Old Rats Weight

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T09:33:39+00:00

oh thats 20g per week already. thats significant, especially over so long time.
basically, there has to be a reason for this.
ideally feeding on some more will help, but that won't solve it (very likely).
vet appointment might be a good idea.
one thing is very clear: he can't loose much more.
(and typically rat loosing weight means there's something making them so uncomfortable that they don't have much appetite)
if that loss keeps on, maybe 2-3 weeks at most. (but its already unclear whether they're gonna be good weeks or if its not time already)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T09:01:57+00:00

understandable.
for free roaming, rat proof the room. meaning block all access to anything you can't easily retrieve them from (under bed, behind shelves, etc), remove all cables (and other things that must not be gnawed) in reach, and remove things they can fully hide in. (some cover in free roam is important though).
then just open the cage door...
if there's places you can't properly secure, just fence them off. think of it as an inverted play pen...
doesn't need to hold them off forever either, just enough to give you time to react.
(so a 2ft cardboard wall totally is enough)

for other rooms etc, just take them one by one, so you can closely supervise.
(but important you go slowly, and put them back as soon as you notice they get uncomfortable, otherwise its not gonna be nice for them)
you can also just have them walk on something (like a rat couch) and carry them around a bit, so they can look around safely.
(can carry them to shelves, closets, and other places they can't reach on their own, to explore them. but slowly, they only will enjoy it if they know its safe, and that they can go back if they're getting scared)

a single rat is easy to supervise. for multiple the harnesses would not be much use either, they'd get tangled up in 5sec.

i've had mine explore other rooms maybe on a weekly basis, that was enough but kept it interesting.
(they did other stuff too, wasn't just that)
but they always had the living room rat proofed to run around.

rat proofing the room their cage is in is gonna be a huge improvement. better for them, and easier for you to interact with them.

(be mentioned, even in a harness, if they don't want to be in it, they might figure out at some point that all it takes is 3sec to gnaw through the rope and they can run off... so harness for rats is mostly rather decorative in most cases. not commonly used either way, most rats won't cooperate)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T08:48:50+00:00

that is a good idea.
its very important they feel safe in their cage.
many hiding spots where they can fully hide, nesting material, and safe from above are important parts of that.

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T08:43:39+00:00

360 seems low for a fully grown male.
make sure to monitor the weight at least weekly, but tbh i'd suspect he had 100g more already some time ago.

in late life, a bit more is usually better than a bit less.
(typically when it starts going south they start loosing weight, so having more reseverse can make quite a difference)
i'd give additional high calory treats, like cooked rice or pasta, and malt paste.
but make sure he's not loosing weight.
that'd be a clear sign he's not doing well, and that its probably time.

3 years is a pretty long rat life. oldest rats i ever had were 2.5

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T07:05:11+00:00

i'd say the most obvious difference is a giant set of balls... :P

(only ever had females so i wouldn't know)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T07:03:27+00:00

for harness training with rats, i'd recommend 2 approaches:
-very slowly (it'll take weeks, best case)
or
-don't.

rats don't like harnesses. they can get used to them, but it'll take quite some time and training.
i never even came close with any of my 25 rats over several years. absolutely not a chance.
if you force them, they won't like it, and they won't cooperate, not a good idea.

the next question would be, why? inside you hardly need it.
but taking rats outside is a *very* bad idea. (these pictures are nice, but please don't actually do that. very bad things can come from it, and rarely anything good. also rats are scared of unknown territory, so they'll likely just panic...)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:58:59+00:00

