Are pet roof rats a thing? Is there anyone breeding them? I love their lanky, long-tailed appearance, especially the ones with black coats, and I think it would be neat if there was someone breeding them for tameness.

Roof rats are another name for black rats aka Rattus rattus. The rats that are kept as pets are almost exclusively brown rats aka Rattus norvegicus, so generally speaking, there are not many breeders for roof rats, since in general, Rattus rattus has not been domesticated as a species. However, I have seen personal accedotes from other folk online who say there are a few breeders for roof rats, however I wouldn't nessasarily recommend them as pets, since the species isn't fully domesticated, while typical fancy brown rat have been selectively bred over the course of hundreds of years to be pets.

This is so undignified. I am a divine guardian of order and harmony! I may work closely with the Vorta at this facility, but I will not be booped as if I myself were a Vorta.

That being said, I have passed your boops onto the Vorta in my care. They are grateful. So, something good came out of this.

—Founder Mod

Rat Care: Housing

A major part of owning pet rats is determining how to house them. This involves not just the cage, but also what enrichment you provide them.

Cages:

A rat cage always need cross ventilation, which means that it needs to have at least two sides with bars or mesh that air can flow through. Because rats are so prone to respiratory infections, cross ventilation is a necessity to keep them healthy. The cage should also have a deep pan for digging, and should be chew resistant. The bars should have a spacing of 1/2 inch or smaller, or else babies or small females may be able to squeeze out. You also need to make sure that the cage is big enough for your current rats, and any rats you plan on adding in the future. Cage calculators like this one are a super helpful resource to figure out how many rats a certain cage can hold. The usual estimate is 2.0-2.5 cubic feet per rat. Just make sure to subtract one from whatever number it gives you, to account for the space that decorations and toys take up.

Because rats need such high ventilation and so much space, glass aquariums are not suitable for rats. These can easily cause respiratory issues because of their lack of ventilation. Similarly, CritterTrail type cages are also unsuitable because of their small size.

Critter Nation or Savic Suite cages are perfect for rats, since they have ventilation on all four sides and are huge. A single CN can hold around 5-6 rats maximum, and a double CN can hold up to 10-12. I personally wouldn’t stretch those maximums if possible, but that should give you an idea of how big they are. These cages will need to modified with a deep pan for loose bedding on the bottom, to give rats proper digging enrichment.

[ID: A photo of two Critter Nation cages side by side. On the left is a smaller cage with black bars, wheels, and shelf inside. On the right is a similar cage that looks like two of the smaller cages stacked on top of each other. /end ID]

Rabbit cages are also good options, but they do need to be covered with hardware cloth since they usually have a 1-inch bar spacing. However, if you’re willing to do this DIY, they can often be a cheaper option than buying a full CN or SS cage. If you’re really wanting to save money and create a cage yourself, I highly recommend bin cages. A 50-gallon bin (modified into a bin cage) is an appropriate permanent cage for a pair of rats, and bin cages also work amazingly as hospital or quarantine cages. There are some guides on how to make bin cages here and here - the most important thing to note is that the hardware cloth should be inside the plastic (with the sharp edges trimmed down), otherwise the rats will be able to grab an edge of the plastic and chew their way out. Bin cages need at least two sides to be ventilated in order to be safe for rats. You can often buy a big bin for around $20, a roll of hardware cloth for $20, and then all you need is zip ties and the tools like tin snips and pliers. It can definitely be a more cost effective way to house a small number of rats.

Free roam:

Rats should get at least 30 minutes each day outside of their cage. This time can be spent either in a playpen or in a rat-proofed room. I personally recommend this cardboard playpen - it’s super easy to make and is relatively sturdy considering how inexpensive the materials are. I also use foam kids puzzle pieces to cover the floor of the playpen — it makes cleanup easier and prevents any damage to the floor. Just make sure to put duct tape over the edges or the rats will chew them.

[ID: A photo of a cardboard playpen with various rat toys inside it, including cardboard boxes, paper bags, puzzle toys, and a dig box. There is a cage partly visible inside the playpen, and the floor is covered with a multicolored kids play mat. /end ID]

Enrichment:

Rat enrichment is a critical part of owning rats since they are so smart and get bored easily. However, it’s pretty much only limited by your imagination! This google doc is a great resource that has a bunch of easy, cheap, DIY enrichment toys so I won’t repeat myself here. Most rat toys can be made out of recycling, the rats won’t mind. My boys’ favorites are just empty paper bags.

