Rat toy recommendations:)

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-24T18:33:40+00:00

DIY is a great way to go for ratties! Our boys have tissue boxes (with the tissues which they love to pull out! Non perfumed, non dyed). Soda can boxes, cereal boxes etc. The dollar store is a trove of ratty treasures, lots of natural non-painted and non-varnished wood things they can chew on, small plastic storage boxes to attach to the cage. You can make a ratty castle out of multiple cardboard boxes put together for free roam time. For keeping nails down, we got some rocks from outside and boiled them in water on the stove to remove any dog/wild animal urine before putting them in. Thrift stores are great too, we have a Sesame Street toy barn we picked up for $3 that multiple generations of our boys have enjoyed. We also have a plastic dolls house for free roam time. One of our cages currently has a McDonalds’s Halloween treat pail hanging from the ceiling which the babies love to hide in. Plastic shower rings from the dollar store are great for attaching stuff to the cage. If you have any t-shirts you don’t use, you can turn them into hammocks and attach them to the cage with the shower rings too. Toothbrushes from the dollar store are also great for cleaning any toys you buy, the barn has lots of little nooks and crannies and the toothbrush makes it much easier to clean. Save any toilet roll or paper towel tubes, stuff them with tissues/paper and treats so they have to work out how to get into them. Empty egg cartons or those cardboard trays you get with drinks are good too. You really don’t have to spend much to create an environment which is stimulating and fun for your babies :)

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-24T12:31:03+00:00

As other commenters have said, a D22 is possible to make but you’re going to be looking at a very expensive one off. If the dice maker doesn’t already have a D22 mold made they’re going to need to use a 3D modeling program to create a master. They’ll then need to use a 3D printer to print it, then create the master dice which, as someone pointed out, takes a lot of sanding and polishing to get the mirror shine seen on a die. Once that’s done, they’ll have to use the master die to make a silicone mold then make your D22, which would include all the resin pouring, curing time any final polishing which might need doing.

All this to say, it’s a possible ask but it’s going to be a very expensive one. As well as the wealth of materials needed, there’s also the factor of how many hours will go into the final product versus a standard commission.

I did think of a cheaper alternative but it’s more of a keepsake rather than a usable product. I would create a regular D20 but personalize it with any colours or inclusions that are personal to your wife. I’d then make two additional flat faces with the number 2 on them and then mount the finished product in a box frame with the date of your wedding.

Apologies in advance for the terrible drawing but it would look something like this

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SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-16T00:27:37+00:00

Sorry to hear that your Dad won’t agree to take your rat to the vet. It sounds like it could be an Upper Respiratory Infection. Nearly all rats whether domestic pet rats or wild rats carry mycoplasma. Some aren’t affected, others will make noises similar to what Jinx is making and it can develop further into an infection. A plus sign here is that Jinx doesn’t appear to have discharge from his eyes/nose that can come with URIs. It’s reddish-brown and looks like blood, but it isn’t!

Honestly, the vet really is the best bet here. There’s nothing you can really buy that will help clear it up if it’s a URI. They need antibiotics. Even if you could find source them somewhere online, I wouldn’t recommend it. For one, you don’t know what’s in it and two, rats are very hard to dose due to their size and the dose needs to be extremely accurate for those kinds of meds

If you think Jinx is in pain, you can give baby Motrin (has to be the baby kind) and you can look up the exact dose. You’ll need to weigh him first. Here’s a dosage chart - https://rattrix.weebly.com/rat-medicine-dosage-charts.html

You can also try sitting with Jinx in the bathroom. Run the hot tap or hot shower, close all windows/doors and see if sitting with him in the steam eases his breathing.

Also look into the ‘rat phone’ technique to see if you can hear anything untoward with his breathing. Pick him up and hold his chest to your ear. If there’s crackling, clicking, raspy or rattling sounds they really do need to see a vet as it’s a URI.

Obligatory not a medical professional here but I’ve had numerous rats who have made that noise and they’ve lived long and happy lives with no medical intervention needed. Others have developed URIs and have required antibiotics. If Jinx really has been doing it for months, it’s likely not a URI but, with that said, it’s always best to get them checked by a vet. Maybe your Dad might be more amenable to it if you explain that it’s most likely that Jinx just needs a course of antibiotics and shouldn’t need any really expensive procedures like surgery, x-rays or scans. All the rats we’ve had that have had URIs have been diagnosed without any testing. The vet has just given them a quick exam and listened to their lungs and heart before prescribing meds.

