2018 was a rough year for the greater rat community. Debbie (founder of the Rat Fan Club) passed away, very suddenly, earlier this year and we just lost Bella (co-founder of The Rat Guide and amazing artist), to liver cancer, right before Christmas. These were two of a handful of mentors/friends/colleagues to me and their passing has really made me stop and think about Rattie Ratz and its place in the rat world. “It takes a village to raise a child” and the same goes for running any sort of endeavor. I could never have built Rattie Ratz on my own and I could never fathom to sustain it on my own either. Rattie Ratz is a labor of love, not only from myself but also from those that volunteer and give it life and purpose. As we transition from 2018 to 2019, I really want to recognize everyone who has worked laboriously to make Rattie Ratz successful.

Rattie Ratz is my baby and the people who have worked so hard to bring it this far are no less than my family. I can hardly believe that I have been doing this for 20+ years now and, with the deaths of two major influences this year, I am forced to contemplate the future of this organization that means so much to me. Unfortunately for me, I don’t know much about what Bella and Debbie had planned or what they wanted to accomplish. Fortunately for me, and others, I have an opportunity to learn from them and spend a bit of quality time speaking to the future of Rattie Ratz and where I would like to see things go, in general, for the rat community.
​
Every animal needs their champion and, for whatever reason, rats resonated with me and I chose to launch an organization to help them and their human families. I choose to lead by example and I strive to inspire and motivate others to leave this world just a bit better than they found it. To that end, I believe that everyone can make a difference. You may not be able or ready to start a full-blown rescue of your own but consider the animals that you choose to bring into your family and opt to adopt. I know that there are plenty of situations that warrant breeding but please consider adoption as well. Over 20+ years, I have met so many deserving animals that have been dumped into kill shelters through no fault of their own. I believe in the butterfly effect and that your small and positive ripple will spread, grow, and be bigger and better than you think possible.

​I believe that there are many paths to the same destination. One person does not know it all and one method is not the only method. Each situation is different. I want to encourage anyone to consider starting their own rescue and making their own impact, but don’t compare yourself to others. You don’t need to be the biggest rescue around or the one that rescues the most number of animals. You need to be the best rescue or rescuer you can be. Even if you are just *one* person rescuing just a few rats at a time, it does make a HUGE difference in the lives of the animals that you are helping. *I* may not be able to make a huge difference in the world but I know I can make a significant impact in the world of a select few. In a world getting larger by the hour, through the internet and social media, stop and take a moment to think on a much smaller scale. Change happens from within and starts with you. Make a choice to help others and contribute to a more positive society.

November is a special month for me because it is my birth month and it also happens to be the month that, I feel, Rattie Ratz was born. In this month, 20 years ago, I got myself some pet rats for my birthday. I had spent a reasonable amount of time researching companion pet options and, at that time in my life, some sort of rodent seemed like the best option and I ended up adopting 3 adult female rats from the Peninsula Humane Society. What began as a “pet project” to document my experience with rats turned into Rattie Ratz and is now a thriving organization dedicated to the rescue and rehoming of deserving pet rats all over Northern California. I am often contacted by people from other areas who would like to launch similar rescue organizations to service domestic pet rats and other animals in their region so I feel it is very apropos to use this month’s blog to discuss giving back and starting your own rat rescue.
I will start off by saying that I will not be sugar coating or glorifying this endeavor in any way. Animal rescue work is hard, emotionally draining, time-consuming, and expensive. If this is truly your passion and something you are meant to do, it will also be exceptionally rewarding and could easily be or become one of the best experiences of your life. Choosing to rescue animals is absolutely a job. Rattie Ratz is an all-volunteer organization and none of us are being paid for the hours that we put into the rescue. This is how Rattie Ratz has always been able to sustain itself and provide for the animals in our care. As a responsible animal rescuer, you need to be able to identify and set your limits and boundaries.

