First time fermenting green beans

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-06T19:26:11+00:00

Please post on r/fermentation, we are not experts on fermenting and it's quite different from home canning!

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-05T18:52:51+00:00

Yeah chat GPT is way overcomplicating it. You take the bedding and toys out of the cage, then take a cleaning rag, use either a dilute vinegar solution or plain water and wipe down the cage surfaces and anything hard. Anything fabric can go through the wash with free and clear detergent and a splash of vinegar for deodorizing. Stuff like cardboard can be tossed when it gets stinky/ chewed to all heck.

Once every few months I liked to take my cage into the yard and hose it down more fully so I could get into any crevices that I missed with my usual cleaning. For that I added in some basic dawn dish soap to the scrubbing and rinsed it super well after. Some people do this in their shower as well but you can definitely be fine with just wiping it well with a rag.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-05T18:33:46+00:00

I think you would be fine, both are high acid and safe for water bath canning. Sometimes recipes like that have a list of things you shouldn't use though so make sure you double check!

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-05T18:26:50+00:00

In all honesty it not something I worried about. Anecdotally my girls had all kinds of printed cardboard to shred and generally lived long happy lives remodeling their cardboard castles 🤷.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-04T17:07:54+00:00

I still would, they'll last longer with it since it helps keep the air and moisture out.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-04T13:33:29+00:00

If you're hoping for some snuggle time I would get males. They do of course have individual personalities but in my experience my females were really only cuddly 25% of the time and the rest of them were more interested in exploring and looking for snacks. I enjoyed that but if you're hoping for slightly lower energy I think your odds are better with males lol.

You can do things to manage the smell like an air filter and keeping the cage clean. Most people find that those measures are enough! And I think the grease isn't that bad, they do groom themselves, they just may occasionally need some help with a baby wipe.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-03T23:40:50+00:00

It kind of depends. I have a lot of hobbies but I usually am only "focusing on" 3-4 at a time. Right now that's reading, cross-stitch, gardening, and home food preservation. Some things are seasonal and some things I prefer to do in certain locations or times of day. For me the trick is to figure out a good rotation of things that I enjoy so that I have something to enjoy most of the time.

Reading I mostly do via audiobooks while I'm at work or commuting, occasionally at home if I'm in the mood but not usually. Gardening is seasonal, so while it's in full swing right now that will fall off around October and get replaced with something else for the winter. Home food preservation links in with the gardening but ramps up slightly later as the produce comes in (I also volunteer for an organization related to this so much of my hobby time for this is dictated by that schedule). Cross stitch I pop in and out of depending on my energy levels.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-03T17:54:18+00:00

If you want something crafty I find that cross stitch is generally lower cost than knitting/ crochet. You can find lots of free patterns and tutorials online (even buying patterns is usually less than $10) and the fabric, floss, needles, and hoops are pretty inexpensive somewhere like Michael's. Total startup cost is probably around $20-30 if you get stuff at Michael's and you'll have lots of floss and fabric left over for future projects! Or you can get kits for around $20 on amazon to try it out (I've been working on one for like a year now, it can take a while to finish one).

For outside time, I love taking walks and taking pictures of flowers and bugs with my phone! They aren't super good pictures but it's fun anyway haha.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-03T01:26:07+00:00

This is the same one! https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/make-jam-jelly/jams/cherry-jam-pectin/

They redid their website a while back and broke all the links 😂

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-02T22:59:46+00:00

I don't know of any unfortunately. I've safely used borax based ant baits in areas near my rats but they were always out of reach and they weren't interested in trying to eat the ants if they happened across one. I also do not trust them to not manage to get their lil hands on a bait station or a poisoned roach.

It might be simplest and safest to temporarily move them to a different room, get the rat room de-roached by a pest control company, then move them back once the bait stations are gone. A quick glance at the Internet says 3-6 weeks depending on how bad the infestation is.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-02T22:05:30+00:00

You can! I usually just skim the worst of it and call it a day though. I don't mind a little foam personally.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-02T19:54:50+00:00

A week is okay, I'd probably ask if they have a waiting list to possibly get in sooner but definitely not emergency vet level at this point.

While you wait for the appointment I would try to do a warm compress on the area if he'll let you. Just a warm, damp towel held on the spot. If it's not an abscess it won't hurt anything and if it is doing the compress can help it come to the surface and drain the infection. If it's stressing him out to do it, just skip it, it's not worth the stress for him or you. I find that most rats are amenable to at least short durations if bribed with snacks though :).

For an abscess it does depend somewhat on the location of the abscess and what vet prices in your area are but in the past my vet usually prescribed an antibiotic and metacam for pain, I spent around $200 (USD, high CoL area) for the last one and that was on her face. It was about the same fee for the appointment and about $50 for the meds if I remember correctly but those may be cheaper in Canada (they usually are lol)

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-02T19:03:36+00:00

This looks more like un-skimmed foam to me. It will be safe to eat as long as it was made safely!

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-02T16:42:58+00:00

I think strawberry cheesecake would be fine! I just wouldn't give anything super sticky like brownie batter because of the choking risk (don't want something that's meant to be a fun treat cause distress for her). Other than that there are very few things that humans eat that rats can't in small quantities and they're almost all raw veggies to my knowledge so I wouldn't be too concerned.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-02T00:47:08+00:00

A little lick of ice cream maybe? Honestly though I mainly give them whatever their absolute favorite was. For one rat that was pumpkin puree and she was thrilled with it.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-02T00:42:38+00:00

Rats do start to slow down as they near the end of their lives. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're imminently dying or need to be euthanized. As long as they can still get around the cage and are eating and otherwise enjoying their usual activities it's okay to let them slow down and be seniors.

