2 new rescued ratsies

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blam07

Guest
Hey all,
So, our family owns two ball pythons (don't hate).
Well, last night our daughter firmly stood her ground that our latest meal purchase was way too cute to be food. Honestly, I really couldn't disagree. She's all black with white feet and a small white stripe on her belly. After going back and forth, I caved. She's now named Pepper. Clearly Pepper cannot be alone, so we went back and got her a girlfriend, who's now known as Pebble.

I'm extremely surprised at how sweet, docile and personable they are. They both cuddled up on my neck and fell asleep last night. Usually feeder rats don't have a very good life and virtually no good human interaction and therefore are not pet material. Also, I highly doubt they have any real "health screenings" or whatnot. That leads me to my concern - they're both sneezing quite a bit. Am I dealing with RI's? Have I gotten myself into something more than I bargained for, or could it be something simple we can resolve now that they're out of the "breeding machine" environment?

Thx,
Beth
 
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The sneezing could be stress from the move keep an eye on them and if you could post a video that would be helpful. (post it on YouTube and link it here)
 
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The sneezing could be stress from the move keep an eye on them and if you could post a video that would be helpful. (post it on YouTube and link it here)

Okay, thank you for the input! I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed.
 
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This is a rat rescue forum.
Please familiarize yourself with the rules and delete the offending parts of your previous posts.
https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/please-read.29217/
I am not an admin, just a member of this rat rescue forum

You can not talk about reptiles on here, and no, snakes do not need to eat!
Feeding animals to reptiles is not the circle of life, nor is that type of reasoning acceptable on here.
Snakes are wild animals and captive bred wild animals that do not belong in captivity.
Rats sold as "feeders" are domesticated rats and they certainly do make good pets despite the treatment they have been given by people.
We rescue rats from snake owners

You are welcome here as long as you follow the rules
This is a good place to learn about rats and their care, and to get info if you have a rat that is ill.
You will find the Reference Thread to be helpful https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

EDIT: I rescue rats and the "extremely disturbing" portions of the above were triggering ….. This forum is a safe space - the only forum I am aware of where members rescue rats, and do not tolerate the abuse and torture of rats or other animals.
 
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I edited your post as some content was extremely disturbing. We understand the reality but appreciate the curtesy of not mentioning it.
Kye, please DM the poster next time with your info, not on the forum. Thank you.

Are they living in a cage and not tanks? Rats need proper air circulations. And also will need some time to settle and get accustomed to their surroundings also if they are in the same room as the snakes, that could be problematic especially if you are still live feeding, they will hear the horror and panic from the rat being killed. Rats communicate in a higher frequency, we can't hear it but rats do "speak" to each other.
 
Wow. I don't even know how to respond....No, wait. Yes I do.

I understand your love for rats, which is why I came here. But to ignorantly say that snakes "don't need to eat" is just plain stupid. Just because they are not fuzzy and cuddly does not mean they don't deserve to live, and quite frankly that statement is very closed minded. They make great pets. Unfortunately, for this breed their only food source is rats/mice. I don't much enjoy that fact, but it IS a fact. They sadly cannot live on kale & quinoa. I don't know how anything I posted was so extremely disturbing. I said it was the circle of life - which it is. I did not go into any specifics of the process whatsoever. If that is so "extremely disturbing", I don't know what to tell you. That's on you. I even said I didn't like it. The argument that snakes are "wild animals" that do not belong in captivity is pretty ridiculous as well since rats are wild animals, too, and certain breeds have been bred to be pets in captivity. There are cities and homes that are flooded with disease infested rats, so one could argue (albeit unfairly) that rats should not be alive, either. I seem to recall entire plagues being caused by rats. Not sure any plagues have been caused by snakes. There are many, many people out there who are afraid of rats and think they should be exterminated. That doesn't make them horrible people, just people with different opinions than yours. Should they be treated like horrible human beings? No. You could simply agree to disagree without attacking and belittling them and you can then move on with your own happy little life.

Feel free to delete my post, ban me, whatever. That's fine. I don't care. I will move on, because that's what reasonable grown ups do. I was simply looking for advice, but clearly I'm not going to get anything but harassed. I will find another way to get useful advice.