I still started as an army of one. I was going to college full-time, working part-time, and trying to figure out how I was going to find *other* homes for all these rats. Thankfully, with the internet in full bloom now, it’s MUCH easier to find potential homes but, when I began in 1998, things were a lot different. I worked part-time at Pet Food Express and held informational events and started adoptions through their Redwood City, CA location. Animal adoptions were basically handled on a donation basis and no, the money I raised definitely did NOT sustain the animals in my care. When I began, I was limited by my available space, time, and financial resources since I was basically bankrolling the rescue as a hobby of mine. Soon, I had patrons who couldn’t adopt but wanted to help and would donate money to help pay for the supplies I needed. Eventually, one suggested that I should look into becoming a non-profit so she could deduct her donation from her taxes and she gifted me the Nolo book on how to start a non-profit in California and I set out to make that happen. Finally, in June of 2002, Rattie Ratz was incorporated as a bonafide 501(c)3 organization.
The jagged truth about pursuing a passion like this is that it will, absolutely, cost money and, potentially, quite a bit of it. If you are thinking about starting your own rat rescue, or any animal rescue for that matter, you must accept the brutal fact that you will not be able to save them all. After doing this for 20 years, I feel like many people have to learn this very basic fact the hard way. I know I learned it the hard way. I feel there is a very fine line between being a well-intentioned and responsible animal rescuer and being a well-intentioned and irresponsible rescuer. Knowing your limits, accepting your limits, and sticking to your limits is absolutely paramount. I’ve witnessed rescuers get in way over their heads and the animals suffer. You won’t be able to save them all but the ones that you are able to help will reward you with “happily ever after” experiences.

So…you want to give back to your local community and start a rat rescue in your area. I would highly suggest starting small and focus on iterative and controlled growth so things don’t escalate out of control. This is how I started and, if I were to do it all again, I would do it the same way. Start by taking in needy animals. Take care of them religiously and begin to figure out where your limits and boundaries are. The biggest limitation, at least here in the bay area, is space. I rent and space out here is insanely expensive. Even if time and finances weren’t other limitations, there is only so much space available. I feel it is very important to maintain animals in a kind and loving, home-like environment. This is why Rattie Ratz operates from a network of foster homes. We don’t have a central facility for the rescue. One, that would be cost-prohibitive and two, my intention was to start a rescue, not an institutionalized animal shelter.
My goal was to rescue animals in need and provide loving, home-based care until they could be properly placed in another permanent home. We are all rescue foster homes so I don’t intend or expect our care and spaces to be the same as what we would expect from our adopters *but* I do intend for each and every animal in our care to have adequate space and comfort. Depending on your situation, you may choose to have a certain brand/model of cage but, over the years, I have used A LOT of different set-ups and have come to the definitive conclusion that Critter Nation cages from Midwest are the best and most versatile cages for anyone wanting to pursue rat rescue. You should absolutely upgrade to the stainless steel replacement pans from Bass Equipment Supply as well. I know that is a costly upgrade but it is well worth the initial investment for the long haul.

More typically, we have 2 sq ft per rat so each space would hold 3 rats for a total of 36 rats – that’s still quite a few rats for one person to care for an maintain especially when you consider that practically all of our volunteers (myself included) have full-time jobs in addition to the volunteer work that we do for Rattie Ratz. I also choose to keep my spaces as uniform as possible with easy to clean accessories like glass water bottles, ceramic or stainless steel food bowls, pelleted paper bedding, a plastic space pod, a hanging chew toy, and possibly something like a hammock depending on the time I have to do laundry. For an individual person with a full-time job, I wouldn’t suggest any more than what I have set up because I know how much work that is!
When I was a stay-home mom, I had a lot more time to maintain the rescue animals but I also had a very nicely converted 1 car garage and 2-4 regular volunteers who would come to the garage to help maintain the animals on a regular basis. This was WAY before the advent of Critter Nations and we were using Martin’s Cages (which are still great options) and, at our peak, we easily had 300+ rats in our care. Would I go back and do that again? Maybe, but, probably not. The converted garage was nice and home-like with insulated sheetrock walls, a ceiling, electrical, water, a window, the garage door, and cheap carpet BUT, it was still a garage. It’s not where the family lived or even hung out. People would be there to maintain the animals and perform adoptions and intakes but, in the sense of daily socialization, it was definitely not a home-like environment.

I’ve seen horrible situations where well-intentioned rescuers go beyond what they can handle and the resulting situation is depressing and devastating. Overcrowding, rampant illness, plenty of death, and sometimes worse. Rescue work is full of heart-wrenching situations and some very difficult decisions. It is not all peachy keen. Rescue work is a labor of love that can definitely be as gut-wrenching as it is rewarding. It is *not* for everyone. Limits and boundaries are your friends! For a hot minute, Rattie Ratz expanded to also try to help mice and hamsters and I quickly realized that those animals were not for us. We quickly reverted back to focusing exclusively on domestic pet rats and I, for one, haven’t looked back.

