Gwen's Managed Mischief Rat Rescue & Refuge

08/20/2024

Absolute facts 🤣

❤️ Meme Monday ❤️

I think we can all relate to THAT moment of panic 👀

08/15/2024

Nina is no longer with us 😢 but she was best friends with Ramona the Pest and I love this picture of her 🥹

08/13/2024

🐀 'How Long Do Pet Rats Live?' 🐀

This is a question we commonly seen asked, and debated, on rat groups online and is something we feel is super important to discuss.

On the Internet, you may see many unsubstantiated claims of rats live well over 3 4 or even 5 years old that can make you feel bad that your beloved baby 'only' made it to 2, for example. The reality is, that although there are varying factors and exceptions, the average age of pet rats is 1.5 - 2.5 years, with somewhere around 2 ish often being the average 🩷

08/13/2024

We will be operating on an emergency only basis through the end of the year. We have several permanent residents with serious chronic medical issues and many permanent residents that are between 2 and 3 years old that we need to focus on right now.

For the next several weeks we will only be intermittently available as I'll be undergoing a couple of surgeries. We ask for patience as our response time may be slower.

We do have a couple pair of rats that are pre-adopted. If those adoptions fall through, we will post them on our page. We will likely not have additional rats for adoption the next couple of months since our intake is only focusing on emergencies. Please check out Texas Rat Adoptions as rats are posted daily needing new homes.

We appreciate everyone's support! ♥️

08/11/2024

I still have the mostly full bag of Mazuri. I opened it myself. Used for some babies that were adopted. We feed our adults oxbow so no use for it. Free, hate for it to go to waste. Pickup North San Antonio.

08/08/2024

It's been a year since hundreds of small animals were betrayed by those tasked with the responsibility for their safety and well-being. These animals were transferred from a humane society to a known reptile breeder and text messages were released showing the owner of the company had plans to use these animals for food. Hundreds of them died and are unaccounted for, including every single rat. This is horrifying. Justice For 318 and 323 Betrayed are continuing the fight to hold those involved accountable so there can be justice for these poor souls.

Send a message to learn more

08/06/2024

Facts!😭😂

🩷 Meme Monday 🩷

I loved having such a large mischief- but my lord some months it was draining 👀😂 - Ebonie

07/31/2024

I've seen this first-hand. Please don't use sherpa type materials with your rats. Rats nails easily get stuck and there are reports of additional hazards when chewed.

07/29/2024

Just a rat eating a rat sized cookie, that is all.

07/28/2024

There seems to be a misconception of what "rescues" are for.

What rescues are NOT for:
Rats that are being rehomed due to "Not enough time," "Kids lost interest," "Need more love than I can give," "Daughter leaving for college," "Moving to place that doesn't allow them," "I'm getting a divorce and don't want them anymore."

As long as the owners/guardians are physically capable of working to find a home, rescue is not the answer. Rescues are not a place to rehome rats (or any animal) for owners, we have certain expertise in caring for medical and behavioral issues and need to reserve our time and resources dealing with situations that others cannot handle.

Every healthy adoptable pair we take in takes space away from the ones who really need us.

Rescues and shelters are in crisis. We understand the rising cost of vet care, we understand the rising cost of food and supplies for animals, we understand the difficulty of getting into a vet. We understand because we are impacted too! Chances are slim people will find a new home that has a huge disposable income and infinitely more time for animals than their current home.

Many rescues are taking extended breaks and closing because we just CANNOT keep up and it takes a huge mental, physical and financial toll. Those that want or need to rehome, please PLEASE either find a way to keep your animals or put in the work to find them a good home yourself, rescues should not be and are not fallback plans.

07/27/2024

Please check out Denises Rat Hammocks she makes AMAZING hammocks in cute fabrics and fun designs and VERY reasonable prices. Our rats particularly love the prisms and cubes.

