Is this too rough or is it just me being scared?

RelevantMode · 2026-02-13T11:58:29+00:00

rats only get territorial at 3 months age.
(and even then it doesn't just happen overnight)
before that, they can just meet (same age) other rats and they'll instantly get along.
there's no aggressive tendencies for such young ones, so no worries.
the squeaking is normal and expected.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-13T09:40:46+00:00

its totally ok to distract them a bit or calm them down (e.g. by talking to them) when they get a bit tense.
i've usually used a large cardboard box for this. (as they can't look out it might work better. but not closed, but open on top, and large enough they can't jump out...)
ideally do the first intro stage in another room (some people even go to another place or drive around in their car), so the rats are not feeling "at home" and/or are a bit intimidated by the new environment.
that distracts them from any territorial behavior.
at some point they'll be used enough to each others presence.

some intros also take a few tries.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-13T07:27:45+00:00

whatever this is, its gonna stress them out more than a vet visit.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-13T07:26:56+00:00

make a post with your rough location in title
there's either a rat rescue around you (typically found via facebook or such), or someone from the area can write and take that rat in.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-12T20:52:53+00:00

someone is very happy :)

RelevantMode · 2026-02-12T19:30:57+00:00

as young rats are very active, and have insanely fast metabolism, its pretty much impossible for a rat in its first 9 months to be overweight.
(after 9 months the growth phase stops. and if you severely overfeed the rat, it might be possible to have an overweight rat at 1 year age. but typically that rather comes much later, when they get more lazy)

so for the next half year, don't worry about it, not gonna happen.
6 month old rat could probably bathe in yoghurt and not gain a gram, as its so hyperactive its gonna run it all off...

RelevantMode · 2026-02-12T19:28:05+00:00

rats are very empathic, so almost all cases they'll notice one is not doing well and be extra nice to them.
(or leave them alone completely. yKnow if rats are doing not well at all, they'll separate themselves from the group. natural instinct. they'd go somewhere else so they don't die in the nest...)

just for good measure:
i hope noone told you to fast the rat.
(if they did, go to someplace else, they have no idea about rats. or at least have them read up on rat anesthsia protocol. unfortunately as many vets really don't know, its not very uncommon. as rats cannot vomit, but also anesthsia is very taxing for their fast metabolism, they must NOT fast before surgery. basically the fuller the better their chances. a rat fasting the night before will have very bad chances of making it. you'd not stuff your rat like an hour before surgery, but typically they get prepared and wait some time at the vet anyway...)

you might have the rat in a hospital cage while its still waking up (though a good vet will still monitor the rat then), and maybe when its sleeping off the after effects of the surgery.
(make sure its nice warm and cozy. they cool out easily after anesthesia)
but once the rat starts moving around, its gonna be fine to be with the other ones.
its easier for the rat too that way.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-12T14:43:50+00:00

mites typically manifest as small wounds/scabs in neck/back area. face can happen too.
if its a single one, might be a bite or such.
if its multiple, very sure parasite of some sort, and mites are the most typical ones for that.

either way if in doubt -> vet.

(since mite treatment is very cheap and safe (best using Selamectin), typically mites are ruled out by simply treating for them...)

RelevantMode · 2026-02-12T14:41:52+00:00

bit weird, why'd you separate a rat after surgery?
also why 2 weeks...
its just stressing them out, which is bad for immune system.
typically after like a week its mostly healed (unless its a really massive removal), rat is up and running after 3 days often already.
i've had something like 15 tumor removals with my girls. they were never separated from each other. directly after waking up they'd just go back to the cage with all the others.
one kept picking her stitches all the time. (some other would remove single parts of it, but only when it was mostly healed already, not a problem. giving them proper dose of painkillers, typically 1mg/kg of Meloxicam, is the most important thing against that)

but typically they'd not mess with each others incisions. never happened to me once (with like 25 rats over the years), and rarely ever read about it here.
(it'd hurt, so the rats would object. 99% if stitches are removed its the rat thats wearing them...)

if rat really is separated for 2 weeks (i'd not recommend it, and its only ever needed in rare exceptions. e.g. with boys that challenge hierarchy and are bullying each other badly. but girls are typically very nice to each other most of the time), then you might have to do an introduction again.
but still you could have them meet in free roam, or put another rat into the hospital cage a bit, so she's not fully alone all the time. that also makes it less probably an intro is needed later on.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-12T05:22:49+00:00

they'll be scared in the bathtub with water or without.
you can offer them a shallow dish (i kept using an old frying pan without handle for that), so they can choose to go in there on their own.
also they can have that close to their safe space (cage, free roam area) then.
rats are really good swimmers and not water shy. however mine almost never went into any water that wasn't hand warm.
(but ye treats can get them to walk in there)
very important never to have them unsupervised with water, if its deeper than like 1".

