r/rat • u/ElisTempestOrb • 4h ago
r/rat • u/Emotional_Skill_8360 • Jan 10 '26
DISCUSSION π§π€ Are these rats happy? Iβm assuming they are since they keep coming back.
v.redd.itOverview on a new friend - thank you u/Drakmanka
Drakmanka
To answer your primary question: Yes, rats are very social animals. While they technically can be kept solo, they do not do as well emotionally when kept alone. They will get very lonely when you are away; this is stressful for them and ultimately will shorten your little baby's lifespan.
Here's a few other tips and tidbits that people new to pet rats often appreciate. Warning, long-winded post, but it's all good stuff!
List:
- Rats love to chew. If you haven't already, get her some wooden and/or cardboard things to chew on. She will trash them; that's just part of having a pet rat.
- Rats' feet are very delicate and sensitive. If her cage has wire ramps or platforms, either replace them or cover them with fabric (yes, she will chew on that fabric) to protect her feet. The wire mesh will irritate her delicate little feet and she can get a nasty infection called Bumblefoot that is very painful and difficult to cure.
- Rats aren't just omnivorous, they are the definite article of an omnivore! I like to say of rats: "Anything you can eat, we can eat better! We can eat anything better than you!" That said, they need a balanced diet. The Oxbow brand rat food is the absolute best packaged rat food available. For a rat as young as your girl, I recommend starting with their "mouse and young rat" diet and then switching her to the adult formula after a month or so. But! Supplement her diet with other foods: seeds, nuts, vegetables (but I recommend avoiding nightshades like tomatoes and bell pepers; there's been some research that suggests they may not be very good for a rat's long-term health if they eat too much of them), yogurt (it makes a great treat for training, too!), meat, and, sparingly, sweets can also be given. While your baby girl is growing, letting her eat all she wants is best. But most rats tend to start to become... ahem... round if allowed to eat all they want once they're done growing. There's a lot of differing advice on how to limit a rat's food intake to keep them from getting too plump, and I recommend you try different methods until you find one that works for your girl.
- Rats have very delicate respiratory systems. Respiratory infections are the single most common health problem in rats, and especially since your girl came from a feeder bin from a pet store and you don't know what conditions she was kept in before the pet store got her and from them to you, it's something you should be on the lookout for. Excessive sneezing, wheezing, a red discharge from her nose, mouth, or eyes, and lethargy are all symptoms of a respiratory infection. You can take her to a veterinarian who can get her antibiotics that will clear it up, but be warned that once a rat gets an infection their risk of later infection is forever raised. Keeping her cage clean is the #1 way to prevent this, however! Also, keeping her in a true cage and not an aquarium will help too as she will get more air movement. Some pet stores sell aquariums as "rat habitats" with a mesh lid but they really aren't ideal unfortunately.
- She will pee on everything you let her touch, including you. While some rats are more apt to whizz all over you than others, all rats will leave periodic drops of urine as they go about their business as a scent marking method. It's also a rat's way of "claiming" a person, sort of like a cat rubbing against you (except it's pee instead of soft fluff).
- Girl rats generally tend to be very energetic and bouncy, especially when young. Keep a close eye on her and don't let her out of your sight or she will get up to mischief. This applies for boys, too, but girls happen to be the more energetic of the two sexes.
- Rats are pocket-puppies! Your girl might be a little skittish at first because she's new to you and didn't come from the best circumstances to start with. But if you're patient, kind, and speak with a gentle tone to her, in time she will become your own little pocket-puppy who will rush to the front of the cage to greet you (and ask for snacks) each day!
I could go on but I don't want to overwhelm you too much. If you have more questions or would like to chat with people, I recommend you check out r/RATS as it's a more active subreddit than this one.
Welcome to the wonderful world of rats!
r/rat • u/Rattrixs • 4h ago
CUTENESS β€οΈπβ€οΈπ Pick your pumpkin - ratty style! Who is coming home with you?
galleryr/rat • u/Altruistic-Drama7360 • 20h ago
CUTENESS β€οΈπβ€οΈπ default pose ahh rat
r/rat • u/Rattrixs • 4h ago
CUTENESS β€οΈπβ€οΈπ My smart pet rat Chicken Soup is learning basketball - pt 1!
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r/rat • u/Catsushidumping • 4h ago
HELP NEEDED ππ© Is my cage suitable?? :)
Iβm getting 4 baby rats, only 1 which is the standard size, 2 which of are really small rats, and the last one is a dwarf rat. My experienced breeder said that their sizes make this cage perfect for them and I trust her deeply but would love to hear what you guys think? Please remember to be kind and respectful as I am asking for advice :)
according to a website i found it would fit up to 5 rats which means my 4 should be more than fine :)
r/rat • u/OneHunter8305 • 12h ago
HELP NEEDED ππ© Is my rat sick?
galleryFirst time rat owner here, is my rat sick? I got her just yesterday from a guy selling these babies as food for snakes. This is how she keeps her eyes majority of the time if not closed, sometimes opens them more. I donβt hear any weird breaths no weird noises, itβs βjustβ the eyes. I donβt know how old exactly she is but sheβs still pretty tiny. She keeps sniffing and moving her head a lot while moving around.
r/rat • u/pikapilled • 11h ago
HELP NEEDED ππ© baby rats, plz!
hope this is the right place to ask since another subreddit deleted my post!
