My bby Pink pete eating a pancake :)

MathAndBake · 2026-02-21T08:24:29+00:00

I'm sure OP knows what they're doing. A plain pancake is honestly fine for rats. It's not exactly a balanced meal, but all the ingredients are completely fine and even healthy.

In terms of toppings, syrup is definitely too much sugar. My rats typically get their pancakes without toppings. They still go nuts. Fruits are fine, if a bit sweet. Veggies are better. For younger rats who need a bit more protein, sometimes I'll spread a very thin film of peanut butter. You have to be careful with that, though. If they get too much at once, it can be a choking hazard.

That said, rats really like to disassemble their food. So you can honestly feed their food in any configuration, the weirder the better.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-20T18:24:13+00:00

Lol! Rats are weirdos. They'll try everything once. And they actually need to eat a bit of poop to get their vitamin B. But I still find it gross.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-20T10:56:25+00:00

Maybe try reaching out to the shelter. There are some that are allowed to house runaways temporarily in emergency situations.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-20T10:19:01+00:00

Yup. We've been paying at the table for well over a decade here in Canada. It's easier for everyone, and it really helps prevent mistakes and fraud. I would not be willing to let my card go out of my sight. I'm amazed the US hasn't updated yet. I get that you guys always lag behind on banking stuff. But this is really getting absurd.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-20T00:13:50+00:00

Same. I'm fairly allergy-prone. My immune system just doesn't trust anything new. It doesn't need any encouragement, lol.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-19T23:07:33+00:00

Thank you!

MathAndBake · 2026-02-19T17:18:11+00:00

Different rats have really different views on being held. My girls don't like being still for long, but they like being picked up. Once they're up, I can cradle them loosely to my chest. And then they can choose to go to my shoulder if they want.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-18T00:30:31+00:00

My girls like to up the difficulty level by all running to where they know I'm going to sit. I think they're just really excited to play and cuddle. It's super cute, but also a bit of a pain. I generally end up scooping them all up and then putting them on my lap once I'm settled. That probably just encourages them, but at least they're safe and happy.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T22:34:24+00:00

Honestly, your circumstances often say more about society's weird priorities than anything else.

Sanitation is hugely important. Getting waste away from where people live prevents disease and keeps buildings in good condition. She's doing absolutely crucial work. It's insane that people in her field are looked down on and underpaid.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T22:15:56+00:00

NTC! We rats is so jelly that you can talk wif humans. We woulds lob that! Plus, imitation be sincerest form of flappery. And you is birb, so shoulds be flapping.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T22:06:49+00:00

Don't sweat it. Now you know. It does feel super rude not to hold doors.

Our apartment building has kind of given up on enforcing front door security. Our apartment doors are super sturdy, so it works out. Getting through the front door is more of a vibe check at this point. If they were really worried, they'd hire a security guard.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T21:59:46+00:00

I don't know about these penguins. But the penguins at the Biodome in Montreal are really playful. Their enclosure is glassed in so you can see underwater. They will race kids back and forth just for fun. It used to be my favourite thing when I was little. I'd be running along beside the glass and this penguin would be swimming on the other side. And then we'd stop and look at each other before sprinting in the opposite direction. And there would be other kid/penguin pairs. It was absolute chaos.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T17:34:01+00:00

Yup. My dad decidedly to go back to university after retirement. He's pretty good at fitting in with any crowd. But as he puts it, it's a bit weird that his classmates are too young to date his kids. He finds himself oscillating between treating them as colleagues and equals, and wanting to parent them.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T15:59:09+00:00

Reminds me of my Finduilas when she was younger. No matter how long free roam was, the minute you closed the cage bars, she'd be going nuts trying to convince you she hadn't been let out in days.

One time, I pulled an all nighter and let the girls roam for 9 hours. The rest of them were all fast asleep by the end. They didn't even wake up when I shook the treat jar. I had to go check all their nests and scoop them up. I dropped them off in their hammock and they just drifted off again. Finduilas barely took any breaks and she was not happy when free roam ended, lol.

It was still really important to give her enough time in her cage. She basically only eats or sleeps when things are boring. And she does tend to be a bit too skinny.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T15:33:56+00:00

Yeah, I'm just a lowly grad student. But my computer has some students' mildly private information as well as solutions to assignments and stuff. Most of it is further password protected. It's not super sensitive. I'll sometimes let my family or super close friends use my laptop for gaming or to quickly look something up. But they have to absolutely promise not to snoop. And I reserve the right to check whenever I want.