Do you have any tips for a first time owner? My aunt had a human when I was a kid but I only visited twice a year and would like to know if there are any less well known issues or tips you could tell me before I get my human. My aunt says that they're very low maintainance but I'm not sure whether she was right.

god okay let it be stated again that at best, humans are for advanced keepers only. Only. they're very emotionally complex creatures, and need *so* much space and enrichment. your aunt is wrong and i'm concerned that the situation may have even been neglectful. but for educational purposes i'll talk more about their care needs

space and enrichment:

humans need *so* much space. you need to mimick their natural environment if its impossible to return them to their home environment. you need to be able to simulate things they'd find in their day to day life, including other people, events, stores, parks, ect. keeping them alone is a horrible thing and can lead to many harmful side effects. that being said, its generally a bad idea to keep humans with anything else. when it comes to their environment, you shouldn't need to worry about things like high ledges unless they're afraid or a brand new rescue. otherwise, it'll present a scene of realism.

most humans need to be between 0 F and 100 F, but a more mid/high range is ideal. however, it depends on the human. some will thrive in 70 F, some will get heat exhaustion from that. if you're unsure of their origin, try very careful trial and error. if they're sweating excessively, throwing up, getting dizzy or otherwise presenting bad symptoms in higher heat, thats a sign its too hot. although keep in mind they'll also sweat while running, and thats normal. if they're shivering, being less active, huddling on themselves, that means their cold. if that progresses they'll begin to get hypothermic which will be deadly without careful intervention.

humans are a species you probably shouldn't interact with directly, as it can cause distress or injury. you should also keep noise below 70 dB, and over 120 will cause immediate harm.

humans have a very wide diet. they need a solid balance of meat and plants, although a select few will reject certain types of food. its common for them to reject meat for example, and they will not eat them. or animal products. they need a varied set of vitamins, but they can be partially supplemented. they can eat most food items that're native to their home. they're also made plenty of drinks to have too besides just water! do be careful to moderate if you give them alcohol however, as too much can kill them. but giving it to them responsibly is alright. that being said, some humans are pickier then others. some will eat almost anything they're given and some will sooner starve then take anything outside of maybe 20 items. its really trial and error.

theres a lot more to talk about with humans, this is just basic stuff. don't let anyone tell you its simple.

Bro why did you censor the snake's cloaca on the snake anatomy post??? It's a snake?

I didn't censor anything, what -

oh. Oh, no. That's meant to be a line to show where the tail begins. Oh no, now I look like some weird prude.

Yeah, that's meant to help people grasp the anatomy and visualize how small the tail is in relation to the torso. Not meant to be some kind of weird snake privacy screen

guys hot uquiz was just discovered but I'm taking it about 100 yrs too late. anyways everyone share how wifeable you are.

THE WIFE RATING SCALE 1929

but no yeah lets have the conversation:

"the CEO doesnt want to run that kind of website" Excuse, shouldnt have bought the 'go nuts show nuts whatever' website if thats the case. APPEAL DENIED

"we have to follow the TOS of the appstores we're hosted on" Excuse item one, no you dont, item two, you have since those days implimented infrastructure that would allow pornography and sex work on this platform Without violating TOS of any applicable app store. APPEAL DENIED

"we own the site we get to make the rules" Incorrect, this site has only ever made profit when the users willed it. we collectively own the site as a hive mind and no legal change in ownership will change that. APPEAL DENIED

"we have to keep this website safe for the children who use it" Argument based on fallacy banning pornography and sex workers does not prevent pornography and sex work from occuring on the site, it only forces aforementioned users to hide and avoid labling their content appropriately, which REDUCES the safety for children and sex workers alike instead of increasing it, this has been shown to the point that making this argument at all is tantamount to admiting fascist intent APPEAL DENIED

Random rat-care tip of the day:

If you have to give your rats oral medication, try to maintain that they willingly take the medicine. If you have to force your rat to take it then they are likely to never willingly take it again. This is a testament to just how easy it is for a rat to be conditioned to never eat food they have a bad experience with, even if it was only 1 bad instance

AITA for not letting my Vorta climb trees?

So my Vorta is on their first iteration, and they’ve been expressing desires to climb trees and pick berries and do other nature things. But they’re not a botanist class, they’re an attendant. So of course I don’t allow it. After all, allowing such freedoms breeds misbehavior. But now they’re sullen and snappy when I give them commands. Am I the asshole?

Right, so, I've only been doing this type of work for a few decades, so I'm generally a bit reluctant to give handling advice, however-- Yes? Yes, airota, you are indeed "the asshole", to use solid terminology. To be less vulgar and far more specific-- well, as specific as communication via such an imperfect medium allows-- you are following antiquated advice that has done far more to cause friction in our relationships with those who serve the Link than to remedy it.

