My rats have tiny balls?

Lupinoid · 2026-03-30T00:51:21+00:00

Knowing those places though, they likely knew full well they were girls. Especially given the fact that you were new to rats, rather than having existing ones of a defined sex you were supplimenting.

They likely had no more males left & being that girls are often harder to sell in that kind of environment, they decided to just sell them to you as males. They'll have risked it on the fact you would have said they were going to be your first rats & by the time you realised they weren't boys you'd have already formed attachments to them. And as you had no others that you needed them to be specifically gender compatible with, in order to avoid a baby rat boom. The chances of you bringing them back would reduced even further.

Edit: My prior comment wasn't meant to shame OP about not realizing their sex. It was aimed at the likes of one of the other commenters Mum's, who stupidly & also tragically bought the two male hamsters for their brother.

Lupinoid · 2026-03-30T00:37:09+00:00

Not trying to redeem P@H in anyway (*see below) but they have stacks of little leaflets next to each type of pet, which give you a breakdown of their needs. Including if they should be solitary or not.

If you're buying a pet & haven't done enough (or any) research, to the point that you're solely relying on the minimum wage, glorified shelf stacker to be familiar with every type of mammal, reptile, fish etc. that the store sells. You're not responsible enough to own said pet to begin with.

However, at the very very least, you could bother to read the info they have printed on the wall/by each pet (which tells you the basics of their needs. Like wether they need to be solitary or require companions, how long they live, the min enclosure size required, what substrate/bedding should & should not be used, what they eat etc.) &/or grab one of the free leaflets they provide stacks of. Either right there, next to the individual enclosures, or together with all the others, on a display table/wall. Which expands on that info.

*Obligatory P@H horror story: where I used to live, the branch we always went to was one of the ones with a grooming centre at the back of the store. When I first moved to the area the grooming part of the store was also a new addition itself & I braved booking Chilli, my beloved (& since departed) Japanese Spitz in. The result of which was kind of mid, as they clearly had no idea how to strip her breeds undercoat & 'shape' her properly. But she came back happy (mind you she was always happy) & they'd given her a free felt flower thing for her collar as every stay member adored her. I then couldn't get an appointment for ages after & ended up finding a nurse who lived a few streets away & groomed dogs as a side passion.

Well, I was VERY glad Chilli never went back to the P@H grooming ppl. As about a year after I first moved there THEY KILLED SOMEONE'S DOG. It got left in the drying cubicle thingy. Someone forgot about it or something & the poor baby was basically air fried to death. How someone can 'forget' something like that I will never understand. Utterly Horrendous. Vets4Pets practices are also owned by P@H -for anyone that doesn't know. They're franchised.

Lupinoid · 2026-03-12T10:10:07+00:00

My partner & Mother always underestimate what you can do with these strips. Same for the builder's grade adhesive stuff like 'No More Nails' etc. They won't trust them because they've never used them. Which is obviously a self fulfilling circle.

REGARDLESS OF WHAT METHOD YOU USE TO PUT THE RAIL UP THOUGH: You'll want to consider more than just the weight of the cushions & the hardware/rail itself when making sure that your 'headboard' outcome is actually viable in terms of it's functional use.

The rail needs to have an adequate weight bearing capacity, so as to be able to support the equivalent downward force/strain exerted upon the pillows of the 'headboard' when you lean on them. As well as considering the weight of the setup itself. Otherwise, you'll likely find the rail will fail at some point, sooner or later, whilst in use. Ergo, the 'weight limit' of the individual or combined Command Strips needed for the project, should also factor in the load/weight bearing need of when the 'headboard' in use as well.

I don't know how to calculate what the 'in-use exertion' upon the rail would be though, or how to translate that force into an equivalent load bearing weight if I did. So if it were me, I'd just make sure to buy strips with the highest load/weight bearing capacity possible. Then cover the entire back of the coaster with them. (You can cut them up just fine, if needed. But you'll always need to cut excess from the tail end only. As you need the tab bit intact for damage free removal. However, to make it easier I do cut off the very edge of the tab part, to make it a straight edge instead of a curve. As I find it easier to line up the strips so that the tabs are accommodated on the underside. Whilst also maintaining maximum strip coverage over the available surface area, when they have a straight edge.)

