The BRODENTS! Rodent Enthusiast Thread! V2

[samm.]

Username: litha (atm, it changes kinda often)
Favorite type of rodent: mice! but also rats =3
Tell us about your pets: i've currently got a male albino mouse named Stuart, and I'm about to get a female rescue rat and three female rats named Opal, Onyx, and Ophelia! <33
Other: here's a slightly blurry pic of my boy stu ;w;

hey y'all! can't remember if i've posted here before or not, but thought i should fill out the little introduction form real quick just in case i haven't. i'm about to get a rescue rat, i haven't owned rats in years so i'm a little rusty on some things. my dad got a call from the breeder we usually got our babies from, she's retired now, and she told him that her daughters rat needs rehoming asap. from my understanding, her daughters landlord tried killing it by putting rat poison in the cage while she was away? like, what?! who does that!? she found it in time (hopefully), and they've been watching over her for about a week now and haven't noticed any signs of poisoning. correct me if i'm wrong, but rat poison usually works quickly right? like within a day or two? i've never had to use it, so i don't know how it works 😔 anyways, she said she's worried he'll do something again, so they need to rehome her as soon as possible. my dad said sure, we'll take her! without consulting me might i add, and while i would've said yes anyways, i hate when he makes decisions for me without asking. anyways, luckily she's coming with a cage, because i don't have one, i got rid of most of my rat stuff when my last rat passed. hopefully she'll throw in some toys and other accessories, otherwise i'm gonna have to steal some stuff from my brother, he's got a rat currently. i've yet to see the cage that she's going to come in, however the breeder described it as a two story cage, so hopefully it's at least decent enough to keep her in until i can get my hands on something else, which will probably be sometime around in mid august. i've lowkey been wanting to get rats again, but not like this, especially if she's sick from the poison and ends up dying, cause that would really, really suck. i've got no choice now though, she's coming over later to drop her off, so i need some help! i've got a couple questions, hopefully y'all can help me!

cage suggestions! is the critter nation still one of the best cages to get or has something changed since i last i owned rats? a lot of people used to use them and always spoke very highly of them, it's always been a dream of mine to own one. obviously i'd love to get the double one, but i don't have that kind of money to spend, so i'd have to get the smaller one and then get the add on sometime later. other suggestions are welcomed as well! just know, i'm no seamstress, so i can't make any sort of covers to go over wire flooring or ramps, so i'd prefer cages without wire bottoms and ramps!

depending on the breeders answer, should i get her a friend or two? i know they're meant to be kept in pairs or groups, and so long as there's nothing wrong with her mood wise or health wise, should i try getting her a friend or just leave her be? i know moving can be stressful, so i'm not planning on getting her a buddy until she's settled in, however long that might take. i was just wondering if i should consider it or just toss the idea straight out the window.

water bowl, or water bottle? i'm used to water bowls cause of my rabbits, but i've used bottles in the past for my rats without a problem. for rabbits bowls are best because they drink a lot of water, as much as a dog or cat, and they can get more water out of a bowl than a bottle. is that true for rats as well?

any other tips and helpful info is very much welcomed! thank you for taking time out of your day to read this!!

[iHolli]