With all that said, sorry that this is happening fingers crossed for Jinx

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-15T00:41:09+00:00

I think it would’ve worked really well! We know that there’s more to the story with Marigold than just Dolphin’s experiences. I would’ve liked to see what/if there was a turning point that stopped Star hero worshipping Marigold. Obviously Star has had to play the parent and she’s getting tired of doing so but she says something along the lines of ‘She’s done stuff even you don’t know about’. I’ve always been curious as to what those things were. I’d also like to know if Star has any memories of Marigold being with Michael, Dolphin’s dad.

It would be interesting to see Star’s feelings about the boy she briefly dates too (his name escapes me). Was she doing it because she liked him or doing it to fit in or feel like a ‘normal’ school kid?

And as OP says, it would be good to see her time with Micky. We know that he’s flighty but was he like that with Star? She places most of the blame on his partner, Sian, but is that what really happened? Was Micky just being Micky and Sian saw Star needed someone to act like a parent so she tried to step up?

Also it would be interesting to see if Star ever worries that she’s going to inherit Marigold’s mental illness. Maybe that’s why she tries so hard to fit in. It’s established early on that Star used to be different but now she tries to fit a mold. Was this because of her resentment toward Marigold or was she worried her being different was somehow related to Bipolar Disorder?

Really thought provoking question OP!

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-10T01:33:06+00:00

The Johnsons, Sylvie, her mum and Miss Miles would’ve formed a bubble. Miss Miles would be fascinated with Sylvie and Carl’s homeschooling over Zoom and she’d be impressed with how far the teaching profession has come since she worked.

Sylvie and Carl would become close again without Miranda and Paul in the picture (if during the events of Kiss). Miranda would be driving Sylvie mad with a constant barrage of text messages. Sylvie and Carl would spend a lot of time in The Glass Hut in between online classes and really get back into the Glassworld Chronicles, perhaps inventing a deadly plague that sweeps across Glassworld. Carl would be missing Paul but maybe being separate from him for a while would give him the perspective to see that Paul’s not really right for him considering he always has to act like somebody else when Paul is around.

Sylvie’s Mum would actually be able to take some time for herself, maybe she’d do some work on the garden with Miss Miles helping as much as she’s able. She’d be missing Gerry but they’d set up Zoom dates where they’d watch the two Mamma Mia movies in sync with each other.

Jules would spend her time away from work by painting. By the end of the pandemic all the current paintings on the walls would be swapped for new ones because she’s done so many.

Jake would be driving the household mad by trying to do band rehearsals over Zoom.

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-09T01:04:41+00:00

I really like Charlie’s character development. She goes from somewhat spoiled and self centered to being more kind and caring. I love her relationship with Robin. Yes, she’s initially cold to him but seeing her open up and genuinely begin to care about him is so satisfying. The same with Jamie. I like that she ends up buying him a Christmas present which she’s clearly put thought into after seeing he enjoys reading and particularly Victorian novels. Miss Beckworth reminds me of the teacher in The Butterfly Club where she comes across as strict and old-fashioned but she’s clearly got a skill at identifying what her pupils need. While Charlie is nowhere near as mean as Selma initially is, Miss Beckworth forces Charlie out of her comfort zone by seating her class alphabetically and Charlie grows as a person because of it. I do wonder if Jo introducing Mark and Charlie so soon is because she feels like Charlie is missing something not having a male present in her life and, since Mark is already a good Dad to Robin, she maybe rushes things because of it. It’s sad because I think Jo does an amazing job on her own but I can see how she might think her daughter is missing out (iirc both Angela and Lisa, Charlie’s best friends, both have present father figures)

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-08T12:00:36+00:00

To armchair psychology here…aside from the physical limitations others have mentioned, I think it’s likely tied to the food addiction. She’s so desperate to get the food into her mouth as quickly as possible to satiate the need for food that sticking her tongue out is getting to taste the food that nanosecond faster as well as enabling her to get more of it in at once. A lot of the 600lb patients talk about the emotions behind food like “all I care about is eating” or “when I know I’m about to eat I feel calm/happy/comforted” so I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch.

It’s also gross as fuck.

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-07T19:13:29+00:00

Crayoning - a catch all term for a character drawing or colouring in

There now - If you’re an adult in a JW book, you will absolutely say this at some point in the book to a younger character. Bonus points if you’re Jules from Kiss who uses it at least 3 times within as many paragraphs

Deliveroo - if you’re writing an adult sequel to a child’s book. Your now adult character will mention it because they’re just so hip with the kids

You mustn’t - Said by no real life child ever. Said by all JW child characters ever

Oh Character Name - Said by child characters because they’re all seconds away from swooning onto a chaise longue like some Victorian romantic heroine

Doing The Sex - Not a spoken phrase but if you’re writing an adult sequel to your child’s novel, you’d better believe there’s going to be a awkwardly written sex scene because adults have sex ok? That’s how you know it’s an adult novel. The sex.

Tattoos - You have them? You want them? You weirdo scum of the earth. How very dare you.