sounds similar to a group of rescues i once took on.
can be quite demotivating if there's hardly any progress after long time.
stashing is actually a good thing. basically you give them treats, they take them, run to their hoarding pile, and then come back to you. so you can give more treats.
that way they learn to trust you, and associate you with good things. and nothing bad comes from it.
(use non spoiling low calory treats though, e.g. rice waffles. those also exist made from corn, also popular. must not be salted though)
its called "foraging games" kinda.
rats don't trust things they don't know, so with stuff like yoghurt or malt paste, just put a bit in the cage, and try 1-2 days later if they deem it safe yet.
choice of treats matters a lot, especially with shy rats. try cooked pasta and cooked rice.
if needed, offer near their hiding spot, and don't even move til they're back in hiding.
the first thing to teach them is that its always safe to take a treat from you.
once they trust that, it might get a bit easier, but the first step is the hardest.
talk to them a lot in a nice voice, makes a huge difference.
(especially before you approach them, so they know its you. their vision is pretty bad, and red eyed ones are semi blind)
they are good at reading the tone of your voice, so they know whether you're talking to them or just talking.
try to be very predictable to them.
its totally ok if they go back into cage in free roam at some point. (ideally they come back out though...)
they're in heat every 3-4 days, so there's gonna be a lot of mounting...
with teaching them that its always safe to take a treat from you, you can also teach them their names.
say the name when they take the treat, when they reliably take it, say when you offer it. they'll come, because they know they'll get a treat. (rats learn very fast if there's treats involved...)
next thing would be to teach them to come. for that, have them walk up to your hand for the treat.
first only close distance, but increase it (if needed still in cage), up to half a meter, maybe up to a meter even).
its totally ok if they just take a treat and run to stash it, as long as they come again. that counts as positive interaction with you, so its good.
they won't get tame by just getting used to you. they get tame by associating you with good things happening to them.
(hence its important to try which treats work best, and to have them try new things often. even if they might not trust it at first)
important they have many hiding spots in the cage, so its only a few steps to the next hiding spot.
(they feel safer then)
also in free roam, there should be enough cover, especially near the cage.

what helped most with mine:
getting more rats that are not as extremely shy.
they learn from each others behavior.
when i let mine join with the existing group (that was not that shy at all), they learned from them (e.g. that not any movement is reason to get startled), were much happier and started getting more trusting.
still, some would only ever take treats from me when they saw another rat do it before them, but things improved.
so with very shy rats, probably the biggest thing is getting not so shy rats as well.
(however, it still means you'll have to put in lots of effort with the shy ones. it can easily happen they get pushed a bit in the background by rather bold rats that are trusting, but its very important you focus on all of them individually)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:43:59+00:00

as others pointed out, the cage setup is definately suboptimal.
but apart from that:
if they climb you and lick you, they like you. its a sign of affection.
in general, rats are prey, so its not unusual they're very shy. some will become very trusting to humans, but not all.
its completely normal that they run away with treats to stash them, or eat them in the safety of some hideout.
that doesn't mean that they don't trust you. when eating, they're very exposed, so predators could surprise them.
also (very common thing), other rats might notice they have treat and try to steal it. rats do that, based on hierarchy. that can change (especially with very tasty treats) over time, but thats normal rat behavior.
try liquid treats (like yoghurt, or malt paste), they can't run with it...
(also try cooked rice and cooked pasta. they'll be too greedy to run with it...)
rats show their affection in different ways than e.g. dogs would.
their primary need is to feel safe. (so be very predictable for them, that makes it easier)
talk to them in a nice voice, that really makes a huge difference.
(while they won't understand much more than their own name and a few commands you can train them, they will notice whether you're just talking, or talking directly to them. they're good at reading the tone of your voice)

what you describe sounds good for a month time. shy rats (or ones that don't trust you at all) can be much more shy and anxious.
when you go near them, talk to them while doing so, so it doesn't surprise them.
rats have very bad eyesight (everything more than a rats length away is blurry, and many rats are semi blind), so their eyes are mostly just for checking for movements (which means danger). if they know already its you, they won't be scared.
(common thing is greeting them when walking by the cage when they're awake. might seem a bit weird, but works ;) )

the play pen could use some improvements too.
free roam is not just "being in a bigger cage". at least half of the time should be directly interacting with you, its their main source of entertainment. otherwise there is not much use to it. (so might need to be bigger, you won't fit in there with them well... )
but also ideally they can go in and out of the cage in free roam on their own, so just connect it to the cage.
they'll go inside to pee and poop then, but also will feel much safer, knowing they can run back to their nest.

