Still working on bonding with my traumatized rat, it takes a long time but I'm happy with any progress and time spent with her :3

I have a pretty small room. First option where it fits best is right here but it's by the heater and the window. Would I not be able to use heater if its in this spot/what steps should I take if I do place it here. The other place it would fit in my room is right here. The problem with that is I wouldn't be able to keep my door open because it would be in the way, and it I would have less room by my dresser to get ready, but the plusses would be it's not by the heater/window. If the heater/window isn't gonna be as much of a problem as I'm worried about, I'd prefer it there, but I'm willing to put it by the door if needed. Thoughts?

I'm a first gen Rat owner, still learning the ropes, but trying my best. same as my best little girl here, Kuro.

Kuro is barely 19 or 20 months old and its time to say goodbye already, I will have her put down tomorrow after a long but fruitless fight that ended in pneumonia and congestive heart failure. I tried every option available to me, she was on antibiotics for weeks and lately I even tried adding steroids (prednisolon) to the mix. in the end, it did nothing but prolong her suffering.

Goodbye Kuro.

The first loss hurts the most.

Enjoy a video I took of her just a few days ago, where she still was a happy little booger even tho she fought just to breathe.

Video is sfw.

This is the position Frankie chose to lounge in.
To be fair he is pouty he lost free roam privileges for fighting and this could be a dramatic display of anguish.

How do I sleep at night knowing this demon is 30cm away👀

Jk he’s the sweetest boy, so full of kisses.

This is probably really dumb.

I had a bad dream where my Rats died and now im so anxious about them.

Im feeding them a little peanutbutter in this video.

Rat behavior is hard to read sometimes please tell me they look ok 😭

I just got rats yesterday, they are very curious and are always sniffing through the bars especially when I walk near their cage. Two times I've opened the door and just let them sniff my hand and arm when they are covered by my hoodie sleeve. It's just that one of them bit me when In the travel carrier (it's my fault I put my finger through one of the wholes at the top) and Ive had my hamsters bite me before and it can really hurt so I guess Im a bit scared they'll bite me again. I did let them sniff my knuckles/back of hand without the sleeve but they kept trying to bite me (softer than before but is move my hand away quick so they wouldn't chomp down) I know it's super early so I'll try to let them be but any tips on bonding where I can still feel safe/comfortable?

This is listed in r/animalid. Am I crazy, or does this look like a Ryukyu long-tailed giant rat? This pic was taken in Portland, OR. Large Japanese community(over 30k in metro Portland), so not impossible...

My biggest boy Noah had his weekly weight in today ✔️

Since he's the laziest little guy i know, i try to check his weight more regularly than the others, and give him less snacks/treats compared to the others. But honestly he's just a big boy, and I think he will always be on the heavier side. Regardless he's my little baby and I love him for what he is

The whole setup costs less than 100 Euros and a ton of zip ties.

Odd question, I know. But I always wondered if rats are aware of their short lifespans. They are obviously very smart and very affectionate and have great emotional awareness. This makes me wonder if they have the same existential dread as humans do. I hope they don't. Apologies in advance if this is a sensitive topic as I imagine nobody likes to think about the short time rats have on this earth :(

Emma, Sophia and Mouse!

I got a tattoo in honor of my little grandpa Manzanilla. He’s almost 3 years old—my little red-eyed devil! 🐭❤️

"Nobody can do anything properly in this house, always needing my help"
-Seitan probably

I have a rat I adopted from a rescue a few years back and recently she’s been slowing down and losing hair but I’d assumed it was just her old age taking over. I was a complete idiot and today she was barely moving whereas she’s usually still pretty energetic for her age. Long story short she has mites and I feel absolutely terrible I didn’t consider that sooner. I put her in her large carrier to quarantine temporarily and gave her an oil rub to help which did seem to help her calm down a bit. Is there anything else I can do while I wait for her meds to come? I have revolution coming so I’m hoping that helps. I’ve taken apart her whole cage to clean and sanitize and treated what I can with vinegar and hot water, I’ll have to wait til tomorrow to get bleach because everything’s closed right now. I’m going to try to have her drink some water and eat some apple sauce for now to hopefully help her gain energy back.

He is fat