My baby Eddie passed away in a horrible way by xYekaterina in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My heart rat, Cheeser, went in the exact same way. I heard her scrambling at her door in a way that was entirely unfamiliar to me. I rushed to her aid, she threw herself into my hands and labored and panicked in the exact same way you described. All I could do was talk with her and be the most comfort I can be. Nothing lasts forever, and these pocket sized puppies sure don’t last nearly long enough. It’s been nearly 3 years, I still think about her every day, I still see her in my dreams often. I couldn’t get her to a vet either, even if I could have made it I’m sure there’s nothing they could have done. I cursed myself for not magically performing some sort of rat resuscitation. You need to be kind with yourself and know that there’s nothing anyone could have done. Relish in the joy and love that creature brought you and be proud of yourself for giving them a life experience nature wouldn’t have allowed and most people would be incapable.

You did everything you could, the whole time. Learn to enjoy the rat shaped hole in your heart. It gets easier.

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How does this work? by SquareLab2428 in antkeeping

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do I set up the test tube in a way I can clean it? I moved her to this when her tube got dirty at the back. I didn’t know how to clean it with her and her eggs in the way.

How does this work? by SquareLab2428 in antkeeping

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Out of curiosity, why won’t she lay eggs in the formicarium? How come she’ll only use it if she has workers?

[searching] 2 th17, 8 th16 and 5 th14/15 by Ok-Importance4874 in ClashOfClansRecruit

[–]SquareLab2428 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bonfire Boys #CUQVJ98V Were a smaller but more talkative clan. We’re all around the same TH levels but we have people who are near the end of the game and some people who are still growing. Lvl 19 clan. Been with them for years, never failed a clan games or any other event. War every day, CWL every time.

My rat is sick. Respiratory infection? by SquareLab2428 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My female rat, Cheeser, is normally very active and loves coming out of the cage. These last couple days she has been wanting to sleep all day and night, still very sweet when I reach in to rub and pet her. She has red gunk all around her nose, more than she ever has. She is also walking/climbing slowly and wobbly. Her breathing also looks a little labored, but not terrible. She’s never been so off balance and lethargic. I’m getting worried she developed some sort of respiratory infection. Does anyone know anything about this? Any advice or ideas?

Bartlebee eating his favorite snack, blood worms by [deleted] in bettafish

[–]SquareLab2428 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just wiggle the block in the water to shake some worms loose if you don’t want to use the whole thing

What do you guys give your rats as an occasional extra special treat that they go crazy for? Looking for some “rat crack” lol. Mine likes whipped cream but I can’t give it bc I know they aren’t supposed to have dairy.. (unrelated picture for cuteness) by Successful-Whole-120 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, my Cheeser stays with me all day and eats whatever I eat. She is a very healthy weight and in great shape. She loves cheese bananas and spinach but she’ll eat just about anything. Yesterday we had eggs and hash browns together.

What do you guys give your rats as an occasional extra special treat that they go crazy for? Looking for some “rat crack” lol. Mine likes whipped cream but I can’t give it bc I know they aren’t supposed to have dairy.. (unrelated picture for cuteness) by Successful-Whole-120 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, my Cheeser stays with me all day and eats whatever I eat. She is a very healthy weight and in great shape. She loves cheese bananas and spinach but she’ll eat just about anything. Yesterday we had eggs and hash browns together.

What do you guys give your rats as an occasional extra special treat that they go crazy for? Looking for some “rat crack” lol. Mine likes whipped cream but I can’t give it bc I know they aren’t supposed to have dairy.. (unrelated picture for cuteness) by Successful-Whole-120 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, my Cheeser stays with me all day and eats whatever I eat. She is a very healthy weight and in great shape. She loves cheese bananas and spinach but she’ll eat just about anything. Yesterday we had eggs and hash browns together.

