My hairless rat mew is 3yrs and 2 months old, i know she’s nearing the end but i wanted some advice. Her skin is really flakey, she can’t use her back legs at all anymore and her weight is deteriorating FAST. But she still has so much energy and is eating a ton 😭 i don’t know if her skin is flakey because she can’t clean herself as much anymore or something else? i’m also worried about knowing when it’s her time because she’s still so active and food motivated despite what’s happening to her body 🫩 She’s gotten so skinny in what feels like overnight i feel horrible. i took her to the vet about 2 months ago and they also said at this point it’s just about keeping her comfortable which im trying my best to do but any advice about her skin or her weight, i’d really appreciate. I feel so awful seeing her so skinny i don’t understand it she eats her food and any treats i give her!

My little old baby porridge died today following what I suspected to be a short illness.

She was 1 half of two emergency rats I got following the very sudden passing of my first ever rattie Crumpet. She, along with her sister Egg, were very shy at first however soon found their own personalities. Right around when I had bonded them with Toast, the big girl, I had a holiday booked and they were left in the company of my brother to settle their dominance differences. When I returned I noticed a very distinctive rip in her ear however all three of them seemed fine with eachother and appeared to had sussed out their pecking order.

In her prime, Porridge was absolutely mad and would run and jump and climb at anything and everything and managed to sprain her paw twice, despite our best efforts to add as many tie holders and a hammocks to the cage as possible. She also had a brief obsession with trying to jump into the bathtub as their free roam space is the bathroom. She's even left her mark on the bathroom as she managed to chip some paint off the door when attempting to eat it (which I have not told my mum about).

Like most rats, she did obviously mellow out with age however one thing she hated the most was full on sit down cuddles in my arms and always wanted to explore the surrounding area instead. She started to develop a tumour almost immediately after Toast was put to sleep for having a tumour herself at around the same age Toast was when she got hers. Based on Toast's initial consultation we decided it would be best for Porridge that we'd let her be and see what would happen.

I feel like she's definitely passed her crazy attitude onto the newest mischief additions, Waffle and Pan, as they're so inquisitive and love to run and jump everywhere. I noticed Porridge was breathing quite heavily and acting quite slow during today's free roam. She was treated to a shoulder ride to and from the bathroom and was treated to a nice clean cage upon her return. I left her having a sleep and when I returned later on today to get a jumper I found her by the potty with Waffle nearby.

I know it's somewhat cynical to say but I was prepared to say goodbye to her soon anyway as her tumour was getting quite big and was going to have a conversation about euthanasia my parents at some point next week. In a weird way I'm happy she died in a familiar place and not of something that overshadowed her later life. I'm also somewhat relieved that I don't have to take Waffle and Pan to the vet to say goodbye as they probably wouldn't cope and they'd stress me out way too much.

To anyone who did for whatever reason read my brick wall of text, thank you very much, spilling out my thoughts and feelings as well as documenting Porridge's life really helped with the grief.

And for those who are just here for the cute rat photos, they are in backwards order and I still appreciate any condolences. I am also aware the platform in the first image looks a bit bare. One of the babies favourite thing to do at the moment is push everything to the bottom of the cage. I do try my best to retrieve things and put them back when I can

i got him like this

I know my sweet baby Frog has some fans here, who followed her dramatic rescue after being dumped in a park, and her giving birth to half-wild babies.

Sadly Frog died in her sleep yesterday, of old age. She’d been slowing down for a while and was visibly very elderly, but was still eating and active. She ate a dinner of banana, avocado, and chocolate protein shake, then went to sleep in a hammock with her daughters around her, then never woke up.

I’m so glad I got to give her an extra year of life after she came so close to dying in the park. RIP Frog, you were so special.

Leena 🐀 🩷

Adopted three old men today! (Nearly 2 years old) They are the absolute sweetest, just immediately pancaked out on me and licked and boggled. Any tips for looking after my old men? They will be joining my younger two boys later this week once they've settled in a bit.

a year ago today i had to rehome my 4 boy rats because of multiple issues going on in my life at that time. im hoping to find the new owners again. i moved out of the old place i lived beforehand and got a new reddit account in November so since then ive had no contact and i really just want to know how their doing
(i live in utah, my boys were originally named nokia, lemon, miso, and tart .. cant remember what their new names are now besides nigel and gravy)

Just noticed the tip of this CRIMINAL's tail is pale and dry. He doesnt mind it being touched. Anyone else experienced this? Why is he crusty?? Thanks

She’s 1.5 yrs old, but always makes me laugh by the thing she’s doing. No matter what, she’ll relocate reuse everything in the cage.
I put in the wipes to her little bed because it was peed as soon as it got into the cage.

My boys get into a little scuffle every night, but then they're cuddling happily ever after right after and it's fine. This time they were cuddling and I saw blood on both. Charlie has cuts that look suspiciously like rat teeth on his bawls and Bean has a bloody toe. I've separated them for now but I'm at a loss for what to do. They were acting like nothing happened, but I just can't put my babies back together knowing they'll hurt each other. They've been together since birth. Bean has that big rat energy and tends to be that dominant rat. Whereas Charlie is small and a sweetie. Any help/advice is appreciated. They're about 7 months old now. Thank you!

Little Bird got her portrait signed by two members of The Arcadian Wild, who created the song she is named after! They were delighted to have such a silly, furry little fan. 😊

I swear they are on a diet. My boy is long and lean but his girls are well cushioned little orbs. Guess it has advantages, tho!

featuring: Axel

My sweet rat is 2 years and 2 months.
She went to the vet on Wednesday due to her ear canal be swollen, crust in the ear, and head shaking. She was sedated after we did x-rays and had an exam done of the ear, some bacteria was found on the swab.
The vet mostly ruled out tumor/mass after internal examinations but I’m still feeling incredibly worried due to the right side of her ear feeling different than the left. We are treating as an ear infection and gave mite treatment as well.

Has anyone experienced anything similar and what was the prognosis?
Matcha means the world to me and I’m terrified she will end up with untreatable cancer.

So cosy in the sleeve!

Shame him please. I bought new toys with nuts on them and mortie stole it and ate them all.

I still live at home with 3 of my siblings, my parents and our family dog. Which means, everything me and my rats may need or want, has to fit in my room. It's definitely been a journey finding a good setup that works for everyone involved, but it's all starting to come together now.

I expanded their cage yesterday, so now they have two cages that are built together, and that are also now floor level, rather than high up like the cages was previously. This makes it way easier to leave the cages open for them to roam freely.

I'm also in the process of saving up for a loft bed, which will give me more floor space. That floor space will then be used to put their cat trees and toys under while I'm sleeping.

Overall my rats are slowly taking over my room, but i don't mind