Central Texas Rat Rescue

19/04/2025

Response time for non-emergencies will be delayed for awhile. This year has been challenging so far to say the least, and I desperately need a break. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

19/04/2025

This baby rattie was found outside lying on the concrete by the side of a pool at an apartment complex. She was brought to us by the kind people who found her, but she was in a bad way and died on the way to the vet.

STOP DUMPING DOMESTIC ANIMALS OUTSIDE. I'm REALLY sick and tired of watching babies die.

RIP, little girl. I'm so sorry.

04/04/2025

Happy World Rat Day!

02/04/2025

TRANSPORTATION NEEDED

Transport needed for a hormonally aggressive solo rat from Live Oak (San Antonio) to rescue (Pflugerville) as owner says cannot neuter. Can anyone help?

30/03/2025

In typical "one thing after another" fashion, after living peacefully for almost a month, neutered hairless duo Travis and Wesley got into a fight at their foster home and Wesley got the worst of it. He's doing ok after getting patched up last night, but sadly now the boys will remain separated from each other, as this is their second incident (first was before being neutered).

Unfortunately with hairless rats, even what otherwise could be minor squabbling can be dangerous due to lack of protection from fur (one of many reasons we do not believe hairless rats should be intentionally produced). I'll eventually (carefully) try matching each of them up with females or possibly younger furred boys. They are not available for adoption until I have them safely integrated with other rats.

28/03/2025

Unfortunately Annie (baby rat) took another downturn today and she'd had enough. Rest in peace, sweet girl. I'm so sorry. We tried so hard.

Please don't dump domestic animals outside. They suffer. So do people who try to help them when they can't.

28/03/2025

Our little rescued baby rat girl took a bad turn in the wee hours of the morning, suffering acute respiratory distress. :( Emergency/after hours care for pet rats is all too often difficult to access, so we are beyond grateful to VEG ER for Pets in Cedar Park for being willing to see her, and for not only providing treatment, but with kindness and respect as well.

Thanks to their efforts, after being stabilized with oxygen therapy, nebulizer treatments, and medications, Baby Rat improved enough to be transferred to our regular hospital once they opened. Shortly after arriving, she actually ate well on her own for the first time and was able to come off oxygen support. Yay!

It's been a heck of a rollercoaster, and unfortunately she's not out of the woods yet. We are encouraged by her improvement today, but also cognizant of all the considerations that go into a case like this, with the necessity of assessing quality of life and balancing limited resources appropriately. It isn't an easy task, but something we take seriously.

Thank you SO much to those of you who have donated to her care, it is so very appreciated. ❤️

Now to get some MUCH needed sleep and hope I come up with a better name than "Baby Rat" tomorrow.

26/03/2025

Late Sunday night we received an urgent request for assistance with a baby pet rat found loose outside an apartment complex. We quickly mobilized to pick her up from the kind person who found her. Unfortunately, she is in critical condition. :(

It is unclear exactly what happened to her - she may have possibly suffered head trauma or had her head/neck caught causing cervical swelling and ataxia. She may have sustained injuries from the finder's dog, though her radiographs were inconclusive. She also is sick with a respiratory infection to boot.

Little rattie requires a great deal of supportive care including several meds, sq fluids, nebulizer therapy, and hand feeding as she is currently not eating on her own (adding on a considerable risk of aspiration). Euthanasia remains a strong possibility, unfortunately, if she does not improve or quality of life is too impacted.

If anyone is able to contribute toward her care costs, it is greatly appreciated. Donations are tax deductible and can be made through PayPal/credit card or venmo (see comments for links) or directly to our veterinary clinic (Whitestone Animal Hospital in Cedar Park).

As always whenever this happens we urge people to NEVER "set free" domestic animals. They cannot survive and only the very lucky ones are rescued... And sadly, sometimes rescue may come too late.

24/03/2025

Fostering saves lives! We cannot take in rats unless quarantine space is available!

CTRR needs *currently rodentless* (but ideally rat experienced!) foster homes for quarantine purposes for incoming rats (usually a few weeks commitment). Housing, supplies, and vet costs provided. Fosters must be relatively local and able to provide transport to/from the rescue main location in Pflugerville. Can anyone help?

09/03/2025

Big thanks to Gwen's Managed Mischief Rat Rescue & Refuge for taking this fearful and bitey fellow, Calzone, after we quarantined and neutered him to continue to work with his issues. In turn, we took in two boys from them to help them with space constraints. (Those guys are friendly but were having issues getting along so were taking up two cages.)

Working together allows us to help each other out as needed and better make use of our individual strengths and weaknesses (which are often situationally dependent on various factors). ❤️

08/03/2025

03/03/2025

A HUGE thank you to Mia G. for sending us these amazing items from our Amazon wishlist! Also, GIANT thanks to Lexi M. for choosing to donate her birthday money to CTRR!

We really appreciate such kindness and generosity and the support for our ratties and what we do. ❤️

27/02/2025

Adoption pending

25/02/2025

Before and after. Check your ratties frequently for parasites, folks! They can easily come in on bedding or litter, or be brought in by new rats (particularly those from less than ideal sources).

25/02/2025

Su was adopted to a repeat adopter tonight! Hooray! My favorite thing 💜

24/02/2025

Su progress pics. She has been spayed and that abscess surgically dealt with and is doing well. Unfortunately we don't know how old she is, but suspect she is an older girl. This super sweet girl needs a new home joining at least one other rat.

24/02/2025

Su, full name Susuwatari (after the soot sprites in My Neighbor Totoro), came to us earlier this year in rough shape after being supposedly found outside. She was absolutely covered in lice and had a nasty abscess. We've been hard at work getting Su back to health, and she is doing much better now, thankfully.

24/02/2025

This little guy was found abandoned outside at an apartment complex in the bitter cold and luckily rescued and brought to us early this year. He was very skinny and scared, but is doing much better now and has buddies. Adoption pending.