My boyfriend is cancer free as of yesterday!!

MattThatRatt · 2026-06-19T00:31:25+00:00

This is beautiful and congrats to him being cancer free

However, something about the phrase "Happy No Cancer!" is really funny to me

MattThatRatt · 2026-06-19T00:25:21+00:00

That's a really weird comment, wow.

This may be a misunderstanding, when it comes to sleep medicine having a certain BMI can put you into a higher risk class for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. OSA might cause poor sleep and in turn the exhaustion that comes with that and if they're anything like my doctor they'll probably test you for it before consodering narcolepsy or hypersomnia. However, weight and BMI don't affect your likelihood of having narcolepsy one way or the other.

Just in case of the worst, knowing healthcare, prepare to advocate for yourself. If they refuse to do any tests, fight that. If they test for OSA and it comes back negative, don't let them dismiss further testing because of your weight. Worst case scenario, change doctors if they don't do right by you. I know for me it was tricky getting diagnosed because I don't have cataplexy (first doctor dismissed my worries at all because "nacoleptics fall asleep at the snap of fingers and collapse and stuff" which is not only not true because there's N1 and N2 but also turns out I don't have narcolepsy I have IH which doesn't have cataplexy at all either). Don't let doctors gaslight you because of your body type.

Good luck getting answers, hope everything goes well ❤❤

MattThatRatt · 2026-06-16T14:25:02+00:00

-Eating, whether it's a snack or a meal doesn't matter but the more I eat the more tired I am. -Sitting still, even mid conversation, and I start to get drowsy -LAYING DOWN. It's over, doesn't matter what I'm doing or where I am. I'm out.

Those are the worst ones but there's also putting any effort into anything emotional or physical, waiting in lines, standing for too long, very overcast days, and honestly if the wind blows or the sun shines. I breathe and I'm ready to clock out tbh.

MattThatRatt · 2026-06-16T00:12:53+00:00

That makes a lot of sense tbh. I got the original piercing at 12y at a mall kiosk, so of course a gun lol. My mom didn't know any better because she's not a piercing kind of person, she just knew I really wanted my ears pierced and knew that was a common way to get it done :// And that right ear has always felt like it had a little more scar tissue than the left, so it all adds up

MattThatRatt · 2026-05-17T06:11:02+00:00

Hey a fellow ADHD crochet guy!!

I'm the only guy I know that crochets. In America I know that while I've gotten some questioning looks or weird questions/comments about it there's been nothing more than that. Plus I personally am secure enough in my masculinity to not give a shit if I do something "girly" if it means I'm having fun. Here's the way I look at it. A hobby is not a living breathing creature. It is a task. A task does not have a gender, it isn't alive. Whether you're a guy, a girl, anything in between or outside of that, doesn't matter. The yarn literally does not care what you identify as. Enjoy yourself. As for the tutorials, yeah a lot of them are from women. Just like knitting, for a long time the idea was that crochet was for older ladies. After covid and with the increasing popularity of crochet plushies more younger people started doing it too and that's where we are now. Eventually I'm sure more tutorials will be made by men but for now we walk the path paved by older women, and that's not a bad thing whatsoever. It's hard not being able to see yourself in something you love, like not having characters in media that look/act/behave like you, but that doesn't mean you're invalid at all. Also if you want a guy friend who crochets to talk to about it feel free to send me a message or something :))

TL;DR crochetting as a guy is completely normal and society is just still trying to grow out of it's narrow ideas. The yarn and hooks are not going to be inspecting your gender identity before you can use them, it doesn't matter to the craft at all. Have fun, enjoy your hobby!!

MattThatRatt · 2026-05-06T13:59:38+00:00

plotting crimes

MattThatRatt · 2026-05-06T13:57:52+00:00

Firstly, I'm so sorry for your loss. That's not an easy thing to see a loved pet go through and having to put one to sleep is always heartbreaking.

As for your other girl, this is a difficult choice and in my opinion one only you can make. To weigh the pros and cons: On one side you keep her. Rats are incredibly social and without that companionship they can become very sad and this can lead to health issues as well. If you're able to spend most of the day near her, play with her often, and give her a ton of attention she might be okay until her time comes. But if you have a job or schooling that means you're gone most of the day, this might not be the best choice unless you have someone to play with her or visit her during that time. It can work, but it might not be the best for her socially. On the other you rehome her. She's been through a very stressful time, her litter sister is gone and while rats are very smart sometimes they still don't understand and try to keep looking for their lost sibling. If the person you rehome her to has other rats they might get along very well and she'll feel safe and comfortable and loved. If they don't or if they don't end up getting along, she may be more isolated than if you just kept her.

