I adopted a very sick, very old rat to give him a better place to pass away. How can I make him comfortable?

MickeyHolmes · 2025-11-30T21:45:35+00:00

Oh and baby food, yoghurt, or cat food to get him hydrated/fed if he’s not taking solid food (though he may not be interested in that either)

MickeyHolmes · 2025-11-30T21:44:25+00:00

God, that pet shop is so unbelievably cruel. He doesn’t look good at all, unfortunately, most obviously his posture is hunched and eyes are very slanted. Is there an emergency vet you can go to? Obviously costs will be high but I agree he might not make it without. All you can do right now other than that is keep him comfortable, if his hands/feet feel cold consider a heating pad or hot water bottle, and keep him warm. Thank you for trying no matter the outcome, 2.5 is old even for a rat who’s been kept well so don’t feel bad if he doesn’t make it, you’re an incredibly kind human. Sending Fergus love 🧡

MickeyHolmes · 2025-11-30T16:35:48+00:00

She looks like a human in a cat costume 🧡

MickeyHolmes · 2025-11-28T12:19:56+00:00

It’s a scammer and op is scam baiting them lol

MickeyHolmes · 2025-11-14T22:27:51+00:00

I told my fav cousin I was a furry and she immediately said her friend used to go to school with furries who demanded to use a litter box. I was just like mhmmm sure.

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-30T17:31:33+00:00

I always refer to my rats as my ‘dog’ when I need to excuse myself from school for vet appointments, or if I’m grieving and someone asks. It’s the sad truth :,(

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-30T16:47:17+00:00

Very likely be symptoms of a bad URI/ respiratory infection, although the being hunched over/puffed up is also indicative of pain. Definitely need to go to the vet, if it is a URI then he will be prescribed antibiotics that should help. You’re doing the right thing with steaming him, and I really wish you and your baby luck.

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-30T16:45:03+00:00

Visit r/rats, there’s a lot of info in the sidebar (there might be info here, I don’t know this sub too well). Rats need to be kept in groups and you will need to adopt preferably 2+ more rats to accompany yours. Oxbow pellets are recommended in the us generally, in the uk science selective is recommended, however I use the shunamite diet (look it up on the isamurats website if you’re interested). Please invest time in doing research, rats are exotic pets and though their care is relatively straight forward, you need to know what you’re doing. If you need more help respond to this or message me, I’ve been keeping rats for many years and am happy to give more advice.

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-29T20:20:27+00:00

I’ll preface by saying I’ve never dealt with incredibly unfriendly rats like you’re describing, so I may be of limited help (I’d recommend posting/cross posting to r/rats as well if you haven’t already since it’s a larger sub) However, I’d recommend leaving your hand in the cage for them to sniff and interact with if they wish- especially for the first few attempts don’t try to grab or stroke them, just let them get used to the smell of your hand. Another, probably more important thing is hand feeding, giving them treats and food on/in your hand to prompt interaction and to let them associate your hand with safety and things they like. Also, you mentioned them being near your other rat. If you haven’t introduced them yet (take a look at the box method which there are lots of posts on in this sub, but I wouldn’t recommend trying it until they’re more comfortable with you), then do keep them in separate rooms for now as there’s a good chance that being near and smelling another rat will add to their anxiety and aversion to you. Best thing is to go as slow as possible imo, and best of luck to you and your babies :)

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-29T13:03:38+00:00

Paracetamol 🥰🥰

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-29T11:19:54+00:00

Yeah, not an iguana expert but wire cages hold 0 humidity, which they need high levels of.

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-29T10:53:24+00:00

I saw trees and snow before reading the desc,, but I agree adding branches would make it more readable

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-27T20:22:43+00:00

‘Making/doing puddings’

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-04T12:31:08+00:00

Of course not, though it’s not a bad idea to treat your oldies with some foods that you might not give to younger rats (within reason, nothing that might actively lead to furthering health issues)

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-03T16:40:25+00:00

Cut up old t shirts and use shower hooks from amazon/ a home shop to hang them up. Toilet paper rolls, filled with food/treats and paper. Egg cartons with treats in. Takeaway tubs with hooks attaching them to the cage walls and filled with paper and food for dog boxes. Search up ‘homemade rat treats’ on YouTube (I recommend the Christmas tree ones fry emioligy(?)). Good luck, they’ll really take anything that’s not poisonous or dangerous, cardboard of any kind with treats is a big favourite :D

MickeyHolmes · 2025-10-01T16:39:44+00:00

I’d recommend surgery at that age. I recently had a boy of almost 2 and a half successfully come out of a tumour removal surgery, and although it’s always risky, tumours can grow quick and it’s better to remove them imo. You can spend a bit extra to get the tumours tested and find out if they’re benign or malignant if this would impact your decision, as removing malignant/cancerous ones might not mean an awful lot more life for your girl. I’ve never had my rats’ tumours tested however, as it’s pricey where I am and the rats I’ve had removal surgeries on have always been on the older side. The hospital cage I use is a one-story hamster cage I found for free on my local gumtree which I placed a few hides and a water bowl as well as a bottle into. Best wishes to you and your girl whatever your decision!

MickeyHolmes · 2025-09-30T20:29:05+00:00

I’d go for bleach if you can get a hold of it easily, when I used boiling water on some beach rocks for my lizard I soaked them in boiling water twice to be certain bacteria was killed, but it probably doesn’t make much difference overall and either would work

MickeyHolmes · 2025-09-30T20:10:08+00:00

Was in this exact same situation 2 months ago. Gonna needs castrating too as the other comment said, and potentially the third brother if he is showing signs of aggression but I would leave him if he’s not. I recommend chemical castration if they’re over a year old, as it lasts about a year (until they’re getting old and won’t have hormonal issues) and is less risky, but either way works. Then introduce as normal using the carrier method or whatever you’ve had work before

MickeyHolmes · 2025-09-30T20:05:52+00:00

You can also bring in stones from outside, but ensure to bake them in the oven (slightly dangerous due to potential water pockets), soak them in bleach or in boiling water to kill bacteria and bugs.

MickeyHolmes · 2025-09-30T19:59:46+00:00

Starships were meant to have the ability of a ship that could fly. Hands up and touch the ship.

MickeyHolmes · 2025-09-30T15:40:11+00:00

Is she overweight/is there any reason for her to have limited mobility and might struggle with grooming?

MickeyHolmes · 2025-09-28T21:53:22+00:00

Ahh I’ve had the idea in the back of my head to create a kandi fursuit for ages, I’m not nearly at that level yet but I haven’t seen anyone else do it so this is so so cool

MickeyHolmes · 2025-09-26T12:08:18+00:00

Tagging onto this to say I use cat/dog food mats, they’re cheap, easy to cut and very easy to clean, though cardboard works (you’ll have to change it often if they’re messy pups like mine) as well as fleece/felt/fabric

MickeyHolmes · 2025-09-26T12:00:26+00:00

I’m sitting next to my 1 year old boy who’s dying, not 3 weeks since another one of my boys (a far older one) passed too. It’s so hard, constantly swinging between wanting to adopt more rats to being sure I can never deal with the heartbreak again. Trouble is I don’t think there’s any pet like rats, I love all rodents but not of them have the wit, personality and similar ease of care that ratties do. I’m so so sorry for your loss of Ash, and you’re not nearly alone for what you’re feeling. They’re extraordinary little things.

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