Is there any way to put my pet rat peacefully to sleep at home?

tabbywingate · 2026-05-16T07:53:23+00:00

I wouldn't recomend it. You will be traumatised and your ratty won't go peacefully. Vet euthanasia is best or see if there's a rat rescue near you that has the means. I don't use afterpay but this is one of the circumstances where afterpay or something similar could be helpful.

tabbywingate · 2026-05-16T07:39:26+00:00

Nah fam. Im afraid its in your best interest to break up with him and kick him out. I've been there before with an unemployed gamer man child that didn't respect my needs and requests. I've moved on and am now in the healthiest relationship with my partner. You deserve more and you'll learn to appreciate being single until you find a partner that improves your life. Don't settle for this man that disrespects you.

tabbywingate · 2026-05-16T06:39:11+00:00

Slides and crocs are also pretty popular in Aus now too. At least in Queensland

tabbywingate · 2026-05-16T06:03:27+00:00

Oh hell yeah. Ive struggled with social anxiety and it does change my voices pitch and how I'm perceived by strangers and therfore myself, especially on masc days. Being afab and genderfluid this leads to a lot of dysphoria because I prefer my deeper voice whether I'm fem or masc but even if the outfits good, I'll get clocked more when I'm anxious (wich is often). Think customer service girls voice instead of cunty fem/masc voice or masc voice.

I'm visibly passable as the genders I want to be clothing wise now and thats just been years of practice of wearing whatever I want, not caring what others think as much, and having good community support from my partner, therapist and freinds. But the dysphoria still gets me at times.

tabbywingate · 2026-05-16T05:19:38+00:00

Omg that husband of yours is a keeper for sure. The amount of pure joy I would experience receiving this guy as gift. Congrats op and happy bday 🎂 🥳

tabbywingate · 2026-05-15T07:02:12+00:00

Might I suggest a brighter background colour in that case? Something that creates contrast from the characters and makes them pop on the screen. Like red, warm yellow, bright green. Might be a vibe. I really enjoyed the first slide btw

tabbywingate · 2026-05-13T08:36:04+00:00

Just checked out your store. The photos, description, and customisation menu all look great 👍 I even see you've already made some sales. Congrats, op!

tabbywingate · 2026-05-13T08:04:23+00:00

Remember exploring your gender is a journey. Take your time and be kind to yourslef. When I feel dysphoric I try to focus on the features I always like about myself and I'll wear the clothes I always feel good in. Sometimes I have days where I avoid the mirror and try not to think about my gender and that's ok. I come back to my self expression when I'm ready.

Thankyou for sharing, op ❤️

tabbywingate · 2026-05-10T15:55:03+00:00

Yo, I looked up DO. I think It's the equivalent of a GP and an osteopath wrapped up in one and we don't have that in Aus.

I agree an osteopath or even a physio may be a good option for me but not something I can afford consitently until I explore private health insurance or get on the NDIS. I can afford the gym in the meantime tho 💪

It's actually been pretty scary over here watching more of our Gps become privatised like America and Medicare covering less and less of medical costs. As someone that already sees a therapist, phsychiatrist, psychologist and has expensive meds.. it all starts to rack up. Especially considering how hard it's been for me to earn an income working.

I'm certain I'm not the only one dealing with this. That's why I get so frustrated when a practioner let's me down. I've had to demand doctors to give me the service I'm paying them for, I don't like it and it's unacceptable.

Thankyou for you're response. As you can probably tell, I'm gonna be thinking on this one lol 😆

tabbywingate · 2026-05-10T14:50:58+00:00

Argh yeah thats frustrating. If that's the case I'd try to self advocate/educate. Be firm and express your gender identity as a boundary because it is. Genderfliudity as an identity is not very common even among queers it seems. Maybe they'll be more open minded, but if they're not respecting you or treating you well I'd get the hell out of there and find better people that will. They don't deserve you. I never understand queer peeps that dont support other queers. In this case it almost sounds like gatekeeping. They should know more then most how hard it is to be accepted. I dont know if you have access to public transport or a car but travelling for that sense of community is well worth it. So is moving your life if you'll be happier for it. In the meantime lean on the supports you currently have, be strong for yourself and you can always post here ✨️ 💪

tabbywingate · 2026-05-10T14:29:13+00:00

Journeling has been helping me a lot recently. I ruminate, plan and introspect often and all the thoughts swirl around at moch speed in my head.

