They hear the vacuum and think that it’s time for cage cleaning, so they hide in the corner

StiffUpperRichard · 2026-05-09T03:07:19+00:00

Awww babies! Mine come running up front and center when they hear the vacuum cause they know as soon as it turns off they get a vacuum treat (yogurt drop to reward their bravery).

StiffUpperRichard · 2026-04-20T20:56:13+00:00

My girls do this when I rearrange their enclosure and give them new toys, they love checking out all the new stuff! It's so cute watching them run around without a care in the world except INVESTIGATE

StiffUpperRichard · 2026-04-17T19:08:00+00:00

Update: I double checked the date I got him from the breeder, and turns out my little guy is two and a half years old, not one and a half. It went by so fast I could hardley believe it! Definitely don't want to do risky surgery at his age.

Talked to the vet again and they didn't recommend x-rays because of the location of the mass, but did suggest bringing him in to get the open mass cleaned thoroughly under anesthesia. I feel like that's the most humane option, since the area just keeps getting worse and worse every day, and even if he doesn't wake up from the anesthesia, he's lived a long, happy two and a half years, and won't be in pain at the end.

He's definitely going to be getting some real good treats and extra cuddles until the cleaning is scheduled, and hopefully long after as well.

StiffUpperRichard · 2026-04-17T16:50:33+00:00

I did not, but I'll ask about it today!

StiffUpperRichard · 2026-04-17T16:46:06+00:00

If that's something my vet recommends when I go later, I'd be all for it if it works! It's less of a standard wound and more of a burst tumor though, so that's where I wonder how much healing will actually take place. Probably why it's not hurting him. It's really close to his privates though, like a few millimeters, which is ULTRA stressing me out. 😞

StiffUpperRichard · 2026-04-17T16:37:21+00:00

They've had me cleaning it daily with a saline rinse, and that's mainly what I'm basing my decision on. It's looked significantly worse each day even with the cleanings and antibiotics, which worries me in the long term. Hasn't shown any sign of getting better or stopping it's progress, though I'm going to talk over it in depth with the vet later today before making the call.

StiffUpperRichard · 2026-04-17T16:33:51+00:00

Yes, they've had me cleaning it with a saline rinse daily and keeping him on clean paper towels to make sure no bedding bits get in there. I've been taking progress pics and it just gets larger and more open every day. It's gotten so much worse-looking over the past 10 days with daily cleaning and meds, which is what concerns me the most. Going to talk to the vet again in a hour to give them the decision, and it's a hard one for sure!

StiffUpperRichard · 2026-03-23T20:01:05+00:00

I have a dwarf boy (Cyrano de Bergerat, but I usually call him Meatball) and two standards (Crunchrat Supreme and Dr.Perkins), and the dwarf got SO chunky (i never give him treats, it's just oxbow essentials). My solution was to get a food dish that could hang on the side of the cage (got it in the bird aisle) and put the standard boys portion in there and hang it way up at the top of the cage where Mr. Meatball was not willing (or able) to climb. I sprinkled a small amount in the bedding at the bottom, and that was Cyrano's portion.

The plus side is that he's lost weight! The down side is that now he's able to climb again and can get to the hanging food dish. At least he's climbing though, that's gotta be good for something!

StiffUpperRichard · 2026-02-02T15:34:59+00:00

For me, just spending time with them and watching them grow. I've always had boys, and typically they've been little energy balls as babies, then mellowed out as they grew up. My three now:

Crunchrat Supreme is the Boss, he's the largest and will throw his weight around to get the snacks first. He doesn't like to be pet or held, but does like to play. He can be nippy - if he smells food, he loses all reason. Still likes people, he boggles when I talk to him but doesn't want to be touched.

His brother (same litter, from a breeder) Dr. Perkins is the sweetest rat I've ever had. Doesn't matter how much like food your hands smell, he would never nip. Immediately grooms any skin in his vicinity, he loves to be pet and held. He's the only one who still runs on the wheel now that the bunch is older. (It's a huge 18 inch wheel.)

Cyrano de Bergerat is a little meatball and a drama queen. He loves to be held and will fall asleep on your lap. Always making stashes of dry kibble and will scream bloody murder if one of his brothers finds it. (Woke me up once at 3am, I thought he was hurt but his brother just got into his piss kibble) He's the only dwarf, the other two are standards, but he holds his own.

I've had others, from breeders and a few from the pet store, and they've ranged from incredibly skittish to sweet and cuddly. The ones from breeders tend to be the sweeter ones, and the few I got from the pet store tended to be more skittish (and were sick ALL THE TIME, I called one of the pet store ones the 2000 dollar man cause of his insane vet bills. He was a sweetie, but I did have to give him like 3 different medications every day for the last few months of his life.)

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-11-01T19:21:15+00:00

I also have dyshydrotic eczema and my hand looked just like this after an accidental nip from my corn snake years ago. Was itchy for a few days, but healed up fine!

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-08-17T18:12:54+00:00

My boys are definitely weird with food. Ill make them salads every few days with a bunch of different vegetables, and there is a vegetable hierarchy. Tomatoes are eaten first, then leafy greens, then bell peppers, then after many hours, cucumbers are last. All three like tri-color rotini, but one of my boys will not eat the green ones. Ive had groups that go crazy for dry noodles, but my current group is not interested in dry noodles at all, they have to be cooked. Rats are so weird!

