u/howdyhowdyhowdyhowdi

Hi!

I'm an ecologist in the Rocky Mtn region US that also has pet rats. I've seen that some universities adopt out lab rats and I would love to switch from getting rats from pet stores to helping give lab rats a good life! Does anyone know of something like this in the Utah/Idaho/Co/Wy general area? I'm happy to travel if need be, I live in the middle of nowhere anyways. Pic of the rat mansion included!

Just wondering if you guys think my rats' cage is too big? I have a smaller one on the way. /s

I thought I would share here that I have had issues with my alpha girl being too rough with babies during intros and how I handled it. She will puff up and attack babies on sight, but this time I was determined to take her down a peg (in an ethical way I promise).

I put the babies in the carrier first, and instead of putting all 6 of my older girls in the carrier at the same time I plucked the alpha from the older girls cage by herself and put her in with the babies, I dribbled her with maple syrup, and then took them for a walk around the neighborhood. The alpha rat puffed up and tried to do her usual routine but she was so debased by being licked by the babies and by the smells and wind outside that her fur slicked back down and she just let it happen.

When I got back to the house after like 15 minutes of walking outside I dribbled more maple syrup on her and then put ths remaining 5 older girls into the carrier who also piled on her and licked the syrup off. I've never seen a creature look so humbled and it's the best intros have gone with this pissy old girl. They are now happily in the 2nd stage cage and a net total of zero fights have gone down.

I told my fiance how I did intros and he was like "You tarred and feathered Biggie!?" and I was like oh no you're right lol!

Saturdays are cage cleaning day for me. I love turning on a podcast and afterwards I usually do a mani-pedi for myself and some yoga. I love how much everyone benefits from days like today.

(just an intro cage, don't panic! they live in a DCN)

HELP! I am thinking I want to transition at some point away from rats to owning rabbits. I currently have 6 females and have an opportunity to pick up two more baby girls this weekend.

How do you stop getting more rats! I just want more rats! lol talk me out of it (or into it!!)

Just havin fun ♡

Hi! I have 6 rats and love them to bits. I'm not planning on giving them up or anything for ferrets, but I *am* leaning towards no longer replacing them once they start aging and possibly getting two ferrets after the rats have all moved into the next world (I know you should never own both at once). However, with rats no longer owning them takes planning because of their social structures so I'm thinking ahead if this is something I really want.

If anyone here has experience with a large group of rats, how is the daily workload comparatively? I am very curious about owning two ferrets at some point:) I am not asking for a direct comparison of the two species as I understand it's apples to oranges, just in the amount of daily work you put in.

Thank you!

I'm just so proud of myself ♡ I'm training for a trail 100k and am soooo not calibrated for going full tilt on the roads so this was a great challenge! I had a 12mi run scheduled for this weekend so I just went for it:)

All you road running people are so dang fast! I'm so impressed by all the people who ran in that race and by you guys!

Hi! I'm a trail ultra runner in the middle of a long training season getting ready for 100k. I've never run in a 5k or hm organized race but this weekend the local running club is organizing a charity hm that I decided last minute to sign up for. It'll start 6am so I'm not extremely worried about heat.

My weekend long runs have been in the 15-20mi range and I usually finish the first 13 miles in about 2-3 hours depending on the weather and if I'm on a trail. I've never ran a 5k all-out so my 5k times are all training pace but it's usually about 30 mins.

I would like to see how I do actually racing this! I don't want to get super messed up though as I have more training to do. With this knowledge how would you pace for a hm? Is there a pacing strategy you like for any particular reason? Do you do a bit of a shakeout/warmup run beforehand?

Thanks gals and theys! Baby rat for attention.

I have 6 girls in a double Critter Nation. I sewed the hammocks myself from thrifted blankets and have just started using bathmats as floors for the shelves which I've been loving. There's a mix of homemade and storebought toys in here and I'm finally collecting enough stuff to fill all of the spaces with a good amount of clutter.

I've had a nagging, very slight but never severe pain in/around my right shin for about 2 months now. I can feel it a bit during and right after runs (long or short). The pain never goes above a 1 or a 2, does not throb, and goes away quickly with rest. I have felt a tightness in the calf muscle on the same side as well. It hurts pretty badly if it gets massaged hard or pressed directly into.

I plan on seeing a PT soon and possibly a massage therapist to sort out the tight calf. I am training for my first 100k and haven't gone above about 20mpw yet as my race is later in the year. My weekend long runs have been on trails and are 10-15mi right now, but I did more road running than I normally do earlier this spring and that's when this nagging slight pain showed up.

I'm just asking here to rest my mind or to see how stress fractures showed up for people as I am a bit worried. Thanks for any feedback you might have!

Hi! I have 6 girls who live in a DCN. The middle shelf is in and I use fleece on the top half of the cage and a 8" deep aspen bedding layer in the bottom half. On the fleece layer they are pretty much angels with litter and I only find a few poops outside the litter box when I change the fleece every other day.

The bottom bedding/dig box? Complete opposite. I tried for about a month doing exactly what folks in this sub say to do, moving poops a few times a day from the aspen into the litter (I use hemp pellets for litter). They DO NOT care and continue pooping in the aspen shavings.

They dumb? Am I dumb? Am I doing something wrong? Should I give up on a litter box in the base of the cage? Was that a dumb idea from the start?

Pic of lil bb for tax.

I got her a little over two months ago as a rehome/rescue in a group of four. I drove 4 hours each way to pick them up. Dixie was already over two years old when I got them. I am going to miss her sweet white little nose and gentle, easy demeanor. She truly found joy in every little thing and was so gentle with her sisters.

I buried her under the willow in our yard with a rose and her favorite blanket. I didn't know her long, but I'm so glad my fiance and I met her and knew such a sweet soul. It's heartbreaking how fast you can go from 8 to 6 rats. What a bittersweet Sunday.

They are feral.