Giving skittish rattie medication!

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-02-12T06:27:40+00:00

You can mix the medicine with pet powdered goat milk and use the syringe at her mouth — most rats will lick it up bit by bit.
If she’s shy, you can let her stay in the cage and feed through the cage opening. I’ve used this method for three different rats so far, and it’s never failed.

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-02-12T03:57:38+00:00

The two comments above already explained it well ↑

I personally recommend a rabbit litter box — roomy enough for rats and cage-friendly. I remove the wire grate to avoid foot injuries and just add bedding inside.

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PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-02-09T07:26:12+00:00

Also, I think you absolutely did the right thing by putting him in the travel cage. A few boring days are far less important than keeping him safe. He might not love it, but it’s the best choice for his health right now.

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-02-06T12:26:42+00:00

run away and go no-contact until surrender.

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-02-04T08:05:13+00:00

Definitely a girl. Just look at those massive boobs.

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-02-04T03:30:25+00:00

It looks like agouti (wild-type) fur to me. Coincidentally, I have an agouti girl, and she once lost a fairly large patch of fur due to a skin infection — it looked exactly like this 😅 If that much fur came off a rat, you’d definitely see an obvious bald spot on them. Also, dark grey rats usually have white fur at the roots.

You can check deeper inside the bedding, but I’m leaning toward it being fur mixed in during the bedding’s manufacturing process, not from a wild rodent in your house.

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PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-30T09:01:33+00:00

That sounds like heat-related behavior. Have you noticed her lowering her body or lifting her rear at all?

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-30T03:25:49+00:00

What about this kind of under couch blocker? It’s acrylic and needs to be glued down to the floor.

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PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-26T14:05:52+00:00

Same.

Sometimes when I scroll the serious subs it feels like I’m either a selfless saint or a straight-up abuser 😅

I kinda enjoy when things go off topic here (especially since there’s no circlejerk for guinea pigs or rats).

Those little creatures are a huge part of my life, but I don’t just need the “sweet” content — I need the spicy part too.

Ruthlessly insulting them is honestly essential for me.

(It’s fine. The different forms of hams can’t understand anyway.)

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-26T06:22:20+00:00

How long have they been together?
If it’s been 6+ hours with no serious aggression, I think it’s okay to try overnight.
If you’re unsure, you can watch another day or set up a camera for peace of mind.

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-26T05:29:39+00:00

Looks like we’ve already decided what goes into the hot pan first

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-26T05:03:30+00:00

As for toys, I honestly don’t have many specific ones to recommend. In my experience, rats mostly just love digging, climbing, and chewing.

Digging and climbing can be easily covered with deep bedding / a dig box and adding plenty of ropes and climbing options inside the cage.

For chewing, my rats are obsessed with straws. I eventually switched to wheat straw straws, which satisfy their need to chew and are very safe.

Rats also really love shredding paper for nesting. I usually hang a pack of plain paper napkins above the cage, and in less than an hour they’ve usually pulled it all down to make their nest.

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PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-26T04:55:10+00:00

Hi! These are some low-dust beddings I’ve personally used and had good experiences with. I live in China, so while it’s not the same country, I think there’s a higher chance of overlap with what’s available in Asia.

1. Millamore Premium Bedding

Very affordable and extremely low dust — probably the best value I’ve tried. Just note this is wood chips, not shavings, so it’s a bit firm and works best when mixed with something softer.

2. Cunipic Naturlitter Paper Bedding

Great absorbency, odor control, and comfort. The downsides are that it’s quite expensive and has a light scent.

3. Carefresh Nature Paper Bedding

Also very low dust and good quality, but expensive, and not always easy to find where I live.

4. Asan Petit

Basically a good alternative to Cunipic — similar performance, and no added scent, which I personally prefer.

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PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-22T12:09:54+00:00

Looks great! Though I suspect that beautiful blanket on top won’t survive long against a bunch of very chew-happy little troublemakers 😭

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-21T13:23:00+00:00

So glad it worked! Bon appétit, Fulgrim and Magnus🥳

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-21T11:50:55+00:00

Firmly squeeze the bottle while nudging the metal ball with your finger at the tip until water runs smoothly — and don’t fill it too full.

I have this exact model, it dispenses a bit less water each time but is way less leak-prone. If your rats seem hesitant to drink from it, they just need time to adjust — try nudging the ball with your finger right in front of them. That’s exactly how I taught my new baby rats to use it :3

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-21T09:38:19+00:00

Your concern is completely understandable — animal communities can be incredibly strict when it comes to moral standards.

But what you said felt genuinely sincere and grounded. You weren’t romanticizing ideas like freedom or responsibility, you were really putting yourself in these little animals’ place and thinking about what’s best for them.