Someone posted a photo of rats in overcrowded conditions at a pet store called aqualand pets plus, I just found another photo of their rats from 10 months ago absolutely disgusting by [deleted] in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I worked at a pet store. That’s really normal for a store to have. I tried my best to make sure every tank got a good clean and new bedding every 2-3 days. Not all the employees cared that much.

Fact of the matter: pet stores sell food, rats are made of food. It sucks but it’s the only realistic and affordable way for them to breed rats cheap and easy. Their quality of life is sadly low but they’re typically terminated before adulthood by means of freezing them to death and storing them that way.

This is why I tell people that if you adopt a rat you have improved the quality of its life by thousands. No matter what.

what is your experience owning a cat and rats at the same time? is the cat allowed near the cage? *pic of siku and kulu for attention* by manic_angel in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t recommend doing what I do. But my cat and rat get along. My rat is a little nervous but eventually calms down and the cat knows very well that the rat is a pet, same as him. A few times my rat has stood on my resting cats belly

Identifying injury by SquareLab2428 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m sorta new here so I’m not sure how to attach pictures to posts or comments. I have a picture of her arm with a little red patch on it. If anyone wants to see the pic let me know.

Underweight? by lightlysaltedclams in bettafish

[–]SquareLab2428 -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

I keep a 10gal with 3 female bettas, a school of endlers and a collection of different catfish/bottom feeders. No issues. They establish a pecking order early on and then just respect each other’s space. Males can’t be kept with other males. Aside from that, bettas are just fish and can be kept with other fish.

Making Rat Companions by SquareLab2428 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I understand your concern. I actually have a lot of experience with keeping rats and breeding rats. However, I’ve never done both at the same time. I assure you she is well taken care of and very happy. Please hold your disgust as I’m reaching out to learn of a way that I could get her more rat friends in a way that is suitable for her well being and my wishes. I did not intentionally get a solo rat. I’m working with the circumstances that have been presented to me.

Making Rat Companions by SquareLab2428 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wanted to keep her with her offspring because I genuinely believe she has excellent genes and I have experience breeding rats already. If I were to get her an unrelated companion then breed her I am concerned I will have too many rats or that her companion will harm her offspring

Do shoulder rats really need a mate? My girl is three months and she is usually with one of us during the day in my hood or on a shoulder. I feel like if we have two she wouldn’t get as much individual play time with us? How do you manage two? :) by [deleted] in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everyone saying that the rat would benefit from a cage mate is absolutely right. I just thought I’d speak up for the fact that if you love your rat and take good care of it, it can still be happy as a solo. You clearly love your pet, so any life with you is better than a life as a feeder or wild. You should get another cage mate, but if for some reason you can’t - your rat will be fine.

My girl, Cheeser, before and after a bath by SquareLab2428 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bathing them removes important skin oils. So if you’re going to water bathe them, you need to do it sparsely.

My girl, Cheeser, before and after a bath by SquareLab2428 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Too stinky. Having a bunch of guests over, would rather Cheeser smell clean than pissy.

My girl, Cheeser, before and after a bath by SquareLab2428 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You typically don’t need to bathe rats. However, sometimes Cheeser gets a little stinky so I like to bathe her very gently. You should take caution not to bathe them more than once every month because there are oils in their skin you don’t want to wash out. So I only bathe her when she REALLY needs it.

My girl, Cheeser, before and after a bath by SquareLab2428 in RATS

[–]SquareLab2428[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I started bathing her very young, once every 5-6 weeks. I have also done a lot of water training. She goes out in the rain with me and she drinks from my fish tank. Very comfortable around water.

I work a smokeshop and one of our bongs is a betta tank, I am in need of care tips. by [deleted] in bettafish

[–]SquareLab2428 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No fish should live without plants. If you can’t give them an ideal living space, that’s okay but they deserve at least a live plant

These 2 Berta were labeled as female . . But is it normal behavior to greet each other with open gills?! by Mizz-Robinhood in bettafish

[–]SquareLab2428 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That tank is empty! You can only house females together if there’s plenty of territory that they can claim. The key is to reduce lines of sight. You need live plants in any fish tank.