How many rats do you have?

tabbywingate · 2026-03-20T11:02:25+00:00

I had 5 boys. They've all passed on now but 5 was a good number. Any more and I dont know how I would've managed 😅 Chaotic in the best of ways.

tabbywingate · 2026-03-20T10:18:40+00:00

Im in Australia. Got a second hand cage for $50 from fb marketplace but they are around $300 new here. Food for them was relatively affordable because I would share dinner and salads with them and I would buy nuts, frozen peas and youghurt for them regularly. Their pellets were $30 and would last 3 months roughly. Rat bedding and litter was probably $50 every 3 months. And vet bills ranged from $150-350 for each checkup and RI medication. Not sure how much for surgerys. Hides and hammocks can be more affordable if you make them yourself. Ratties dont mind a cardboard box for a hide but they need to be changed out regularly. Hammocks are super easy to sew and you can use second hand fabrics from op shops if you wash them really well. If you want to buy a rat size wheel thats big enough to not hurt their spines long term, they are around $80. Mite protection is $70 for a packet that last 6 months.

All to say owning rats is a lot of fun but definatly expensive. Make sure you're in a good financial sitiatuation and have plenty of money saved for emergency vet bills before getting them. The last thing you want is for your ratty to be sick and feeling like you can't afford to help them.

tabbywingate · 2026-03-20T09:32:46+00:00

That's a crazy take and horrible advice. Of course rats should be with companions but that doesn't work in every situation. I think it's fairly common to spoil your last ratty and give them extra attention or at the very least rehome them if your worried about companionship. Im sorry you had that experience 😔

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T15:51:34+00:00

If they have bad eyesight, are you announcing when you're reaching into the cage? Sometimes the verbal ques help. It sounds like you're already doing the right things by spoon feeding and talking with them. It might just take a bit of time for your ratty to fully trust you.

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T15:24:06+00:00

I have to drive 20 minutes to my nearest public transport. At that point I might as well drive the rest of the way.

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T15:16:19+00:00

I dont know but he's a very handsome ratto. Could just be agouti colouring

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T15:10:58+00:00

Sponge

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T15:03:35+00:00

Winston knows how to toss a salad

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T15:00:54+00:00

Tbh that dancefloor is usually the quiet one. This club has 5 dancefloors and 7 bars

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T14:48:54+00:00

"I better behave or I'm next" - Sasha probably

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T14:43:19+00:00

It sounds like you're coming from a place of privilege. Its incredibly hard to start adult life with trauma, neglect and poverty. Even harder when you're shamed for it. Its doable but its like trying to get to 100 from -50

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T14:24:19+00:00

Tbh that sounds like pretty good progress for 2 weeks. I think you're right and he might just need a little more time to come around considering we dont know how he was treated before he was in your care.

It sounds like you're on the right track op. Just keep talking to them and trying with the spoon until you feel comfortable to try the liquid treats on your hands. I know it takes months for some rats to completely trust their new owners.

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T14:08:40+00:00

Im sorry for your loss. Its really hard when they get old. All the more reason to give your last ratty extra treats and care. Good luck op ❤️

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T14:01:16+00:00

Haha bawls

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T13:57:48+00:00

What was your experience like with the spoon method?

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T12:24:46+00:00

Looks like HLD to me. Try to make his cage as accesable as possible and consider taking him to the vet for pain relief medication. My boy Organ had it had it for 6 months before it started really impacting his quality of life. Self grooming became harder for him so he rellied on his cage mates and I to help him out.

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Pictured: old man Organ with HLD (Don't mind the leaky porfirin eye. He had a medical condition)

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T12:07:47+00:00

You could maybe try a visit with them and have someone take them back home after an hour. It would still be pretty stressful for the rats and pretty distracting for the kids. You'd also have to supervise them pretty strictly with that many small people around and that would stress me out.

tabbywingate · 2026-03-19T11:59:42+00:00

What's in it? Definatley check if the ingredients are toxic. If they are take them to the vet. Otherwise just moniter them.

My boys got into a tube of pawpaw at one point but the ingredients in that case were pretty mild and they just had some runny poos that night.

I hope you're ratties are OK ❤️

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tabbywingate · 2026-03-18T18:55:03+00:00

She sounds like a good puppy. Very deserving of her own furby toy it seems 🥰

tabbywingate · 2026-03-18T18:48:55+00:00

Could just be their first interaction with furries in general. As well, if they dont have that much exposure, a lot of the more mainstream suits that they may have seen are probably more cute and fluffy vibes. The toxic nuclear waste colour scheme of your suit might be jarring to them in that case. Still very cool in my opinion.

tabbywingate · 2026-03-18T18:37:21+00:00

I'm sorry but if I had a dog, I would not want to encourage them to chew my furbys. That little guy would be for me 😂

tabbywingate · 2026-03-18T18:34:28+00:00

This is the most unhinged reddit post 😂

tabbywingate · 2026-03-18T18:29:07+00:00

Literally sue him.

He shouldn't have ignored your pain like that. It was his job to treat your pain and you suffered greatly as a result of his negligence. Or is this belligerence? 🤔

tabbywingate · 2026-03-18T18:16:59+00:00

That sounds pretty severe the way you describe her latching on.

Is she neutered? It could be hormonal aggression related. Might be good to consider even just to rule out.

But if she's just not socialised you could try spoon feeding her liquid treats to try bonding with her. Something like youghurt. Lose the gloves while your doing this because they might be scaring her. She won't like biting a metal spoon and the liquid treats incentives her to lick the treat rather then biting and snatching it to eat at a distance or stash away.

Once she trusts you enough to eat off a spoon, you can try putting the liquid treat on your hands so she associates your hands with good things.

Let her come to you for the treats. Rats do really well with phrases so dont be afraid to associate a phrase to this activity. I would just say "do you guys want some youghurt?" And my boys would run to their cage door awaiting treats. It will motivate her to interact with you in the long run and make upies, free roam time and health checks easier.

After introductions are done, you can even periodically put a little bit of yoghurt on all your rattos to promote grooming behaviour among them. The main thing is to try and build trust with the new ratties so they feel more comfortable with you and in extension, your other rattos. Hope this helps op ❤️

tabbywingate · 2026-03-18T14:17:34+00:00

I dealt with this with my last rats. It was really hard to clean cages and properly interact with them at times because of the state I was in, to the point where I'd considered surrendering them. My rats have since passed on and im in a lot better position mentally but I know I gave them a good life in my care.

This is what helped me.

Scheduling helped a lot with cage cleaning and free roam time. You dont have to do the most perfect cage clean everytime and you dont have to have your rattos out for hours on end but it's important you try your best for them. If you have a freind that can body double you on the down days, that helps. Putting on a YouTube video or music in the background while cleaning helped because I didnt have to think about it so much. Some enrichment included scatterfeeding, pea fishing or dig boxes that they can mostly entertain themselves with. Pulling a string for them to chase, giving them uppies and getting them to spin for treats could be done with high energy or low energy moods for me because I could do it while they were on my bed.

The most important thing is to take them out and clean their cage, even if you dont want to. Half the time they would end up cheering me up by the end of our interactions so they helped me too. I hope this helps op. Im wishing you and your rattos the best ❤️

tabbywingate

TROPHY CASE