07/25/2024

I don't normally post when we have to say goodbye to one of our rats but today we had to say, goodbye for now, to Ramona the Pest. She has a special place in our hearts because not only is she the naughtiest rat that we've ever had, but the mother to the only litter birthed in our rescue. She was a wonderful mother to 10 sweet babies that were all adopted but one of her son's was recently returned back to us, Blue, so her legacy at our rescue will live on through him. RIP Ramona. You were so loved and your pestiness will be so greatly missed. ♥️

07/22/2024

Happy Monday, love Odelie ♥️

07/21/2024

07/18/2024

For those in the Austin area, there is a new emergency clinic that sees exotics including rats. I don't have experience with them but did call and confirm with the director they have the ability to do emergency surgeries on rats. They do have a few locations and are 24/7.

VEG offers emergency vet services 24/7, even on holidays and weekends. Simply give us a call to talk with an emergency veterinarian!

07/17/2024

🤣🤣🤣🤣

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. RATS WEEKLY IS NO MORE. WE HAVE TAKEN OVER. EBONIE AND PHOEBE ARE LOCKED IN A BASEMENT AND ARE NOW OUR HUMAN SLAVES. LONG LIVE GUINEA PIG WHEEKLY.

07/16/2024

This!!!

Rather than thinking “what kind of cage do I want?” we should think “ what kind of enclosure is best for my pet?”
After all, that’s where they will spend most of their life…

Credit:

07/10/2024

Brittany, named after our friend Brittany at Vanguard Veterinary Clinic Redland, hopes everyone is staying safe through the storms🙏

07/07/2024

If you are being impacted by the hurricane and need somewhere for your rats to go please reach out and I'll see what we can do to assist. Whether supplies or temp housing for your rats.

07/06/2024

This! We're doing our best but just can't keep up. We do this as a community service because of our love of animals. We get no grants or funding. We sacrifice our finances, mental and physical health. Saying no isn't easy and it does keep us up at night but there just is no way we can save them all or help everyone. Compassion fatigue is real and debilitating.

Animal Rescue Reality Check

With all the compassion fatigue warnings, we would like to remind all rescuers (including ourselves) that it is okay to say no, it’s okay to shut your phone off, it’s okay to make a bad decision, it’s okay to fall asleep, it’s okay to leave the litter box until morning.

For people needing a rescuer, please make it as easy as possible. Do not ask for a miracle, do not blame if something goes wrong, do not expect your rescuer to do everything for you. Make an effort to help! Offer to help transport, offer to donate money or goods.

Rescuers have a hard time saying no, it eats them alive. They have a heart and mind that won’t stop thinking about a dying animal. An animal they could help if only they had the energy, If only they had the time, if only they had the money, if only someone would help.

Trust us, if you are asking a rescuer for help, that rescuer has at least 10 other people asking along with you in a given day. Along with running to pick up, drop off, go to vet appointments, save lives, bottle feed, deal with feeding, cleaning and medicating and answering messages- we all have families and full time jobs as we are unpaid volunteers.

We may sometimes choose what we do, but rescuers are who we are.

PLEASE BE KIND TO YOUR RESCUER!!

-Borrowed from Feral Cat Caregivers

07/02/2024

Crunch munch, love Paige ♥️

07/01/2024

These two are being tried for crimes of inappropriate phone use. They sent messages to another rescue of distress (auto responses) confusing all involved. If you do the crime, you must do the time! Calvin and Jaxon, GUILTY as charged🤦🏼‍♀️🤣 lock your phones and stay vigilant people. 🤣🤣🤣

06/28/2024

This!

Ebonie here! Or, as Phoebe calls me, the resident graphics lady. 🤣🤣🤣

Here at The Rat Chat we always aim to advise and support best practices. This graphic outlines why we should not be keeping lone rats as a rule, and some of the misconceptions surrounding why people sometimes believe their rats should be alone.

Hopefully it is helpful ❤️🐀