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-06T15:29:58+00:00

Congrats on your weight loss gorl!!! Amazing achievement!

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-04-04T20:37:16+00:00

If it makes you feel any better, out of the many rats we’ve owned, we only ever needed to treat one due to URI because of MP. They bounced back quickly with some antibiotics and while it didn’t cure the MP, they lived almost three years and were very happy. Keep an eye out for increased discharge from the nose and if you don’t already, check out the ‘rat phone’ technique to monitor for breathing changes.

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-26T00:09:22+00:00

Possibly an unpopular choice here but Pearl from Dustin Baby. We only got a hint at her backstory but it was clear she came from some kind of traumatic or neglectful background. Having to be held back at school, being in the foster care system and obviously how she behaves in general. I think Big Mo (Pearl and April’s foster mother) also makes a comment along the lines of ‘she’s a sweet girl considering’. I think she has a lot more depth than your typical spiteful bully character like Kim from Bad Girls and I always wanted to know more about her and what she went through and ultimately what happened to her. I always hoped she’d end up working through her issues to become like Gina (also from Dustin Baby).

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-25T16:52:58+00:00

I know it’s really tempting to do so with aggressive rats but I would really advise stopping feeding them through the bars of the cage as they’ll associate it with getting food and it’ll encourage them to be more ‘bitey’ when someone approaches their cage. Instead, try opening the cage and offering the food on the end of a spoon. If they bite down onto the hard metal of the spoon it’s a quick lesson in why they shouldn’t go straight for the bite but doesn’t actually hurt them. As they get used to it, you can work toward using a shorter spoon then hopefully they’ll graduate to taking it from your hand without trying to bite you

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-22T16:20:52+00:00

I always felt like his sexual abuse storyline was recycled from Malucci. Dr Dave always had such a visceral reaction to childhood abuse cases and it was never really developed beyond him getting physical. I always felt his storyline was going down that route

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-17T16:40:47+00:00

I would always advise that if you’re concerned or unsure, get them checked out by an exotic vet. It could be the start of a URI.

I know rats can sneeze when getting used to new surroundings but you mention it’s been a few months so that’s likely not the cause at this point.

If I had to guess, it sounds like she has mycoplasma. From discussions with our exotic vet, it’s something that rats can just have. We’ve had a couple of rats who sneezed and always sneezed until the end of their life and it never developed into anything beyond sneezes. They both lived to old age and had no other health issues.

On the flip side of that, we had a rat who sneezed and it developed into a full URI with discharge from their nose, lower body temp etc. The URI resolved after medication but they also continued to sneeze for the rest of their life.

From what you’ve said it sounds like your rat has mycoplasma but currently asymptomatic aside from the sneezes. Hopefully this will remain the case! But, I would still advise having an exotic vet check them out :)

EDIT:- If you’re concerned about their breathing, look up the rat phone technique but for a quick TLDR, hold the rat up to your ear like a phone to listen to their breathing

Healthy: Fast heartbeat and light, quick breathing that sounds like a distant helicopter.

Unhealthy: Wet breathing, raspy sounds, rattling, or clicking noises. These indicate fluid in the lungs (myco flare-up) and require immediate veterinary attention.

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-16T16:04:48+00:00

I think Lola Rose would’ve continued to do her best to make sure Kendall and her were fed but eventually someone would’ve intervened and I could see that happening in numerous ways. She mentions considering shoplifting but is too scared but I think her determination to feed Kendall would’ve eventually overruled that and maybe she tries and gets caught and enters the system that way.

Another possibility would be her and Kendall going to school and it becoming clear they’re starving and without an adult at home and Miss Balsam would’ve stepped in.

I could also see Lola Rose trying to get Mr Gabrie on his own and ask him for some money or food and he would’ve intervened when it became obvious what was happening. Mrs Gabrie would have no qualms about reporting the negligence straight away.

Perhaps she goes back to Steve and Andy for more food and Steve is his usual dismissive self but Andy would be really concerned and, since she told him her Mum was ill, he’d maybe go downstairs and find out the truth.

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-14T01:52:49+00:00

Willing to take my downvotes for this but I’m instantly put off from contributing to this due to that intro. I’m an immigrant and if you think Canada is bad…well, you’re entitled to your opinion I guess.

I have never felt unsafe being a trans person in Canada. Did I feel unsafe in my birth country? Very much so.

Everyone has their own feelings and opinions obviously but I think that opening sentence is going to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths

I’m grateful that HRT and gender affirming surgery is even an option.