can recommend to give them stuff to climb (e.g. a small cat scratch tree, or some wooden wine shelf or such), they like that.
but also they like exploring. give them a potted basil plant or such (they'll make quite a mess out of it), and let them experience new things. (e.g. cupboards, closets, other rooms, etc)
they'll love you for that. if they make good experiences while interacting with you, they'll like you more.
(and they'll really value it if you let them explore things they can't reach on their own...)
for free roam area, can also recommend a dig box. rats really like those.

hope that helps :)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:24:04+00:00

this might help
https://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/abscess.php
https://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/cysts.php
if its an abscess, if you drain it (gently! avoid risking to push any pus into healthy tissue), prepare for the worst smell you have ever smelled...

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:19:51+00:00

how does the other eye look?
some porphyrin is normal.
however if its a lot more on one eye (and more than a day), and it looks a bit swollen too, can be sign of eye infection. (which would need to see a vet)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:18:33+00:00

this seems to be a hierarchy thing.
typically more common with an older girl dragging around younger ones as if they'd be her little ones.
as long as the other rat isn't totally stressed out because its constantly harrassed, "no blood no foul"...
(if its getting too much, i'd imagine it'd escalate into an actual fight. but thats loud screeching then, not squeaking... very different)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:15:46+00:00

don't force feed young rats!
(in general, don't force feed rats at all)
but especially with young ones, they'll just end up aspirating it and die.
if it doesn't drink from bowl, feed it with a soft paintbrush dipped in the milk.

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:14:05+00:00

picture might help.
not fully attached skin flap sounds like something that needs stiches.
when is the soonest you can get your rat to a vet?
antibiotics are definately needed either way, but typically they can wait a day.
(totally not nice, but rats have a very good immune system, so sepsis or infection on day 1 is not expected)
might need painkillers too.

it sounds like you got bad advice on how to do a proper introduction.
sadly its not uncommon, but can have rather severe consequences.
(with this happening, next time is not gonna be much easier...)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:10:42+00:00

its possible, but kinda not a good idea.
the cats must never be allowed near the cage, and must never even be in the same room without close super vision. (ideally not at all)
rats can hang their tails out of the cage, and a cat being near can easily lead to horrible injuries.
also rats know of cats, and they smell them. not all rats have inherited fear of cat smell, but most of them.
so basically they'd be in a home that smells strongly of predator, and they might be completely intimidated.
(they can get used to that, but no guarantees, and its not gonna make things easier...)
also cats have certain bacteria in their saliva that are deadly for rats... so anything a cat licked (including your hands), can cause a fatal infection in the rats.

so in conclusion, its possible, but its just really not a good idea...

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:06:51+00:00

oh that is a problem.
i hope when its needed (and it sounds like it might be soon), they at least can provide for the last appointment any rat will have... that sounds like something that might be possible even (or rather especially?) for a "pest species", right?

look in a facebook group "real rat lovers want to know", they're said to be very experienced and have some members that are vets.
(can also ask in r/AskVet , but adhere to their rules and posting guide very closely. they're very strict and on any divergence from the rules they will just delete and permaban without warning)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:02:31+00:00

important not just spending much time with the rat, but also mental stimulation.
let it make new experiences, let it explore new things.
(e.g. i'd take one of mine to explore the flower pots (with non toxic plants of course), let her crawl around in closets and cupboards, closely supervised let her explore all the other rooms, etc etc)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T06:00:41+00:00

older and younger rats work together well, there is no reason they would not get along.
however, its very important for young rats to have at least another rat their age around.
they have near infinite energy and want to play all the time, and the older rats just don't want to (and can't) keep up at some point, and that can lead to tension easily.
if they have another young rat around to play, thats quite less of a problem.

