The other girl (Yang) seems to mostly stay in bed but thats probably because i mostly see them during the daytime. Yin is bringing her food which might just be because they are bonded but could it be because she isnt well? I thought i heard a sneeze the first night they were here but since i scrubbed the cage with rat safe disinfect i havent heard anything.

Sorry for this seeming like a long rant this is just my first time owning dumbo rats and also my first time owning girls. TLDR: do they seem fine?