Central Texas Rat Rescue

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.

24/02/2025

Ok technically these guys came in right at the tail of last year, oh well. Adopted/Adoptions pending

24/02/2025

Permanent residents

24/02/2025

Sadly we kicked off the year losing permanent residents Rufus and Margo. RIP sweet ratties.

24/02/2025

Photo dump permanent residents

24/02/2025

Photo dump of permanent residents

15/02/2025

Happy Valentine's Day!

30/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12LQHoqpo8b/

🐾Trapping and relocating wildlife may seem like the most humane option when dealing with nuisance animals, however, it is not the most efficient way to address the problem and can often lead to other issues.

Here are some of the reasons that relocating is discouraged:

🦊Wild animals removed from their home territory have trouble adapting and often can’t survive in their new surroundings (although survival rates vary between different species)
🐿Babies left behind after a mother has been relocated are almost always orphaned and have little chance of survival without her
🦝Without parents to learn from, juveniles left behind are more likely to resort to nuisance behavior, like eating trash, to survive
🦨Moving one animal out just opens up space for another one to move in
🦫Relocated animals can introduce disease into their new environment

🐁Before attempting to trap a problem animal, please consider other ways to solve conflicts with wildlife. Humane hazing options work to encourage them to find more inviting and appropriate habitat. Playing a portable radio on a high volume, using bright and flashy lights, and placing apple cider vinegar-soaked rags near the nest or entry point is usually enough to encourage current critter residents to move on and discourage new ones from moving in! Once the whole family has moved out (double check for babies left behind), seal up the hole to prevent future problems.

💚For more resources on humane hazing techniques and wildlife proofing your home, visit our website linked below.

https://www.greenwoodwildlife.org/wildlife-emergency/solutions-for-wildlife-conflicts/

26/01/2025

Social media can really be a double-edged sword. While it can be invaluable in some ways, it has always been quite frustrating that our posts reach so few of our followers. Feeds are buried by ads/spam and AI, and endless bots and scammers plague many groups. In this political climate of misinformation and media suppression (among other issues), it becomes ever harder personally to want to use FB/Meta apps.

As of yet there doesn't appear to be a better solution for the rescue, though it fails more and more to deliver what we want/need. I'll try to post more frequent rescue news/updates moving forward, though maintaining social media is frankly a full-time job in itself (and not one I am particularly skilled with, let alone enjoy!)

I encourage those of you who don't want to miss our posts and updates (particularly when rats become available for adoption) to check back in to the page directly often. As always, email is the best way to reach us rather than FB messages or tagging. We often don't receive notifications and Meta is super glitchy through our "professional dashboard."

26/01/2025

Rescue update:

We're still here, doing our best to help ratties and the Texas rat community however we can. I (Kaia) had a rough and scary year with my personal health, and I have had to come to terms with the facts that I must better prioritize myself and my own well-being. Thus, while the rescue will remain operating for now, by necessity we will remain limited on what services we can offer and when/where/how we can assist.

I often joke that rescue is like the mafia; you can never really get out. I will still strive to help my fellow rat lovers every day, both in my day job as a veterinary technician and through CTRR. However, my personal limits are not what they once were (hey, none of us are getting any younger), and the challenges animal advocates and caretakers face seem to grow larger every year. This has certainly taken its toll and I cannot ignore that.

There are many crises out there right now in the world, and not least of all are those in the animal welfare sphere. Compassion fatigue and burnout are painful and damaging realities. Rescues are closing left and right, shelters are strained, veterinarians/veterinary staff and animal care professionals are quitting (or worse), costs are ever increasing. More than ever, we all need to come together to support each other and uphold a culture of responsible pet care and kindness, respect, and community with each other.

I urge everyone to research carefully before obtaining pets, be mindful about obtaining them from responsible, ethical sources (and thus not supporting inhumane and irresponsible practices), to continue to seek new information from a variety of sources (we should always be learning more and striving to improve, and critically evaluating what is out there), and to be kind when educating others and considerate when asking for help. Strive to care for your pets and their health and happiness to the best of your ability for their lives (including providing medical care and humane euthanasia when suffering is imminent); problem solve to keep your pets whenever possible, and rehome them responsibly and carefully if you cannot (surrendering to rescues and shelters should generally be a last resort). You are your pets' best advocate and they depend on you.

I certainly don't have the answers (I sure wish I did!), but hope those who read all this can take my ineloquent ramblings here to heart in some way. I appreciate each and every one of you who has supported me/CTRR (and previously HVRR). Keep warm and safe out there.

05/01/2025

Please donate if you are able, and spread the message that abandoning domestic animals outside is unacceptable animal cruelty.

01/01/2025

16/12/2024

Great picture of CTRR alumni Mini Muffin and Crystal Pepsi. ❤️ Love getting happy followups!