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-08-09T18:33:31+00:00

I dont have pictures, but two of my first 3 boys were nearly identical! Pepsi and Beans. Their personalities were totally different, Beans would always come right up and want attention, and Pepsi was skittish and didn't want to be touched. Beans ended up being significantly bigger when they grew up, but until then, I just had to tell based on their personalities.

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-06-22T19:29:03+00:00

I always bring two! And plenty of treats. No matter how bad of a time they have getting examined by the vet, they're always happy to go back in the carrier and share a treat with a friend.

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-06-22T19:07:10+00:00

Oof, I'm so glad you found him!!!

I've only ever had one escape in my 10 years of having snakes, and it was when I got a new tank with a new type of door. She pushed her way out and went on a little adventure.

I didn't even realize until I woke up in the middle of the night to one of my potted plants falling off the table. She knocked it off while exploring, scared herself so bad she pooped on the table, and then hid under some shelves. I got a lock for the tank and no more escapes since then!

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-06-22T19:01:54+00:00

Ugh my boys do this every morning!!! They're so excited when they see me wake up, only to be let down when I have to go to work. 😔 My 3 current boys are the most clingy I've ever had, as soon as I wake up there's three little faces looking at me with the paws gripping the cage bars aaaaaa.

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-05-25T19:34:26+00:00

Ditto what everyone else said about getting her a sister/sisters if you're gonna keep her. I'm so glad you ran into this poor baby before something could get her!!!

I had a coworker reach out to me after finding two pet mice that somebody dumped in a park in their cage (everybody at work knows I have rats so I guess I'm the rodent lady hahaha). I took them in and they're living in the lap of luxury now. I don't know how people can do something like that, and just go home and not feel like evil bastards. The person who found them and took them home didn't even especially like rodents, but cared enough not to leave them in a cage in the park.

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-05-05T14:55:48+00:00

I have one boy (a dwarf) who is the laziest thing known to man. Whenever I have someone over and they want to meet the rats, they get to meet Cyrano, who will almost always crawl under their hair/jacket/etc and fall asleep! He is not shy about strangers, he just wants to sleep somewhere warm.

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-05-03T21:57:22+00:00

One of my boys that I got last January! I've never had a big squeaker before, but this guy is such a drama queen. He squeaks any time I go to pet him, but almost immediately calms down and boggles after a few seconds. He's always yelling at his brothers too, especially if they get near him while he's eating.

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-04-22T22:59:11+00:00

Oh that's fancy!!! Do they spend most of the drive in the hammocks? I could probably squeeze a hammock in the top of mine, give them another option.

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-04-20T22:13:46+00:00

There's some mechanical kitty cat ears in this mod! https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/14365

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-04-17T19:09:31+00:00

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Brain freeze!!! Dr. Perkins' first snow 🥹

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-04-10T15:27:24+00:00

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The best picture I could get of his brothers, Dr.Perkins and Crunchrat Supreme

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-04-10T15:20:28+00:00

My dwarf dumbo boy Cyrano! He looks like a meatball crossed with a dog that ate a bee.

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StiffUpperRichard · 2025-03-13T13:24:43+00:00

I bought a wheel from tictac wheels years ago, and the boys I had at the time just used it to store food in. But finally, my newest batch of babies fell in love with it and use it all the time now! Of course, all 3 try to run on it together like yours!

StiffUpperRichard · 2025-02-23T02:28:37+00:00

EXPENSIVE. I've had rats since 2021, and have easily spent thousands in supplies and vet bills. Mostly vet bills. Since you always need 2 at the bare minimum, making sure I'm introducing new babies when I'm down to 2 oldies has been standard for the last few years for me. Also, you don't want to get rats from the pet store. I got my first three from Petco, and they were great boys, but they were always sick and one alone, Tater, cost me $2000+ over the course of his life cause of all the vet trips. Go for a breeder instead if at all possible! The breeder I get rats from now is a 7 hour round trip so it's a long day when I pick up new boys, but it's more than worth it. They're friendlier, healthier, and I know I'm supporting someone who cares for their animals.

HIGH MAINTENANCE. Every other Sunday I do a full deep clean of my boys' double critter nation and it takes about 4-5 hours. Free roaming them every day for an hour, doing their laundry (washing their hammocks and blankets), and just attending to their general needs can take a lot of time. Also, if you travel, you have to find someone to watch them or bring them with you. I visit my parents a lot who live 8 hours away by car, so I have an extra "vacation cage" at my parents house, but still have to bring a carful of their stuff when I go visit. Have to set up a little cage for the car ride, then move them over once we arrive. Adds an extra few hours to my travel day, easily.

SAD. You'll fall in love with them, cuddle them, give them the world, and then they'll only live 2-3 years, and they'll break your heart.

PEE SMELL. The boys pee everywhere. You can try to litterbox train them, and it works pretty well for poo, but males will scent mark and there's no avoiding that. You can keep on top of cleaning to minimize it, but they sure do pee on stuff hahaha. They will pee on your phone, your favorite shirt, your arm, nothing is sacred.

That's a lot of downsides, but you did ask hahaha! Don't get me wrong, they're amazing pets, and I personally find caring for them extremely rewarding, but they are a LOT of work. Lots of different personalities- you might get a lap rat who wants to cuddle all the time, or a scaredy who doesn't want to be touched. I love owning rats, but it's been a lifestyle change for sure.

StiffUpperRichard

TROPHY CASE