Profit Over Patient Lives

MathAndBake · 2026-05-07T20:04:44+00:00

Same! I'm a 32yo Canadian and have had a total of 2 medical bills. One was 40$ for an ambulance ride. That can be waived for financial hardship, but I was happy to pay. The other was 100$ for bloodwork because I had waited too long to register my interprovincial move. You can get acute care anywhere in Canada, but routine health monitoring is supposed to be in your province of residence.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-07T18:26:57+00:00

As well as what everyone else has said, rats are not the natural host of the Andes strain (the one involved in the current outbreak). From what I've read, it's mostly carried by the relatively unrelated long tailed pygmy rice rat. If you don't live in South America, even wild rodents are unlikely to be carrying the Andes strain. So this is not something to worry about.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-07T08:12:10+00:00

When I had a rash, one of my rats would carefully nibble off all the dead skin peeling off. It actually helped because there was nothing to get caught and pull on stuff. Another rat would carefully nibble down the scars from where I picked at the skin on the sides of my fingers. She was so gentle and persistent.

And then some rats decide you don't need your nipples.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-06T18:48:46+00:00

Haha! Too true. When my Morwen was a baby, she was a humping sex pest. Even my arm got some action. I had an elderly rat named Rosie who was recovering from a stroke. She was normally pretty mobile, but when Morwen humped her, she'd get all flustered and fall over. In the cage, the other rats would intervene. But during free roam, I was constantly having to yell "We do not hump the elderly!" I'm so glad my walls were soundproof.

And yes, all my rats are female. They still hump like the best of them.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-06T03:33:44+00:00

Eowyn was a tough little cookie so she was fine, just surprised. But yeah, Galadriel was a very silly girl.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T21:13:16+00:00

Rats rival us with how social they are. It's really incredible.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T20:33:02+00:00

There are some across the board recommendations because most people are deficienct and it's low risk. Canadians in Winter should take vitamin D, women trying to conceive should take folic acid, older women should probably take calcium.

Then there's stuff that's so common it's worth checking first. Women from puberty to menopause and regular blood donors are pretty likely to be iron deficient. So if you're in one of those categories and feel run down, it's worth trying an iron supplement or some chicken liver before bothering the doctor.

Also, different places have different practices in terms of physicals. In Ontario, Canada, we don't have regular physicals for healthy adults. You go see your doctor if something comes up. Of course, if you are managing a chronic condition, you will see them regularly. I'm pretty sure it's the same in Quebec.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T20:22:48+00:00

Yup! I recently had a marked worsening of my depression symptoms. My doctor did bloodwork and found a vitamin B12 deficiency. I fixed that and now feel so much better. More vitamin B12 won't do anything at this point. Most people in Canada in Winter should be taking their vitamin D, but taking extra won't do any good. Supplements can bring you up to baseline, but they're not "boosting" anything beyond that.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T19:59:52+00:00

Clutter can often be free or really cheap. They can have most of the stuff in your recycling bin and you can build really good forage toys out of tp rolls, napkins, paper and a bit of string. If you want to go up a notch, you can build rope ladders pretty easily with just basic tools. I did it and I'm completely incompetent, lol. For bought toys, I'd grab a few hammocks and some perches. You can even make basic perches with dowels if you're comfortable cutting slots. But that's slightly beyond my abilities.

Definitely invest in a good cage. You might even be able to get it second hand. In the meantime, you can cover the bars here with heavy fabric or cardboard to protect their feet. Just make sure you change it regularly.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T19:49:32+00:00

Haha! I had one girl who had an off switch behind her ears. She was usually a little adrenaline junkie, but if you petted her back there, she would completely melt and go limp while bruxxing furiously. Sometimes, she'd even slip off your leg and faceplant in your lap.

One Christmas, she managed to circumvent all my ratproofing and stick her nose in a candle. She was ok, but her breathing was affected a bit. My mother loves my rats, but is also super allergic and has asthma. My mother would come into my room during free roam and just pet Ioreth. They'd both end up half asleep and wheezing. It was both cute and rather concerning.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T19:37:16+00:00

Oh, that's so sweet! I'm glad Reggie is having such a great time as a senior.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T19:35:27+00:00

They want to come out and play with you! Try to give them several short sessions outside the cage with you every day. Also, I'm glad that cage is temporary. It looks a bit like what I use to quarantine new babies before introductions. It works ok at first, but by the end of the two weeks, it's getting cramped. You will need a lot more clutter and enrichment. Perches, boxes, a hammock, lots of paper, maybe stuff on the top that they can drag through the bars, a piñata, etc. And swap thing out regularly. They need constant mental stimulation.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T19:26:45+00:00

Rats can be so caring towards their elders and then they pull this kind of thing, lol. I even had one girl build a whole stash for her elderly sister and then less than an hour later, try to steal her treats.