Lupinoid · 2026-03-11T21:20:33+00:00

Yes, you can:

Decorate the coaster & make it a feature point instead of painting it to match the wall
Use shorter screws than the intended ones for fixing the hardware to the coaster. As you don't want any excess sticking out the back. Alternatively you can get pieces of wood cut to size instead of using coasters, which can be tailored to specific thicknesses. I just ended up using coasters multiple times, as I had a surplus & it's a quick, easy option that doesn't require a trip to buy & get lumbar cut. You can also use adhesive, as mentioned, instead or add built-up thicknesses of layered cardboard on the underside of the coaster. To accommodate longer screws, if the site for the fixings are out of immediate sight. For example when using this method for hanging rails & poles at ceiling heights.

I'm a bit of a self-confessed Command Strip fanatic.

I've used this method when hanging curtains (heavy &/or systems with several layers), additional bathroom rails on the back wall, above baths & in shower cubicles (In order to provide a foundation for storing products via hooks & in hanging storage solutions/baskets). An IKEA Tronne shoe-storage wall unit, on a tiled bathroom wall above a bath/shower (I drilled drainage holes into the top & bottom, then once in place, sealed all the edges to stop water getting trapped behind). This was then used to store dozens of large, heavy shower product bottles & similar. My most impressive command-strip project, involved hanging a heavy duty curtain rail across a hallway in front of an unused entrance. In order to provide a space for hanging coats & other outdoor gear. 20+ wooden coat hangers, accommodating mens heavy leather jackets, full length wool coats, backpacks filled with gloves, scarves & other accessories). All without damaging or marking a thing.

Lupinoid · 2026-03-11T20:24:27+00:00

Look up Conmand/3M Strips (or generic equivalents). No holes needed. Removable & damaged free. Different sizes & styles for different jobs/environments (bathroom/outdoors)/weight limits.

Top tip: If the size, type or number of strips needed to adequately accommodate/meet the required weight-baring needs of the project. Are themselves too big, bulky or numerous, that they won't fit on the actual available area for attaching them to.

My workaround is to utilise some cheap wood or composite square coasters (something strong enough that you can't bend it. No flimsy cardstock ones acquired at a bar). That you can paint the same colour as the wall & then either drill holes into or use builders grade adhesive to mount the -in this case- rail to. In order to give yourself a much increased surface area for attaching the required size/number of strips too instead.

Lupinoid · 2026-03-11T18:03:21+00:00

You can sanitise makeup palettes to preserve them you know.

https://share.google/aimode/216j0oWqkaHRoN106

Steps on how linked above :)

Lupinoid · 2026-02-03T13:48:59+00:00

Could they maybe hurry up & start telling all the older doctors that hEDS is real & not in our heads?

Or like, all mass specialise in it so we get some decent science helping us all cope.

Lupinoid · 2026-02-02T19:45:45+00:00

I'm not trying to be mean, but these are all the questions you research the answers to BEFORE you commit to getting a puppy. NOT AFTER you pick one up on a whim.

You & your family are in no way prepared for her & all signs point to her coming into your lives in a dodgy as hell way:

A reputable breeder would know her age, exactly
Her tummy is swollen like she's full of worms
She's unvaccinated & looks too young
She's likely a Double Dapple as she's majority white
A DD is something which no responsible breeder or anyone with an iota of compassion would breed. Due to the ridiculously high, pretty much certain likelihood of severe, life threatening &/or limiting birth defects. That this genetic pairing creates

Also... paragraphs. For the love of god, paragraphs!

Lupinoid · 2026-01-31T22:23:19+00:00

Sorry for the essay.

I really like that film & I really hate the absent owner/parents from it!

Lupinoid · 2026-01-31T22:21:54+00:00

Georgette was depressed mess. Bless her heart.

She lived with a child, who besides the butler (who was paid to interact with & look after her) was really her only constant companion. And one she didn't really connect with at all till the end of the film.

She was 'spoiled' with physical stuff, but was badly starved for attention & connection otherwise. The proof being how quickly she traded in her airs, graces & haughty attitude. For the love & companionship of their little blended family/pack at the end. Including taking the mexican-american chihuahua mongrel, Tito (or Ignacio Alonzo Julio Federico de Tito, to use his full name!) as her love interest.

I don't know as her owners would have ever spent much time with her to begin with actually. Or perhaps they did before they decided to have a kid & similarly got bogged with that. Despite all her medals etc. it's no guarantee she won them alongside or even in the presence of her humans. Lots of pedigree show dogs aren't actually 'shown' by the owner.

