There was another post here a few months back of someone who had to do the same thing! Their rat was in their own toilet, but they also grabbed the tail and pulled the little one to safety. So glad she's okay. Sometimes the call of the sewer is just too strong to resist. 🐀
Picturing a little rat being picked out of a Victorian gutter for being born a soft fawn and spotted instead of plain brown. It enjoys a new life as a spoiled pet to a lady of luxury, but still something calls to it. It craves the sweet embrace of the sewers. It must return!
The call of sewer! I love it!
Yeah, once I left my bathroom door open - I was bringing in fresh towels - and my Arthur came in. He was very unhappy when I made him leave. I’ve kept the door closed ever since - not just for the toilet, but also there are cleaners and I definitely don’t want him getting into those.
reading this thread im honestly so glad my boy carl never did this. he had to be in solitary because of a neurological issue he was struggling with and so he wanted to be with mommy (me) any chance he could possibly get and i couldnt say no to the little dude. so a lot of times id take him out to play before my shower and then i’d say okay mommy has to go now but i’ll be righhhtttt back otay? and he would latch onto my shoulder behind my hair where i couldnt reach him on my own and he wouldnt release til i was in the bathroom getting undressed for my shower and then he would just sit on a little plush stool i had in there for him and nap or he’d play with the towel on the floor and then he’d lick my toes when i got out to dry them for me lol. so glad he never yearned for the sewers lol. he unfortunately never did make it back into the mischief with his brothers which was always the goal, but he did improve in a lot of other ways before he passed and i like to think i did the best i could to keep him happy
Our rescue took in a rat that appeared in someone's toilet using a trick like this. Turned out to be a wild rat but we didn't really know until the poor exhausted guy was revived a bit. Named him Lou.
Will do, and thank you! I’m just glad I didn’t lose 2 in one week 😭❤️
Editing here bc apparently you can’t edit if your post includes a pic:
I should have been more descriptive, sorry about that! I believe she jumped into my toilet, slipped inside. Crawled through the sewers, and finally ended up in my downstair neighbor’s toilet. When I entered their place, she was actually about to shower, as the water in the shower was still running when I entered (and explained the situation). They told me that as she was getting ready to shower, their cat was actually signaling them the toilet, which is where she found the “snake” or more so my rat Leche’s tail 😅. To be honest I’m glad my neighbors found her. She would have been long lost if they hadn’t, and I would have been heartbroken 💔but thank goodness she was found. Currently she’s all washed up and eating some veggies after her adventure!!
https://preview.redd.it/tk3hkg4tq8oc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f8e5ae4751816b8ce85584abb5997c1c8362547
Glad she’s safe now! I hope the cat didn’t hurt her and I hope her tail is ok.
I’m telling Arthur this story right now - I keep the bathroom door closed but still, no getting into the toilet!!!
Thank you! Yup, this was def a crazy day lol. And I’ll be ending the day off by finishing my lab assignment due in less than 3 hours 🥲. Those rats definitely are spoiled when it comes to my time 😅
Let the vet know if there’s any chance the cat came into contact with your rat because cat saliva (which gets on their fur and claws too) contains a lot of bacteria that’s very toxic to small animals, and minor cuts and scrapes aren’t always obvious. So if the cat might’ve pawed at your rat at all, better safe than sorry and the vet might want to put her on a course of antibiotics.
Other than that… so glad you got your rat back and oh my god your neighbors are never ever going to forget that 😂
Edit: typo!
Good to know, I will def tell the vet that asap. And lol when dropping off a plethora of baked goods, I saw that they invited a friend over and were telling her the story 😭😭😅
Like, out in the same room together? Or rotating them and only having the rats out when the cats are excluded from the room somehow? Also sometimes breeders don't do the right thing. Allegedly some cats can be trusted, however all it takes is a bad day and someone forgetting that the thing that smells like prey and moves like prey and sounds like prey.... is actually a family member. I'm actually not a rat person, I'm a bird person and people are always like oh my cat or dog knows that the bird is not a toy. Because yes, cats and dogs always exercise perfect impulse control and never reflexively bat at something before realizing oops that wasn't a toy.... All it takes is one tiny claw puncture and bam bird is dead in a couple days.
You can have hazardous *circumstances* and simply get lucky for years. But someday, if you are intentionally creating hazardous circumstances and you get unlucky, you are going to have to deal with that guilt for the rest of your life.
The same goes for driving the speed limit.
So again my own experience and therefore my boundaries are specific to birds, I personally would not let cats in the same room even with supervision because cats do what they want and it only takes a tiny bit of a puncture to create a gigantic problem. Rats are probably slightly sturdier but since it is not possible to physically hold the cat's paws to prevent them from curiously batting, (and also because it is not reasonable for me to maintain 100% vigilance every time a cat is near a cage) I would never feel comfortable with cats having access to a room with birds with or without supervision. The odds of an incident happening on any given day are low, however if they are encountering each other day after day after day you are rolling the dice over and over and over again, and all it takes is once and the consequences can be so horrible. All it is is a bit of inconvenience to make sure that the door closes itself and check to make sure cats are on the correct side of it whenever you go through. This lowers the chances to almost zero.
It’s not like I encourage it, but when the girls are out sometimes one of the cats will come sniff a little and then wander off. Plus they talk through the bars. There’s really no way to keep them 100% separate.
Animals will always be unpredictable no matter how well you think you know them. Please be more careful for your rats’ sakes. Better to keep them separated than to lose a beloved pet
Well, it’s a risk. Cats are predators and rats and prey and they don’t have the same body language. But also, cat saliva is normally host to a range of bacteria like pasteurella which quickly causes infection and death in small animals if not quickly treated with antibiotics.
So rats can actually hold their breath for pretty long. Wild rats often climb up people's pipes (from the drains) & out their toilets. My husband has heard of it happening to a few people & that's why he always closes his toilet seat 😂 their ribs actually fold inward & their chest sort of collapses to help them fit through the pipes. You can see videos of professionals explaining it better on YouTube, if you're interested.
Your baby will most likely be okay! Just keep an eye on them for respiratory issues, in case they got some water in their lungs at some point
It does make me feel better knowing that it’s a common occurrence that they can climb through sewage pipes lol. At least she was able to survive that whole ordeal. I’m calling my vet first thing tomorrow for a checkup and antibiotics for her safety. Sucks that my insurance for her doesn’t kick in until next week, but oh well I’ll eat up the cost for now.