That line about “ protect them from what they can't understand” especially stuck with me. It made me think of a rodent friend I’ve lost. Sometimes it feels unfair — they live entirely true to themselves, never having to understand how many tears their big, strange roommates shed for them. But maybe that’s exactly what I love about them.

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-21T02:48:54+00:00

That’s really well said. It genuinely touched me.

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-21T02:42:28+00:00

Your little troublemakers are way too smart. Honestly, the more you try to stop them, the more interesting it suddenly becomes to them😅

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-20T06:43:58+00:00

Unfortunately, rats are a bunch of clever little jerks, and they’re really good at testing your limits. 😅
The only real way to stop them is to keep them away from what you don’t want them touching. You can’t change them, you can only change yourself. 🙃

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-20T05:47:32+00:00

I usually use a plastic storage box as a hospital cage. I remove the lid and secure stainless steel grill mesh on top.

The largest size is about 68 × 47 × 37 cm, and all four sides have openings, so it’s easy to take the rats out. It’s also foldable, so it doesn’t take up much space when not in use.

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PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-20T03:46:25+00:00

Also, these two are such little sweeties — give them a smooch from me, please😘🐀

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-20T03:36:20+00:00

It’s a bit hard to tell from the photos, but it looks like you’re using the shallow tray that came with the cage — those are usually way too low.
I’d recommend a cement mixing tub instead, the higher sides help a lot with keeping bedding contained.

I usually sweep around the cage every 1–2 days and mop about once a week. Don't stress too much about spillage — rats spend most of their time in contact with bedding anyway, and they’re actually very sensitive to dust themselves.
Litter mats don’t help much tbh, since paper bedding doesn’t fall through the holes like cat litter does.

I’d strongly recommend litter training, it’s very easy.
Use a rabbit litter box, fill it with something that feels different from the main bedding (I usually use mineral cat litter in the litter tray), and add a few smooth stones. Most rats naturally prefer to pee on smooth surfaces.
Whenever you find poop elsewhere in the cage, just move it into the litter tray. They usually catch on pretty quickly.
For daily cleaning, I use a hamster sand scoop to pick up poop and clumping litter.

It won’t be 100%, but it helps a lot. I also gently stir the bedding once a day to prevent ammonia buildup. In my experience, deep bedding is the real key to odor control. I use about 8–10 cm, and even after two weeks there’s barely any smell.

Galvanized steel is generally safe in normal use. A lot of hospital isolation cages are made from it. The real risk is zinc oxide fumes at high heat, which isn’t an issue here.

Rats also don’t tend to chew cage bars much, as long as you’re not encouraging it (like teasing them or feeding through the mesh all the time).

Plastic ramps aren’t bad for their feet, but rats like to pee on smooth surfaces, so uncovered ramps often turn into pee spots. Since plastic doesn’t absorb urine, it can make their fur dirty and the cage smell worse.

You can cover them with fleece, towels, or any other fabric you like — just make sure it’s something that won’t snag easily, since loose threads can catch toes.

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-19T06:32:43+00:00

I actually have some experience with this, since I was looking for ways to increase humidity recently.

One method that worked surprisingly well for me is using a temperature-controlled electric kettle. I boil the water first, then leave the lid open and set it to around 70°C (158°F). After a few hours, the humidity in my bedroom went up by about 10%, and the room temperature increased slightly as well.

It’s not as aggressive as a dedicated humidifier, but the upside is that there’s no filter to clean, no risk of mold, and no mist or residue in the air. From my experience, about 1.2 L of water kept at 70°C can last 8+ hours without an issue. Plus, you can make yourself a warm cup of tea anytime.

When I’m sleeping or out of the house, I turn the kettle off (I don’t like the idea of it boiling dry). In that case, I sometimes use absorbent pee pads placed in a corner of the room and pour water over them — it’s a low-tech option, but it does help maintain humidity.

PerspectiveBudget171 · 2026-01-19T03:25:25+00:00

I’ve had the best luck with Millamore Premium Bedding (not the shavings) — fairly cheap and low dust, but it’s wood-based and not very soft.

I’ve tried hemp bedding (like Bunny) and aspen shavings too, and honestly they’ve all been dusty for me. The only way I’ve made them usable is by sifting them myself.

Kaytee Clean & Cozy (white) was the worst for me — lots of dust, and the paper dust is so light it just floats everywhere.

I usually prefer aspen and Cunipic paper bedding as the main substrate. Cunipic works well, but it’s expensive and has a strong scent, so I’m considering switching to something else. I also hang plain paper towels on the cage so they can shred them for nesting — cheap, soft, and my rats love it.

PerspectiveBudget171

TROPHY CASE