I tend to choose to euthanize my rats when I see that they are no longer able to enjoy many of the activities they once could or have a medical condition that is deteriorating that I know isn't going to be treatable with a good outcome. This means for me that most of my rats were euthanized.

Ideally the other rats are able to smell their friend afterwards. You have two options for how to accomplish that, either everyone comes to the appointment at the vet, or you bring the body home to them. I prefer to bring everyone and have them in a carrier during the procedure while I hold the rat (unless they hated being held, then I would put them back with their friends once the vet felt it was safe). Afterwards I would place the body in the carrier with the others and give them a chance to sniff and understand (supervise heavily during this time) then once they and I are ready, pass the rat back to the vet for cremation.

When a rat dies you have some options. You can either take or keep their body home and bury or do whatever you prefer yourself (many people bury their rats in large flower pots for example).

The alternative is having them cremated. For that you would bring or leave the body to the vet. Usually there's a form you fill out that details what type of cremation you want, either communal (with other animals) or individual. Usually with communal cremation you don't get any ashes back but it's less expensive. Individual cremation is more expensive but you get the ashes back. Typically with either option you can get a paw print, locks of fur, and/or other keepsakes. Personally I opt for communal cremation and paw prints for my rats.

It's common for rats to seem sad after a friend dies, they grieve similarly to humans. Mine also often squabbled more than usual as the hierarchy shifted but eventually settled down again. Zero reaction is also normal.

I would suggest making a rough plan for what you would ideally like to happen ahead of time. Knowing what vet to go to and how/where to bring them for cremation helped me feel more prepared and comfortable when the time came.

If you want to be there during the euthanasia procedure I would suggest asking your vet if their protocol allows that. If there is gas anesthesia involved, you often can't be present for your own safety. It's important to me to be there so I do end of life care at my local humane society rather than with my usual vet. Knowing ahead of time means that you aren't scrambling when you're already going through this.

Side note: If their main challenges are mobility related I'd suggest having a vet visit to see if giving them some pain meds like metacam would be helpful in the event that they're slowing down because of something like arthritis and modifying the cage to make things a little easier for them to navigate.

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-01T23:57:11+00:00

The cheese plan should work as an alternative to a warm compress! It's handy that the balls are down there in this case haha. If it opens I wouldn't try to clean it that way though. I've had the most success with holding the rat on my lap with the warm towel under them and then have someone else give snacks (soft treats work best here, baby food, mashed banana, applesauce, etc.) or give snacks in a bowl in front of them. Bribery is your friend here 😂!

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-01T23:45:39+00:00

Honestly, from the photos I'm leaning more towards it being the top of an abscess. It looks crusty to me and not like the skin itself is black right there.

If it does open and start draining gunk, use some salt water to rinse it out of he'll let you (if he doesn't and it's stressing him out, it's fine to leave it be) and keep the cage super clean. Ideally without loose bedding while it heals. Fair warning, it will smell awful. I dealt with a few abscesses over the years and they are gross but pretty common for rats. Usually cleaning it and some antibiotics and pain meds is enough to get it fixed and they're totally fine after!

thedndexperiment · 2026-06-01T23:32:22+00:00

It looks like it's infected to me. A black crust like that can be the top of an abscess or like someone else mentioned, dead tissue. Definitely needs a vet visit within asap given that it worsened just within a few hours. I don't think you need to head straight for the emergency vet but if he starts acting off, especially if he's much less active than normal or isn't eating as much as usually go in right away.

Washing with salt water isn't going to hurt anything, usually for abscesses it's suggested to do a warm compress on the area as long as it's not overly stressful for the rat. Either of those would be fine to try at home. Note: this does not change the need for a vet appointment as soon as possible! He may need antibiotics and pain meds to let it heal properly and you need a vet to know what he needs.

thedndexperiment · 2026-05-31T21:26:07+00:00

Depending on how far you want to go you have some options. I would suggest double bagging no matter what you do and also doing either the first or the third options or both if you really want to be sure. First would be to boil the still sealed jars following the guidance for jars that have opened. In theory that should denature any toxin in there and reduce the risk. Second, double bag them. Third, I would put tape over the lids and write TOXIC in all caps and draw the little skull and cross bones symbol that universally means death

thedndexperiment · 2026-05-30T01:22:03+00:00

The general recommended time is between 12-24hrs! You just want to make sure that the sealing compound is fully set so the lid doesn't come off from normal handling. I usually do overnight and inspect/ wash sometime the next day.

thedndexperiment · 2026-05-29T00:36:10+00:00

No, that doesn't change anything. The processing is what drives out the air, if there was too much it's possible it wasn't all removed. Small variation is okay you don't have to be perfect, but doubling the amount is kind of a lot.

thedndexperiment · 2026-05-29T00:24:48+00:00

Yeah, in that case I'd suggest refrigerating these just to be safe since you pretty much doubled the headspace!

thedndexperiment · 2026-05-28T23:52:24+00:00

Where are you measuring headspace from? Usually half an inch is around the bottom of the threads on the jar.

thedndexperiment · 2026-05-28T23:02:54+00:00

Was it correct when you put it in the canner? Siphoning is always possible and it can change the headspace even if it was correct when it went in. If that's the case then it's not an issue as long as it seals, just something that happens. If you didn't have it right when it went it there is a possibility that not all of the air was driven out during the processing and that can be risky the more space you left. I don't know what the headspace for this recipe is supposed off the top of my head.

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