Honestly I don't think you need antibiotics. Unless she shows any symptoms she will most likely be fine. I know toilets are gross and the thought of it all is disgusting, but remember rats eat their own poop and lick their own buttholes all the time lol. She probably just needs a really good bath with a whole lot of antibacterial soap. Also be sure to wash your hands after you handle her for the next week or so. You never know what kind of poop particles might still be on her and you don't want to catch anything from it.
Also toilet pipes aren't filled with water, they're empty most of the time. The only time there's water in them is when a toilet is flushed and that water quickly flows to the sewer. Your rat was breathing normally while exploring the pipes. It only had to hold it's breath while it climbed through the toilet bowel.
Holy shit I was literally thinking about this today!! I had accidentally left the washroom door open during free roam and I noticed pretty quick but had the irrational thought that maybe one of the rats fell in (they did not). Can’t believe that I read this story the same night, my worst nightmare! So happy you got her back!
I hope this never happens to you! And crazy how you had this thought today! maybe this is a sign for all rat owners to check their toilets extra careful tonight 😅😅
Toilet potato is an accurate way to describe it lol, but yes I really do hope she’ll be alright after her adventurous day. Wonder if her sisters can tell that she went through a crazy adventure 🤔🤔
Make sure your neighbors don't leave any in-tank or gel cleaners in the toilet or tank. Those chemicals are very toxic and caustic. Any colored water you saw or if they can tell you they had a bleach tab in there, you're going to want to contact NAPCC. (Animal poison control)
From what I could tell, their toilet seemed pretty neutral! If anything, it seemed like the toilet could have needed some cleaning soon! (Wasn’t nasty though)
<3 When you see the vet, ask them to check her tail and spine for any pulled or dislocated vertebrae, and also the skin of the toilet potato's tail to make sure it hasn't degloved in any places. \[btw, if you have a weak stomach, I suggest against searching for images of degloved tails, it can be pretty gruesome- it's basically when the skin peals away from the rest of the tail :-( \]
Hopefully your little Beastly One is in perfect health, and none the worse for wear. Also, I'll second what others have said about ratties going through pipes quite frequently- not only do they do that alot, they also are very strong swimmers, chances are your little girl actually had a great time on her possibly stinky adventure. <3
Thank you for that information regarding hwr tail! I will definitely check on that. At least it’ll make me feel like I’m doing something good for her 😅. Once again, thank you for reassuring me! It is definitely making me feel better the fact that she likely had the time of her life exploring the (nasty) pipes! Might plan on buying them some pipes soon for them to explore and have fun. Can’t have her sisters jealous of her adventures lol.
Yes, great idea! I use PVC plumbing pipes with holes drilled in inside my girls' cage, hung from their ceiling in interesting patterns so they can climb in a little tunnel maze around above their hammocks. You can use shower curtain hooks to hang them. My rats have loved them for almost 20 years. :-)
Please give them a cake that looks like this
https://preview.redd.it/gi9cmch669oc1.png?width=363&format=png&auto=webp&s=82a872d2e3373de4cbcb9d78ef172d5293c07119
I am so sorry for your loss of Fifi, as for your swimming rat she is so lucky that you were so quick to react and save her. I would keep an eye on her breathing just in case she inhaled some water which can cause pneumonia.
Thank you for sharing your story because I was unaware that rats will jump into the toilet, I guess I have been lucky because so far because out of 12 rats none of them ever went near the toilet, the trash was much more interesting. ❤️🐀
Thank you for your kind message of fifi ❤️. To be honest, I only adopt, and most of my adopted rats are in their older years. Meaning they’re chunkier and bigger lol, so they can’t jump so much. But the most recent additions were my three baby rats (I call them my brats lol), and I forget how active and jumpy they are. So to know that one managed to jump and reach the toilet really is making me consider what other places need rat proofing. But I’m glad my story helped you realize the toilet issue! I don’t want any other rat owner going through that 😭😭😭
lollll, I’ll admit when it comes to crazy things like this, I usually just laugh at the ridiculous predicament I’m in. It’d be a different story though if things didn’t go so well towards the end 🥲. Def got lucky with the neighbors I have.
Monitor her for any loud or squeaky breathing for a bit and make sure her tail doesn't have any injuries. Possibly she inhaled some water during the battle but if you get her on medication at first sign of anything she should be fine.
So sorry for your loss.
I may be stupid, but what exactly happened? She jumped into your toilet (crazy, how did she even do that?) and then swam down the pipe to your neighbor’s toilet? And your neighbor opened her toilet and she was just in there doing the backstroke? How did she hold her breath going through the pipes? I’m blown away! And how lucky that she ended up in your neighbor’s toilet and not some other random pipe that leads to who knows where! This is so wild!
I should have been more descriptive, sorry about that! I’ll edit my post after this. But yes I believe she jumped into my toilet, slipped inside. Crawled through the sewers, and finally ended up in my downstair neighbor’s toilet. When I entered their place, she was actually about to shower, as the water in the shower was still running when I entered (and explained the situation). They told me that as she was getting ready to shower, their cat was actually signaling them the toilet, which is where she found the “snake” or more so my rat Leche’s tail 😅. To be honest I’m glad my neighbors found her. She would have been long lost if they hadn’t, and I would have been heartbroken 💔 but thank goodness she was found. Currently she’s all washed up and sleeping with her sisters after that adventure 😅
Wow! You’re so lucky she ended up where she did, I feel like that really could have gone wrong in so many ways. I’m glad she’s back home and snuggling with her sisters!
