RAT LOST OUTSIDE

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Joined
Aug 17, 2019
Messages
12
Location
north carolina
Im freaking out. i usually go on walks with my pet rat and i leave my bag open so she can go in and out of it and onto my shoulder. at some point i stopped feeling her and realized she wasn’t on me anymore. I was only walking for 30 min without her and was on a sidewalk next to a road. there’s wooded area and houses next to the side walk. i don’t know what to do??? is there anything anyone can tell me to help find her? i’ve been walking the back and forth on the stretch that i lost her
 
Im freaking out. i usually go on walks with my pet rat and i leave my bag open so she can go in and out of it and onto my shoulder. at some point i stopped feeling her and realized she wasn’t on me anymore. I was only walking for 30 min without her and was on a sidewalk next to a road. there’s wooded area and houses next to the side walk. i don’t know what to do??? is there anything anyone can tell me to help find her? i’ve been walking the back and forth on the stretch that i lost her
I would think like a rat.
They like places to hide, dark, don't like open places. Find the spot on your walk that would be most appealing to her. Try to find the place you most likely dropped her, they usually go back to the last place they saw you.
Also, any place she could easily have hopped off of you onto something else? Like a low branch or a fence tight up to the sidewalk?
I would literally camp out calling for her. Hopefully she will come to you when she is done exploring with hope she has not been hurt or gotten too lost.
 
If you have other rats that live with her bring them out IN A SECURE CAGE. Maybe their scent will encourage her to come out?
Or take several boxes filled with dirty litter and leave the rest of along the trail you walked in safe places from other people and animals and maybe she will find comfort and curl up in there?
 
me too, i’ve been looking for her, i also just got some humane traps to hopefully tempt her in, then i’m gonna put up some posters. luckily there’s not many predators. mostly just squirrels and chipmunks
 
If you didn't feel her leaving you then I don't think she jumped. I can always feel when my rats are planning to jump, they tense up before they spring. Like WolfGirl suggested, think about anything you passed that was shoulder/bag height.

Does she recognize the sound of a food bag/treat container? Walk slowly back through the trail shaking it if she does.

I'd be wary leaving humane traps out, especially over night. If she climbs into one and the temperature drops she could suffer from exposure. It would also make her a sitting duck to the squirrels, chipmunks and possibly, unfortunately, bad people. Leaving shoe boxes with a couple of openings and filled with bedding that smells of her and her cagemates or clothes you've worn and haven't washed yet, is likely a better bet. She'll be looking for somewhere that feels safe: protection and also more than one exit so she can escape if something makes it's way in through one hole. If she's really, really familiar with the trail she might try to make her way back to the house. Leaving a trail of dirty bedding will help with this also.

The issue is, the moment she realized you were gone she likely panicked and dashed for cover without paying all that much attention to where she was heading. Walk into the woods, looking under anything that would make a good hiding space and also ask the people in the nearby houses if they'd mind you taking a peak in their garden. You don't know if they have rat poison/ inhumane traps laid out but letting them know you lost a small pet may make them remove them if they do.

Good luck, you must be frantic with worry right now. My thoughts are with you, I freak out if i lose my rats in a room with a closed door!
 
If you walk into the woods, be careful not to step on anything she could be hiding under. And crunchy leaves may make her more scared, and run further away. I would strongly consider using an enclosed pet stroller from now on if you take your rats for a walk. I really hope you find her, and she is OK! Sending good thoughts and vibes your way!
 
no :( i literally slept on the streets and i’m out again tonight. the house i suspect i lost her near has a basement door that is open and the girl said her cat had suddenly been trying to get into the basement the past day so i set up humane traps in her basement. but so far no luck. i’m worried sick i haven’t been able to eat or sleep and i’m starting to fear the worse.
 
I’m so sorry and hope you find him soon. I think you’re on the right track, so good luck. When you find him, you should get a harness and leash just in case it happens again. But for now, BASEMENT!!!
 
I just read an article where a girls rat went missing for 3 MONTHS before seeing her in her back yard munching bird seed. So don't give up hope!
Also, your rat may have been in heat and went in search of a male wild rat she smelled.
If you do find her and she has not been spayed, keep your eye out for potentially having babies in your future.
 
I'm so sorry you're going through this. Well wishes to you and your girl and I hope for her to get home!

Depending on what treats you've fed your girl in the past, trying calling her name (or any words you've used to indicate treat time. My boys know that if I shake their Puffs container and say "RATS" a certain way, it's food time) and shaking the food container, but quietly as to not alarm her, but so she can hear you. Depending on what she's experienced, she may or may not come out of the hiding place she's discovered. The best way to lure her out is her sister's scent. Get some poo from her sister (or even her own poo), get some soiled bedding, and set it out where you last saw her and surrounding areas. I'd be careful if you bring your other rat outside, even in a secure enclosure. If you need to, stay with her sister, and sit quietly beside her. Don't take her out, just let her sister do her thing in the cage. We don't want to lose two rats.

