I adopted these two rats Oreo and Biscuit two weeks ago, they are sisters. I bought them a much bigger cage than the one they arrived in, I bought them all new enrichment (with some of their old toys still in there for familiarity) and I am slowly introducing some healthier foods into their diet (i.e veg and complete pellets). I wasn’t told exactly how old they both were, I was only told they were both older than a year. Unfortunately they are not tame and will bite if your fingers get close to the bars of the cage, and they don’t like being picked up or handled. I’ve done a lot of research on rats to learn how to handle them but my rats are just very scared and always bite if you get near them. I worry that they have had a traumatic experience in the past which is causing this behaviour. Even if I can’t get them tame enough to handle I hope to give them a much better life than they had previously with a much bigger cage and a much healthier diet which they weren’t receiving before (the old owners used to feed chocolate to them…). My little bubbas are very sweet even though they bite a lot and I absolutely do not regret adopting them as I know I can give them an amazing life which they deserve ❤️
The cage I bought has 4 different levels for the rats to climb on but at the moment the rats are only using the top 2 levels and aren’t going downstairs at all. I have a burrow box I made as well as a house, a tube and a litter tray for them to use downstairs but they haven’t explored it. (There is a litter tray upstairs that they are using which I put in because they weren’t using the downstairs one). I’ve tried to entice them down with some treats but they won’t come down. It’s been about a week now in their new cage and they still haven’t explored the bottom half so I’m not sure what to do. If anyone can give me some advice as to how to get the rats to explore the downstairs bit of the cage I’d really appreciate it!
Spreading this in case any of my followers have any advice
Does anyone have recommendations for an ultrasound I should look out for on ebay?
I’m saving up to buy one but there’s a huge range of prices and options, and I’m finding it difficult to find any reviews or anything that will tell me whether the cheaper options will work well enough for cardiac imaging. I really want to see my heart but I’d rather wait longer if I need to to get one that’s decent for this purpose.
So my current childcare job is not the greatest: they’re overworking us, dysfunctional management, ect. So I’m looking for another teaching job in case my talk with the boss doesn’t go well and they can’t promise to making things more comfortable for me.
My last school (private catholic school) is losing one of their nuns to reassignment so I COULD in theory go back and have my own class. I know I wouldn’t be overworked, I know the families and kids are nice and I would get to work with my mom (!) which would be so so fun. It’s not my most favorite age group and I’d get private catholic school benefits (not great), but I know if I committed to it for a year I could be happy there.
But to go back would mean going back in the closet for my working life, which was one of the main reasons I left. I’m not terribly flamboyantly lesbian at work, but it would be nice to be able to mention things offhandedly and not be fired.
At any rate all of this is just for another year until I have my master’s/maybe teaching license and move up in the world, so it’s not forever, whatever I chose.
So the question is: do I go back to an otherwise lovely job that I know is comfortable and fun at the expense of being gay at the Catholic school and holding my tongue at some things, or continue on in the secular world and keep trying to find something else?
Question for those with more experience in this than me out there
What do you write in a wedding card for a family member whose wedding you can’t go to but you still got them a little gift?
Cos I have no idea without sounding far too formal
Context for those who need it:
My cousin is getting married at the end of the week and I can’t go to the wedding for a number of reasons, the major one being it’s on a Friday and I was refused the day off work, but I still got him and his fiancé a little gift for my grandma to take for me and I’m planning to get them a card to go with it too but we’re not close enough for me to just know what to write
Too sad to function .. a smol rant from smollcreator
I feel I’m at a bit of a crossroads over here. I just got back from vacation (I went to Mexico with 30 of my friends) and it was amazing I felt like myself again socializing and having fun, soaking up the sun and partying for the first time since Covid began. I’ve had this trip planned for over a year and it was my motivation most days. Something to look forward to, a reason to get myself up in the morning, motivation to head to the gym every day and eat healthy…
But that’s all over now, Mexico has come and gone and I feel like I’m looking down the barrel of a shot gun with an unknown amount of time on my hands and only bad things to come. Work stress, school stress and relationship stress all while being isolated and incredibly depressed. Mexico was a nice break.. I can’t remember the last time I went a week without thinking about suicide, but it happened in Mexico! I was so busy and surrounded by people who gave a shit about me I hardly had to smoke weed (which is basically a miracle if you know me well)
Coming back to this feeling has been a huge transition, and I wasn’t prepared for how drastic it would feel or how hard continuing on with life would be.. I need something to look forward to.. anything at all… but I can’t seem to find any light at the end of my tunnel..