@ litha
{Wow, that was-- a shock to read. what a terrible landlord,,, I'd be livid [is there some sort of ASPCA organization in your area they can call...?]. Anyway, a quick search shows the average rat poison takes effect in two or three days. Of course, I'm going to say regardless the rat needs to get to an exotic vet asap. I'm just throwing my response out here so you have something to go with, but I'm not a professional-- there's no telling what the poison might have caused even if not directly ingested, and for the rat's safety she should be examined.}
{As for the other questions, I use Critter Nation myself so I definitely recommend! But they do have metal grate flooring. I've been looking for replacement solid floors for mine this year, and it turns out Chewy has some if not all sizes! [they're on Amazon too if you have to use that, but, it's Amazon, so I don't recommend that,,,] in the meantime you can use all kinds of material for bedding, I was actually using towels from the dollar store for a long time-- just make sure you clean them regularly xD I've seen most rat owners will use several different materials for texture stimulation!}
{Depending on what the breeder says I would encourage getting a companion rat. Introductions can be hard, especially the older a rat gets, but from what I've seen it's actually best to let rats settle into a new environment together. If you wait to get a cagemate until after your new rat has settled in, she'll be territorial and likely not want to share. I know it took a long time to adjust when I took in a new set of girls and introduced them to my already settled ones, and that was with them already being very chill. Same with my boys. It took Alpha forever to accept being reunited with the rest of his family! Again though-- I'm not an expert, so I can't stress enough the importance of researching! This is just based on my own experiences and what I've seen with some other owners. Cagemates are not for every rat-- they're extremely social and it's very, very rare that a rat will want to be alone, but it does happen. After his brother passed our boy Foamer wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with any other rat, and would get very angry if approached with one. He was content to be spoiled by my dad, all by himself. Definitely talk with the breeder about it [and your vet], before making a decision on adding another rat!}
{I use water bottles to keep the water fresh! But you can use water bowls as an extra, they're perfect for activities like pea and corn fishing and keep rats stimulated c:}
{Stimulation is the number one thing for rats. There's a ton of guides, videos, and diys on Pinterest and YouTube on how to make toys for super cheap that will entertain rats and keep their minds active. You can also check out #ratsofinstagram [on Instagram ofc] to find rat accounts, as there's many that provide rat tips for new or returning owners! After ten years of having rats myself, I've learned a lot from these sources.}

{I hope this helps! I'm still learning new things about rats every day, so I'm not an expert and again I recommend being in close contact with your breeder and vet, especially in this case. But if you have anything else you need to ask about feel free to dm me! If I don't know, my partner probably will, or I can find out c: I hope your new friend will have a happy, healthy life with you 💞}

.Holli.

[hyenacolada]

Username: hyenacolada
Favorite type of rodent: chinchillas !
Tell us about your pets: all of my rodents have recently passed within the last year (all of old age though!) :< i had two male guinea pigs, and an exceptionally sweet chinchilla! i'm looking into adopting a pair of gerbils before fall semester starts!
Other: i love reptiles as well as rodents! i have a leopard gecko named pepper and she is very sassy

[hyenacolada]

i'm currently living in an apartment during my last year of college and have been looking into a little apartment pet to adopt! i had landed on gerbils

i have done plenty of research so far, but i wanted to hear from some people who have actually owned gerbils (not just info from caresheets online). i have a 39 gallon tank filled with at least 6 inches carefresh paper bedding, and i know that i'm looking to adopt a pair of them! i'm looking for enrichment and diet tips (good toys/best brand of food/best treats/etc.).

also, has anyone noticed behavioral differences between male and female gerbils? not sure which sex i want to adopt but i've heard that females can be a little bit more aggressive to their partners.

[samm.]

@iHolli

i was livid as well just hearing about it, but i actually have an update on the story, or more so clarification. the breeder filled me in on what happened when she came over and dropped off the rats (we'll get to that in a moment). what actually happened was her daughters rat got loose in her apartment, and after a while of not being able to find her, she told her landlord. i guess so if someone saw her they'd know she was a pet and not a pest? somewhere along the line though there was a miscommunication/misunderstanding between the two. he thought she'd seen a wild rat in her apartment, so he put down poison around her apartment thinking he was doing good and helping her. when she realized what happened, she immediately got rid of the poison, but said that a few of them possibly looked touched. she found her in her closet a few days later and took her to the vet the same day. she said it's been about a week and a half now and she's shown no signs of being sick or something being wrong with her. so! i'm hoping all is well, however if i notice any changes i'll immediately take her in!

