I didn't realize until yesterday that it was going to hit 100*+ here this week for a couple days. A couple years ago another owner actually lost her rats due to the heat that was in her home. This is why I wanted to give you a couple ideas on how to keep your furbabies cool during the intense heat. 

First and foremost you have to make sure what ever you use to help keep them cool will not be toxic or a danger to them in any way. 

What we do:

•  I fully expect my husband to come home and question me as to why we have a half of dozen glass jars 3/4 full of water in the freezer. My reasoning is, even though we have a couple window units in our home, a malfunction could occur, or there could even be a  power failure. I choose glass because I stick them in the cage and do not want my chewers to cause a flooded mess. If my a.c. doesn't work well enough on the triple digit days, I will put a couple of them in the cages on different levels so the ratties can snuggle up if they are too hot. (Make sure to leave a few inches from the top of the jars when filling with water, I also leave the lids off the jars until I take them out of freezer to be extra safe - water expands when frozen)
• We also have several marble tiles for the rats to lay on (or rather puddle on like they have melted) These I can rotate in the freezer as well. Though the marble is the same temp as the surrounding air it does feel cooler to the rats because it is more efficient at absorbing their body heat.  Pulling them out of freezer/fridge will give them the quick option to cool off even more. 
• Freezing peas, fruit and other goodies into ice chunks for the rats to chew and eventually splash in to stay cool. It is pretty funny watching a rat pull an ice cube out of bowl and drag it up to their hammock to chew and cool off. 
• We have also misted their tails with cool water to help keep them cool. 

Signs of heatstroke in small animals

To begin with, rats cannot sweat nor do they pant to release heat. They actually use their tails as a thermal-regulator. Here is a great link that talks about how that works. The rats will begin to show signs of being too hot at around 80*+ This is when they start to lay flat on the shelves spreading out to help cool themselves. At above 90* the rats will be extremely uncomfortable and will need you to provide extra cooling relief.  If your home hits above 104* the rats could actually die from the heat.  These are in the case of a healthy rat. If you have a rat that is older, obese or struggling with URIs they will be even more sensitive to the temperature fluctuations. 


Things to look for:

• Puddle Rat - This really needs a visual but I do not have one. If you have ever seen a rat melt onto a surface you will know what I mean by Puddle Rat. This is when they lay on a flat surface, spreading out all of their body trying to get cool. 
• General lethargy and slow movements - Our rats are all over the place normally. Like us, when they get hot, they really do not want to move around. This is the first warning sign that your rats may be getting overheated.
• Stop eating and/or begin drinking excessive amounts of water - Like us, as they overheat they will crave fluids at first. 
• Their Tail, Nose or Ears become hot. I have only read this. I have not experienced this. Make sense to me those will become hot in the event the rat is becoming overheated. 

A rat's condition can turn quickly. If your rat actually goes unconscious from heat stroke, this is considered an EMERGENCY, your rat can die! You will need to immediately cool it off and call your vet for EMERGENCY help. To cool it off,  I have read first thing to do is to immerse the rat up to its neck in cool water (NOT ICE). Do not submerge it's head.  

I hope NO ONE has go through this, which is why I am also including a few links and other ideas I have seen online to help keep the rats cool! 

Other suggestions we have seen in facebook groups/ or online

*Keep your rats on the lower levels of your home*
This goes almost without saying. However, the lady I mentioned above had her rats in the upper story of her home. If it is too hot for you it is WAY too hot for them! 

*Fans are great but do not blow them directly on the rats cage*
Rats have very sensitive respiratory systems, the constant air on them may dry out their nasal passages and/or stir up excessive debris in their cage that can get into their lungs. 

*Make a rat air conditioner over a shelf or hammock (According to several people this works well)*
Ice Packs (if above the cage out of their reach)
IF doing this on a shelf in the cage make sure to use glass jar of frozen water
A smaller mixing bowl  or small plate
A larger mixing bowl
~~~~~~
Put ice container in small bowl/or small plate
Set small bowl over cage (or on shelf) where there is a hammock below it.
Place the larger bowl upside down over the smaller bowl/plate. This allows the cool air trapped in the larger bowl to flow down to the hammock directly beneath it. 

*A link to make your own A.C. for around $8.00*

*Cover your cage with towels and keep them wet (warning they will get chewed and pulled in)*

Hope this all gives you some ideas on how to keep your furbabies cool! 
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I had no idea July 22nd was Rat Rescuers' Day!! 

I received this a link to an article, This Animal Rights Activist Reminds Us That Rats Need Rescuing Too Basically it is a write up about someone that has worked and adopted lab rats. From reading the article, I do feel compelled to mention that I would not pay to rescue a feeder from a feeder breeder/pet store and consider them a rescue. In the life of that one rat you are rescuing them from a fate that is rather sad (I also understand that all creatures need to eat) but you are also lining the pockets of the store/feeder breeder to just supply more feeders that will have that same fate.


The one thing that upsets me, as a rat mama, is seeing all these posts on facebook with tiny 2-4 week old babies that people pull from the bins. These babies need to stay with their mamas to get the proper nutrition and mental development that happens within  the  first 5 weeks. Do not buy babies younger than 5 weeks, it will hurt them in the long run.   Here at our rattery, I do not like for our babies to leave until 6-8 weeks. We had a family emergency and needed to let a few go at 5.5 weeks but I felt so terrible not sticking to my own guidelines. Knowing they were all healthy and VERY close to our 6 week mark made me feel a bit better but still wanting them to have as much time as possible with the rest of our mischief to learn how to behave from the adults.  All the time babies can get, learning how to be proper ratties from more mature rats the better. Being at least 125 grams at 6 weeks will give their overall system a bit more protection from the stress a new home can cause them.  Right now I have 2 girls snuggled up in my neck wrap waiting for their adopter to show up, they are 194 grams at 6 weeks! They will have a GREAT start in their furever home!

Now back to Rat Rescuers' Day! If you are local to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia there are some great places to adopt/rescue ratties.

Oregon

•  The Oregon Humane Society 

Washington

• Best Friend Rodent Rescue

British Columbia

• Pitter Patter Rescue Society 
• Small Animal Rescue Society of BC

If you are interested in adopting Lab rats please keep in mind many do have serious issues due to their treatment and the testing they had to undergo. Also, unlike rats you can get from a rescue/or breeder these rats also do not have the same immunities. Think of a child starting preschool or kindergarten. Their poor systems are hit hard by the multiple viruses they are exposed to. Quarantine is not an option it is a MUST! You do not want them to join your mischief only to become ill from a nasty virus.  

So often we get applications where they say, "Not looking for a certain color or type of pattern but NO PINK or RED EYES!" Everyone is entitled to their preferences. It is just a shame how many miss out on some amazing rats because of this.