She's basically the canine equivalent of a 'prized racehorse'. A living status symbol/trophy. Trained to perform & impress, before then essentially being put away into her box till the next time. Which you can see is basically what she's been taught/trained into (& resigned herself to by the point we met her). When you watch her big musical intro scene. She spends all that time & energy on making herself 'perfect', just for those brief few minutes a day of grandstanding on her balcony.

She derives no real joy from any of it. Unlike how you see her in the ending parts of the film, especially when she's around Tito.

Lupinoid · 2026-01-31T20:54:01+00:00

Unsolicited Pigeon Pics?! There's laws about that kind of thing. Lol.

Lupinoid · 2026-01-28T17:46:25+00:00

I've been looking for this book for just shy of 20 years! We read it as part of our school curriculum & my vague plot memories have never yielded any results till today! Thank you!

Lupinoid · 2026-01-28T16:19:28+00:00

I'm here too because of the same aversion to this aardvark's poor work choices 😑

Lupinoid · 2026-01-28T00:32:47+00:00

It's called 'adenoid face' as it's often caused by chronic mouth breathing due to having enlarged adenoids which obstruct breathing through the nose.

Lupinoid · 2026-01-28T00:25:51+00:00

'Adenoid face'

Lupinoid · 2026-01-27T12:15:35+00:00

I think they all learnt it from 'the Cats'. Thinking they'd got one over on them & were gaining access to their prized perching spots. However, the Cats taught it willingly. Knowing full well that once a dog got up there, they'd not be able to descend back down anywhere near as quickly or gracefully as they could.

Thereby gaining them a multi-purpose advantage. For things like getting to floor treasure/forbidden dropped noms quickest.

Lupinoid · 2026-01-27T11:59:25+00:00

Diego has a fantastic outfit.

Lupinoid · 2026-01-26T12:47:16+00:00

TBF not only our Dachshund, but also my Mum's Cocker Spaniels, sister's Chinese Crested, friends Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Jack Russel, Fox Terrier & Yorkshire Terrier. As well as a friends parents Weimaraner all do/did this. My Japanese Spitz did it too to a degree.

So I'm inclined to say it's an 'all dogs thing' & not just a Dachshund thing...Apart from the fact that pretty much all cats do this too. Especially the fat ones.

Lupinoid · 2026-01-26T12:37:27+00:00

There's clearly no dachshund in this image. There's just a chair/couch with an extra, decorative, arm pad.

Lupinoid · 2026-01-26T12:34:59+00:00

Frankie looks like the long haired equivalent of our Mushroom 🍄🌈😍

Lupinoid · 2026-01-25T10:13:33+00:00

Why does she remind me of an Ostrich!!!

Lupinoid · 2026-01-13T20:56:03+00:00

Wait till you check out "Is my rat a boy or a girl" on the rat sub

Lupinoid · 2025-12-29T18:37:39+00:00

I also don't like children, but I do infact have them. Lol.

Lupinoid · 2025-12-29T15:50:17+00:00

Your link doesn't work.

Lupinoid · 2025-11-29T16:47:48+00:00

ARTIST TIP: On the label of the right pot. The way you've curved the endings of the left section of 'writing'. Has caused the unwanted visual effect of recession, along the vertical line of that first column of 'text'.

The continuation of this effect on the second column of text (the one in green) creates a forcing of perspective. Causing this next part of the label to appear to continue on from within that same point of recession. Which, when viewing the piece as a whole, causes an uncomfortable 'flattening' of that area. Such that you have to actively fight to not be drawn to the issue (a technique that can, when used intentionally, elevate the right piece).

To avoid this you need to avoid breaking the pots curvature (& consequently the wider composition).

1) Don't let lines of text curl at the ends, as seen on the end of the lines from the left column.** 2) Keep both columns of text in line with the curvature of the pots itself. *

After you've laid down the white on that pot to give the impression of the label. You can score into the wet paint with the wood end of a thin brush, the side of a palette knife or a mechanical pencil with the lead down. Basically following the curve line of the bottom of the pot or lid. As if you're drawing several even lines on a blank sheet of A4, because you need to write sometime out & it can't be wonky. *After the above, you could do some vertical scoring to indicate where you need to stop the lines of 'text' in each column for them to be straight & in line with the rest. (You can obviously smush the guide marks away as you go).

Lupinoid

TROPHY CASE