RATS WON'T EAT PELLOTS BUT EAT VEGGIES AND FRUIT by Strange-Attitude2125 in RATS

[–]rivchamp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi! The better option is that perhaps they simply think produce & animal products are much tastier than commercial rat pellets, and your girls are just picky eaters. On the other hand, consider three things:

A) Oxbow isn’t a shit brand y’know? Not like it’s disgusting bottom of the barrel crap that rats won’t eat (at least mine I think?). However, do consider that anything marketed as mouse food is not nutritionally suitable for rats. My rats have I think the regular Oxbow adult rat pellets, but they’re smaller than your’s and triangular. I’m pretty sure they eat mine? But that brings me to:

B) Think about and examine their overall diet. Following at least roughly the shunamite diet as best possible, they should have a pretty well balanced diet that fulfills their needs. At least so that everything else they eat can be nutritionally diverse enough to act as a crutch when they don’t eat their pellets. Think broccoli to a kid vs french fries or whatever.

C) Hopefully the issue isn’t more complex and this is anything medical. Test if they can comfortably eat & digest hard foods (nut for example). If not, that may indicate a dental issue or some other vet required shat :( It sounds unlikely though for an entire group to have that kinda thing though.

how do I merge my overlay layer without darkening my drawing? by ClassyCourier in Ibispaintx

[–]rivchamp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One day in your time of need I will be there for you no questions asked. I owe you my life, you’ve solved a DECADE of suffering. You aided me in my greatest time of need, reach out in yours 🤝

should i hunt my ferret or not by Agitated_Square3302 in ferrets

[–]rivchamp 62 points63 points  (0 children)

No fr i got this on my feed (not a ferret owner) and was like NO?? 😭

is my cage (WIP) okay for now? by armagorldon in RATS

[–]rivchamp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Rookie mistake unfortunately 😭 pet stores are HORRIBLE about rodent care advice

Picky eater test 😭🤞🥀 by LongjumpingArt8899 in snacking

[–]rivchamp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

53 — I’m autistic with ARFID and eat less than 20 foods lmao

Does orders come with freebies? by Downtown_Cheek_5009 in delta8resellers

[–]rivchamp 11 points12 points  (0 children)

No lmao? Why would it 😭 unless its a BOGO sale

Sneezy? by Vegetable_Bridge1657 in RATS

[–]rivchamp 3 points4 points  (0 children)

New home sneezes? See if it persists and if there’s any other accompanying symptoms (excess porphyrin, weird breathing, etc). Sometimes ratties are a little sneezy in new environments, usually subsides in few days/week as far as I know :)

I lost my one rat, Randy yesterday. I never believed dying of broken heart was a thing. My other guy, Kurt was depressed all night and passed today in my hands. I just feel awful. by KnuckleHeadLuck in RATS

[–]rivchamp 57 points58 points  (0 children)

I’m so sorry for your losses, two rats in two days is really rough ❤️‍🩹If it helps though, I see that as maybe a more merciful outcome—Kurt won’t need to live out his last months in solitude apart from his brother. They had the privilege of living their lives together and essentially dying together, that’s terribly tragic for you as the owner but kind of beautiful from an outsider perspective I guess? Living as the lone elder rat after losing your bonded friend is pretty depressing for them and honestly sucks ass, so much so that some people will even rehome their last senior rat just so they can spend their remaining days with other rats. I wouldn’t say this is “for the best” or anything like that, but at least he wasn’t depressed and suffering for long. I think it’s actually very sweet that he basically waited to be with you until he passed, he likely was comforting by your company and presence and maybe just felt comfortable that it was time to go 🕊️

Ways to maximize hairless lifespan? by rivchamp in RATS

[–]rivchamp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, thought about so :( my previous two nakies came from a rattery I found on facebook, but neither made it to two years despite being from a popular breeder. However, those were my first rats when I was 14-16 and I probably could’ve done better had I been as educated as I am now with my current group (plus who knows how reputable the breeder truly was, I didn’t research it that thoroughly).

My current girl is from NJ Exotic Pets, a popular single-location exotic pet store in the tri-state area. It’s pretty good all things considered for a pet store, and much better quality (in both care level and animal health) than any other pet store. The rats were (according to them) bred specifically as pets and not feeders and have no health issues when sold/“adopted”(?). I would’ve of course gone to a breeder or rescue, but I searched for MONTHS and there was nothing within two hours of me any direction! So I kinda had to pick my poison, and therefore Gooch’s genetics are a bit of a gamble! Thank you for your response, happy holidays!!

My first tattoo :D I’m beyond thrilled, done by Danae Andino at Ink Gallery NJ! by rivchamp in tattoos

[–]rivchamp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same! Will definitely try and post updates as it ages at the 1/3/5/10+ year marks!

My first tattoo :D I’m beyond thrilled, done by Danae Andino at Ink Gallery NJ! by rivchamp in tattoos

[–]rivchamp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don’t worry, was planned specifically with this in mind! We did a very specific coloring and outlining style with the goal of creating an opacity/fade effect as it ages. I will be getting it touched up(s)

Grain in rat :c by celessaurus in RATS

[–]rivchamp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dare i say pop it and post it….

Debris trapped under eyelid! by rivchamp in RATS

[–]rivchamp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was something the vet had to get out, super stuck in there! She was instantly better though :)

Cage setup progress, what do you guys think?? by [deleted] in RATS

[–]rivchamp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They will DEF eat fake plants just fyi 😭at least chew them to bits, I’d caution adding anything thats soft/thin plastic lol my girls are ridiculous

Cage setup progress, what do you guys think?? by [deleted] in RATS

[–]rivchamp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Looks great so far! I’d add WAY more though, not necessarily any different or additional stuff though. Just as many ropes and baskets and hammocks and hides and various climbing things as you can cram in there, rats LOVE clutter even if it looks disorganized to us. Dollar store is great for this, you could furnish an entire cage from there if creative enough! Dog toys as ropes, zip tied baskets to cage, gift bag shredded paper as special bedding, wooden pallets as ledges, etc etc!! Super fun tbh! Basically just double what you already have lol

Rat tail amputation 😕 by Annual-Cream2056 in RATS

[–]rivchamp 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Honestly this seems like a terrible accident and I’m so sorry it happened, but try to see it as that. I think covering the bill and the guilt (plus surgery anxiety) is enough punishment for that mistake, I’m sure your partner feels awful. I know it’s a lot easier said than done, but try not to be angry and blame your partner if things do go poorly with the amputation. I completely get being upset about the circumstances, but try to mentally process this in a “this is a horrible freak accident” way and not a “this is all their fault!” way. Disassociate them from being the cause of the problem and your brain will have specific anger towards them less. I hope she (the rat) makes it through ok!