The instincts you describe are present in all Vorta, but suppressed in most lines. Your Attendant is most likely one of those lines in which the instinct was left untouched, with the intention that it be nurtured and allowed to flourish. And what are you doing? You're beating it into the ground! Were you even informed that you'd taken on an experimentally modified line by the cloning facility you got them from? If not, that's a case of gross negligence, and we will be investigating thoroughly.

Remember that the Vorta were chosen for their role because they loved us. They loved us when no other species did, and embraced us as no other species could. We have a duty of care to them that we've been sorely neglecting, and part of this duty of care is to heal what we've broken in our efforts to make them better suited to our service.

So my rats don’t bite me intentionally, but I’ve had occasions where they get aggressive when I give them treats and accidentally nip my fingers. Is there a way to make them less aggressive with feeding?

Some rats can be very grabby with treats, and that doesn't necessarily indicate aggression. I highly recommend trying out feeding them wet treats (apple sauce, baby food, malt paste) on a metal spoon for a few weeks instead of giving them treats using your fingers. They will bite the spoon and won't enjoy the feeling of metal on their teeth. This helps a lot of rats to learn that they should be more gentle when grabbing treats.

Also, never feed through the bars - it can make them associate anything sticking through the bars with food, so if you stick in a finger to pet them they will assume it's a treat and try to grab your finger with their teeth.

With some work it's definitely possible to teach rats to be more gentle when taking treats from your hand. I wouldn't consider it aggression (biting with intent to harm), more just a mistake since rats have extremely bad eyesight and if they feel like the food may be taken away, might want to grab it as quick as possible.

Y'know, there's this gripe I've had for years that really frustrates me, and it has to do with Love, Simon and people joking about it and calling it too-pg and designed-for-straight-people and all the like. (A similar thing has happened to Heartstopper, but that's another conversation.)

I saw Love, Simon in theaters when it came out my senior year in high school. I saw it three times, once with my friends/parents on opening night, once with my brother over spring break, and once with my grandparents.

On opening night, the air in the room was electric. It was palpable. Half the heads in there were dyed various colors. Queer kids were holding hands. We were all crying and laughing and cheering as a group. My friends grabbed my hands at the part where Simon was outed and didn't let go until his parents were saying that they accepted him. My friend came out to me as non-binary. Another person in our group admitted that she had feelings for girls. It was incredible. I left shaking. This was the first mainstream queer romance movie that had ever been produced by one of the main five studios, and I know that sounds like another "first queer character from Disney" bit but you have to understand that even in 2018 this was groundbreaking. Getting to have a sweet queer rom-com where the main character was told that he got "to breathe now" after coming out meant so much to me and my friends.

But also, from a designed-for-straight-people POV (which, to be frank, it was written by a bisexual author and directed by a gay man, this was not designed for straight audiences), why is it a bad thing that it appealed to the widest possible audience? That it could make my parents and grandparents see things in a new light? My stepdad wasn't at all interested in rom-coms but he saw it with me because it was something I cared about and he hugged me when we came out of the theater. My very Catholic grandparents watched it with me and though my grandpa said he still didn't quite understand the whole 'gay thing,' all he wanted was for me to be happy and to have a happy ending like Simon did. My Nana actually cried when Simon came out and squeeze my hand when his mother told him he could breathe.

And when Martin blackmailed Simon, my mom, badass ally that she is, literally hissed "Dropkick him. Dropkick him in the balls" leading to multiple queer kids in the audience to laugh or smile. Having my parents there- the only parents, by the way, out of my group of queer and questioning friends- made multiple people realize that supportive adults were out there. That parents like those in Love, Simon do exist in real life.

When people complain about Heartstopper not being realistic or Love, Simon being too cutesy, I remember seeing Love, Simon on opening night. I remember my friend coming out and my stepdad hugging me and my mom defending us through this character. I remember the cheers that went through the audience when Bram and Simon kissed and the chatter in the foyer after the movie was over and the way that this movie made me understand that happy endings do exist.

Queer kids need happy endings. Straight people need entry points to becoming allies. Both of these things can come together in beautiful ways. They can find out about more queer culture later, but for now, let them have this. Let them all have a glimpse at a better, happier world. Let them have queer joy.

leashes for zosan

In complete seriousness, they need to make laws about ads that say they can take no more than one, maybe two, clicks/taps to close/skip. No more "wait 10 seconds until you can skip the video, wait 10 seconds until you can skip the fake playable ad, wait 5 seconds until you can close the 'download now' overlay, puts up a half-screen in-app appstore pop-up (which at least you can close immediately)." This should literally be illegal to do.

Edit: this is blowing up so I just wanted to add (haha ad) that this was my "reasonable request" I also think there should be way more and way stricter laws around all advertising in general. I think most advertising as we know it today should be abolished.