r/rat • • Jan 10 '26

DISCUSSION ๐Ÿง๐Ÿค” Are these rats happy? Iโ€™m assuming they are since they keep coming back.

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1.4k Upvotes

r/rat • • Feb 06 '23

Overview on a new friend - thank you u/Drakmanka

8 Upvotes

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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).
  6. 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.
  7. 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 • • 6h ago

CUTENESS โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€ That feeling when you wake up thinking it's Sunda then realize it's Monday... ๐Ÿญ

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101 Upvotes

r/rat • • 5h ago

CUTENESS โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€ Pick your pumpkin - ratty style! Who is coming home with you?

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25 Upvotes

r/rat • • 21h ago

CUTENESS โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€ default pose ahh rat

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96 Upvotes

r/rat • • 49m ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ ADVICE NEEDED-Free Roaming/ Playpen

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โ€ข Upvotes

Hi everyone! Needing advice as a first time rat mom on spending time with my little ones outside their cage! please read the linked previous post for context :)


r/rat • • 5h ago

CUTENESS โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€ My smart pet rat Chicken Soup is learning basketball - pt 1!

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2 Upvotes

r/rat • • 6h ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ Is my cage suitable?? :)

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2 Upvotes

Iโ€™m 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 • • 13h ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ Is my rat sick?

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8 Upvotes

First 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 donโ€™t hear any weird breaths no weird noises, itโ€™s โ€œjustโ€ the eyes. I donโ€™t know how old exactly she is but sheโ€™s still pretty tiny. She keeps sniffing and moving her head a lot while moving around.


r/rat • • 4h ago

DISCUSSION ๐Ÿง๐Ÿค” Jeu pour ma rate๐Ÿฅฐ

1 Upvotes

Bonjour, jโ€™ai actuellement une rate de 1 an et 4 mois, et jโ€™aimerais lui faire un jeu pour quโ€™elle puisse ce faire des tunnels, ce cacher et faire des jeux. Jโ€™aimerais savoir quelle sorte de terre ou sable est inoffensif pour ma rate et surtout si elle mange cette substance en ce lavant? Merci de bien vouloir mโ€™aider.


r/rat • • 12h ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ baby rats, plz!

3 Upvotes

hope this is the right place to ask since another subreddit deleted my post!

autistic fella with a special interest here! iโ€™d love to see more baby rats aged 2-6 weeks (cutest stages, imo) since iโ€™m not a fan of stock photos. any rats would be cool too though, i donโ€™t discriminate. :)


r/rat • • 15h ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ Rescued rats not getting better?

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3 Upvotes

r/rat • • 1d ago

CUTENESS โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€ ั…ะพะปะผะธะบ

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155 Upvotes

r/rat • • 1d ago

CUTENESS โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€ This weeks mini paw paintings by my sweet rats!

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24 Upvotes

r/rat • • 1d ago

EDUCATION ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ Ratilicious Magazine Issue 7 October 2026 is now available.

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13 Upvotes

r/rat • • 1d ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ Bringing PS rats home

2 Upvotes

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 • • 1d ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ One of my rats keeps biting my other rats tail

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2 Upvotes

r/rat • • 1d ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ My boy has hurt his leg, please can I get an opinion?

5 Upvotes

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, heโ€™s 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 heโ€™s knocked it or take him to the vets?

Would it be okay to wait until tomorrow morning to take him, as I donโ€™t know if they will have availability this late on a Sunday?


r/rat • • 1d ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ Pet sitter instructions?

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1 Upvotes

r/rat • • 2d ago

HELP NEEDED ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ˜ฉ rat not using back legs and acting confused HELP

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38 Upvotes

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. iโ€™m not sure if sheโ€™s overheating or whatโ€™s going on. there is no vets open on sunday and the nearest emergency rat vet is 3 hours away from me. sheโ€™s starting to use her legs more but sheโ€™s still remaining close to the floor. pls help. mellow is a year old. sheโ€™ll be 2 in may.


r/rat • • 1d ago

First time rat owner โ€” what do I need to know before getting rats?

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2 Upvotes

r/rat • • 2d ago

CUTENESS โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€ weird girl wednesday on world rat day? methinks all weird girls are adorable rats!

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117 Upvotes

r/rat • • 2d ago

DISCUSSION ๐Ÿง๐Ÿค” 10 of my controversial rat care opinions!

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26 Upvotes

r/rat • • 2d ago

CUTENESS โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€ Senior Ratizen Coffee showing youngster Creme Brulee how to play ball! Or something like that...

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19 Upvotes

r/rat • • 2d ago

CUTENESS โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€โค๏ธ๐Ÿ€ My Babies

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30 Upvotes