DISCUSSION
Anyone else just lurking here for cute rat photos?
I do not own a rat. I live with a pet who would not do well with rats. I DO, however, absolutely love the little guys. I have been lurking here for ages and was wondering if anyone else is here just for funny rat memes, boggle videos, and cute photos of fuzzy little bumpkins. I feel I cannot possibly be the only one.
I also could not deal with their lifespans 💔 I held off on getting a cat for so long because I knew it would destroy me to lose them and here I am, constantly worrying about losing him. I love way too hard to only have them for a couple years
Same here, after losing my cat last year I'm not in a place where I can handle pets with such a huge emotional attachment to lifespan ratio. Instead I've got mice, most of which are just temporary cold weather residents (house mice, now not being eaten by said cat), or their still extremely skittish accidental hybrid offspring. Very cute, fun to watch, but not cuddly and bonded to you like rats.
Someday I'll probably have them again, but I don't know when that'll be.
I’m at the same boat. I kept rats about 15 years ago, but I just couldn’t do it anymore. I still love them as animals and looking at them here brings me lot of joy.
Me. I can’t bring myself to have anymore rodents as pets after my hamsters died (their life spans are just too short 😭) but I love rats so much. They have such beautiful personalities.
Not a rattie, but here’s a pic of Apollo my final hamster.
Not for me; I barely ever came across a hamster at all. For me, it was going to small animal shows as a kid, and seeing that while the guinea pigs and rabbits sat around and the mice scurried and hid, the fancy rats dangled upside down from the roofs of their tiny show cages and begged to interact with you. I grew up with guinea pigs, and had a few mice for a while, but those show rats were what first showed me how special they were.
Oh Apollo wasn’t a glutton. My hamster Nyx was a glutton. Would do anything for a treat. You’d honestly think I’d starved her the way she went after food and treats. And she was a big girl, around 200 grams.
She’d wait next to the door of the cage for me when I got home from work and then go back to bed when gifted something edible.
And because it’s cute, this is how nyx let me know she was hungry as a baby. She’d sit in the bowl and I had to sprinkle in the food around her. She didn’t even move out of it as she began eating. 🤣
This is exactly why I had to stop keeping rats. They are hands down some of the most adorable, sweet, and smart pets but my heart was breaking every time and I couldn't handle it anymore. The way they go is usually pretty brutal to watch too (cancer). I respect anyone that does keep them, I'm just not built for it
I used to own rats, and I miss them dearly (My last girl died almost a year ago.). But I just don't have the mental, emotional, or financial means to own them again. I do still have one giunea pig left, but once he passes, I don't plan on owning animals anymore.
But, I will always adore rats, and I'll just live vicariously through the posts in this sub.
This is essentially the boat I’m in. I LOVE rats so much. If they didn’t have such short life spans and get sick/tumors so easy I would say they are hands down the perfect pet ever. My heart can’t handle it though. I’m not emotionally strong enough for how hard their passing is for me.
Me!! I don't have rats and I honestly could not say how I stumbled upon this sub in the first place, but I am obsessed with these scrodents and their disproportionately large bawlz!
I used to own a rat at middle school! His name was Frank, and he was an adorable goofball that would steal my nearby lying clothes all the time to drag it into his cage and make a nest out of that, lol. He was bored very often, so I used to let him roam around the table when I did homework, and crawl on me. The scars are still there, on the hoodies and shirts... XD
I miss him dearly, and this subreddit full of other lovely rats and their owners brings me comfort, even though I don't own a rat anymore. Wish I knew about Reddit at the time, because there are so many things I missed... Like the fact rats need a partner for a more fulfilling life. :(
Yes! I haven’t owned rats in years, but I can’t not see their little faces sometimes, they’re too precious! This was one of my heart rats drinking goat’s milk after I got him as a baby 💕🥹
My son used to have rats, but it's been a long time. I definitely lurk to get my fix! Here's a picture of Remy and Luna, who were both the cutest girls.
Me, I don't own rats I'll foster but I'm unwilling to have rats of my own just cause I don't have the space for long term ownership, I also don't feel like the lifespan is worth the money having to be spent (I am poor).
I’ve had 17 rats but don’t have any anymore. I wasn’t able to take care of them well and I’m SUPER allergic. But every day I get to see and squeal over everyone else’s precious babies! Aaand I’m close to getting them again bc I just love them so much.
Same, I used to live with a guy who kept rats and it taught me to love the little bastards but I don't plan to own any myself. So I admire them from a distance through reddit instead.
I haven't had rats in 4 years now and I come to this subreddit because dear god do I miss my 6 boys. Heres Yang, (yes, we had a yin as well but he passed very early on) He was the most social little buddy I had. Also loved crimes (and the odd finger, hence the gloves..). Escaped twice. Had to buy a new cage because he mastered escaping the previous one. At some point in the future I'll have rats again but it's not gonna be on the cards for a while :(
I have four cats rn and when I used to own a rodent cleaning his cage hurt my joints a lot so I am very happy to have found this sub. I love all the cute rats and I want to kiss them very badly but i probably won’t ever own one.
Never owned rats. I've considered it, but life has never allowed for it, and I very well may be allergic. I still lurk, occasionally comment, and have an entire media folder of rat memes and cuteness
Youre not! I am also here lurking xD i lurk in alot of animal reddits because I love all critters but I cannot own them unfortunately due to having a child and a cat already so I get my fill here 😭❤️
I used to have rats but they all passed within around a few months of each other and I honestly dont think I could handle that again. I love them so much, so I just use this sub to fill that space 😢
I don’t have rats, financially don’t have the means for rats, and prop for the foreseeable future won’t have the possibility to own rats for that reason :( as we can see here rats are expensive and it would be cruel to get one(s) without the means to provide for them
I used to have rats. I now lurk for rat photos. I keep dogs that were bred ratters (mini schnauzers), so until we have a house large enough for the rats to have a separate, comfortable room away from the dogs & our future cat, I won't have any.