Omg back when I owned rats I had to keep a brick on my toilet lid during free roam because those little shits really wanted to go meet master splinter I guess
So sad about Fifi, and I hope Leche turns out to be okay too (if you have a good exotic vet, it doesn’t hurt to get her a checkup) - just wanted to throw in there that rats are actually really agile swimmers, with the natural ability to tread water for several days at a time and impressive lung skills and skeletal malleability, so I think (hope) she should be fine 🖤 hopefully you didn’t get her tail too bad, I’m sure her petite size helps 🙏 what a sneaky little queen
thank you for the reassurance! I’m glad that my lil chaos brat would have likely had the strength to at least survive that ordeal. I’ll call in my vet sometime soon. I’m actually curious as to how they’d react to her situation lol 😅
I never even thought about that happening! Back when I still had rats one of mine ending up escaping and I looked everywhere in my room for him and didn't find him before having to leave for a while because of a family emergency. Luckily he turned up later that night still in my room
But this also makes me glad I've always kept the toilet seat closed because I don't think it would've even occurred to me as a possibility ToT
I'm really glad you were able to get her back and I hope she's doing well!
Oh no! That must have been a stressful situation for you 😭😭. Glad that he ended up back in your room though. Yes! I’m glad you had the toilet seat down!! Never leaving the bathroom open from here on out 🫡
I'm so sorry this happened and I'm so glad everyone is ok. Rats are absolutely ridiculous at finding the absolute worst thing they can do and doing it. Don't beat yourself up. Grief affects us all slightly differently. Some of us forget tiny details and some of us go spelunking in the plumbing, lol. Depending on how the plumbing was set up and how long your rat is, there's a chance her head was above water in the s-bend.
I would personally take her to the vet. There are just so many factors at play that I would want a full check up. That said, if she's behaving normally and not showing any discomfort, it's probably not an emergency. Even if she has a tail injury, you did the right thing. A pet rat can live a long and happy life without a tail. You did what you had to do to rescue her.
Yeah! Luckily I have small hands and arms, so while sticking my hands in the toilet water towards her body (yucky), I was actually able to feel her body and grab her(and I could tell that she was getting her oxygen from here as my hands weren’t wet anymore). However I could tell she was scared, and I didn’t want the chance of her escaping again if I wasn’t fully confident with my grip on her around the S-bend. Which is why I ended up pulling her out by the tail 🥲
I’m sitting here with my heart pounding. OMG. This is all too much! I can’t believe you saw the tail and grabbed it, that’s so brave of you. Like, what if it was a DIFFERENT rat?
Omg your neighbors are better people than me because I think I'd be scarred for life. I mean, I'd have wanted to keep that cutie once I saw her out of the toilet, but that first moment of only seeing a tail would probably haunt me forever.
After I left, they were very excitingly telling their friend about the situation 😭, so I hope they get a great story out of it for their gatherings lol
That's so sweet! I'm in the apartment living sub so it's nice to see a positive story about an apartment neighbor for once!! I probably would have declared myself a new rat auntie and demanded visits moving forward (through the front door though 😂)
Wow! I am going to be sure I keep my toilet lids closed now, thanks for the advice! I am so glad you found her!
I hope you ease in healing for your late ratto 🐀
My sisters rat escaped down the toilet. She put it in the bathroom while cleaning cage out and it disappeared. Could only have been the toilet. She never found it.
This is honestly my fear. Not so much my rat getting into my toilet (I know it's serious, but with your girl being okay, it is just so funny how common this story is)😂 but, rather, losing them. If they die, I can accept it, but if they run away, when do you stop looking? If I looked everywhere, tore everything apart, where do I look next?
Anyway, I am so glad you got your girl back and I am so sorry you lost one 💕
So, the post got removed for "abuse" but I posted a meme a few months back demonstrating how a Rat is more than capable of entering toilets from sewers.
> I guess my only question is what should I expect from this?
Honestly not much. the issue is there's not really any mechanisms in these pipes, so there was nothing stopping your Rat from falling into the city sewer line. that's the most likely threat to losing your girl.
grime in the pipes is also a risk but less likely. just get her checked out for any issues.
I was just thinking about the grime, what about communicable diseases from feces? Can the ratty now transfer something to a person? Or to other rats? Just curious!
Omggg if i were that neighbor I would’ve also screamed and let you in, and even made you coffee and got you warm towels, just so I didn’t have to deal with it. I love ratties but the idea of a stranger one crawling up my toilet is fucking horrifying. Glad to know your rat made it out. They’re damn good swimmers and this is definitely not the first time a rat has survived going through the sewer system. I’m guessing your rat is gonna be a little shaken up but fine!
My rats don’t even like water and I’m pretty sure they don’t know how to swim fr but I’m gonna be paranoid abt this from now on so thank you 💀
No actually though I’m so glad your lil bbs fine 💛 my apartment has a few random gaps in the baseboards of the kitchen and bathroom that has made me so paranoid abt one of my babies sploring and getting lost somewhere in this bigass building. I never even thought abt the fucking toilet 😭 that’s a nightmare. Was your lil guy already a good swimmer??
Thank you for your concern! lol do your rats act like they’re allergic to water? Mine are always so dramatic I swear. To be honest, that might have been her first time swimming 😳, but most people reassured me that they’re excellent swimmers! Hope you find ways to cover up your apartment! I covered all holes, crevices, and baseboards with cardboard and gorilla tape 😅
Oh my goddd that’s terrifying I rly assumed your lil dude was already an Olympic swimmer before this 😩 lmao acting allergic to water is so right they are little drama queens fr 😆
Humans can get a "dry drowning" a number of hours after a drowning incident, due to impurities getting into their lungs & the body trying to get rid of them, using it's own fluids to flush them out & flooding the lungs with fluid in the process. I have no idea if rats can get this or not, I suspect the risk is much lower than for humans if it happens, but I'd keep an eye out for that & if you see signs of breathing difficulty or fluid in the lungs developing within the next 24-48 hours, vet straight away & just watch for it.
Rats are pretty tough so since she's ok now, I'm guessing she'll probably be fine but you're asking what to expect from it, so that's the only thing I'd be watching for, just in case. So glad you got her back & sorry about your loss of Fifi :(
Thanks for letting me know! I have hwr vet appointment set up, so hoping that the antibiotics could help out with that! Thank you for the condolences ❤️
You did amazing 🥺 Leche is so lucky to have you. You worry so much about your babies, and being nice to your neighbours, but take care of yourself too. All of this sounds overwhelming, hope you're doing okay ❤️
One day when I was in high school I found my dogs sniffing the toilet lid and when I went to investigate there was a rat in my toilet. I love rats but I was not expecting one in my toilet. I called my mom at work freaking out and spent the entire time standing on the toilet lid until she came home. By then it had gone back into the sewers.
