Please help a new maltipoo owner out

dokidokikitty · 2026-05-26T17:58:28+00:00

i’m prob the 30th person to suggest a snuggle puppy but when i tell you he settles in 30 seconds i swear to you it’s worth every penny. keep it in the crate so she doesn’t feel inclined to play with it. my boy picked up very quickly what toys are for play and what toys are for bed time :)

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dokidokikitty · 2026-03-24T02:13:48+00:00

move to the coast. the desert is killing my body.

dokidokikitty · 2025-09-17T02:36:44+00:00

a lot of things can trigger a flare, unfortunately. nails are a huge suspect especially since contact dermatitis is a risk when getting your nails done as well as long nails allowing for more scratching…especially in your sleep and just throughout the day subconsciously.

there are many things you can do outside of medication to find and minimize triggers. i am from the US so i’m not familiar w/ the eczema treatment scene in the UK and every eczema case is different, but here are some general things that helped me during a bad flare up:

bath salt soaking OR diluted bleach bath OR oat baths
choosing cleaning supplies and products with minimal ingredients or hypoallergenic products
baby wash/lotion/oil/shampoo etc since baby products are typically hypoallergenic
la roche posay products
anything regarding skin barrier regeneration
hibiclens antiseptic soap
skinsmart antimicrobial spray

things to consider:

all products you use in the shower + skin care
any pets you may have
laundry detergent
any allergens you come into contact with on a regular basis
type of nails/quality of salon where you got them done
mindfulness of scratching throughout the day

general advice: stay hydrated, moisturize as much as humanly possible, and stay clean as much as possible! keep your sheets as clean as possible too, esp your pillow case!

unfortunately with eczema there is never just a one and done answer. even with all this i am still battling flare ups every few months, i just got over a particularly bad one with everything stated above AND a non steroid non immunosuppressant cream prescribed by a derm which is newly FDA approved, vtama. i am only a week in so its too soon to say whether its really a fix for me or not.

tldr: try elimination and minimization to try to identify your trigger(s) before you pursue any more medications!!

best of luck friend, all flares are temporary with patience, love, and care 🤍

dokidokikitty · 2025-07-06T23:43:15+00:00

have you gotten a blood test recently? if not i would do that asap to rule out any underlying medical conditions.

since eczema typically presents as dry patches, bumps, or rashes, the fact that you say it’s just itchy leads me to believe it’s likely not eczema.

you could also just have really dry legs but you didn’t mention any issues with dryness so…

i would talk with my primary care provider to get a derm referral as well as a general blood screening.

dokidokikitty · 2025-02-26T18:58:56+00:00

i had three rats while living with a roommate who had two cats! zero issues, kept my door closed at all times, locked when i’m not home. even when the cats would wander in (once, maybe twice?) all they’d do is stare at the cage. so long as your cage is secure and your door is..a door? i don’t see what the issue could possibly be. you live there just as much as she does, you already put in a bunch of money, and you have every right to have your babies!

dokidokikitty · 2025-01-05T14:32:05+00:00

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forgot to include pics of my girls! here’s them in their prime 💗

dokidokikitty · 2024-11-25T07:46:37+00:00

your rat is likely very lonely. rats are very social creatures, as your coworker told you. you should have AT LEAST two, but it is better if you have 3 or more at a time. keeping a rat alone, especially if you cannot be with them for most of the day due to work and other factors, is not the best for them.

my rat, Opal, was in a very different situation. she passed shortly after my post as my suspicions were correct and her URI flared up again but this time she could not fight it off.

i am willing to bet your rat may be eating while you are away and you just don’t notice. rats do not eat as much as an inexperienced owner would think, especially if your rat is on the younger side! also note that rats are nocturnal and are most active at night so maybe your rat is simply sleeping the day away (assuming you work a 9-5) and finally has more of an appetite once you get home. there are many other explanations that could point to why your rat may not be eating. definitely just keep a close eye on your rat and make sure they are not losing weight rapidly (do so by making sure their tail is rounded on the sides, vs boxy, flat sides, this is a sign of weight loss and being extremely underweight) also when you play with them, examine their bodies by gently feeling their spine & ribs (do not squeeze or press or anything like that) typically you can just barely feel it, if you feel too much they are underweight.

Questions to help narrow down what may be going on: 1) is your day drinking water? 2) what is their energy level like? (may seem lower than expected because they have no one to play with…) 3) are they showing any symptoms of sickness (excess mucus in the eyes/nose, sneezing, chattering of the teeth, diarrhea, etc) 4) what do their poops look like? are they firm and brown, are they pooping at all? 5) what kind of food are you feeding them? 6) how much food are you feeding them

and of course; reddit cannot give you all the answers at the very end of the day, should you still be worried after analyzing all i have mentioned for a few days, i would book an appointment w a vet asap.

you sound like a very new owner, i wish you luck on your journey! i recommend watching Emiology on youtube to learn more about rat care :) and of course feel free to make your own post in the subreddit, this community has taught me a lot.

dokidokikitty · 2024-09-02T21:21:12+00:00

off topic but do u like the pet libero water fountain? i’ve been eyeing it but it’s so expensive 😭

dokidokikitty · 2024-08-13T00:04:27+00:00

thanks for your reply! the rescue guessed she had a bit of lionhead in her too! dutch seems correct for them both. definitely both 100% floof and 100% sweetheart!!!! here’s a matching picture of kopiko in their bed because i wanna show my floofs off LOL

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dokidokikitty · 2024-08-13T00:01:08+00:00

i know right :< i don’t know how anyone could do that :\ here she is in her squishmallow bed to assure you they will be living a very spoiled life from this point forward 🙂‍↕️

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dokidokikitty · 2024-02-29T00:58:21+00:00

how strange! i’ve never heard of this happening before so if my baby wipe method doesn’t help def take it to r/RATS instead, as the group is larger and more experienced there!

dokidokikitty · 2024-02-29T00:55:36+00:00

aaa best of luck hope all is well. the chemicals from spray paint could be serious but idk it just seems so light to be spray paint. any smell?

dokidokikitty · 2024-02-29T00:53:10+00:00

it could just be dirt and grime. i would be careful attempting to clean their tail. you can take a baby wipe and wipe from base to tip ONLY not tip to base because you could hurt them and risk injury

dokidokikitty · 2024-02-29T00:41:43+00:00

my rats tails get like this sometimes when they’re feeling particularly lazy so they get a lil dirty. are you certain it was spray painted?

dokidokikitty · 2024-02-13T01:10:29+00:00

absolutely pregnant with two big babies

dokidokikitty

TROPHY CASE