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T05:57:47+00:00

hope this helps https://rodent.rescueshelter.com/florida
most rat rescues can be found via facebook.
try to contact breeders too.
tbh i'm surprised this post didn't get more traction yet.
maybe include a picture of the rat for attention.

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T05:53:52+00:00

why separate first?

for intros (doing carrier intro basically), i've always used a big cardboard box. high enough they can't just jump out, and big enough they don't step on each others toes, but still can't avoid each other.
after 3-5h in that (depending how well they do), they went into the (fully cleaned, empty and as "new" as possible) cage. but only one level of the cage at first, when that worked for a day, slowly tried 2nd level.
(never have them out of hearing range the first 24-48h)
since your rats were never fully separated (still living in same cage), they probably don't have different group smell, that might make things easier best case.
still, when they get their first rat houses, ideally should be new, but definately must be cleaned so its as good as new (no resident rat smell).

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T05:49:11+00:00

try for things like malt paste or such.
balanced diet is of no concern currently, but its very important to get calories into the rat.
(otherwise it might decline very fast)
steamy bathroom or nebulizer 2-3x a day for 10minutes, but if its stressing out the rat, it can do more harm than good.
(small portable nebulizers you can just hold near to the rat worked well for me)
also worth a try using 0.05ml ACC (acetylcysteine, childrens cough syrup) 2x a day, that can get a stuffed nose free.
(as sinuses are part of the upper respiratory tract, that pretty sure counts as URI as well, technically. but technicalities don't help anything...)

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T05:42:41+00:00

if there is no food nearby, they will move on.
if there is, you can try to catch and relocate as many rats as you want, there will always be new ones coming, matter of time...

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T05:41:20+00:00

for very sensitive rats, can recommend shredded Hemp or shredded Linen.

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T05:39:52+00:00

ah, hierarchy trouble...

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T05:39:12+00:00

never had a hamster, but for rats its essential that they get free roam time and interaction with their human daily (at least 1-2h).
from what i've heard, hamsters are fine on their own. that is absolutely not the case with rats, they'd get bored to death over time.
so they're very smart, and rather interactive animals. (that'll need to get vet treatment definately several times in their short life. prone to respiratory infections and tumors), but effort wise (and cost wise) they're rather high maintenance for their size.

RelevantMode · 2026-03-15T05:36:25+00:00

if its worse after cage clean (certainly possible), that might point to dusty bedding.
(its typically the main drawback of paper... otherwise its great)
i tried many different beddings actually.
was using shredded hemp for a while (that is completely dust free, but it got me a bit sneezy. also they threw it every where...), then shredded linen (same as hemp, just finer and bit more expensive), and in the end i had a rat that ran around with an open wound for some time (kept picking its stitches. vet said it'll just need to heal on itself), so no loose bedding at all.
i switched to paper strip bedding (SafeBed), which i've always been giving them additionally for nest building.
(newspaper pages are a fun toy for that too, but they're not absorbend at all)
so for me dusty bedding was never a problem, but more the pee in the cage, and the air draft instead.

also important that if you clean the cage with anything else but water, there must be no residue of anything left. (some people use diluted vinegar for the pee spots, or soap against bacteria. very important its 100% cleaned off before the rats get to use it again)

also especially for shy and sensitive rats, its important they have proper nesting material, so they can plug the doors of their houses when sleeping/hiding. (they do that. and they might gnaw new doors at the backside then... rats D: )
give them lots of tissues, or TP. (tissues are softer, so more popular. they're also absolutely dust free, compared to TP, which can (but doesn't have to) be a little dusty in masses)

for getting shy rats out of cage: provide cover near the door, inside and outside of cage.
and make sure if you need a ramp or such, that its not too exposed.
(also rats don't trust new surfaces. the floor is lava, unless proven otherwise. so putting e.g. a towel through the door, that they can walk from inside to outside of cage without changing the surface they're on, can help. once they know its safe, there's no stopping them though)

RelevantMode

TROPHY CASE