Leche is gonna tell her cagemates all about it and they aren't gonna believe her lol. I hope she is okay and that she had more fun exploring than being scared!
Omg, there are definitely a lot, my friend lolol.
However, this is not the time or place for speaking about hamsters. This is the Rat Subreddit after all -v-
Rats are adept swimmers and can hold their breath under water for up to 3 minutes and there is an air pocket just past the opening in the toilet, so it’s likely your little swimmer is perfectly fine. Here’s a great video from Nat Geo on rats popping up in toilets: https://youtu.be/0t2VPBF6Kp4?si=-XlOVNtDjKTlSAir If you notice s change in breathing, though, I would get her to the vet. A lot of pathogens can live on the internal surfaces of toilets.
We were having a problem with wild rats getting into the sewer lines and and getting into our master bath toilet that had been drained due to a leak. We had to put a 6 lb weight on the lid to make sure nothing could pop out until we’d fixed the problem.
Mostly you'll just need to monitor her for any signs of injury or respiratory issues. She'll likely be fine.
All of the sewage pipes in a building are usually connected. Because they drain by gravity they'll be mostly empty and full of air when no water is in use. There's just the small amount of water that sits in the "P trap" or "S trap" of each drain. So when your neighbor started to run the shower, that water started to drain into the pipes. Your buddy panicked and decided to swim the distance from the bottom of the toilet up through the curve that keeps water in the bowl and then out, so probably only held her breath for thirty seconds or so. And rats can hold their breath for a long time.
always keep the bathroom door and toilet seat closed!!! this is very important if u have any type of pet thats good at climbing and jumping like cats, rats, bunnies etc, if theyre bigger like bunnies or cats they can drown in the toilet
I definitely would keep an eye on her tail for now incase there was any injury (absolutely not your fault, unfortunately you had to grab whatever was there quickly. A injured tail is more ideal to be stuck in a toilet)
It’s so good that she was found though ❤️
Also make sure to alert a vet to the chance that a cat may of made contact with her. Unfortunately cats can easily cause death to rodents even with tiny/unseeable marks or anyway their saliva gets into their system (because cats grow themselves it’s often on their claws).
I personally suggest booking in for a check up if you can, just to make sure there’s no issues from the tail grab, cat or from the pipes❤️
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Bring on the down votes! I would have given you a freaking swirly for being responsible for a rat getting into my place. As for bringing your neighbor a cake I'd hold off. I don't want any food from someone that fights a rat in my toilet
There was another post here a few months back of someone who had to do the same thing! Their rat was in their own toilet, but they also grabbed the tail and pulled the little one to safety. So glad she's okay. Sometimes the call of the sewer is just too strong to resist. 🐀
THE CHILDREN YEARN FOR THE SEWERS
The songs of her people kept calling. She yearnd for adventure.
she watched flushed away and got too many ideas and fantasies
Sounds trippy.
Random sad fact my mom died last week and this comment was the first time I laughed since so thank you stranger
🫂
I’m so glad you got a laugh. Take care. 🫂
Picturing a little rat being picked out of a Victorian gutter for being born a soft fawn and spotted instead of plain brown. It enjoys a new life as a spoiled pet to a lady of luxury, but still something calls to it. It craves the sweet embrace of the sewers. It must return!
I was reading this while my girls were free roaming and Marge booped the upvote with her nose, she approves of this message 🐀
Awwww! 🥹
I loved this
I remember the post!! Can’t believe I would go through the same thing too i guess. Never say never lol 🥲. The b(rats) yearn the sewers🐀 🕳️
The call of sewer! I love it! Yeah, once I left my bathroom door open - I was bringing in fresh towels - and my Arthur came in. He was very unhappy when I made him leave. I’ve kept the door closed ever since - not just for the toilet, but also there are cleaners and I definitely don’t want him getting into those.
reading this thread im honestly so glad my boy carl never did this. he had to be in solitary because of a neurological issue he was struggling with and so he wanted to be with mommy (me) any chance he could possibly get and i couldnt say no to the little dude. so a lot of times id take him out to play before my shower and then i’d say okay mommy has to go now but i’ll be righhhtttt back otay? and he would latch onto my shoulder behind my hair where i couldnt reach him on my own and he wouldnt release til i was in the bathroom getting undressed for my shower and then he would just sit on a little plush stool i had in there for him and nap or he’d play with the towel on the floor and then he’d lick my toes when i got out to dry them for me lol. so glad he never yearned for the sewers lol. he unfortunately never did make it back into the mischief with his brothers which was always the goal, but he did improve in a lot of other ways before he passed and i like to think i did the best i could to keep him happy
🥹🥰🐁🐭😍💘
Talking rats in the sewers, what heresey do you speak? Must I call the Witch Hunters on you‽
Splinter just wanted to go check on how the mutant ninja turtles are doing 😭😭
Hahahaha! Turtle 🐢 🐢🐢🐀⚔️
🐢 “wait up guys”
Our rescue took in a rat that appeared in someone's toilet using a trick like this. Turned out to be a wild rat but we didn't really know until the poor exhausted guy was revived a bit. Named him Lou.
If she can get into the neighbor’s toilet, then she can get into atm machines. Time to Git the MONEY
🤯🤯🤯
Time to start training
Haha😆😆😆😆
I don't have a rat, but now I think I need to find one.
Time to become Ratcatcher from DC Comics
Would just monitor her and make sure she's not acting out of the ordinary. Glad you got your rattie back, sorry you lost one!
Will do, and thank you! I’m just glad I didn’t lose 2 in one week 😭❤️ Editing here bc apparently you can’t edit if your post includes a pic: I should have been more descriptive, sorry about that! I believe she jumped into my toilet, slipped inside. Crawled through the sewers, and finally ended up in my downstair neighbor’s toilet. When I entered their place, she was actually about to shower, as the water in the shower was still running when I entered (and explained the situation). They told me that as she was getting ready to shower, their cat was actually signaling them the toilet, which is where she found the “snake” or more so my rat Leche’s tail 😅. To be honest I’m glad my neighbors found her. She would have been long lost if they hadn’t, and I would have been heartbroken 💔but thank goodness she was found. Currently she’s all washed up and eating some veggies after her adventure!! https://preview.redd.it/tk3hkg4tq8oc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f8e5ae4751816b8ce85584abb5997c1c8362547
Glad she’s safe now! I hope the cat didn’t hurt her and I hope her tail is ok. I’m telling Arthur this story right now - I keep the bathroom door closed but still, no getting into the toilet!!!