I have a lot of admiration and respect for organizations that can provide aid to a more varied and diverse number of species but, for Rattie Ratz, I feel specializing was the best choice. Specializing in rats has given us a wealth of very specific experience with rats and, with that very specialized experience, we are in the best position to really support and empower our adopters. Rattie Ratz isn’t just a rescue organization, we’re an organization that mentors, enables, and empowers people to be the best rat parents they can be. I know I founded this organization but it’s really all of the dedicated volunteers over the last 2 decades that have nurtured and developed this organization into what it is today. I am exceptionally proud of everything that we have accomplished and appreciative of all the individuals who have helped along the way to make Rattie Ratz such an amazing organization.
​
If you want to start a rat rescue in your area, I very much encourage you to do so! Give it thought and consideration. Be honest with yourself about your limits and boundaries. The great thing about being a rescue is that you can be as big or as small as you want to be. In this circumstance, bigger is not always better! Consider the animals and do what is best for them. Consider emergency situations, like fire, and whether you would be able to safely and effectively relocate all the animals in your care. Think about your own mortality and whether systems and processes are in place for the animals in your care in the event that you aren’t able to return to care for them. Think about your financial resources and your ability to provide proper medical care. I feel the goal of an independent animal rescue or rescuer should be to provide assistance to as many animals as you can in a well-maintained, safe, and healthy manner. If you are acting responsibly and properly caring for all the animals you have committed to rescue, people will be inspired and will want to help you. This has been my experience and I hope it helps others who may be inspired to start rescue organizations of their own.

We’re already down to the last quarter of the year and I can’t believe the time has gone by so quickly! I recall high school when a year seemed to take forever, and now, it just flies by. I guess we are having fun – right?!?
​
For October, I’ve decided to share some of my thoughts on some very common myths that seem to come up regularly while dealing with the general population. I definitely don’t have time to cover all the crazy things that I’ve heard over the years but I will cover some that I hear often and tend to make me cringe.

Rats are rats are rats… – FALSE!
​
OK. This is probably the misconception that bothers me the most. There are plenty of people who truly believe that all rats are the same and created equally horrifying or deserving depending on what side of the myth you happen to be on. Your mileage may vary but I’ve been rescuing rats long enough to know that they are definitely not created equal by any stretch of the imagination. With a combination of nature and nurture, rats cover a huge spectrum of characters. Domestic rats, regardless of their personality, will not survive if released into the wild. They simply do not have the nature for that! Wild rats, on the other hand, if found very young and raised in a nurturing domestic environment, can be safely raised in captivity. To be honest, I have never done this myself but I am aware of plenty of rat folks who have and, although the wildies are never quite as tame as domestic rats, they typically do ok. Within the domestic rat population, we have pet rats, lab rats, and feeder rats and this is where nurture can make a huge difference in temperament and character. Pet rats that have been properly nurtured will make excellent companions. Lab rats, despite not being nurtured to be companion rats, can definitely be rehabilitated to make excellent companions as well because they are generally handled on a fairly regular basis. It’s obviously not the same as the way people handle their companion pet rats but the handling can make all the difference. This final thought might get me into some trouble but I will actually go out on a limb and admit that I lump feeder rats and hoarder rats into the same group. These are both typically mass-produced, on purpose or on accident, but the bottom line is that they typically don’t get proper handling or nurturing. I’ve rescued plenty of rats from feeder bins and hoarding situations and rats from these situations are not for everyone. With time and patience and proper nurturing, some can become better companions but others are simply too traumatized to really recover. Despite all of this, I feel that rats are a lot like people. They all come with their own personality and character and the most important take away from this myth is that, regardless of how “wild” your domestic rat may seem, it will *never* be wild enough to survive in the wild! Please, do not ever release any domestic rat into the wild to fend for itself.

Rats spread the “Black Death…” – FALSE
​
Yes! This is another one that I hear all the time and I am sick of it. Rats did not spread the bubonic plague, one of the worst pandemics in human history. It does tend to be more commonly known that fleas are believed to have been the primary transmission vector. It was long thought that these fleas preferred rat hosts, which is part of why people mistakenly blame rats but, in a recent study, it is actually being suggested that the plague was transmitted via fleas and lice that prefer human hosts! Regardless, those of us who know rats know that fleas really don’t tend to bother the rats. I mean, seriously, who typically complains about their pets having fleas?? Whether the fleas that transmitted the plague preferred people, dogs, cats, or rats, the plague was absolutely devastating and spread by fleas.