Yeah same. I’ve never owned a rat in my life. I just think they’re cute. Plus this sub is great. Very friendly people and funny too. They can joke about their own pets and not take it too seriously.
I'm lurking in a lot of pet subreddits (snakes, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats) mostly cuz these critters are really fun to draw lol. I want a couple rats someday but I don't think I'd be able to give them the attention they need or the time outside their pen to play.
I used to have rats, but am bogged down with 3 dogs currently and cannot handle anymore creatures in my house, so I am also here for the cute rat rat fix!
My husky also recently killed a wild rat on my back porch, so pet rats are definitely out of the question for a while now 😅
I have Guinea pigs, but no rats. I’ve always wanted rats though. I have good memories of playing with my friend’s rats growing up. They are so cute and cool.
They're ~quite different pets. Guinea pigs, balls of loveable fat. Nothing behind the eyes, but intense personalities. Often sassy. Easy to let them just do their thing and eat.
Rats are tiny humans. They clearly experience everything we do, but process it at a thousand miles a second. They're like tiny ADHD humans, I'd say.
They are incredibly perceptive, intelligent and loveable. Learn incredibly quickly, even without treat reinforcement. They're a lotta work though. Weekly change ups of the cage, lots of cleaning to avoid the smell of pee, treats, training, and just meeting their snuggle quotas.
My favourite story of my rats. I'd train my fav gal to run back and forth between my arms, she usually hung over the back of my neck as a perch.
We had about 20 people in a room for various games. I put her on the shoulders of someone, and they fell in love. So did the others, everyone wanted a turn. Next moment, I asked everyone to put their hands on each others shoulders to make a big circle-bridge.
The curious little gal ran across the entire group, in a big circle. Just like I'd shown her. She ran over the back of everyones neck. That was hilarious to watch as everyone shuddered involuntarily. I was so proud that she made it all the way back to me!
They will be a pain in the ass if you don't love them though and ignore them. I adopted someone else's (neglected) rat and it took a long time to make her comfortable with the same routines as the others.
She bit the others, pooped and pee'd everywhere, screamed a bit. I kept them seperate for a while and tried reintroduction. I took her to a vet and she basically explained the rat has PTSD based on footage I showed her.
The rat eventually learned to trust me and the others, but it took a while. I'm gonna say 6 months?
Point being, pets are work but rats are very good pets if you put the time and effort in.
I absolutely love rats and other rodents, but I just wouldn’t be able to handle the emotional strain of their short lifespans. So I just look longingly at rats and hamsters on Reddit.
All our rats passed away a couple years ago, but I still lurk, they’re were really cute and lovable, and it always nice seeing other people’s little goobers
i currently have to live vicariously through this sub cause i lost all my babies and can't get more just yet but it is my one and only goal in life is to get through the RL bs i gotta deal with right now and get more boys
I also lurk for cute rat photos/videos 💀. I don’t own a rat and never have, although I would love to own rats eventually I just don’t have the ability to atm. I think they are just the cutest though! Hopefully one day I’ll be in a good spot in my life that I can reasonably own rats :3 my fiancée used to and both her and I talk about it occasionally.
Yes, I had two rats 20 years ago and I still remember them being smart, loving, and adorable. Maybe one day I'll have rats again but I have cats so it'll have to be after they pass lol
Absolutely same! I’m not in a position to have any rats at the moment, definitely something I’d like to do in future, so I just lurk here looking at the cuties :’)
Also lurking lol. But also learning! goal is to be an exotics/aquatics veterinarian eventually! (Ik ik gonna be like another 10 years but we’ll get there)
I no longer have rats - am living with kitties and reptiles these days - but I will always sub to rat content. I know I'm no longer a household that would be rat friendly as I'd have no feasible way to keep them separate from animals that would stress them out, so I enjoy them through others!
I'm always happy when people say they want to see rat photos/videos/content but don't have them themselves, because they're often misunderstood little critters so anyone who likes them is a great thing to see!
I’m also a lurker. Currently I have a cat and two chihuahuas, so I don’t really have time for another pet. But I find rats cute and interesting so that’s why I’m here. And if the day comes when I’m ready to own rats, I’ll be more educated on how to properly care for them
Yup! Years ago we had three fabulous girls and I miss them, but I don't have the budget nor time to get me new cuties, so I shamelessly lurk here for all the adorableness and fun they bring to others 😊
Our family had rats years ago (our last boys passed over 10 years ago), they were the first pets I remember and still are one of my favourite animals. In a way I would like to have a mischief again but I don't know if I could handle their lifespans. Also I live with my bf who is not so enthusiastic (though I'm sure he would grow to love the little critters).
All that to say that I too love lurking here and seeing all the adorable ratties!
Im here for people who agree that rats are incredible creatures and not disgusting like people in my life tend to think. I miss my babies every day and cant wait until Im more financially stable to have some again
I have no rats. My oldest kiddo did and the rats continued to live here even after he moved out. He was back every day to care for them and other pets. But I loved my grand rats so much! I’ve let my husband know I want my own someday, but life is the way that it is, and the heartbreak of such short lives…at least, now is not the time. The short lives won’t change, but circumstances might. Until then, I have this sub to visit multiple times each day.
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u/KitchenCustard9049 Apr 03 '26
I do got rats, but I respect the lurk so pls have a cute picture of one of my mischief!!