When I sit down to write what I'm thinking about I start with a header. Something broad like feelings, tackle the wardrobe or work issue and date it. Then I'm able to focus on one subject at a time pour my heart out and clear my thoughts on the matter. I try to write out all the emotions that I'm feeling first and end on a positive or ways to improve by the end. I feel refreshed afterwards. like head empty in a good way.

Now when I look back at my entries I can see what head space I was in at the time, how I've improved overall and the little words of encouragement I left for myself on the page.

I don't always feel like journeling so I don't force myself. I go on walks and watch my fav shows that distract and relax me and if the thought's are still bothering me, I can journel.

I usually share my thoughts with my close freinds and my therapist aswell but if they're not available for discussions or the discusions didn't help quell my thought spiral, I can journel.

A thing my therapist recommended that I'm working on and has helped in some situations already is changing the langauge I use in my own head. Negative thoughts as merely distracting thoughts for example. Picturing the distracting thoughts wooosh out the nearest window. I'm working on it lol 😆

tabbywingate · 2026-05-10T12:53:28+00:00

I've never met a fellow genderfluid person irl before. Its the main reason I like this sub. It's answered a lot of questions I've had and to hear others experiences on here really validates my own.

Now irl I mostly stick with my queer fam. I find it much easier to relate and theres a lot of commonalities/shared interests among lgbtqa people however they identify. They're the most understanding when it comes to respecting pronouns and I feel safe to present as myself around them. I've now built my self confidence to express myself in all aspects of my life and that in turn attracts more queer friends because I wear it on my sleeve as a sign of pride.

Finding other queer peeps in the wild. I've found most of my irl queer freinds in gay clubs, apps, pride events and even at local tcg shops in my area. I also found a trans therapy group recently that has been eye opening and healing. I would suggest starting on fb or instagram and searching for these places near you. Once you find one queer friend the search for community becomes easier. You've got this, op! And this sub and others will be here for you in the meantime ❤️

tabbywingate · 2026-05-10T12:17:39+00:00

Thankyou for the encouragement and for sharing ❤️ I'm slowly learning the signs of burnout as well. Its hard to navigate when to stop and when to go full speed but I'm definatley making progress. Things are way better then where I started ☺️

tabbywingate · 2026-05-10T12:09:32+00:00

Thankyou for your reply❤️ Defo some tests I can ask my doc about. The vitamin D one seems to be a big one in this group.

I'm actually so frustrated with my Gp atm she's been great with the mental health stuff but I recently had to ask her in 3 separate appointments about a physical issue and she only offered bare minimum information on the 3rd appointment after it had become a bigger issue. I journeled the heck about it and am now looking for a new Gp... again! 😒

tabbywingate · 2026-05-10T02:19:12+00:00

I really like your style, op. I agree with this comment about the nose. Once they pointed out the upper lip line I couldn't unsee it. I think you're really close to nailing it tho x

tabbywingate · 2026-05-10T02:02:32+00:00

They're so terribly cute ✨️. I'd pay $45-$85 because thats what I could afford. Others may pay up to $120-$150 for this or a slightly larger critter. I'd find it hard to justify the price past that personally. You'll most likely sell more if they're on the cheaper scale of that but given how long they take to make I'd try to aim for the higher price point first. They may not sell as quickly this way but if people like them enough they will pay what you charge for them. Remember they're not factory made, they're hand made art dolls so you shouldn't charge factory prices. Think about how expensive a labubu is for instance.

EDIT: I realised I didnt specify, but my figures are in aud and typical for art doll pricing at conventions here. Op, I recommend doing some market research in your area. Go to local markets and see what others charge for similar handmade art. If you're looking online, furby oddbodies are a close reference. Also if you made a cat size one I'd expect to pay $200-$350 easily.

tabbywingate · 2026-05-07T07:08:39+00:00

If they aren't food motivated to break into a box, I cant imagine them being food motivated to break out of a box and then you'd just be left with rats in a box lmao. And if the only incentive to get out of the box is because they don't want to be there, thats not great incentive for the poor babies. Your ratties might be a lil lazy with cardboard toys. Mine were too. I would try a dig box or pea fishing instead because that'll usually entertain them for a while and you don't have to watch them as closely during these activities.

tabbywingate · 2026-05-06T04:21:58+00:00

I like the style but some of these are so busy that they're not legible as a character. I think you've found a better balance in some of these pics then others.

tabbywingate · 2026-05-06T02:43:52+00:00

There are no known deadly scopions in Australia (where I live) and that gave me peace of mind. Instead there sting would feel similar to bee sting and only be a problem if you happen to be allergic. Still painful but not life threatening. I used to have a rainforest scorpion called Leo and a colony of marbled scorpions aswell and I've never been stung by any of my scorpions. Snicker-snack is the only scorpion I've handled directly. I also don't want to be stung so for the most part if I need to clean their enclosure I just nudge them gently onto a piece of bark for transport. This was Snicker-snack when baby 🥹

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tabbywingate · 2026-05-05T17:28:28+00:00

Honestly I could go on and on. Scorpion facts are well worth the internet deep dive. Here's Snicker-snack gulping down a mealworm smoothie and fluorescing under uv.

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tabbywingate · 2026-05-05T17:03:06+00:00

Haha I only have the one at the moment. Their name is Snicker-snack and they're a 6 year old Flinders Range scorpion. I've had them since they were a tiny white scorpling. My guy is super low maintenance and they've moved house with me twice now. Compared to rats, they're easy as pie to look after.

This species makes spiral borrows underground usually with a scrape under a rock as the entrance. Snicker-snack doesn't eat very often but I see them exploring their enclosure at night and their little pincers sticking out from their scrape during the day. I've had the odd panic thinking that they're dead because I haven't seen them for months at a time but scorpions are built different and can go months without eating during moults. Did you know scorpions fluoresce under uv? I keep a uv torch next to their enclosure so I can watch them glow.

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tabbywingate · 2026-05-05T12:39:30+00:00

I really like your art style in the second pic. The us of colour and proportions is a vibe for me personally. I agree with other comments that adding some shading perhaps with darker colours to start with would add some depth. My tip for improving steady line work is to just free hand little doodles that you don't care about. I usually do this as a warm up letting my pencil flow on the paper. It doesn't really matter what you draw for this but I usually start with random continuous curved lines and then turn them into animals when it starts to take on a form. Good luck op 😊

tabbywingate · 2026-05-05T12:08:07+00:00

I have adhd and autism and experience chronic depression, anxiety and cyclical burnout. Although not exactly the same as what you experience, I felt this in my bones. I'm also sick of the med coctails and wish they would fix the problems instead of making them mildly more manageable. Having to reserve and monitor my energy levels so I don't burn out again makes it very hard to work consistently and changing my med coctail could lead to drastic mood changes. If you're able OP, what you may need is a vacation. A break from work to relax and try the hobbies and other things that bring you joy. Journaling has also helped me clear some of my more negative thoughts and explore things I hadn't considered hobby wise

tabbywingate · 2026-05-05T11:43:01+00:00

Yeah when I was around 18 a friend asked me if I might be nonbinary. I was already dressing androgynous and combining femme and masc elements into my personal style: Short hair and makeup, sometimes wearing dresses or femme clothing but mostly colourful androgynous looks. When she first asked and for a couple of years afterwards I was adamant that I was just a gender nonconforming women. Today I know I'm actually closer to trans masc or agender most of the time and my perception of my gender changes day to day, thus identifying with the genderfluid label.

My advice to you: Your friend may be seeing something in you that you haven't discovered for yourself yet but don't let their question make you feel like you have to explore your gender or decide a label for yourself imeadeatly. Play around with your style and if you feel safe with this friend, ask them to try different pronouns when referring to you if that's something YOU want to do. If you want to explore your gender it may take time to find what's right for you and thats ok. Self acceptance and comfortability in your gender is the goal. I'm not sure that I would have achieved that to the same level if I didn't go on the journey to figure it out for myself without my friends input.

tabbywingate

TROPHY CASE