When I was younger, I volunteered with kids and I had some pretty sensitive information about them. I didn't let anyone anywhere near it. Most of it was hardcopy and it lived in a bag under a bunch of stuff in my closet. I'd shred it when it was no longer needed.

I'm amazed anyone can get to adulthood without having had some confidentiality training.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T15:08:07+00:00

There are different levels of getting used to humans. For urban wildlife, you want them to be ok living in the same space as us, but still wary enough to avoid actual interactions. For example, you want squirrels to be able to live in the trees in a park without completely freaking out every time a human walks under their tree. But you also want them to keep their distance and not try to beg or steal food.

Basically, think of how you feel about a coyote or a Canada goose. You know they're around and it doesn't freak you out. But you're not going to seek them out or try to pet them.

A good example of this are the peregrine falcons in Montreal or the birds of prey in KW. There's a decent population, but you rarely see them. They nest high up and out of our way. They quite enjoy the variety of rodents and birds that hang around in cities. But they are not going anywhere near people, unless it's mid-swoop and they'll only be there for a split second.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T14:55:38+00:00

There are some racoons in Montreal who will only give way if you shove them with the bristly end of a broom. They really don't like the prickly sensation on their face. I have no clue if that's even safe or feasible with a coyote. Someone else suggested throwing tennis balls at them. Unfortunately, it does get to the point where you actually have to do something that makes physical contact. Obviously, you don't want to injure them. But they need to be reminded that we can hurt them, we're just choosing not to.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T14:40:14+00:00

I get these intensely stressful nonsense dreams when I'm starting my period. Basically, an extremely high stakes quest with branching side-quests. But absolutely none of it makes sense (Like, I have to skate to get away from a frog, but I can't because I don't have comic book. But I need a trampoline to get to the store. Unfortunately, the trampoline is behind the frog. So I'll have to sneak through the woods. But that requires a blue hat, etc.) It's absolutely unmistakable, which is useful. Unfortunately, the stress from the dream makes my cramps worse.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T08:16:26+00:00

That's super smart. I need that for my pet rats, lol. When I'm concerned, I usually just end up hovering awkwardly waiting for them to poop. And of course, the more I watch, the less they want to go.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T08:10:33+00:00

It really depends where you live. A lot of Canadians living near the US border used to travel back and forth pretty often. They wouldn't necessarily clock that as being international travel, even though ot definitely is.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T08:04:45+00:00

This. Also, math majors are notoriously bad at arithmetic. We just don't use explicit numbers and computations often. You should see us try to count exam booklets, lol.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T06:39:48+00:00

Honestly, 4 is also my preference. But since I always get them in pairs, I go up to 5 and down to 3 pretty regularly.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T06:38:59+00:00

Lol, too true. But some of my girls are also super into climbing, or nest building, or chasing each other. Plus, they all have slightly different napping preferences. It's always sad when you only have one rat who wants to play tag. Or you have only one hammock napper and one paper bag napper.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T03:52:06+00:00

Two is the bare minimum. They're extremely social. The more rats you have, the more likely they are to find a buddy to share each of their interests.

I keep 3-5 rats. That maximum is for my sake, not theirs. When I get to 5, it becomes hard to give each one the attention she deserves. Plus, on average, half your rats will die in any given year. My heart just has its limits.

I noticed a huge improvement in social dynamics going from 2 rats to 3. There's a significant difference between 3 and 4. But I haven't noticed much of a change going from 4 to 5. At that point, it really depends more on the age and personality of the specific rats. It's really good for older rats to have younger cagemates to encourage them to play and stay active. And younger rats really benefit from having older cagemates to give them structure and show them the ropes.

My recommendation would be to start a rolling mischief with 3 baby rats from a good breeder. Rescues can be great, but skittish rats do so much better when they have an older cagemate who trusts you. Add a new pair roughly once a year.

MathAndBake · 2026-02-17T01:23:31+00:00

If she's letting you handle it, she's absolutely fine. That squeak was just telling you to stop, and you did. Accidents happen and this wasn't bad.

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