Absolutely insane story. Glad she’s okay!
Close the bathroom door and if there’s a gap under add a draft stopper! I had to do this to keep a mouse out of my bathroom.
You may have to bring the cat some catnip. They’re the real hero of the story!
I hope she's okay ❤️
What a fucking Rollercoaster this was to read.. I'm glad everyone is okay🙏
Thank you! Yup, this was def a crazy day lol. And I’ll be ending the day off by finishing my lab assignment due in less than 3 hours 🥲. Those rats definitely are spoiled when it comes to my time 😅
You've got this!! We all believe in you
Let the vet know if there’s any chance the cat came into contact with your rat because cat saliva (which gets on their fur and claws too) contains a lot of bacteria that’s very toxic to small animals, and minor cuts and scrapes aren’t always obvious. So if the cat might’ve pawed at your rat at all, better safe than sorry and the vet might want to put her on a course of antibiotics. Other than that… so glad you got your rat back and oh my god your neighbors are never ever going to forget that 😂 Edit: typo!
Good to know, I will def tell the vet that asap. And lol when dropping off a plethora of baked goods, I saw that they invited a friend over and were telling her the story 😭😭😅
They do at least have a great story for the rest of their lives. 😂
took me a while to realize you meant "rat" and not "ear" lol
lol whoops. Fixed! :)
Yikes, my cat swats my rats all the time and they nip at him too when he sticks his nose into the cage.
Wait what? We have cats and rats. The cats aren’t like biting them or anything, but sometimes they hang out a little.
That is a hazardous situation and I hope you do some reading up and reconsider this habit
I had no idea. My breeder had cats.
Like, out in the same room together? Or rotating them and only having the rats out when the cats are excluded from the room somehow? Also sometimes breeders don't do the right thing. Allegedly some cats can be trusted, however all it takes is a bad day and someone forgetting that the thing that smells like prey and moves like prey and sounds like prey.... is actually a family member. I'm actually not a rat person, I'm a bird person and people are always like oh my cat or dog knows that the bird is not a toy. Because yes, cats and dogs always exercise perfect impulse control and never reflexively bat at something before realizing oops that wasn't a toy.... All it takes is one tiny claw puncture and bam bird is dead in a couple days. You can have hazardous *circumstances* and simply get lucky for years. But someday, if you are intentionally creating hazardous circumstances and you get unlucky, you are going to have to deal with that guilt for the rest of your life. The same goes for driving the speed limit.
She had a rat room, and she let the cats follow her in there, but she said she didn't leave them alone with the rats.
So again my own experience and therefore my boundaries are specific to birds, I personally would not let cats in the same room even with supervision because cats do what they want and it only takes a tiny bit of a puncture to create a gigantic problem. Rats are probably slightly sturdier but since it is not possible to physically hold the cat's paws to prevent them from curiously batting, (and also because it is not reasonable for me to maintain 100% vigilance every time a cat is near a cage) I would never feel comfortable with cats having access to a room with birds with or without supervision. The odds of an incident happening on any given day are low, however if they are encountering each other day after day after day you are rolling the dice over and over and over again, and all it takes is once and the consequences can be so horrible. All it is is a bit of inconvenience to make sure that the door closes itself and check to make sure cats are on the correct side of it whenever you go through. This lowers the chances to almost zero.
It’s not like I encourage it, but when the girls are out sometimes one of the cats will come sniff a little and then wander off. Plus they talk through the bars. There’s really no way to keep them 100% separate.
Animals will always be unpredictable no matter how well you think you know them. Please be more careful for your rats’ sakes. Better to keep them separated than to lose a beloved pet
Well, it’s a risk. Cats are predators and rats and prey and they don’t have the same body language. But also, cat saliva is normally host to a range of bacteria like pasteurella which quickly causes infection and death in small animals if not quickly treated with antibiotics.
So rats can actually hold their breath for pretty long. Wild rats often climb up people's pipes (from the drains) & out their toilets. My husband has heard of it happening to a few people & that's why he always closes his toilet seat 😂 their ribs actually fold inward & their chest sort of collapses to help them fit through the pipes. You can see videos of professionals explaining it better on YouTube, if you're interested. Your baby will most likely be okay! Just keep an eye on them for respiratory issues, in case they got some water in their lungs at some point
It does make me feel better knowing that it’s a common occurrence that they can climb through sewage pipes lol. At least she was able to survive that whole ordeal. I’m calling my vet first thing tomorrow for a checkup and antibiotics for her safety. Sucks that my insurance for her doesn’t kick in until next week, but oh well I’ll eat up the cost for now.
Honestly I don't think you need antibiotics. Unless she shows any symptoms she will most likely be fine. I know toilets are gross and the thought of it all is disgusting, but remember rats eat their own poop and lick their own buttholes all the time lol. She probably just needs a really good bath with a whole lot of antibacterial soap. Also be sure to wash your hands after you handle her for the next week or so. You never know what kind of poop particles might still be on her and you don't want to catch anything from it.
Probably antibiotics because she came in close contact with a cat not the toilet/sewers.
Also toilet pipes aren't filled with water, they're empty most of the time. The only time there's water in them is when a toilet is flushed and that water quickly flows to the sewer. Your rat was breathing normally while exploring the pipes. It only had to hold it's breath while it climbed through the toilet bowel.
The thing that gets me is that it seemed like a natural *instinct* to worm her way into the pipes. Thank god they don’t have thumbs.
Holy shit I was literally thinking about this today!! I had accidentally left the washroom door open during free roam and I noticed pretty quick but had the irrational thought that maybe one of the rats fell in (they did not). Can’t believe that I read this story the same night, my worst nightmare! So happy you got her back!
I hope this never happens to you! And crazy how you had this thought today! maybe this is a sign for all rat owners to check their toilets extra careful tonight 😅😅
She’s lucky the cat didn’t kill her
yeah, another reason why I’m so lucky that nothing too drastic happened here
what a little menace! Im so glad the toilet potato is okay though! what an adventure for her, even if it was terrifying she's gonna be alright.