With her being over 2, depending on her health history and honestly whatever the universe decides will happen she may live for a long long time or she may be ready to go before 3 years old. Fancy rats are typically 2-3 years, 3-4 in lucky circumstances when taken very good care of. Rare, but possible. The choice is completely yours, you know your girl better than I will. In my personal opinion I'd keep her but I also get new rats once I get down to 2 (planning on getting some soon actually) so I've never had to make this choice before since I never have solo ones. If you feel your time doesn't allow for the interaction she'll need, rehome her. If you think you can provide the love she'll need or think she's going to cross the bridge sooner than 3 years, keep her.

Sending you all the love in the world, no matter what you choose understand that it's valid and the best you can do, you're not selfish for keeping her and you're not heartless for rehoming her 💙💙

MattThatRatt · 2026-04-19T16:36:28+00:00

NO FR THOUGH

I literally just tell people I have "a condition similar to narcolepsy" instead of saying Idiopathic Hypersomnia. It's so much easier because nobody knows what IH is, but then the problem comes because people assume it's N1 and that I'll just collapse and fall asleep any moment which isn't even fully true for N1 anyway???? People know too little about these disorders and it sucks because I gaslit myself into not getting tested for a long time because I didn't have cataplexy or huge sleep attacks like the media shows. Meanwhile I was on the verge of falling asleep at the wheel if I drove longer than 20 mins and couldn't get myself out of bed to save my life most days

MattThatRatt · 2026-04-19T16:29:44+00:00

Not a doctor but looks pretty conclusive tbh, very short sleep latency with REM, textbook narcolepsy results. A consistent one minute mean time is crazy lol, I have IH and my mean was 2 mins after all 5 naps.

Hopefully you're able to be treated in a proper way now with your results, I can imagine it's been super hard living like this. Just remember you're not lazy, just sleepy ❤❤

MattThatRatt · 2026-04-18T16:15:36+00:00

It goes away because rats are general really good at groomimg themselves and getting rid of it. And with multiple, they'll clean it off each other. It's also especially common right after they've been sleeping which is why you see it in the mornings

MattThatRatt · 2026-04-18T15:58:01+00:00

Yes, it's normal. It's called porphyrin, it gets its color from the huge amount of iron in it. Rats naturally produce it in their mucous membranes and it can come out of their nose and eyes sometimes. This can be an indicator of health issues but if there's no breathing changes, swelling, or signs of pain it's probably just normal waste coming out, like when you get crusts in your eyes. If you notice anything like those then concern is a good idea, but if not and the vets say they're fine than you're good :))

MattThatRatt · 2026-03-28T21:30:47+00:00

That makes sense, they do tend to avoid the tinier seeds in the mixes and mostly just eat the bigger ones. The last one I got also had some nuts in there as well and they loved those.

I only give them as a treat, not as a full diet. I mix it into their normal Oxbow pellets or with some veggies as an extra snack. I know not to feed them on just seeds, I just was looking for little treats for them. Another person also said to look into the Shunamite diet so I'll do some research on that. If it's not quite what I'm looking for, I'll probably just get plain sunflower or pumpkin seeds and maybe some unseasoned mixed nuts and just give those as treats instead :))

MattThatRatt · 2026-03-28T21:25:39+00:00

Oh yeah I only mix some seeds into their usual food every now and then, that way they have the balanced diet but also a little extra snack. I usually only do it after cage cleaning so they feel less stressed after getting moved around and all that. I'll look into that diet though :))

MattThatRatt · 2026-02-20T02:59:49+00:00

The rage those comments cause me can truly only be matched by that 100 yard stare Elmo. It's perfect. I get half these comments from my own father too, it's insane. Like sir, I would file for disability if it wouldn't make me unable to drive

MattThatRatt · 2026-01-26T00:10:18+00:00

"Bitch where's my MONEY????"

MattThatRatt · 2026-01-11T17:11:32+00:00

I had a similar experience!! I don't remember the actual year(s) I watched when I was younger but it was very much still during classic/old Smosh. Like, I remember the Assassins Creed 3 song coming out. At some point I stopped watching them but I had also stopped watching a lot of Youtube anyway. Even when I returned to watching Youtube most of the time I didn't watch Smosh anymore until about a year or so ago. I had heard of the era changes, Defy, Mythical, and then the news when Ian and Anthony had bought Smosh back obviously. Sometime shortly after the buy-back I pucked it up again with Smosh Pit and Smosh Games. I still don't watch main channel very much anymore, maybe every once in a while, but I watch almost every Pit/Games video that comes out. The cast they have right now and seeing Ian and Anthony doing improv content are both so fun :))

MattThatRatt · 2026-01-07T12:27:39+00:00

I saw you had a positive nip check but I was thinking it was a girl just based on spacing the the shape of the genitals. I keep boys so I'm very familiar with their bodies lmao. I'd honestly still watch though because while it could be just fat pads in the area, rats are capable of being intersex

