The BRODENTS! Rodent Enthusiast Thread! V2

[samm.]

i got a trio of female mice on monday, the 7th, and i finally figured out names for them!

meet fao, wren, and calla! ❤

the orange one is fao, black one is calla and this is wren!

[keronya]

they are so precious!!

-

i am getting a baby month and a half rat from a breeder tomorrow to join my pair!!
having a pair was great but i think having 3 would establish more of a hierarchy
setting and it'd be more beneficial for their mental health.

for any rat owners out here, how did you go about introducing rats?

first off, i've read forums and watched videos to owners saying 2 weeks to quarantine the
single rat but i think that's too long, i don't want her to be lonely so i was thinking just a
few days quarantine? she's had health checks prior so i don't think she'll transfer any diseases....

i've done some research on different methods for intros but i don't really know which one to start first.

i have a quarantine cage set up for the rat to settle for a couple of days next to the big
cage she will join eventually. i was going to start with the bathtub method, a neutral ground
but i feel like the space will make them more open to violence or they will outright ignore
eachother and slow the process. i also had another method i was going to try which was the
carrier method - neutral space but so small they have no choice but to be close and touching
but they will not want to fight because they know it'd be too dangerous (no escape route).

i was also thinking of putting them all in the quarantine cage to get them used to living together
and the hammocks are all clean so there is no marked items the older rats can attack the new
one over.

i'm all over the place and kind of anxious that it won't work out well.... any help and advice
would be so so so appreciated!!!!!

[iHolli]

@ keronya
{I'm not 100% on the quarantine. Those I know who've done it did intros with batches of new rats to avoid the lonely wait time, & rats tend to settle in better with a familiar rat. My favorite rat rescue actually doesn't adopt out individual rats, even to owners in your situation, for reasons like these. You might want to talk to your breeder but coming home with two new rats rather than one for a 2 - 3 week quarantine, plus any potentially long intro time [it can take a few weeks depending on how well they take to each other] would likely be better in the long run.}
{As far as intros themselves, from what I've seen** the highest success rate uses a "small" cage with little to no accessories. They're forced to be around each other for a couple hours a day at first, then gradually they spend more time in the intro cage. You can add things like a hammock or other hide after a while & eventually move them into more space with more accessories [for example half a DCN-- if all you have is the quarantine cage & a DCN, you could use one half for intros and the other for your older rats when they're by themselves. I recommend doing intros in the top half. I've seen experienced owners use small cages with more floor space than height as hospital & quarantine cages since not much room is needed during this time so you may want to consider that as well]. Intros can take a while. It could be a week or even more just to get them comfortable spending the night together. But you're right that it's worthwhile in the long run to add to your mischief c:}
{** I'm not an expert on intros myself. I only did it once and I threw them all in a room together with access to each other's cages. Even though it worked for me, and most likely because they had been previously living together & were separated for adopting out by the old owner, I don't recommend that. I'm going totally off what I've seen others do! Absolutely talk to your breeder & vet about any questions.}
{I hope this helps or at least gives you some ideas where to start! Wishing you and your rats the best on this <3}

.Holli.

[eff]

they are so precious!!

-

i am getting a baby month and a half rat from a breeder tomorrow to join my pair!!
having a pair was great but i think having 3 would establish more of a hierarchy
setting and it'd be more beneficial for their mental health.

for any rat owners out here, how did you go about introducing rats?

first off, i've read forums and watched videos to owners saying 2 weeks to quarantine the
single rat but i think that's too long, i don't want her to be lonely so i was thinking just a
few days quarantine? she's had health checks prior so i don't think she'll transfer any diseases....

i've done some research on different methods for intros but i don't really know which one to start first.

i have a quarantine cage set up for the rat to settle for a couple of days next to the big
cage she will join eventually. i was going to start with the bathtub method, a neutral ground
but i feel like the space will make them more open to violence or they will outright ignore
eachother and slow the process. i also had another method i was going to try which was the
carrier method - neutral space but so small they have no choice but to be close and touching
but they will not want to fight because they know it'd be too dangerous (no escape route).

i was also thinking of putting them all in the quarantine cage to get them used to living together
and the hammocks are all clean so there is no marked items the older rats can attack the new
one over.

i'm all over the place and kind of anxious that it won't work out well.... any help and advice
would be so so so appreciated!!!!!

hi, just a few things to note;; firstly, i don't think it's a good idea to house the quarantine cage anywhere near the established pair. if there is any airborne pathogens, then even them being in separate cages will eliminate the entire concept of a quarantine cage. i'd recommend to actually put the pup in the furthest room away from your current pair.
secondly, two days quarantine would basically be as dangerous as introducing the pup the moment you get them. it wouldn't show for much, unless the pups sickness had progressed so much that they were showing very obvious physical symptoms. like @iholli said, try and invest in a second pup if available. having two from your breeder will definitely allow a social hierarchy to be less violent than having a trio of rats. this is because one of the two rats from the new pair will be showing signs of dominance through play, and therefore by the time a proper introduction is done to your other rats, there will be less to fight over.
i think you should have weeks to go before even considering an introduction, so try your best to acquire two rats and quarantine them for at least 2 weeks, ideally 3.

[shroom.]

mark

[transgendirk]

On March 11th of 2021, I adopted Cream cheese ( also known as creamie cheese, creamo cheezo, or cheesy ) and have loved him in my life ever since!

Cream cheese is 1 years old, and we are both having a great time being each others best friends! His favourite part of his enclosure is definitely his sand bath, he can't get enough of it! I come to realize one of Cream cheese's favourite food is egg, but he gets it very rarely. He surprisingly is not a fan of mealworms, and he only likes to eat the middles of cucumber!

He is very calm tempered and is so so adventurous. He loves to snuggle up in my hoodie pocket and has even fallen asleep in it!
Cream cheese has a few brothers, which are two guinea pigs named Eric and Evan, as well as Mr.Moo who is a cute kitty cat.
Here is a photo of the man, myth, and legend!



Here is some awesome art I drew of him!



I hope you love Cream Cheese as much as I do!

[Beefsmoothie555]

Aww!
I have a hamster and her name is Primrose (from hunger games) but i call her Rosie, Rozo, and Prim/Primy!
She is my best friend aswell!
I love meeting other hamster owners who actually care about their babies, my “friend” got two hamsters right after i got mine, and she could careless about them(rip nugget and Nola) and they say in a dirty little cage with barley any food and whenever i tried to give her advice or recommend something for them she yelled at me and told me i knew nothing about hamsters.
Eventually one got an eye infection and died and then shortly after the other one passed away. It honestly makes me sad when this kind of thing happens.

[flooxii]

Cream Cheese is ADORABLE!!!!!! I love him <333

[Strawberry.Milk]

Bump! Omg everyone needs to see this, it’s so good!! ☺️🥰

[transgendirk]

Bump! Omg everyone needs to see this, it’s so good!! ☺️🥰

awww tysm!