And, to answer your question. We purchased a 4 tiered rat cage. The wire shelves have been covered to protect their feet. They have food, water, houses, a wheel, climbing toys, chew toys, bedding, and a litter box. We take them out and interact with them. They love to cuddle and sleep on us and do their bruxing. One rolls over so we can pet her belly and she falls asleep holding your finger. It's adorable. Also, no they are not kept in the same room as the snakes so no, they don't witness the horror and panic. It's not good for the snakes, either, as the rat scent would keep them in feed mode all the time, and I know you don't care, but that is not good for the snakes, either.
 
Pet rats are domesticated animals and can not survive in the wild as instincts necessary for survival are too weak due to intentional breeding over hundreds of years to make them good pets and docile lab animals.
You are welcome to stay.
We are very aware of animal abuse and many of us see it frequently re rescuing rats.
Hope you find the info you need to give your ratties a good life here or elsewhere
and hope you review the rules of this forum if you decide to stay
 
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Okay I'm going to back blam07 up here 100%.. Yeah snakes can be wild but have you ever thought of where the agouti colors ?! Wild. Rat. Colors. We got rats from the WILD and bred them as pets. we took away their instincts for our own benefit. And not to mention.. People release 'pet rats' into the wild and they survive just fine.. Not being rude just stating facts. Ban me as well if you wish but EVERY animal we have was once wild. So your facts aren't really correct.
 
Pets do no survive in the wild. And in fact, wild rats have a life span of 9 months.
Let's not escalate this thread any further. Nobody is getting banned if you all respect the rules we have in place.
Thank you.
 
Congrats on your new babies and welcome to the forum! Rats are awesome little pets and very personable. To answer your question about the sneezing it’s pretty normal for them to sneeze during their adjustment period to your new home... i’d Give it about two weeks before starting to be more concerned and of course if it gets worse or continues after 2 weeks a vet appointment will probably be necessary. I personally keep a cat as well as my rats and as long as “predator”and “prey” are kept seperatly and there’s minimal stress to either party I don’t see a problem. Also people tend to forget that rats can be vicious little predators in their own right to smaller or weaker creatures ;) sometime us humans just don’t like thinking about how tough Mother Nature is!
 
If the sneezes are dry and sharp and rapid it likely is new home sneezies which will disappear within a week or so. If the babies start acting dull and lethargic, the sneezing sounds wet/congested, they start to crackle in their breathing (hold their teeny sides up to your ears to listen to their breathing...silent is healthy), or they have a lot of red discharge (porphyrin, normal in small amounts especially in the morning) around their eyes/nose and it stays all day you likely have sick babies who will need antibiotics. A video can help us a lot.

Btw feeder babies can be the most wonderful pets, some of my best rats were feeder stock. Just because a rat came from a "breeder" doesn't make it any better, because most breeders only concentrate on appearance not health, temperament or longevity. :D

Btw from your description Pepper sounds like a black berkshire (black colour, white belly and paws and sometimes a tail tip)
 
Blam07, I hope you don't abandon this forum. It is a terrific source of info, and you might find it of great assistance as you make your way with Pepper and Pebble. They certainly sound adorable.
May you and your daughter continue to discover and enjoy the magic of living with pet rats.
 
Congrats on your new rats! They sound adorable. Your Pepper sounds very much like my Luci, except he has a white tipped tail and he's growing very quickly. My Luci is also a rex, so he's a very fuzzy black rat who doesn't know what to make of me kissing his head.
All I like to say is the best pets come from unexpected places. They find you before you even know what you're searching for. Then, when you lose them, you can't stop looking for them.

At least from context, it sounds like new-home sneezes. Like others have said, post a video, but it sounds like it should clear up soon.
 
I appreciate the kind replies! I'm really hoping they just have the new home sneezies. They are so sweet and I would hate to lose them. Last night Pebble fell asleep as I was rubbing her belly, while she was holding my finger in her little paws.
My daughter and I are attached, and also I really did not have enough foresight into the expenses we might incur if we rescued poor sick ratties. Are antibiotics expensive?
I'll try and get a video tomorrow.
 
You will need to find a good vet with the knowledge and experience to treat rats, or a good vet that likes rats and is willing to learn
Costs vary from place to place and vet to vet
but rats are not inexpensive pets and all rats get ill
 
Omg my heart rat's name was pepper! He was all black, with white paws and belly and tail tip. He was a little dumbo, and quite a character! Everyone who met him, loved him! My son even had a sculpture of him made!
 

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