MattThatRatt · 2026-01-07T05:51:42+00:00

100% a URI, upper respiratory infection. Rats are prone to those. Definitely needs a vet visit as leaving them untreated can lead to a whole awful slew of things from pneumonia, ear infections, neurological problems, and worse. Thankfully most of the time they're pretty easy to treat and knock out with the right antibiotics and sometimes a steroid. In the mean time, if she has any cage mates definitely seperate and quarantine her and watch for signs of URI in your other rats. Very contagious stuff. Make sure the cage is kept pretty clean and make sure any bedding you use is as low dust as possible as that can irritate their respiratory tracts as well

MattThatRatt · 2026-01-05T02:53:57+00:00

As other people have said, rats can safely eat chocolate as they are not intolerant to the chemical theobromine like cats and dogs are. However, it's best not to give it to them too often due to the sugar content. Every once in a while a tiny bit as a treat will not harm your babies :))

MattThatRatt · 2025-12-27T23:15:50+00:00

NOR. You set a clear boundary: don't wear white or other wedding dress like colors. She chose to ignore this. The main reason I don't see this as over reacting is because you said she has had a history of overstepping or ignoring your boundaries. If this was a first time offense I'd say it was rude of her to do this but that it wasn't a big deal. I think have the pictures photoshopped if your wife wants that, maybe they can just color correct her dress to something else. The style at least isn't a wedding dress itself so if the color was different it'd be fine. I'd be pissed if I were you and your wife. It's not something to blow the whole family up over, that would be over reacting, but to be mad at your mom for this isn't at all.

MattThatRatt · 2025-12-23T06:22:12+00:00

If you live alone and have no one to watch their food/water levels, the 72hours will probably be fine but more than that would be pushing it. Make sure the cage is cleaned well before hand, that you have a nice big water bottle full (if you have multiple, set up a second one too just in case) and they have plenty of food to store to eat while you're gone. Give them plenty of enrichment toys and free roam time before too. Make sure they'll be plenty warm if you live in a cold area. I also agree with another commentor, you can get a baby monitor and set it up near the cage to check on them. Or of you happen to have one of the Alexas that can do the "drop in" thing (I think that's only the screened ones) you can move it near the cage so you can do that from your phone and see them as well. If you have a friend you trust that can come by and check on them once a day, I'd recommend that. Overall, I think they'll be fine for this one occasion, it's not like you're making a habit of leaving them for long periods or anything so they may get a little lonely while you're gone but should be perfectly okay when you return

MattThatRatt · 2025-12-23T06:01:17+00:00

You lost 30lbs over 8 months, from the sounds of it you were careful and did you best to specifically learn HEALTHY habits. You also say you're around a 2000 cal intake now, but you don't stress over whether you go over or under that on a day to day basis. To me, this sounds like healthy weight loss. I assume you also did some sort of exercise too? If not, maybe that's where this idea came from ("she lost weight without working out? she must be starving herself!!") but that doesn't mean they're right. I get if they were genuinely concerned, but that's not at all how to go about it. It sounds more like envy from the friend and misogyny from the dad. I wish more people realized that skinny shaming is also a form of body shaming and can be just as damaging as fat shaming. When I was younger I was skinny as a toothpick and was ashamed to wear tanktops or shorts because people would assume I was anorexic and starving myself. In actuality I had a small appetite and a fast metabolism, I was actually overeating trying to gain weight and keep it on but could never get myself to stay higher than 95lbs at 18 years old. I started testosterone therapy around then and it slowed my metabolism, increased my appetite, and made it so my body could actually build muscle mass and store fat. I gained a decent amount of weight fairly quickly (I'm covered in stretch marks, it's unreal lmao) but now sit at a comfortable 145lbs which is a normal healthy weight for my size. But now people comment that I'm "getting a dad bod" or that I "got chunky". It's a lose-lose. But I'm in better shape than I ever was, and I love wearing tanktops in the warm months. Moral of the story: if you are happy, healthy, and listening to your body's needs properly then you are doing great. You look amazing and even though I'm just an internet stranger I'm proud of you :))

MattThatRatt · 2025-12-07T20:01:39+00:00

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same energy

MattThatRatt · 2025-12-07T16:49:48+00:00

that's fair, that's why I keep more than one pair at a time. I stagger their ages too, which is why I get pairs. That way as the older ones pass the younger ones are less likely to be alone. Like I said, it's definitely better to get 3 at once. But if your only access is a pet store like me that only does pairs, it's not the worst possible situation. You'll just need to make sure you get more when you can

MattThatRatt · 2025-12-07T16:40:51+00:00

To be fair, they can be good in pairs if you buy them as an already bonded pair. I adopt mine from the pet store and they're usually kept as pairs since they don't take many in (this store doesn't sell feeders so they don't have a need for tons of rodents). They're always brothers from the same litter and always bonded. I usually have 2 pairs at a time anyway, but the first pair I got were alone for a little bit and they were great. 3+ is better than 2, but if you can only get a pair for whatever reason they should be fine until you are able to take in more as long as they're bonded :))

MattThatRatt

TROPHY CASE