new owner

I have limited space width wise for my rat cage so it’s been hard finding a good fit. In a perfect world I would buy a critter nation but that’s just not going to work for now. I’m getting two females and I will make sure they have plenty of free play every day, but I’m still worried about how...

So my new baby rats have been biting. So I’m trying to do the spoon technique where you squeak when they bite it. I’m introducing soft food to the spoon so they’ll learn to lick instead of bite. I’ve been bitten twice by one of them. But the only food they seem to like is Cauliflower cheese baby...

Hi guys, I never really post on things like this but I am lost and scared and so confused. Anyways I got 2 female rats on Saturday afternoon and they’ve been doing okay but I’m very concerned about them not trusting me. I have not been able to hold them at all and that concerns me. They both...

hello everyone, I’m a new rat owner and I’m having some trouble figuring out if one of my baby’s (spunk) has bumble foot or not Any information will be greatly appreciated I’ve attached a photo of his not so little feet

Hello all! I'm getting my first pair of rats and a friend of mine who has kept rats for years is giving me one of her old cages (link at bottom). She says it is fine for two males or three females but I just want to make sure! I put the dimensions into a cage calculator but it says it could...

Hello! This is my first time owning rats, I have done all the research and have two beautiful boys from the best breeder in my state!!! I have had them for four days, I let the 48 hour period pass and tried to give them treats. After one kept taking treat from my hand I tried to pick him up but...

My girl has had irritated eyelids for about a week now and I don't know what to do. She hasn't shown any signs of illness besides the obvious redness around the eyelid. Her behavior seems normal to me. Although she has been grooming herself around her head/eyes a bit more than usual. I'm not...

Should I be keeping the TV or radio on to get the rats used to some noise or will they get used to louder sounds on their own? How do I get my rats to stay on my bed? I feel like since they hate me so much they’ll try to get off the bed to avoid me. Does it mean rats trust you if they eat food...

I have three young girl rats and I'm becoming a little concerned that one may be getting left out or excluded from the group. I see her being pushed out of beds by her sisters, and the two sleeping in different places than her every now and then. I have always felt that the two girls have had a...

I have three young rats, about 12 weeks old I believe, and it's about to be our two month anniversary together. Even though I've been making the effort to interact with them everyday for a while now, it seems we aren't making any progress. I feel like I'm doing everything wrong. The other day I...

I am a first time rat owner. Ive had my girls for about a month now. I have a couple of questions that Im hoping someone can answer for me. 1. This is the cage my rats are in They always pee on the third level of the cage and as a result my room always stinks. Even if I wipe that level down...

Hello again! As a quick update earlier today I took my two little ones to the vet due to some frequent sneezes. Although they didn’t exactly have any other signs I’m glad I took them because they both had URIs. I’ve been given liquid Baytril to administer to each of them 1 drop every 12 hours...

Hello everyone! I have two baby rats, both boys, that I recently purchase from a reptile store where they were meant to be feeder rats. I’ve given them a day or two to adjust but I’ve noticed that one of them seems to be sneezing quite a bit. I’ve heard occasional sneezes from the other but the...

Hello everyone, I’m both new to the Rat Shack as well as rat owning in general. Just yesterday I brought in two baby boys from a store where they were plan to be used as feeder rats for snakes and other reptiles. They’re still fairly young but I’m not entirely sure of their exact age. So far...

Hi! I recently got two adorable ratties and already had to treat them for lice they got from their bedding. I want to build them a playpen and jungle gym out of cardboard boxes, but I'm kinda terrified of having to deal with the lice again. Will they be OK with the cardboard boxes or should I...