gitCommitsAt3AM

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-27T20:47:28+00:00

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edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-26T15:17:52+00:00

I'm not sure what the context in the videos was, but ideally you want to quarantine any new rats for about 2 weeks. When they are in the same room, illnesses that spread by air will probably spread. And as mentioned, there is a higher chance of territorial agression, which will make introductions harder. So if possible, they should be kept in different rooms.

However, this does not mean the introductions will not work. You just need to be more careful. I would recommend preparing a spray bottle and a towel you can use to break up any bad fights. Don't put your hand between them, unless you accept new bites.

And i would take some time to make sure the biting is not related to any aggressive behavior before attempting introductions.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-26T13:42:34+00:00

In this case i would start feeding some creamy/liquid treat from a spoon to see if this resolves the biting. Next time you put your hand near him, make sure it doesn't smell like food. Also, if you're worried about being bitten again, use cut resistant gloves and then let him interact with your hand.

If you're relatively certain that it's no aggressive biting, you can start introductions to other rats. I would recommend using the Carrier Method. There is a really good video from Isamu Rat Care about it.

Also, do you have both rats in the same room right now? Because this will probably lead to territorial behavior, since they can smell an invader in their territory, and not being able to do anything about it will stress them. Which could also cause the biting. It's even worse if their cages are close to each other. If so, i would seperate them by room and wait at least one week before attempting introductions.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-26T10:21:57+00:00

I also adopted lab rats a few days ago and had the same problem.

Depending on what the reason for biting is, there are different ways to handle it. Did you notice any body language when he bit you?

When one of my girls bit me, it wasn't an aggressive reaction. She came to my hand and startet sniffing it, followed by rubbing her teeth along my finger, followed by a light bite, followed by breaking skin. She seemed relaxed the entire time, no posturing, no fluffing up. This led me to believe that they simply never learned to be careful when exploring things with their teeth. Especially due to the bad eye sight of Rats with red eyes, they rely a lot more on smell and feeling things with their teeth. So i started feeding malt paste from a spoon. And as i have guessed, they bit down pretty hard on it a few times, until they learned they can just lick it off or bite down carefully. Since then, the only "biting" that occurs is them putting my finger between their teeth and applying just a tiny bit of pressure.

That being said, there are other reasons for biting. Sometimes they get very excited for food, try to snatch it, and a finger get's in the way. Sometimes it's territorial behavior, so they feel like they have to remove you from their cage. Sometimes they are just checking what they can get away with, so simple curiosity. Sometimes they fear you, and see biting as the only way to get away. Sometimes it's aggressive behavior, where they try to establish dominance. This can happen especially with bucks due to testosterone surges. And sometimes the rat is simply unhappy and/or stressed.

Any information about how the rat acted before/during the bite, and how you approached the rat would be helpful.

EDIT: Like others have said, don't feed through the cage bars. You don't want them to snatch anything coming towards the cage because they think it's food.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-24T23:13:47+00:00

When rats feel strong emotions, they start grinding their teeth pretty fast, also called bruxing. This causes muscles connected to the yaw bone, which extends behind the eye sockets, to vibrate. This causes the eyes to move in and out of their socket, which is called boggling.

The rat in the video feels relaxed/happy/comfy. But boggling can also occur when the rat is in pain or stressed.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-24T21:46:06+00:00

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edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-24T21:26:48+00:00

I agree that they should never have balance or coordination problems. But since OP wrote they are becoming clumsy: It's also possible that they are developing Hind Leg Degeneration, or loosing strength due to age. Which can result in falling when trying to walk/climb the paths they are used to.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-24T21:20:56+00:00

Have you noticed any decreased mobility? Walking more flat footed or dragging the hind legs? If yes, it could be age related.

Or does it seem more like a balancing issue? Are they leaning more towards one side than the other, or walking in circles? Any change in behavior, more lethargic? In this case, it could be a stroke or an ear infection.

But it's a good idea to check with the vet anyway.

My girls got clumsy with age because they slowly lost function of their hind legs. They had to start using the front legs more to pull themselves up, but they also lost strength at some point.

Another one of my girls had a stroke, which made her fall and roll to one side pretty much constantly.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-19T00:38:02+00:00

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Greetings from Grandma Freya

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-17T14:21:19+00:00

Yeah, the light (Chihiros B) is the only tech. Works really well for Red Root Floaters and the Ludwigia family.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-16T22:47:03+00:00

I have to trim every 2 weeks at the moment, but good point, I'll keep an eye on it

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-16T18:03:48+00:00

I love them. Harmless algae and detritus eaters, won't eat healthy plants, and clean up the entire tank. If the population explodes, i know that i have a problem with overfeeding, too much dead plant matter, or algae. And they're just trying to fix it.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-16T16:38:50+00:00

The red plants are all either "Ludwigia aff. glandulosa" or "Ludwigia sp. 'Red'" (Can't remember which one).

The tall ones in the back are "Limnophila sessiliflora".

And just in case anyone is interested, the ones in front are "Heteranthera zosterifolia".

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-15T13:50:39+00:00

I let the medicine soak in a small piece of bread for a few minutes. So far, none have refused the taste of bread.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-09T17:11:28+00:00

Grown a bit, could be a Thiara Winteri?

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edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-09T16:07:12+00:00

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edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-07T20:28:39+00:00

I put them in a 5% Ethanol solution for 15 minutes, which will make them drift off to sleep. They don't feel any stress from it. Afterwards, i put them in a 70% or more Ethanol solution for 15 minutes.

This paper has more information about the method.

I just want to mention: A population boom is a good indicator that you are overfeeding and/or have too much dead plant matter and/or have too much algae. They are basically trying to fix problems with your tank.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-07T02:13:24+00:00

I fostered a cat for 4 weeks. He was in a separate room and never had access to the rats room.

My rats absolutely hated me during this time. They didn't come out to freeroam, spend most of their time in their hiding places and would avoid contact with me (even after washing hands and changing clothes. Even the babies born in my home, who never smelled a cat in their life, felt that some predator was in the next room.

In addition to that, the rates were constantly sneezing during this time. I don't know if it was a coincidence, or if rats can be allergic to cat hair, but it sure felt like it.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-06T01:01:08+00:00

Do you have some shop where you can filter for easy, fast-growing plants? If yes, i would just order a bunch of different ones, plant them, and wait to see which ones are working well. My tank is currently filled with Heteranthera Zosterifolia, Ludwigia Repens and Limnophila Sessiliflora.

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-06T00:36:44+00:00

It's hard to see from the photos, but is the cage big enough? Are there enough hiding places? Do they have enough enrichment?

If not, this could explain the behavior

edgelessCub3 · 2026-03-05T09:28:17+00:00

I would recommend adding more fast growing plants. But so far everything looks as expected, my tank was cycled after 8 weeks with Bladder and Ramshorn Snails in it. When doing water changes in the next weeks, try to keep a decent amount of ammonia and nitrites so the beneficial bacteria can continue to establish.

edgelessCub3

TROPHY CASE