Aaaah guys, I am actually so excited.
The past few weeks, my partner and I (well, mostly me - but still!) have been preparing to welcome a pair of little ratties into our home and become part of our family.

It started with me visiting a newly-opened pet store at my local mall and we both were like "hey, would you ever get rats as a pet?" and so from then on I have been invested into reading and documenting care and finding all I can about these precious babies.

There's a few rescues in our state, within a 30min -2 hour drive - I've contacted one of them and they have some beautiful girls available next month, when I go looking for them ~

Today, in a few hours I will be picking up their cage to store at my Mother's house until we've fixed up our apartment for them..

I AM SO EXCITED OKAY
And I'm going to share pictures here as I remember too.. the first one going to be the cage when it comes home :vanora_heart:

grats on the rats

Join the club
Would love to see the pics when they arrive
rats are cute
also weird
mine had a hammock and they just dug a hole in it and used it as sleeping bag :^)

:O Do you have names for them yet?

@Aly: omg, I am so excited for you! :vanora_heart: Rats are precious and you're so lucky.

I was meant to be getting the rats this Saturday but want to push it back a week because unit finishes this week too

And I know getting rats I would lose assignment time haha

aaAAAWWW, i love rats! I am a rat mama tooooo. :vanora_heart:

@glume: if you're still up for it- the vets last time put the girls on doxycycline and ome other medication
I've heard graprefruit juice, darkest chocolate and steam helps clear their air ways but do you know other more common medication or home remedies that could help with their mycro?

Ooooo just saw your update - rats can be very sensitive to heat and sleeping flat on their stomach (pancaking) is a sign of them trying to cool off. Is there any way you can make it cooler in that room? I wouldn't worry too much about her - unless she is having breathing troubles? Laboured breathing? What is her behaviour like now?

@sunny:
this is my girls snuggled up a few days ago!
So cool to know people who like rats as well! This is my first time owning them ;;
Another few more sad questions are once a rat does pass, what do I do? I heard about preserving the body in a container or burying them but I am not sure :(
My boyfriend and I, after the heart attack we had the other day dedcided we wanted to take more pictures and do little feet prints and things of them, so we have something
And then we are unsure what to do about getting a partner rat- we have 2 cages and a bathtub but is it better to get 1 rat to pair up with my girl, or would it be better introducing her to a family of 2 rats? Blah xD

We ended up putting a pedestal fan in there to blow some air around and I gave them more cold water bottles to snuggle up (and fresh water, always)
She is fine now- well fine like normal. Still hates being touched, loves darkness and steals the food off her sister XD

@Glume: didn't think of honey and will look today for some of the goldenseal in shops! Thank you c: