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Owners might walk up to their rats’ cage to find that one might be huddled in the back of the cage, swaying back and forth. The rat might appear drunk, with a “caught in the headlights” type of stare. The rat might also be easily spooked, especially with quick movements or loud noises. This is more common in red eyed rats, but why do rats exhibit this type of odd behavior? Let’s find out! Read more
If you have a pair of rats and one suddenly dies, you as the owner will not be the only one mourning. Rats are very intelligent, social creatures who build strong lifelong bonds with their cage mates. Once the cage mate dies (especially one of only a pair), the remaining rat or rats will grieve. They might even be seen staying near the sickly rat as death approaches. Depression and grief is a very real thing for pet rats, despite the criticism they face from many humans who lack any knowledge regarding these animals.
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Lice and mites are hard to get rid of when they infest pet rats. This is especially true when you are not equipped with the proper medications. Both lice and mites can become immune to chemical or medicinal treatments, requiring a change in formula when drug resistant specimens are found on furred rats. External parasites on rats can become a massive problem in homes with several ratties. To better understand the difference between rat specific mites and lice, we’ll give you a small overview. This video will show you exactly what a LICE INFESTATION looks like; if this is not what you’re seeing, keep reading for more information on diagnostics; if this IS what you’re seeing, we’ll tell you how to treat them!
Normally, both eyes of a rat are relatively even, sitting on top of the head like small, delicate glass beads. Then, one day you wake up to find a terrifying, disturbing problem has occurred: one of your rat’s eyes is now bigger than the other and bulging, as if it was swollen and ready to pop! Is it possible that the rat has an infected eye? Is it cancer? This really is a creepy situation. Every time I see it, it STILL scares me. I always feel as if the eyeball could pop out, and the imagined visuals are enough to make you cringe. However, I don’t intend to make you hyperventilate and trip over your own two feet in an effort to grab the travel kennel and do 90 MPH on your way to the emergency vet. Let’s take a moment and look at what COULD be going on.
Seeing blood in a rat’s urine is definitely scary. Blood means that there is something going wrong somewhere along the urinary tract, with dozens of causes possible. Hematuria is not a condition than an owner can overlook; it must be treated immediately. Each and every potential cause of this scary symptom could potentially cause death if left untreated. Not every condition will cause the rat to meet its untimely demise, but it is quite possible when the rat’s health is neglected. Read more
Rats absolutely love to pee, I’m telling you! Rat pee doesn’t exactly have the friendliest odor, making it important to keep the cage cleaned often. Unlike dogs and cats, rats pee quite often. Their little bodies move through food and water quickly, so frequent urination is to be expected. Read more
Finding a good breeder is the best way to find healthy, happy animals. Rats should not be obtained from poor sources, such as feeder breeders, commercial farms, or pet stores. These sources don’t put health or disposition as main priorities; they are only looking for profits. Pet rats make wonderful pets, but the wrong animals can become a complete nightmare if they turn out to be highly aggressive! Read more
Having a litter of rats can be a very exciting experience; but very nerve wrecking for the first time ratty grandparent who doesn’t know what size litter to expect. Raising baby rats can be rather taxing on the humans, just as it is with mom. We are responsible for socializing them as they grow, while also feeding them, cleaning up after them, and finding them new homes. The bigger the litter is, the more babies there are to take care of. Can you handle it? Read more
Eye infections are no fun to deal with. At all. Rats are much more susceptible to eye infections than we are, as they live in close quarters with their own waste. They don’t have quite as clean of environments as humans do. While a dirty environment can have a lot to do with any infection, an eye infection for a rat does not necessarily mean that the human owner is at fault. They do just happen sometimes, and all we can do is treat them properly! Read more
Rats cannot see quite as well as many animals, but they are not blind. Of course, there is always the possibility that they might go blind for various reasons throughout their lives. There are various ways to test for blindness in rats, but it is important to know that rats do not have perfectly clear vision as it is. On occasion owners might become worried that their rats are blind. If a rat is taken care of properly, it is unlikely that the rat will go blind. However there are several factors at play in this particular situation.