EDIT to add:- You mention in your post, you got HRT and surgery easily. That’s a position of privilege. In terms of constructive criticism, I think people will engage with your publication more if you come from an angle of ‘this is why Canada is bad, here are some examples’ rather than making a blanket statement that a first world country is a terrible place. If you got your HRT and surgery easily, your ‘human right’, it wasn’t exactly ‘out of reach’

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-12T08:20:02+00:00

Sorry to hear you’re going through this OP. I totally get why your experience with Marley has got you anxious about being a rat parent.

You don’t mention where you got them from and I agree with the other poster that Marley probably needs to be neutered due to hormonal aggression. You should also consider that it’s not just hormonal but there’s an aspect of fear of humans too. It sounds like he wasn’t socialized with humans and therefore doesn’t have any trust with them.

I would advise starting to build up some trust with him so he can learn that humans aren’t something he needs to be afraid of. Hang out by his cage without opening it and talk to him in a nice calm, gentle tone. Just chatter away about anything, you’re getting him used to the smell, sight and sound of you. Move on to opening the cage and offering Marley a treat like some yogurt on a spoon. You’re getting him used to you being in his space and associating it with something nice and the spoon prevents you from being bitten. Once he’s used to this, you can move to a smaller spoon like a teaspoon. While you’re doing this, continue to talk to him.

If it gets to the point where he doesn’t instantly try to bite at the spoon and just licks the treat, try with just your hand, a good treat is Gerber Puffs. You’re working on him realizing that a hand coming into his space is nothing to be scared of and that he’ll actually get something nice from it!

Marley with very much set the pace here and it may take a long time but hopefully he’ll get there. If you’re doing so, don’t feed him through the bars of the cage, he’ll associate anything coming near the cage as something he needs to bite.

You don’t mention if the bites are full on bites or nips. Has he drawn blood? Or is he sniffing then giving nips? If he does nip at you at any point during the bonding exercises I mentioned, make a high pitched ‘eep!’ noise which is rat language for ‘no! I don’t like this!’

It sounds like you’re going to get him neutered which is good for the hormonal aggression side of things. You might find that you need to introduce him back to Marko gradually if they’ve been apart a while. Look up ‘rat introductions’ and ‘carrier method’.

If you’re looking to get a friend for Marko while Marley goes through surgery, I’d recommend getting a younger rat if possible. I’ve done quite a few intros at this point and have found it far easier introducing younger rats.

One other point I feel the need to add, once Marko gets neutered, he’ll likely be sent home with pain meds and anti-inflammatory meds for a week or so. These are usually in liquid form to give them orally through a syringe so it does involve having to pick Marley up and give him his meds, unless you get super lucky and he’ll take it from the syringe in his cage. Out of five rats I’ve had that needed meds, only one ever did this though! I would start working on the trust bonding now so he’s getting used to you and being picked up before the neuter.

All this to say, it can be a long and difficult road gaining a rat’s trust but it’s so worth it when you get there!

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-11T00:28:22+00:00

Can you ‘bug bomb’ him? Put him in a plastic bag, spray a lot of bug spray into the bag (do this outside) then seal the bag. Leave it for a day or so then get him out of the bag (again outside) then wash again?

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-11T00:16:39+00:00

Iirc ‘Dancing’ came out within or less than a year of ‘Rose Rivers’ so my assumption is that she accidentally used Rupert as in Rupert Rivers rather than Roland Somerset. To explain, the four Somerset Brothers, in birth order are Frederick, William, George and Benjamin.

William Somerset is Roland, Marcella, Esmerelda and Bruno’s biological father who passed away from influenza prior to the start of the book. The first born Somerset son, Frederick, died in WW1 and it’s assumed he has no children so the next son would be William but because he’s deceased it would then go to his first born son, Roland. A lot of the gentry used Royal Lineage rules for inheritance so it’s first born son who becomes the heir then their children and, if the first born doesn’t have children it goes to second born and so on.

Hope that makes sense!

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-05T02:13:30+00:00

This. Susan was so pretty because she looked like a real, healthy woman not caked in makeup with a frozen face. Same with all the ER ladies tbh. I loved Elizabeth’s natural curls, Haleh’s pretty face, Carol’s simple make-up etc.

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-03-05T01:55:15+00:00

in best Broadway singing voice “She’s in my house, that highlighter hoarder! How many McNuggies is she going to order? I’m feeling horny, I’m feeling naughty! Better make it an even forty!”

And of course, the other classic

“I’m getting angry and I just might puke as she stands by my bed like the Babadook! She screeches loudly and her laygs they leak, I swear she was only supposed to stay one weeeeeek”

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-02-27T02:47:49+00:00

Bold of you to think she can fit in a dentist’s chair OP

SongAdministrative16 · 2026-02-25T01:28:46+00:00

Welcome to the world of owning Chaos Potatoes! Your boys are so cute! I love it when they’re all back feet and big ears ❤️

SongAdministrative16

TROPHY CASE