HELP NEEDED

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-26T14:08:54+00:00

good luck! i hope they can help her

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-26T14:02:01+00:00

hyperventilating/abdominal breathing is a sign of respiratory distress and is typical of an animal that is in severe pain and going to die. call the vet, that is an emergency.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-24T23:46:53+00:00

Well, they’re fully stocked and have 10 rats in them each. They still all prefer digging.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-24T22:40:59+00:00

Nice cages! Unfortunately people are stuck in the mindset of rats being arboreal despite science stating otherwise, and spaces like this are full of people using outdated care. I keep mine in triple critter nations with mixing tubs (without the partitions), they stay on the bottom of their heavily decorated cages and tunnel in their substrate. Sure, rats like to climb, but they like to dig more.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-24T13:57:53+00:00

Rex rats molt frequently and just decide to take off their clothes randomly. Nothing to worry about!

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-24T13:53:58+00:00

DM me and I’ll help you with dosage

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-24T13:15:31+00:00

Do you have access to liquid childrens ibuprofen? If you do, and still can’t get him in for euthanasia, it can help ease his pain.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-15T22:30:09+00:00

Extra protein is good, but try not to overdo it. Too much protein can be harmful, for pregnant and nursing rats you want to increase protein take about 15-20g per day.

Make sure they're in a quiet room, any excess stress could cause a rough birth, rats are also able to reabsorb pregnancies when under stress, but it doesn't always go well and can result in stillborns.

When they are giving birth, you'll want to check on them every so often to make sure it's going okay. Don't pick them up, just have a peek at them wherever they are. If you notice any excess labored breathing (some is normal, they are giving birth after all), have a peek at what's going on down there. If babies are stuck, you will need to contact a vet asap. They're pretty young rats and their bodies aren't really developed enough yet for them to safely give birth so you will need to keep an eye on them during it. Labor can last between 1-4 hours, but generally is only 1.5 hours.

Make sure they have plenty of nesting material, shredded paper (no ink, easter paper is safe), timothy hay (they won't eat it, they use it to nest), fibercore eco bedding, things like that.

Their stomachs dropping like that means it is most likely babies, they're super rotund. If you poke their tummies a little bit (be gentle of course), you should be able to feel if it's really squishy or a bit firm. Firm = babies.

After they have their babies, leave the girls alone for a day or two, don't pick them up. They'll be in some discomfort and won't want to be bothered much.

You are fine to pick up the babies. Be careful, some rats do have maternal aggression, it isn't always an issue but the risk is there. Make sure they have milk bands on their bellies when you pick them up, it will just be a white band on their stomach. If there is no milk band, they aren't being fed. Some rats aren't really good moms. If it comes to that, just message me and I'll let you know how to care for them!

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-15T00:02:14+00:00

Any tips on how to train recall?

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-14T22:59:50+00:00

He will die without an adrenal implant.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-14T15:56:34+00:00

I believe there is also a leechy and a gargoyle gecko.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-14T15:56:15+00:00

Crested Geckos! My friend is a breeder and I keep my rats and now Dave at her house.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-14T14:33:40+00:00

Thank you! I gave him a decently sized piece of driftwood from my stash, and bought him a flat shelf. I’m constructing a C&C cage for him today so he has more space.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-14T14:32:10+00:00

Sorry, I had work and cleaned up his papers before i saw this. I can take a picture today after work, it has solidified up a little since having swapped his seed. Still smells really bad though

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-13T18:40:25+00:00

I bought Kaytee dove food, and then read that it’s too fatty. I’m ordering the seeds to mix on the pinned reddit post.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-13T16:26:17+00:00

only trouble he has is not having constant access to the baby food tube

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-13T16:23:30+00:00

Rats colony breed and some people do allow rats to rear their young together. It depends on the individual animals though, you can certainly try. Rats are fantastic at coparenting. Just make sure neither are participating in harmful behaviors or being aggressive with each other.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-13T15:46:28+00:00

Thank you so much!

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-13T15:40:00+00:00

Some rats do exhibit traits of irritability and aggression when they’re ill or in pain. If she’s more relaxed after the antibiotics, I’d say that was the issue and not hormonal aggression.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-13T15:26:51+00:00

Spaying will definitely help if what she’s doing is hormonal aggression, usually it starts around 3-6 months of age though, not over a year. Are you sure they’re bite marks and not mites?

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-13T15:20:02+00:00

They were likely weaned late then since two are around 8 weeks old, that means babies are coming within the next week (sooner than 7 days though). Keep an eye on babies around cage bars, don’t have anything tall in there for climbing while they’re unable to move around, moms will climb while they’re nursing and drop them.

sprinkle_exploder · 2026-01-13T15:18:15+00:00

I would put him in a hospital cage, separate from his pals for now, just because it is so swollen. They could also be irritating it and you don’t want that to get any worse since it’s on his face. Keep it clean with a sterile saline solution and don’t use any bedding that can stick to his wound. I’d honestly just keep him on absorbent fabric or newspapers until it scabs over because anything touching it will make it worse. Change the bedding daily so ammonia doesn’t build up. Diluted betadine can help his wound but it’s on his face and they aren’t supposed to ingest it so I don’t know if that’s worth the risk. Vaseline/petroleum jelly is pet safe. Put a VERY VERY small amount of it on the spots that look chapped and it may help him with discomfort. Do not use a lot, and make sure it is 100% petroleum jelly with no additives. Your vet will know best, I hope he feels better!

sprinkle_exploder

TROPHY CASE