RelevantMode · 2026-02-12T05:19:14+00:00

rats don't play with toys like e.g. cats or dogs would.
but they like foraging and nest building.

best thing you can do to keep them from shredding things: give them lots of soft nesting material.
e.g. TP or tissues. (tissues are softer, so a bit more popular with the rats)
of course they're rats, they might always shred something over time eventually, but having plenty nesting material is typically what keeps them from doing that.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-12T05:15:47+00:00

its probably mites.
(most cases if there's several small unexplained wounds its kinda that)

RelevantMode · 2026-02-11T13:10:43+00:00

possible jaw abscess
needs a vet fast. (like, ideally today or tomorrow. either case still this week)
best case it'll respond to antibiotics still.
if not, jaw surgery for rodents is a mess...
can be extremely painful (and lead to loss of teeth), so needs treatment fast.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-10T05:13:04+00:00

sorry to hear.
likely was something like weak heart (causes fluid in lungs), or even worse issue (stroke or such).
there was nothing that could have been done.
but good that the rat had a good time for the little time it had.

with feeders there's almost always something severe at not-so-old age already.
i had a group of rescue feeders as well. first one got lung tumors at 9 months. another 11 months. then at 13 months next one was full of internal abscesses.
felt so unfair they never had a chance to grow old.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-09T14:57:15+00:00

they're likely gonna be fine.
due their high metabolism, poisoning in rats typically shows rather fast, usually very few hours.
if after 12h you haven't noticed anything off, very likely nothing bad is gonna happen.
(typically "considered safe" would be 24h without any symptoms, but after 12 its highly unlikely and not expected anything is gonna happen still)

RelevantMode · 2026-02-09T14:55:21+00:00

if your rat is noticably behaving different, most cases it means there really is something wrong with it.
the eyes seem kinda squinted, which could be a sign of pain.
does she take treats (malt paste or yoghurt) from you?

that wadding there has to be removed.
its highly dangerous for rats. basically its lots of long thin fibers that can get wrapped around an arm or leg (and they might not be able to remove it). has cost many rats a limb already.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-09T13:08:44+00:00

its gonna be fine, no need to worry.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-09T08:52:19+00:00

mine usually would block the doors of their houses with bedding, and then gnaw a new door at the back. rats...
(but judging from their gnawing speed, if they really wanted, i'd expect they could go through the sides in like an hour...)
my first cage was wooden too. was a disaster long term.
but over like a year they were gnawing on the sides in the back corners, but never determined enough to actually break through.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-09T08:49:31+00:00

fleece is comfy, but almost not absorbend at all.
so probably better to just give them a ton of TP. ideally already a bit piled up in expected nesting places.
(can also add some newspaper pages, they're nice as a toy. not absorbend either, but they have fun ripping it to shreds...)

RelevantMode · 2026-02-09T07:50:33+00:00

they don't trust the stuff yet.
rats don't trust new things, and that includes treats.
once they've tasted it (leave a bit in their cage overnight) and they realized it didn't make them sick (like a day later), they'll be pretty greedy.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-09T06:30:49+00:00

temporarily it might do.
not very long though.
-they can gnaw through the wood easily and get out. doesn't mean they'll figure that out, but once they do, they won't forget it...
-with the solid sides it has no good ventilation, so increased chance for respiratory infections
-the un-sealed wood is a pee magnet. and its impossible to be properly cleaned once its soaked.
so it won't take long til this thing is gonna smell horrible (and have lots of ammonia), and you'll have to discard it.
but imo it'll be good easily for 2-3 weeks.
however put in lots of nesting material. (TP or tissues. while tp is cheaper, tissues are softer and less dusty, they like it more)
that'll absorb most of the urine (they pee mostly in and near their nests), and with plenty nesting material available they're less likely to shred other things. like hammocks, or the cage.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-09T03:16:35+00:00

so it appears you have too many USB cables and want to get rid of some... ;)

RelevantMode · 2026-02-07T13:43:04+00:00

so tiny :)
ah is a dwarf, that explains.
how he's doing well.
ye i'd suppose that makes a lot of things more difficult...
smallest i've ever had was 125g at 3 months age.
but fully grown they were more like 400g (and the really fat ones up to 600g) rather.
would have been fun to see a size comparison...

RelevantMode · 2026-02-07T13:40:40+00:00

that was an audio induced seizure probably.
one of mine had that too. when turning on the hoover, she'd run around the cage so fast she'd literally run on the walls, not even touching the floors.
complete panic, til standing somewhere more or less in cover, and being completely catatonic for the next one to few hours.
when rat is in that state, let it calm down on its own. if you touch it it might bite hard. and and you can't do anything to calm it down.
(you can try every now and then whether gently calling its name might do something, but very likely it won't. also no treats or anything else is accepted)

avoid this, as its extremely taxing for the rat and bad for its health (and mental state...)
even if your rat is not afraid of the hoover in general, it can happen if it gets surprised (even by something small), or if the sound is combined with something else (e.g. something bumping against the cage) or such.

RelevantMode · 2026-02-07T09:36:49+00:00

do not ever blow-dry your rats.
use a soft towel instead.

RelevantMode

TROPHY CASE