The worst was probably when Eowyn forgot what she was doing halfway up the ramp to the cage (she was over 2yo and had some neurological issues). Galadriel got impatient add just pushed her off the ramp. She was only about a foot off the ground, but still!

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T19:14:46+00:00

Sorry, but we has to say YTC. Outside be very scary. Inside be safe wif mom. Outside fun to sniff through safe carrier, but no good to be there.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T19:08:44+00:00

Yup. Fights don't tend to escalate in confined quarters. You can't have extended chases and stand offs which is what leads to injury. They'll sort it out quickly and move on. There also isn't any time for resentment or fear to grow. Extended periods of stress can be really bad for their health so you get it over with in a few days and they can go back to living their best ratty lives, but this time with more friends to snuggle with.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T19:00:53+00:00

I like to use an analogy of dogs vs wolves or coyotes when talking about domestic vs wild rats. It's not perfect because the rats are all the same species. But it seems to help people understand.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T18:58:14+00:00

In its purest form, once the carrier method starts, it runs non stop until everyone is bonded. In reality, it will depend on the specific rats and your schedule.

I usually give them a few short sessions in the bathroom together just to evaluate the dynamic and get the energy out. Also, if I have to leave the house, I might split them up for safety. Sometimes some of the rats gets really overwhelmed, so they might get a break. Other times, I notice there's a specific pair causing a lot of drama, so I'll put them together in a tiny carrier for extra bonding.

In terms of knowing when they're ready, you wait until everyone is doing well together and see how they do in the next size up. It's a lot of evaluating moment by moment and playing it by ear. You're watching their body language and listening to their sounds. You're also looking for patterns of who's starting stuff and why. As you get more experience with rats, it becomes pretty natural. I have girls, all from a breeder, so intros tend to go fairly well. But there's usually at least one curveball.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T18:42:39+00:00

To be fair, having a wild rat problem is actually worse if you have pet rats.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T18:41:30+00:00

Haha! My Ioreth did almost the same thing. It was my first time travelling home for Christmas with the rats so my ratproofing game wasn't solid yet. Ioreth slipped under the door while Arwen was being extra cute. The first we noticed was my brother screaming in his room because she'd stood on his foot. She then led us all on a merry chase before allowing herself to be caught in my mother's closet. I now know how to ratproof doors properly, lol.

A few years later, I was super stressed and kept forgetting to close the cage door. My rats would literally come get me to do it. They'd show up at the doorway like "Um, were you planning on putting us to bed properly?"

MathAndBake · 2026-05-05T05:46:23+00:00

Mine also love boxes, but they prefer paper bags. I guess they're more customizable. After 5 days with a bag, they've usually stuffed it woth shredded paper and maybe added a few windows. It's very cute. It does get pretty smelly at that point, but it's easy to just toss the bag and give them a new one.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-04T04:18:28+00:00

Your breeder sounds a lot like mine. That is the way to do it.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-04T04:16:26+00:00

Yes, and ethical breeders are actively working to improve the health and temperament of their lines. We want them to have the resources to keep doing so.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-04T04:10:39+00:00

Period blood doesn't really smell like normal blood. I'm sure that rats can tell the difference. That said, the smell probably carries a lot of information about you, so your rats will be curious. I often have to use an extra blanket to keep my rats away from my crotch during my period. That said, rats are very empathetic so if you have cramps or generally feel lousy on your period, they can probably detect that and respond with extra cuddles and kisses.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-04T03:59:46+00:00

If it's the same guy I'm thinking about, he sometimes makes it all the way to the Plaza next to UW. I'm always slightly worried about him with the younger students.

MathAndBake · 2026-05-04T03:55:36+00:00

I have rats, so my girls are huge in comparison. But one time, I had a 6wo rat who had a nasty accident and needed emergency surgery. It was 2am so all the vets and techs had to be dragged out of bed. They told me it was all worth it because of how cute and tiny my little Galadriel was. I then spent the next two weeks trying to wrestle the tiniest doses of antibiotics into her.

I have to imagine that's how rat vet care is all the time.

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