Rats are dirty and their tails are gross… – MIXED
​
At the very least, rats are definitely not dirty! They clean themselves regularly, just like cats. If you find a dirty rat, it’s because their living environment is dirty, not because they are dirty. Obviously, as rats age, they need help to keep themselves clean and that’s where people come in and need to lend a helping hand. With regard to their tails, well, I guess that is technically subjective. Did you know that their tails are made up of individual scales that shed one scale at a time in order to keep their tails nice and clean? I, for one, think it’s interesting that the part of the rat that looks most human is the part that people generally think is gross. I think rats’ tails are fascinating! Rats don’t sweat and they don’t pant to cool themselves down, they use their tails. Their tails are also needed for their balance and agility. There is such a thing as manx rats but, I really think that people should understand the function of the tail and see it as almost a third hand. There have been SO many times where a third hand would have come in *very* useful! Why did evolution feel the need to remove our tails?!?

Rats *need* to chew stuff… – FALSE
​
Yes, it is true that rats’ teeth are constantly growing. According to ratbehavior.org, “the eruption rate (the rate of growth) of the rat’s incisors is very high: the adult rat’s upper incisors grow on average about 2.2 mm per week (0.31-0.32 mm per day), and the lower incisors grow about 2.8 mm per week (0.4 mm per day) (Addison and Appleton 1915).” So, yeah, it’s no surprise that rats like to chew on things but they don’t actually *have* to. Quite often, rats will sit around and grind their own teeth. It IS important to monitor your rats’ teeth because there are situations that will make the teeth grow at different rates and they may need to be artificially trimmed but, in general, rats are able to keep their teeth in check by gnawing and bruxing. For entertainment and environmental enrichment, I would definitely suggest making sure that your rats have things to chew on but it is a misnomer that things to gnaw on are necessary for dental health.

Rats don’t make good pets for kids… – FALSE

On the contrary, rats make excellent pets for children and many other types of people and situations! For a little while, Rattie Ratz expanded to include rescue services for mice and hamsters because they are also not well represented in the animal rescue world. Ultimately, we decided to return to just rescuing rats and part of that decision was because of families with children! Many parents seem to think that mice and hamsters make better pets for children and I have to say that I *strongly* disagree. In my experience, mice are basically mammalian fish, they are great to set up in a tank and look at but they are typically very fast and not particularly cuddly with people. Hamsters are much more likely to bite than a rat because they are strictly nocturnal and don’t want the kids waking them up after school! Rats are *very* smart and typically *very* social. Rats are technically diurnal, meaning they are most active at dusk and dawn but they are also well known for learning and adapting to their human’s schedule. Rats, like dogs, typically want to be out and about with you whenever you are available and they want to interact with their human companion for mutual cuddles. For people who are interested in dog-like qualities but aren’t ready for the 10+ year commitment, a few pet rats are the perfect compromise!
​
Of course, there is so much more to say about pet rats but I think covering my top 5 myths is a good place to wrap it up. If you’re interested in learning more about domestic pet rats, Rattie Ratz’s Rat Primer is a great place to start. We also have a list of great resources to help get you started on your new adventure with rats.

If you are a teacher who incorporates, or is thinking about incorporating, animals into the classroom, or a parent with a child in a classroom that has animals, please think twice about what exactly is being modeled for the kids. Is someONE actually responsible for that animal? Are the animals being properly maintained and provided for? Are the animals safe and secure? As a parent, I want my children to respect life in all its forms and I want to promote responsible animal care and maintenance. I believe it is the responsibility of the teacher to evaluate these aspects before choosing to incorporate animals into their classroom and I believe it is the responsibility of the parents to be aware of what is happening in the classroom and voice any concerns that they may have.
​
Animals need care and stability and I believe that behavior needs to be modeled. Teachers and parents model and children mimic. As a responsible model, take a moment to think about your behavior. Children may not always listen to what you say but they are always watching what you do and actions will usually speak louder than words anyway. Demonstrate and lead by example. Show children how to be responsible and respectful of pets and animals and we’ll be able to raise a generation of youth that cares.