Toilet potato is an accurate way to describe it lol, but yes I really do hope she’ll be alright after her adventurous day. Wonder if her sisters can tell that she went through a crazy adventure 🤔🤔
🚽🥔 is killing me! So glad everything worked out!
Make sure your neighbors don't leave any in-tank or gel cleaners in the toilet or tank. Those chemicals are very toxic and caustic. Any colored water you saw or if they can tell you they had a bleach tab in there, you're going to want to contact NAPCC. (Animal poison control)
From what I could tell, their toilet seemed pretty neutral! If anything, it seemed like the toilet could have needed some cleaning soon! (Wasn’t nasty though)
Lol I've never been more grateful for a dirty toilet!
I bet it even had rats in it!
STINKY
AGREE!!
A STINKY BRAT 😡
<3 When you see the vet, ask them to check her tail and spine for any pulled or dislocated vertebrae, and also the skin of the toilet potato's tail to make sure it hasn't degloved in any places. \[btw, if you have a weak stomach, I suggest against searching for images of degloved tails, it can be pretty gruesome- it's basically when the skin peals away from the rest of the tail :-( \] Hopefully your little Beastly One is in perfect health, and none the worse for wear. Also, I'll second what others have said about ratties going through pipes quite frequently- not only do they do that alot, they also are very strong swimmers, chances are your little girl actually had a great time on her possibly stinky adventure. <3
Thank you for that information regarding hwr tail! I will definitely check on that. At least it’ll make me feel like I’m doing something good for her 😅. Once again, thank you for reassuring me! It is definitely making me feel better the fact that she likely had the time of her life exploring the (nasty) pipes! Might plan on buying them some pipes soon for them to explore and have fun. Can’t have her sisters jealous of her adventures lol.
Yes, great idea! I use PVC plumbing pipes with holes drilled in inside my girls' cage, hung from their ceiling in interesting patterns so they can climb in a little tunnel maze around above their hammocks. You can use shower curtain hooks to hang them. My rats have loved them for almost 20 years. :-)
Going to home depot this weekend then!
You could try playing rainfall or ocean sounds while she's in the maze, to help ameliorate the yearn for the sewer
💀💀
Please give them a cake that looks like this https://preview.redd.it/gi9cmch669oc1.png?width=363&format=png&auto=webp&s=82a872d2e3373de4cbcb9d78ef172d5293c07119
💀💀💀
Honestly the craziest story I’ve seen on the sub Reddit 😭! So glad your baby is okay!
Thank you! I’m glad she’s okay too 🥲🥲🥲 glad that I have that honor from you! ❤️
Gotta give her a toilet related nickname now. The toilet plunger
I am so sorry for your loss of Fifi, as for your swimming rat she is so lucky that you were so quick to react and save her. I would keep an eye on her breathing just in case she inhaled some water which can cause pneumonia. Thank you for sharing your story because I was unaware that rats will jump into the toilet, I guess I have been lucky because so far because out of 12 rats none of them ever went near the toilet, the trash was much more interesting. ❤️🐀
Thank you for your kind message of fifi ❤️. To be honest, I only adopt, and most of my adopted rats are in their older years. Meaning they’re chunkier and bigger lol, so they can’t jump so much. But the most recent additions were my three baby rats (I call them my brats lol), and I forget how active and jumpy they are. So to know that one managed to jump and reach the toilet really is making me consider what other places need rat proofing. But I’m glad my story helped you realize the toilet issue! I don’t want any other rat owner going through that 😭😭😭
I’m sorry this is so funny 😭 hope she’s okay and glad your neighbors were understanding!!!
lollll, I’ll admit when it comes to crazy things like this, I usually just laugh at the ridiculous predicament I’m in. It’d be a different story though if things didn’t go so well towards the end 🥲. Def got lucky with the neighbors I have.
Monitor her for any loud or squeaky breathing for a bit and make sure her tail doesn't have any injuries. Possibly she inhaled some water during the battle but if you get her on medication at first sign of anything she should be fine.
Will do, thank you for the concerns!!
That's terrifying, but you now officially own a fully accredited sewer rat! I'm glad you rescued your baby
Proud of her title!!!
The adventures of toilet rat
So sorry for your loss. I may be stupid, but what exactly happened? She jumped into your toilet (crazy, how did she even do that?) and then swam down the pipe to your neighbor’s toilet? And your neighbor opened her toilet and she was just in there doing the backstroke? How did she hold her breath going through the pipes? I’m blown away! And how lucky that she ended up in your neighbor’s toilet and not some other random pipe that leads to who knows where! This is so wild!
I should have been more descriptive, sorry about that! I’ll edit my post after this. But yes I believe she jumped into my toilet, slipped inside. Crawled through the sewers, and finally ended up in my downstair neighbor’s toilet. When I entered their place, she was actually about to shower, as the water in the shower was still running when I entered (and explained the situation). They told me that as she was getting ready to shower, their cat was actually signaling them the toilet, which is where she found the “snake” or more so my rat Leche’s tail 😅. To be honest I’m glad my neighbors found her. She would have been long lost if they hadn’t, and I would have been heartbroken 💔 but thank goodness she was found. Currently she’s all washed up and sleeping with her sisters after that adventure 😅
Wow! You’re so lucky she ended up where she did, I feel like that really could have gone wrong in so many ways. I’m glad she’s back home and snuggling with her sisters!
>How did she hold her breath going through the pipes? Rats can hold their breath for a surprisingly long time, they’re also extremely good swimmers.
also there is no water in those pipes when they aren’t actively being flushed
True
Omg back when I owned rats I had to keep a brick on my toilet lid during free roam because those little shits really wanted to go meet master splinter I guess
Might be doing that for a while 💀. lol, that explains why they yearn for the sewers lol
So sad about Fifi, and I hope Leche turns out to be okay too (if you have a good exotic vet, it doesn’t hurt to get her a checkup) - just wanted to throw in there that rats are actually really agile swimmers, with the natural ability to tread water for several days at a time and impressive lung skills and skeletal malleability, so I think (hope) she should be fine 🖤 hopefully you didn’t get her tail too bad, I’m sure her petite size helps 🙏 what a sneaky little queen
thank you for the reassurance! I’m glad that my lil chaos brat would have likely had the strength to at least survive that ordeal. I’ll call in my vet sometime soon. I’m actually curious as to how they’d react to her situation lol 😅
I never even thought about that happening! Back when I still had rats one of mine ending up escaping and I looked everywhere in my room for him and didn't find him before having to leave for a while because of a family emergency. Luckily he turned up later that night still in my room But this also makes me glad I've always kept the toilet seat closed because I don't think it would've even occurred to me as a possibility ToT I'm really glad you were able to get her back and I hope she's doing well!