now! onto the rats portion of this story. i got a not so happy surprise when she showed up. instead of there being only one rat like i thought, there were three. turns out her daughter didn't keep the one rat on it's own, it did indeed have friends, how one escaped without the others, i have no clue 🤷‍♀️ and while i'm happy that she wasn't kept alone like i thought, i definitely was not prepared for three rats. but! they're here now, and it's been a couple days and they seem to be settling in nicely. the one who escaped is older than the other two, not by much, but she's noticeably bigger than the other two. i've named her ophelia, she's very sweet, she loves head scratches and she sleeps pretty much all day and then keeps me up at night, lol. the other two look like they might be from the same litter? they're very similar in color. opal is mostly white with some light grey, and onyx is mostly white with some dark grey 🥰

okay, that's cool! i'll definitely be getting a critter nation next month then! i actually do all of my shopping on chewy, so that's great to hear!! the cage they came in is decently sized but almost entirely made of metal. in the bottom i've got some bedding i barrowed from my sister, she has dwarf hamsters, and on the grates on the top level i've got towels put down. as for the water bottle/water bowl issue, i decided to use a bowl for now and see how it goes. so far they haven't spilled it, or put anything in it, so i'd say it's going well so far!

do rats use wheels? i have one that i ordered accidentally a while back, it was larger than i intended, and it's just been sitting around collecting dust. it's a 12 inch wheel, if that helps?

thank you for all the advice you've given me so far, it's been super helpful!! 😭💕

[iHolli]

{@ hyenacolada I wish you the best !! I don't know anything about gerbils so I can't give advice on them but I hope someone will pop in to help you out 💞}

@ litha
{Oh yikes! At least it's not as... Malicious, I suppose, but still! I'm glad she took them to the vet already, so hopefully everything will be okay on that front! And okay, more than expected, but definitely a good thing Ophelia already has cagemates, that saves you a lot of trouble c: they sound like such a lovely trio 💞 haha, hopefully in time Ophelia will adjust to your schedule! As my rats got used to me they would start sleeping when I did or whenever I wasn't home, so they could be awake when I was around to play with them. It'll just take a few weeks of late nights xD [not having a water bottle will at least save you from the "oh, you're going to sleep, time to get a ten minute drink so I can rattle the water bottle ball as LOUDLY AS POSSIBLE" 😂😂]}
{that's perfect! In case you need it, this link [you may need to set the filter to pets > small pet] has all the small pet cages and parts Chewy sells, including replacement floors. I definitely recommend a double cage when you can get one! It looks like they sell the cages in halves, and they're very much stackable, so you should be able to get one part at a time. [I will warn you, they ARE fairly heavy and very much awkward bulk, so you'll need help to stack the halves!] Rats like having lots of cage space, so a double unit would be perfect for three! One half should be comfortable until you can get the second c: they also sell replacement ramp covers [it comes with a set] and you can buy fabric floor covers separately as well! And should you decide to eventually go all out, or just want to look into some nifty cage accessories, I HIGHLY recommend Pet Revolution. They're more pricey, but everything is handmade and [best of all] machine washable. I bought a ton of stuff from them to remodel my cage and I was very happy with the customer service when I needed to ask about a shipping delay [due to covid and all]. They sell cooling ledges, scatter guards [you will need them especially if you have carpet 😂], even treats and mealworms! Tho I use Chewy for the food haha <3}
{Some rats will use wheels, so you can try em out! However 12" is only recommended for small rats, so it may not be good for Ophelia. Rats need really wide wheels for their backs. I got a 16" to be safe, but you can use 14" as well!}
{It sounds like you're doing great so far! bonus tip, check out the bird section on Chewy for cage accessories, the ropes especially are awesome for rats 👀}

.Holli.

[QueenPebbles93]

Did not mean to dig this thread up but I own two rats! (proud rat dad 💪🏻)
anyways one of my girls, Hex, has such a problem with nibbling and im not sure how to correct it. she doesn’t draw blood, just a little nibble. the thing is, she does it about 10 times within a 5 minute span. ive only owned guinea pigs and RARELY dealt with them biting me and drawing blood. is there any advice you have for her nibbling problem?

then we have my sweet girl, arlo, who has such a messed up jaw and teeth. she had to get surgery to get it corrected and is now taking medicine for it. she’s so sweet and calm. ive had them a little over a month now and arlo has never even thought about biting me- just hexy

[zeppelii]

i'm looking into getting a rat (or 2, so they can be friends), and i suppose i'm just seeking any tips or base advice, like cages and treats that work best for you, etc. etc. thanks!