Ask your neighbors to keep their cats and dogs inside or on leashes until you find your girl, especially if your neighbor's cat did end up discovering your girl. Also, print off and post A LOT of posters with picture of your girl, her name, your name, and your number/email and post those everywhere within the immediate area, and even surrounding area. Get on Facebook, Craigslist, and if you know of any sort of neighborhood app so that your neighbors and the occasional passerby know you're missing a rat.

I know you want to hover around these areas, but she mistake you as a predator and refuse to come out. She's definitely in fight or flight at this point and isn't thinking clearly.

While I'm afraid humane traps could lead to exposure, it may be your best bet for getting her back at some point. Set them out and check them frequently. Find the smelliest treats you have for your girls and put them in these traps.

Also, expect the unexpected. I lost a leopard gecko in my house once and when my grandpa came home, he found her shedding on the middle of the floor, out in the open, but assumed I had lost another one. I tore up the house looking for this little gecko. She appeared three months later, cold but alive. Don't give up hope! Just because you think she didn't go over there doesn't mean she didn't.
 
I'm So sorry for you & your baby.. Sound like you're doing everything you possible can, and the right things too. You know her habits, I'd think the best time to be outside actively looking for her & calling for her is the while before she usually was about ready to sleep for the day so she's awake but not more concerned with adventuring than coming home. I'm saying fervent hopes for you both.
 
Is she doesn't have cagemates I'd leave her cage just outside the basement that you suspect she's in after you'd been out for a search and were ready to go home. Don't clean her cage, have familiar scents and some chocolate chips in it.
 
Did you find your baby yet?
no and i’m so devastated. all the yogies i left near the entrance are gone. and the traps have all been triggered. i think she’s down there (something is for sure). i just can’t seem to get her out if she is. i cleaned all the traps, put new dirty litter and bedding in it and her favorite oatmeal cookies as well as her carrier which her sister just took a nap in and left it all in the basement. tomorrow i’m gonna buy a hunting camera to see if i can make sure it’s her.
 
:( I'm so sorry that you're going through this...try to hang in there and stay positive. I'm glad that the person is willing to let you set up traps in her basement and look around her property. There are some great ideas here, especially w/ putting up some posters around the area so that folks can keep an eye out for her. The Craigslist suggestion was also great but of course you have to be careful with Craigslist since there are some weirdos out there.

I think I read that someone was setting off the traps and eating all of the yogies. Have you tried something that takes a while longer to eat/that she cant dash away with, such as sunflower butter or peanut butter? You can also try some wet pate pet food that is really strong smelling and smear it like a paste so that she has to walk all the way in the trap and take the time to lick the food.

I think I saw that you also set up a cage for her outside which is great too. Have you thought about picking up an ultrasonic detector/microphone? I have an ultrasonic microphone for bats made by Pettersson that I've used to record my rats ultrasonic vocalizations and it works w/ any smart phone. They also make cheaper ones that are stand alone and will pick up ultrasonic vocalizations that you can hear in real time. Here is a website with some of the options out there...some of the prices are insane BUT there are affordable options on there too (between $125-$400). https://batmanagement.com/collections/bat-detectors

And here is the Pettersson website w/ more options: https://batsound.com/

I do know that you will be able to pick up and hear any ultrasonic vocalizations with any of these detectors which might help you pinpoint where your girl is hiding out. It's worth a shot if you are able to give it a try!

Also, rats are pretty darn tough and they're fierce little creatures when they need to be. From my experience ratties aren't very fearful of cats-- it's usually the other way around lol...rats are big and they have very strong jaws and anyone who has been bitten by a rat will tell you that their bite strength plus tearing/piercing teeth do a lot of damage. Hopefully knowing that will soften some of the anxiety about the cat in the neighborhood.

I really hope that you're able to find her soon! Keep in mind that she may be moving around the area but it's likely that she isn't moving too far and will stick to what has become familiar for her...so maybe the area in the span of 4 homes around where you last spotted her. I'd also make sure to let the other homeowners in that neighborhood know that you lost your rattie and give them a picture of her for reference. I'm sure she is having an adventure and enjoying her new found freedom. Eventually she will be done with adventuring and will want to go home and I betcha that she goes up to the first human she sees when she's ready, which is another reason to make sure that you reach out and talk to the other neighbors in case this does happen.

Sending prayers and positive vibes that your rattie is found soon!! Hang in there!
 
I actually bought a hunting camera and i’m hoping i can convince the girl to let me set it up in the basement. unfortunately i think she’s fed up with me bothering her. regardless there’s something in her basement tearing up her ventilation. i too your advice and put some cat food in the traps. i really hope it works because i’m moving tomorrow. Not far but i won’t be im walking distance anymore :(
 
I actually bought a hunting camera and i’m hoping i can convince the girl to let me set it up in the basement. unfortunately i think she’s fed up with me bothering her. regardless there’s something in her basement tearing up her ventilation. i too your advice and put some cat food in the traps. i really hope it works because i’m moving tomorrow. Not far but i won’t be im walking distance anymore :(

Have you tried just sitting down there and calling out to your rat? Just sitting still and talking gently might lure her out of hiding. Even if she's enjoying her 'freedom' i'm sure she misses you and curiosity alone is probably enough to get her to come to you.
 
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