Medical:

For medical, while you are still new to domestic pet rats, I would *definitely* encourage you to find an excellent exotic vet and have your rats seen and treated by a medical professional. Regardless of your situation, experience, and knowledge, you should absolutely have a knowledgeable vet resource. Make sure you find this resource BEFORE you *need* them! The last thing you need is to be startled awake at 3am and realize that your rat needs prompt medical attention and you don’t know where to turn! We have people contact the rescue all the time with medical needs and questions and, although we want to try to work with you and help you, you still need a vet!
​
For those of you who are getting more knowledge and experience with rats and want to try tackling the basic medical care on your own, I have a printed version of The Rat Health Care Booklet with my medical supplies. I also highly recommend the Rat Guide as an amazing, online, medical/health resource that is regularly updated. In addition to these, I would suggest local networking. Find and join a local network of like-minded rat folks. Online/Facebook networks are great too because there are usually people on them from all over so, no matter what time you post, you will likely get responses from someone but I will also say that online networks are much more judgmental, which I find unfortunate. Still, if you have an urgent issue and need anecdotal advice, these online networks can be a great resource. Although Debbie passed away earlier this year, The Rat Fan Club is still being maintained and is typically a great place to seek medical opinions.

Just like people have different tolerances to heat, so do rats. Depending on size, age, cage population, habitat, etc, rats can start showing signs of heat stress around 78°F…which is also where I start being uncomfortable! If you’re hot and uncomfortable, then they are likely hot and uncomfortable too. Check the weather and, if you know it’s going to be hot, plan to run the AC (if you’re lucky enough to have one) and get some fans going to help keep the air circulating. Out here in California, when it starts getting hot, we have to consider and worry about electrical blackouts prompted by everyone trying to use their AC and fans at the same time and this is where it becomes important to have alternate plans in place in the event that there is no electricity.
When rats start to get hot, they will become much less active – again, similar to people. As the temperatures rise and they get warmer, they will begin to flatten out their bodies to increase their surface area to help release more body heat and try to cool down but, they’re rats. They can only flatten out to a point and then they really need some help in getting cooler or they will begin to become disoriented and soon pass out and very likely pass away. I don’t mean to sound alarmist but, as I mentioned before, I’ve been on the end of trying to, unsuccessfully, help rats recover from heat stroke and I can attest to the fact that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – for certain.

Offering frozen things to eat will also help them cool off from the inside out. Frozen peas or mixed vegetables are common favorites. Some people like to freeze grapes and offer those too. Frozen grapes or just grapes in general, are also great for liquid supply while travelling too since we all know that water bottles will leak all over the place! If you can crush your ice and put some in their water bottle so they can get ice-cold water, that is also very refreshing. I also keep misting bottles and hand fans because you can mist the rats to kind of mimic sweating and use the hand fans to help with the evaporative process which can help them feel cooler as well. In cases of extreme heat stroke, you can even go so far as bathing your rat(s) in cool water to help lower their body temperature. Unfortunately, there is a point when all is lost and there is nothing more you can do so it is definitely best to focus your time and energy in preventing heat stroke rather than trying to help a rat recover from it.
Rats are very similar to people when it comes to heat and the things that you would do for yourself to get cooler, they would likely benefit from as well. Using the tips and tricks listed above as a preventative to heat stroke will ensure a more enjoyable summer for both you and your rats!

​Now that we’ve discussed introducing ourselves to new rats, let’s talk about introducing rats to other rats. For the sake of time and the length of this blog, I am going to try to keep this part fairly basic and introductory. The key with introducing rats to each other is that, much like the rats themselves, each introduction will be unique. For this piece, I’ll be assuming that we are introducing one solo rat to another solo rat. Many of the techniques are the same regardless of the number of rats but there are more complexities when introducing multiple rats.

 I prefer to use a Vinegar Recipe with some essential oil to help with the smells. I feel it is safer for the animals and it smells much nicer than bleach. There are cage cleaning solutions out there like Nature’s Miracle, which I have used historically as well and would also use and recommend if you prefer a pre-made solution. The most important aspect is that the whole cage will need to be cleaned about once a week.  

​To wrap things up, we’ve established that the bigger the cage the better! We’ve also reviewed the type of cage and placement of the cage within your home. We discussed the basic cage accessories as well as the better cage accessories and we’ve reviewed the general aspects of cleaning your cage. Companion rats are caged-animals and, as such, they are going to spend A LOT of time in their cages. It is your responsibility, as the guardian they rely on, to provide them with a clean space and stuff to do and play with in that space. Feel free to get creative! Look online at what other people are trying out in their spaces, some examples include: a digging box, treat pinatas, and MORE!!! A lot of the DIY rat toys are made from recycling stuff that you already have lying around your house. Start saving those toilet paper rolls, packing paper, and plastic bottles and see what you can come up with! There are a ton of things that you can do with your pet rats to keep them happy and healthy!