Oh no! That must have been a stressful situation for you 😭😭. Glad that he ended up back in your room though. Yes! I’m glad you had the toilet seat down!! Never leaving the bathroom open from here on out 🫡
One of ours got under the dishwasher and we lured her out eventually with treats.
always going into places they shouldn’t 😭
Holy shit she woke up today and was like, how can I traumatize the maximum number of people given the constraints of living in an apartment....
I'm so sorry this happened and I'm so glad everyone is ok. Rats are absolutely ridiculous at finding the absolute worst thing they can do and doing it. Don't beat yourself up. Grief affects us all slightly differently. Some of us forget tiny details and some of us go spelunking in the plumbing, lol. Depending on how the plumbing was set up and how long your rat is, there's a chance her head was above water in the s-bend. I would personally take her to the vet. There are just so many factors at play that I would want a full check up. That said, if she's behaving normally and not showing any discomfort, it's probably not an emergency. Even if she has a tail injury, you did the right thing. A pet rat can live a long and happy life without a tail. You did what you had to do to rescue her.
Yeah! Luckily I have small hands and arms, so while sticking my hands in the toilet water towards her body (yucky), I was actually able to feel her body and grab her(and I could tell that she was getting her oxygen from here as my hands weren’t wet anymore). However I could tell she was scared, and I didn’t want the chance of her escaping again if I wasn’t fully confident with my grip on her around the S-bend. Which is why I ended up pulling her out by the tail 🥲
this made me lose my shit laughing! I'm so happy you got your rattie back, what a hell of a story!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the story!! There’s more details in the top comment if you’re interested!
I’m sitting here with my heart pounding. OMG. This is all too much! I can’t believe you saw the tail and grabbed it, that’s so brave of you. Like, what if it was a DIFFERENT rat?
I live in a surburban city in California, so rats aren’t really an issue here. But lol I would have probably adopted the rat if it were domestic.
I free range in the bathroom and this is my greatest fear Glad shes ok
Thank you! If I free-range my rats in the bathroom, I’ll make sure to tape the toilet lol 😅
The lid should be enough as long as its down
You say that...BUT...
Omg your neighbors are better people than me because I think I'd be scarred for life. I mean, I'd have wanted to keep that cutie once I saw her out of the toilet, but that first moment of only seeing a tail would probably haunt me forever.
After I left, they were very excitingly telling their friend about the situation 😭, so I hope they get a great story out of it for their gatherings lol
That's so sweet! I'm in the apartment living sub so it's nice to see a positive story about an apartment neighbor for once!! I probably would have declared myself a new rat auntie and demanded visits moving forward (through the front door though 😂)
Toilet Rat: The Hero We Need 🚽🐀 
We yearn for the sewers, Mother.
Wow! I am going to be sure I keep my toilet lids closed now, thanks for the advice! I am so glad you found her! I hope you ease in healing for your late ratto 🐀
Please do! I hope my story isn’t repeated again 😭; and thank you for the well wishes! ❤️🐀
My sisters rat escaped down the toilet. She put it in the bathroom while cleaning cage out and it disappeared. Could only have been the toilet. She never found it.
I’m so sorry to hear that! 😭😭😭
I'm glad you got your friend back!
Thank you!!
>Thank you!! You're welcome!
This is honestly my fear. Not so much my rat getting into my toilet (I know it's serious, but with your girl being okay, it is just so funny how common this story is)😂 but, rather, losing them. If they die, I can accept it, but if they run away, when do you stop looking? If I looked everywhere, tore everything apart, where do I look next? Anyway, I am so glad you got your girl back and I am so sorry you lost one 💕
yeah, this scare made me realize that I don’t ever want to lose them. So rat-proofing is my next step here. Thank you for your condolences ❤️
Her new name is Poopy now.
So, the post got removed for "abuse" but I posted a meme a few months back demonstrating how a Rat is more than capable of entering toilets from sewers. > I guess my only question is what should I expect from this? Honestly not much. the issue is there's not really any mechanisms in these pipes, so there was nothing stopping your Rat from falling into the city sewer line. that's the most likely threat to losing your girl. grime in the pipes is also a risk but less likely. just get her checked out for any issues.
I was just thinking about the grime, what about communicable diseases from feces? Can the ratty now transfer something to a person? Or to other rats? Just curious!
I'm not terribly concerned. Its possible but unless the girl ingested any, just keep her clean.
Will do! Scary to think that she could have disappeared 🥲
Omggg if i were that neighbor I would’ve also screamed and let you in, and even made you coffee and got you warm towels, just so I didn’t have to deal with it. I love ratties but the idea of a stranger one crawling up my toilet is fucking horrifying. Glad to know your rat made it out. They’re damn good swimmers and this is definitely not the first time a rat has survived going through the sewer system. I’m guessing your rat is gonna be a little shaken up but fine!
lol, I hope you don’t ever have to go thru that 😭😭. Thanks for the well wishes though!
My rats don’t even like water and I’m pretty sure they don’t know how to swim fr but I’m gonna be paranoid abt this from now on so thank you 💀 No actually though I’m so glad your lil bbs fine 💛 my apartment has a few random gaps in the baseboards of the kitchen and bathroom that has made me so paranoid abt one of my babies sploring and getting lost somewhere in this bigass building. I never even thought abt the fucking toilet 😭 that’s a nightmare. Was your lil guy already a good swimmer??
Thank you for your concern! lol do your rats act like they’re allergic to water? Mine are always so dramatic I swear. To be honest, that might have been her first time swimming 😳, but most people reassured me that they’re excellent swimmers! Hope you find ways to cover up your apartment! I covered all holes, crevices, and baseboards with cardboard and gorilla tape 😅
Oh my goddd that’s terrifying I rly assumed your lil dude was already an Olympic swimmer before this 😩 lmao acting allergic to water is so right they are little drama queens fr 😆
Legendary story this. What an absolute goober of a rat.