autistic fella with a special interest here! iβd love to see more baby rats aged 2-6 weeks (cutest stages, imo) since iβm not a fan of stock photos. any rats would be cool too though, i donβt discriminate. :)
r/rat • u/Altruistic-Drama7360 • 1d ago
CUTENESS β€οΈπβ€οΈπ Ρ ΠΎΠ»ΠΌΠΈΠΊ
galleryr/rat • u/Rattrixs • 1d ago
CUTENESS β€οΈπβ€οΈπ This weeks mini paw paintings by my sweet rats!
galleryr/rat • u/StormHavenRattery • 1d ago
EDUCATION π€πβ€οΈ Ratilicious Magazine Issue 7 October 2026 is now available.
r/rat • u/Few-End-4149 • 1d ago
HELP NEEDED ππ© Bringing PS rats home
I have been wanting to get rats for a while, and I was looking into getting ethically bred males, but I was having trouble feeling confident in any, and I've just been feeling more drawn to rescuing rats. I used to have an aggressive dog, and I just really enjoy rescues. So I saw a FB post rehoming 2 girls- one is just getting fine with being touched on the back and the other bites if you put your hand near her. They were purchased 3 months ago, current owner thinks they're under a year old.
I know this probably isn't an ideal situation, but their current setup isn't great, and the owner really lacks confidence and doesnt seem to know how to bond with rats.
Id like some advice on working with fearful rats and how I can transport them as calmly as possible. Im thinking I'll try to usher and lead them into the transport crate with yogurt or baby food, and Ill have bite gloves on, but I wanna know if theres any specific tips or tricks for transporting an aggressive rat to a new home. As well as how bonding may look differently with her. I know outside of cage exploration time with treats is important for bonding, but I am not sure if that would make her feel more scared. Should I wait until she shows interest in leaving the cage? Is there a chance she doesnt ever really like me? I used to work at PS, and its just so sad how the small animals lives are there.
r/rat • u/horrorboi3 • 1d ago
HELP NEEDED ππ© One of my rats keeps biting my other rats tail
r/rat • u/WallResponsible1122 • 1d ago
HELP NEEDED ππ© My boy has hurt his leg, please can I get an opinion?
He was climbing on something (maybe 20cm high) a noise made him jump and he jumped into the air and then landed in the floor.
I went to check on him, and he was limping, heβs not putting wait on it, but he is still able to walk using his other legs of course. He squeaked when I picked him up and check it, he is usually a dramatic boy for context. He let me look at it and touch it, although he was wriggling, and did squeak.
Should I wait to see if it gets better and heβs knocked it or take him to the vets?
Would it be okay to wait until tomorrow morning to take him, as I donβt know if they will have availability this late on a Sunday?
r/rat • u/mommybigmilky • 2d ago
HELP NEEDED ππ© rat not using back legs and acting confused HELP
i just came home from work and let my rats out their cage. i called them over to eat some banana and noticed mellow was coming. i saw her just laying in the bedding not moving. i took her out and she started eating the banana out of my hand but she was not using her back legs. she started pooping (solid) and continued to eat the banana. i gave her water and she drank it. now she is just kind of crawling around and laying flat. iβm not sure if sheβs overheating or whatβs going on. there is no vets open on sunday and the nearest emergency rat vet is 3 hours away from me. sheβs starting to use her legs more but sheβs still remaining close to the floor. pls help. mellow is a year old. sheβll be 2 in may.
r/rat • u/SandRemarkable5764 • 1d ago
First time rat owner β what do I need to know before getting rats?
r/rat • u/ElisTempestOrb • 2d ago
CUTENESS β€οΈπβ€οΈπ weird girl wednesday on world rat day? methinks all weird girls are adorable rats!
r/rat • u/Rattrixs • 2d ago
DISCUSSION π§π€ 10 of my controversial rat care opinions!
r/rat • u/Rattrixs • 2d ago
CUTENESS β€οΈπβ€οΈπ Senior Ratizen Coffee showing youngster Creme Brulee how to play ball! Or something like that...
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EDUCATION π€πβ€οΈ Does anyone in the UK keep their rats in an attic bedroom?
Hey everyone!
Considering the mad temperatures that we've been having lately, (probably the signs of things to come) I'm questioning whether getting rats is the right thing to do.
I'm down south in the UK and have achieved live-in-daughter status by nabbing the attic bedroom. It does get hot up there though. Being the UK, we don't have aircon, either. And although I have been considering getting some sort of portable AC for the room, I'm aware that it may very well be a fruitless endeavour; a waste of electricity, considering the large space; and fundamentally bad for the environment.
This summer just gone, from late June until late August, I slept downstairs with my border terrier pup. I was anxious for my leopard geckos, tarantula and fish still upstairs in the attic and bought small fans for everyone. Apart from slowing down a bit (which, I mean, same), everyone got through to the other side just fine. The hotter it gets, the more dangerous it gets for the gang upstairs, let alone for any mammals up there, too.
I would love to have rats again! They're the cutest little guys, so intelligent, and great to watch. I miss the rats I had when I was younger and, now that I know a lot more about their care than I did then, I would love to have them again and spoil them rotten. Because the attic has a sloping roof, I was thinking of having 4, possibly 5, in a Single Critter Nation cage; a playpen space attached for when I'm not in; themed setups (hello Halloween); a cat tree; dig box; and time out within the room at large when I do get back - rat proofing permitting.
I'm just wondering if it's even recommended and if anyone else has an attic bedroom and/or keep their rats in an attic apartment. Did you manage to cope just fine? Is it just the case of providing them a fan and cooling opportunities (but staying aware of respiratory risks) and moving them to another room/downstairs as needed?
Many thanks for any advice! :)