#pets not pests

I have been very inactive for the last weeks. My last boys got older, weaker and I decided to take a break from owning rats after the last two, Archimedes and Dante, were gone. Now they’re 2,5 and 3 years old and live in a flat cage for seniors, because they have problems using their legs. The vet also found tumors inside their bellies, so they don’t have lots of time left. They get pain killers and will live as a senior duo as long as they get along well.

But as my big cage got empty, I found these six sweethearts looking for a new forever home. I fell in love immediately, so they moved in yesterday. So obviously no ratty break for me. Instead I am blessed with these amazing rescue boys, who are roundabout one year old.
Meet Ruben, Rembrandt, Raffael, Rousseau, Robespierre and Ramses

I don’t know if you know this, but I actually own 3 fancy rats! Rats are so underrated, and when you look at them a bit closer, they’re really cute! Wild rats don’t know a thing about humans, but fancy rats know humans are not that dangerous and most of them won’t be aggresive towards us (ofc there are always some exceptions, because they have unique personalities!) 

I recently got an iPad and Procreate so… I will draw more! YAY!

And, um, yeah, I know Tumblr is fucked up now but I really like the site as a portfolio or whatever, so here I stay by the moment xD

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Since rats arrived to my life, I have made an effort to tailor a nutritional plan that works specifically for them and their needs. This is the result!

• Theirmain food intake comes from Versele-Laga’s Complete Rat & Mouseextrudates. Rats in general are picky eaters, so an extruded base works great to avoid selective feeding. When looking for rat food, I didn’t only pay attention to the ingredients but also to the macronutrient ratios. This one the best I could find and has been a staple since the beginning. They love it, and so do I.
  
• Every day I offer them fresh fruits and veggies (they go crazy for roasted red pepper), but what they absolutely adore is baby food. I pick two and mix them, set them in icecube trays, and defrost them every day. They are Hero’s Solo with lentils, turkey and veggies, and Smileat’s fruit mix (with peach, banana, pear and raspberry).
• Rats are prone to upper respiratory infections; so, aside from choosing a good litter, keeping their cage clean, and taking them to the vet for health check-ups; I like giving them rat-appropriate supplements. In order to be rat-safe, they need to be suspended in vegetable glycerin, never alcohol. I mix them in their nightly baby food. Pictured: Soria Natural’s Echinacea and Pinisan’s Propolis. Also, sometimes I give them thyme tea (aside from their regular water).
• Finally, I use baby snacks as treatsfor them. Pictured you can see Hero’s green pea and corn snacks. Other treats I give them are unsalted nuts and seeds, bits of my food as long as it is rat-safe, and rat-safe cat and dog treats when I get them gifted with my regular food and litter purchases (like tuna loins or pig ears).

I am a first-time rat owner and still have to learn a lot about these amazing creatures, but I like to think that I’m taking good care of them. I weigh them twice a month to make sure they stay at a healthy size, and since their cage is open as long as there is someone at home they get plenty of free-roam time (the exercise wheel I got them was a failure, though).

Rats are intelligent, playful and cuddly. I really wish that the prejucides against them would be lifted so people could at least have the opportunity to see these little cheeky floofballs in action. I will make an effort to post more about them, and hopefully you will get to know these animals better!