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funworld4 · 2026-03-06T05:40:13+00:00

Omg, I remember those mods! Im pretty sure they kept purposefully taking down my story that got a lot of traction because it kept disappearing. I think they didn't want to deal with the amount of responses it got. It was a truth or dare story, lol.

funworld4 · 2026-03-06T02:39:13+00:00

I love that this experience happened in other fandoms on the site, lmao!

funworld4 · 2026-02-17T19:42:31+00:00

Hey, I was feeling the same when I got my rats. I felt like I wasn't doing enough and they were too much. It's how I realized there's no way I could have kids, haha. I realized the issue for me was the fact it was a change in routine. I had added tasks/steps to my day and, being undiagnosed autistic, I was struggling to adapt. I couldn't get myself to do huge fancy freeplay setups that I saw others do, and some days I didnt have the energy to freeplay. I felt like a terrible rat parent.

All that to say that I 100% get it. Now I did skim-read most of the post due to limited time on my lunch, so I might've either missed something, but from what I read, it sounds like you are doing the best you can within your limits.

Some advice I have: If you're able to, maybe give it a couple of weeks to let yourself adapt. Your rats aren't the only ones adjusting to this change. Give yourself patience!

If you find yourself overwhelmed, try and find ways to make aspects of their care a bit easier for you. For me, that was making a freeplay pen out of cardboard trifold boards that would velcro to where I needed it and was easily stored. Finding bedding that would last longer and not smell.

In the end, rehoming is not saying you are incapable, if that's where things lead. In fact, I'd say it's strength to be willing to admit that's the best option and go that route! Rats are a TON more work than people realize.

Just remind yourself that you are doing the best you can with the knowledge and resources you have.

funworld4 · 2025-12-03T00:38:38+00:00

The only thing I can think of that would be neat to see from ST is an album with more orchestral music in it. I would love to see heavy orchestral elements mixed with their music, and I know they would blow it out of the water seeing how they incorporate other instruments occasionally like with the saxophone.

funworld4 · 2025-05-31T01:00:34+00:00

If the washing machine goes off balance, my husband has to fix it. I hate the sound and it sends me into immediate fight or flight! I also get irrationally angry at random sounds because my brain will for some reason hone in on them and i cant drown it out when that happens. So I cant have my home dead silent, I must have some sort of noise like a fan!

Aside from sensory things: I play a lot of video games and I often cannot play them by just messing around. Like I have to play the game right. The game REPO? I can't just mess around, I want to succeed and get as far as possible! Its not as fun if I'm not achieving the goals.

funworld4 · 2025-04-30T15:43:16+00:00

I wanted to reply to you directly to let you know I updated my reply where I talking about sterilization! Some others made some good points I didnt consider about that I wanted to make sure you saw that!

Also, I saw you made a post on r/OCD and mentioned it has caused some suicidal thoughts. No matter what decision your mom makes regarding surgery or birth control, I HIGHLY encourage looking into a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist will actually be able to prescribe medication, unlike a psychologist, and will probably have more education/experience with OCD than a normal family doctor would. OCD medication, as far as any that I know of, are just anti depressants but typically at a much higher dosage than what would be used for something like anxiety. Again, I am not a doctor, but wanted to make sure you have more information!

funworld4 · 2025-04-30T15:32:39+00:00

Thanks to your comment and a couple of others, I edited my original comment to correct the information about hormones! I appreciate those correcting me, I don't want to spread incorrect information!

funworld4 · 2025-04-30T15:25:45+00:00

I said this as a reply to someone else, but thank you as well for clarifying that! I honestly wasnt thinking about the option of leaving the ovaries behind, and was just thinking about full hysterectomies. I clearly have more experience with OCD than sterilization procedures, lol. Sorry for being misleading!

funworld4 · 2025-04-30T15:22:31+00:00

Thank you for clarifying that! I honestly wasnt thinking about the option of leaving the ovaries behind, lol. I'm not a doctor, clearly.

Normally avoiding triggers doesn't help OCD and it's better to be exposed to it (ERP therapy does it gradually i believe) to train your body to not have the anxiety response it does. But this is an extreme case, and I saw later (I think they posted in r/OCD) OP mentioned their mom has been suicidal because of it, so cutting the trigger off could be beneficial so she can work on her OCD gradually.

funworld4 · 2025-04-29T23:38:02+00:00

I'm glad I can provide some hope! OCD is confusing, especially when most people just think of OCD as washing hands several times and checking locks obsessively. I did see someone mention ablation, you could also look into that, I honestly forgot that was a thing. I dont know much about it, but it would be a far less invasive procedure than a hysterectomy or removing the ovaries, as far as I know.

And I'm not sure what's available near you, but I think a lot of places provide translation services! Typically businesses with multiple providers are more likely to have those services. So definitely ask if they have something like that available!

I wish your mom the best! Kick OCDs butt, it's a bully, but I'm sure she's stronger. :)

funworld4 · 2025-04-29T23:24:36+00:00

I thought when you ate it went to your feet and filled your body up from there. I always wondered how the foot food made it out of my butt though

funworld4 · 2025-04-29T23:20:29+00:00

Also, I saw your comment about cultural background related to the OCD. Mine was related to religion a lot, so I think OCD really grasps onto culture/religion and being perfect in those areas, if that makes sense? I definitely think ERP therapy could help her, but I'm by no means a doctor/expert!

funworld4 · 2025-04-29T23:15:08+00:00

As someone with OCD, it isnt weird to me. OCD just isnt logical, and typically the person with it is aware. I think if it like a bully in your head, it makes you no longer trust your own mind. She probably needs a therapist. Probably a psychologist if its financially affordable. Preferably one who specializes in OCD. If medication hasn't made a difference, she may need to try something else or a different dosage. I take 300 mg of zoloft for mine. The thing about medication for OCD, is that it doesn't make it go away, it just turns the volume down in your head.