[iHolli]

Did not mean to dig this thread up but I own two rats! (proud rat dad 💪🏻)
anyways one of my girls, Hex, has such a problem with nibbling and im not sure how to correct it. she doesn’t draw blood, just a little nibble. the thing is, she does it about 10 times within a 5 minute span. ive only owned guinea pigs and RARELY dealt with them biting me and drawing blood. is there any advice you have for her nibbling problem?

then we have my sweet girl, arlo, who has such a messed up jaw and teeth. she had to get surgery to get it corrected and is now taking medicine for it. she’s so sweet and calm. ive had them a little over a month now and arlo has never even thought about biting me- just hexy

{hmm, I'm afraid I'm not sure what you can do to prevent the nibbling. I know lots of rats tend to nibble some-- as a taste test or for grooming their humans, you decide c; --but I can't say I've heard of a rat doing it that frequently. The only thing I can think of is to train her not to, aka, rewarding her for interactions where she nibbles less and / or not at all. With how smart rats are she'll figure it out quickly! They both sound like lovely rats and I hope Arlo has a smooth recovery!}

i'm looking into getting a rat (or 2, so they can be friends), and i suppose i'm just seeking any tips or base advice, like cages and treats that work best for you, etc. etc. thanks!

{rule tip number one;; NEVER adopt just one rat! Rats are extremely social creatures and become depressed without cagemates. I recommend at least three rats, ideally [three is my go-to number], but if you're limited two will be just fine!}
{As for the rest I have quite a bit of info in my earlier posts on the page, involving cages and toys especially! My favorite [and their favorite] treats are yogis and frozen fruits and veggies, mealworms, and malt paste or plain yogurt!}
{Rats are wonderful creatures and given time will become great companions. They'll need some time to settle in when you first get them, so be prepared to spend the first week or two holding out treats and waiting for them to get used to you! The more time you can spend with rats, the better. Try to set up a daily time for free roam and give them activities to keep them stimulated! Rats love dig boxes and, well, just boxes full of things. and empty boxes. recycling! They also love to learn new tricks, and for ideas and tutorials I recommend Shadow the Rat on YouTube [and Instagram]! One of their recent tricks has been rat bowling & cleanup and it is. the best thing. ever.}
{Also, something I wish I had known back when I was starting out. Rats. Are. Expensive. You might be able to rescue feeder rats for $5 each [I did many times, btw, I love my rescue ratties <3] but because they have such short lives rats are very prone to, well, every sickness under the sun. Rats have a natural respiratory disorder and they're extremely prone to tumors both harmless and cancerous. From day one you're going to want a good rat vet in your favorite contacts, and unfortunately, most rat procedures are costly.}
{But I assure you it is so, so worth it. After almost ten years of owning rats there's no pet I would rather have. They're smart, snuggly, amazing creatures who will want to be with you every moment. I wish you the best in your rattie adventures, and as always if you ever need more advice [or,,, just want to share photos] my messages are always open!}
{oh yeah, almost forgot. Don't shop at chain stores like PetSmart. Like, at all, but specifically for rats. Chain pet stores source their pets from mills and that's not something you want to put money into, not to mention it's almost guaranteed your new friend is going to be sick from the start :c if you can, adopt directly from a breeder! If you don't have one check your local animal shelters and any small, local pet stores. The local stores will likely be selling rats as feeders but they can still make great pets. I've adopted many of my rats from both local places and shelters and can vouch for them!}

.Holli.

[Agent Maine(Meta)]

Hello everyone~!

Long time no see!

I've got a question. I've recently gotten my hands on a mouse. Rescued from an unfortunate fate. (Said fate was being snobby and not hungry thank goodness.) Now originally this mouse came with another mouse, so there is technically two. Both females, one female is pregnant, the other was separated from said female because she's got a respitory infection and whilst I'm treating the sick one I don't want it to spread or anything.

Temporarily, both of them are living in clear bin/tot critter carriers. But I'm looking into getting them a right proper cage.

Many people recommend aquarium tanks for mice.
But I was wondering if there were other types of cages? Something that's not an aquarium mayhaps?

And was wondering what some of y'all would recommend?

My roommates want to help me invest in a cage that I can attach tubes too. If that's mouse safe of course.