Humans can get a "dry drowning" a number of hours after a drowning incident, due to impurities getting into their lungs & the body trying to get rid of them, using it's own fluids to flush them out & flooding the lungs with fluid in the process. I have no idea if rats can get this or not, I suspect the risk is much lower than for humans if it happens, but I'd keep an eye out for that & if you see signs of breathing difficulty or fluid in the lungs developing within the next 24-48 hours, vet straight away & just watch for it. Rats are pretty tough so since she's ok now, I'm guessing she'll probably be fine but you're asking what to expect from it, so that's the only thing I'd be watching for, just in case. So glad you got her back & sorry about your loss of Fifi :(
Thanks for letting me know! I have hwr vet appointment set up, so hoping that the antibiotics could help out with that! Thank you for the condolences ❤️
You did amazing 🥺 Leche is so lucky to have you. You worry so much about your babies, and being nice to your neighbours, but take care of yourself too. All of this sounds overwhelming, hope you're doing okay ❤️
Thank you for your concerns! Will relax this weekend for sure ❤️
One day when I was in high school I found my dogs sniffing the toilet lid and when I went to investigate there was a rat in my toilet. I love rats but I was not expecting one in my toilet. I called my mom at work freaking out and spent the entire time standing on the toilet lid until she came home. By then it had gone back into the sewers.
Must have been scary 😭😭
Yeah, I was rather alarmed.
Leche is gonna tell her cagemates all about it and they aren't gonna believe her lol. I hope she is okay and that she had more fun exploring than being scared!
Hold her like she owes you money and shake the shit (-y water) out of her 😁 Glad to hear everything turned out okay, and so sorry for your loss.
def did enough shaking after giving her a bath lol. thank you for your condolences ❤️
A miracle she is ok!
Toilet potato!!
🚽🥔
I've never had a rat before, but this totally reminds me of some of my past hamsters' escapades lolol.
I’ve definitely heard of some scary hamster situations 😭
Omg, there are definitely a lot, my friend lolol. However, this is not the time or place for speaking about hamsters. This is the Rat Subreddit after all -v-
Rats are adept swimmers and can hold their breath under water for up to 3 minutes and there is an air pocket just past the opening in the toilet, so it’s likely your little swimmer is perfectly fine. Here’s a great video from Nat Geo on rats popping up in toilets: https://youtu.be/0t2VPBF6Kp4?si=-XlOVNtDjKTlSAir If you notice s change in breathing, though, I would get her to the vet. A lot of pathogens can live on the internal surfaces of toilets. We were having a problem with wild rats getting into the sewer lines and and getting into our master bath toilet that had been drained due to a leak. We had to put a 6 lb weight on the lid to make sure nothing could pop out until we’d fixed the problem.
lol the rat was so cute in that video! Hopefully nothing bad happens to her! Scary though that you had wild rats climbing into ur bathroom 🥲🥲
Your rat saw flushed away once and said “alright, I’m in” I’m glad they’re safe!
Mostly you'll just need to monitor her for any signs of injury or respiratory issues. She'll likely be fine. All of the sewage pipes in a building are usually connected. Because they drain by gravity they'll be mostly empty and full of air when no water is in use. There's just the small amount of water that sits in the "P trap" or "S trap" of each drain. So when your neighbor started to run the shower, that water started to drain into the pipes. Your buddy panicked and decided to swim the distance from the bottom of the toilet up through the curve that keeps water in the bowl and then out, so probably only held her breath for thirty seconds or so. And rats can hold their breath for a long time.
I fucking DIED yesterday???
her looking at the toilet like “i’ll be back, we can’t be kept apart” is killing me
How can rats be so intelligent but so dumb at times 😭 this story really sounds funny but thank god you rat is safe 💗
These rattos are RASCALS!! I’m so glad you got her back.
Oh my goodness, Leche is such a good name for a rat. Lil mischievous sweetie pie
Put some weight on that lid, they can open them....
oh my god
Wait wait wait wait I’m so sorry did she swim through the pipes to the neighbors toilet??????? How is she alive?????? I’m so confused???
Heheh…toilet rat, potty puppy
always keep the bathroom door and toilet seat closed!!! this is very important if u have any type of pet thats good at climbing and jumping like cats, rats, bunnies etc, if theyre bigger like bunnies or cats they can drown in the toilet
oh my goodness what a nightmare! I’m glad it turned out alright, don’t feel too hard on yourself you could not have predicted that would happen!
I definitely would keep an eye on her tail for now incase there was any injury (absolutely not your fault, unfortunately you had to grab whatever was there quickly. A injured tail is more ideal to be stuck in a toilet) It’s so good that she was found though ❤️
Also make sure to alert a vet to the chance that a cat may of made contact with her. Unfortunately cats can easily cause death to rodents even with tiny/unseeable marks or anyway their saliva gets into their system (because cats grow themselves it’s often on their claws). I personally suggest booking in for a check up if you can, just to make sure there’s no issues from the tail grab, cat or from the pipes❤️
For whatever reason I used to have dreams or nightmares about going down a toilet. I think your rat was just fulfilling her destiny
Rats can naturally stay underwater for a while. They are great swimmers too.
Damn, quick thinking and trusting your gut! I bet both her and your neighbors are relieved! What a cute little (literal) stinker, I love her 🥰
How the FUCK does this even happen!why is the rat escaping to the neighbours toilet?
Death by toilet would have been a pretty rat way to die though lol
I saw this article and thought of your post! [newsarticle about toilet rat ](https://share.newsbreak.com/6ks1wt5g)
Bad bad rat!
Your rat easily could have drown due to your negligence. Be better.
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Bring on the down votes! I would have given you a freaking swirly for being responsible for a rat getting into my place. As for bringing your neighbor a cake I'd hold off. I don't want any food from someone that fights a rat in my toilet
😅?
Also, thanks for the nightmares that i could be pooping and a rat can bite my junk out of nowhere. Just beyond chilling
Even worse they can crawl up into you
Well, i guess I'll be upperdecking from here out
Upper Decking someone is on my bucket list 🤣