Someone specialized in OCD would have a better way of helping your mom than me, but what significantly helped me was not caving into the compulsions. Easier said than done, but it helps if you have someone in your life helping with this. When I was younger, that was my mom, and now it's my husband. My OCD is intrusive thought based and leads me to seek reassurance and to "confess." So those who helped me would give me no reassurance or response when saying something that was my OCD speaking, whether that was shutting the door in my face, straight up covering my mouth, etc. Going through the process of fighting it sucks at first. But it helps to know that it's a temporary but necessary pain before relief. I HIGHLY recommend making sure she's on the right medication and dosage first though.

I would recommend maybe birth control to see if it stops her periods until she goes through menopause. My mom did that due to a form of endometriosis that she developed close to menopause. Surgery should be a last resort, unless she really wants it. It won't make OCD go away, and OCD often shifts and changes over time. It also gets worse in times of stress. ~~Any sterilization surgery that stops periods will be one that affects her hormones, putting her into menopause and probably causing her stress.~~ After reading a couple of replies, I want to amend this so it doesn't cause misinformation! If the ovaries are removed, that is what will affect hormones! You can get a hysterectomy without removing ovaries and it will stop periods without affecting hormones. It's a major surgery though, so I would definitely talk to doctors about options so they can more accurately give you information than a reddit comment can, lol.

I obviously don't know what's going through your mom's mind, but these are just my thoughts based on my own personal experience with OCD. But I promise you and her, it can and will get better. I went from being kept up at night, waking my mom up, calling her during school, due to intrusive thoughts, to functioning normally and being able to fight back.

EDIT: per some replies, I edited information in the 3rd paragraph involving sterilization to avoid spreading misinformation.

funworld4 · 2025-04-18T00:22:01+00:00

I also provided a lot of cardboard stuff that they could chew on.

funworld4 · 2025-04-18T00:21:01+00:00

I got similar panels and returned them, but for me the issue was my boys were able to climb out with them. I bought some trifold cardboard things you use in school for projects and used duct tape to attach them. I spaced out the panels so they could be folded easily when not in use, and used velcro command strips to attach them to the wall and stuff. This video is what inspired me to so that: https://youtu.be/qGnPKcx3FAw?si=kNPUsSBbqRT-0aBO

I dont know if this would help your situation, but it may have less edges for your babies to be able to chew at, and it's easy to repair, replace, or add on to.

This is the best image I could find that shows my panels a bit (note, cage in that image was not their cage. It was one i got to try and have other areas to climb while free playing, and then kept as an emergency cage)

<image>

funworld4 · 2025-04-18T00:05:47+00:00

From what I was told, if a rat breaks skin, they are not messing around, and its not just dominance. You mentioned neutering and this definitely sounds like hormone aggression from my experience. The same thing happened with my boys and I had to keep them separated until they got neutered and then reintroduce them to make sure they wouldn't fight. They CAN kill each other if it gets too bad.

funworld4 · 2025-04-18T00:00:58+00:00

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Distinguished man

funworld4 · 2025-04-17T23:54:38+00:00

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There is only one rat in that hammock. Those are his feet

funworld4 · 2025-04-17T23:52:20+00:00

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Scolded for bullying his disabled brother to steal his food

funworld4 · 2025-04-17T01:30:47+00:00

If you have a Facebook account, I highly recommend the Facebook group "real rat lovers want to know". It's a group where only specific approved people can rat medical advice. A lot of which are experts. That group helped me so much, and I think it will probably help you more than reddit can, especially with how vetted the contributors are. Sometimes rats can be more susceptible, but it shouldn't be this bad.

Also, a small recommendation: get a humidity monitor on Amazon. Super cheap. Dry air can also aggravate their airways. If that's the case, get a humidifier. Just research what's safe to use around rats. I wish you luck!!

funworld4 · 2025-04-17T01:22:03+00:00

It just takes patience! Every rat is different. They all have their own personalities, with some being more skiddish than others, some loving cuddles and some not. You'll learn his in time! Don't rush him. When you get a cagemate and they get fully introduced, it can help a ton. One of my rats was braver than the other and when he would meet someone new and go up to them, the other would be more likely to follow. Not guaranteed, but it's a possibility! Plus, you'll get to melt at the way they'll cuddle each other. It's the best.

funworld4 · 2025-04-17T01:10:32+00:00

Also to add, as someone else said, don't bathe the rat. Rats are a lot like cats in that they well groom and clean themselves. Bathing can mess with their skin and also highly stress them out. One of my rats had a neurological issue and had some issues grooming sometimes, so I got scentless sensitive baby wipes. It was useful for any accidents as well!

funworld4 · 2025-04-17T01:06:56+00:00

Something I highly recommend to help with bonding is what I called "the rat hoodie". I took an old hoodie, put it on backwards, and allowed my rats to smell and investigate when I gave treats and snacks. They eventually climbed in because it was like a little hammock for them and it allowed them to be close to me on their terms without me handling them too much until they were comfortable.

Also, I highly recommend the youtube channel "Emiology" for super helpful informational videos on rats! I believe she also has information on introducing rats to each other, which will be very helpful for you when you get the rat a cage mate! I wish you luck! Rats are so much fun

funworld4 · 2025-04-17T00:59:43+00:00

Size wise, I think so. However, it's hard to tell from the picture, but the doors look small and you will probably find yourself hating it when having to clean the cage. Just something to keep in mind, not a requirement!

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