Gwen's Managed Mischief Rat Rescue & Refuge

07/29/2026

I'm getting inundated with surrender requests because college/school is starting soon. I'm getting on my soapbox again...

Plenty of people take their rats when they go to college, find housing that allows them. Plenty of people keep their rats when the kids go back to school. Going to college or back to school isn't a surprise, you know it's coming. Have a plan in place or responsibly re-home your rats yourselves because you know when school starts, you have time. Waiting until the last minute doesn't mean rescues are responsible for taking over YOUR responsibilities. Rats live about three years tops (if you're lucky). They are one of the most non-committal pet in terms of lifespan so I really don't get it. And for parents saying, my kids lost interest or they are involved in sports, cheerleading, band or whatever it may be, so they don't spend time with them, this is an excellent time to teach your kids that animals aren't disposable and to teach them commitment. They'll be better adults for it and as the parent, you need to be prepared to take care of them because I don't know of any kids who fully take care of themselves and yet, are expected to fully care for and clean and feed other living beings.

I personally don't run my rescue for these purposes. I focus on the most vulnerable and, "my kids got bored" or "I'm going to college" doesn't fit the criteria for rescue. You made the commitment so please be responsible and find your animals a new home instead of asking us to take up valuable resources for rats that need us more. Or better yet, please keep them.

Pictured is Derrick

07/25/2026

EDIT: EVERYONE IS PREADOPTED 🥳

Mom and babies arrived safely from the Oklahoma shelter thanks to one of our fosters, Cheyenne!

They will be transferred to Central Texas Rat Rescue by Crystal V (thank you so much!) as I just had back surgery two weeks ago and ran into some complications with that. I'll be later assisting them by taking some of the more hormonal bitey boys that were dumped, once I'm more recovered. Teamwork makes the dream work!

07/19/2026

We're covered! Thank you everyone who offered to help ❤️

UPDATE: I have someone who can do a San Antonio to New Braunfels leg of the trip. Can anyone do New Braunfels to Cedar Park and then Cedar Park to New Braunfels?

Transport needed!

Gas can be reimbursed. Rat in San Antonio needs to be dropped off in Cedar Park next Wednesday morning, the 22nd, and picked back up in the afternoon and brought back to San Antonio same day. Will also reimburse lunch for having to hang out in Austin.

07/16/2026

Please don't bring your rats outside. In addition, you don't know what chemicals are in your yard. Even if you don't spay your yard, neighbors might and rain causes these things to travel. Rats are also sensitive to the sun, they can also me exposed to ringworm and even viruses that other rodents/animals have carried into your yard. They don't want to be outside, they don't need to be outside and it's not worth the risk. There are lots of fun activities you can create for them inside like pea fishing, dig boxes with coir, growing some wheatgrass for them to crawl in and eat. So many safe alternatives!

Bringing your small pets outside is something we do not suggest. There are many risks that our not worth taking in our opinion! Instead you can build enriching free roam areas indoors.

To learn more about individual species care check out our website for care guides: https://www.oregonsmallanimalresources.org

07/14/2026

UPDATE! TRANSPORT FOUND.

Urgent transport and foster help needed!

Six rats need out of shelter north of Dallas area and brought to me in north San Antonio. I sadly can't drive because I just had major back surgery last week. We can help with reimbursement of gas if needed. The babies are too young to be adopted out and they need help. Timing is flexible.

I will also need two fosters. One for the 4 females (Mom and three babies) and one for the 2 males (both babies).

07/06/2026

Everyone, we are experiencing the same thing. As Central Texas Rat Rescue stated, Ringworm has become a HUGE issue. To the point where we are pretty much bringing in every intake to the vet to have tested. As a self funded rescue, this has taken a huge financial toll as the cost includes an exam and the test running up to $300 a rat. This is a terrible burden on us and not how we want our resources allocated when there are rats needing to be taken in for more pressing medical issues.

If you don't get rats from us or Central Texas Rat Rescue, please be sure to be on alert and always quarantine new rats. Ringworm can look different on different rats. An innocent missing patch of fur, scaly red skin, black scabs, a U-shaped or round shaped hairline in the fur, broken fur that looks like peach fuzz with either irritated skin or unirritated skin. Rats can also be asymptomatic carriers.

I've seen first hand multiple stores and multiple breeders in San Antonio and other areas in Texas that have rats with Ringworm and still continue to sell them.

06/22/2026

Courtesy post: these rats are not affiliated with our rescue. Adoption is directly with their current owner.

Location: San Antonio
Three male rats
Contact: (425) 949-9241
This is what the says about them:

Searching for the perfect retirement home for our three sweet boys 🐀❤️

This is a post I was really hoping we wouldn’t have to make. We are moving internationally, and while we had an amazing plan in place for our three rat boys, it has unfortunately fallen through at the last minute. So, we’re putting our hearts out there and hoping to find someone who can love them and care for them the way they have been cared for over the last two years.

Meet the boys:

🐀 Oliver (“Olie”) — our handsome solid-color boy (because he’s “all over” one color… Oliver, get it? 😅)

💎 Diamond Rio (“Rio”) — our beautiful boy with a perfect little diamond marking down his back.

🧈 Beau Butters (“Bo Bo”) — our former giant chunk-a-lunk who has transformed into the smallest of the three, but still has a huge personality.

These boys are brothers from the same litter. They were originally bred as feeder rats, so they are technically entering their older years, but they are still in excellent health, incredibly active, curious, and happy.

They have been absolutely spoiled and are not your average pet rats. They are:

• Potty trained
• Recall trained
• Used to at least an hour of supervised out-of-cage exploration every single day
• Accustomed to daily potty cleaning, fresh treats/snacks, food refills, and foraging activities

We truly consider them members of our family, which is why we are hoping to find someone with previous rat experience who understands their needs and will continue giving them the enrichment, attention, and love they deserve.

We will send them with everything they need — their cage, hammocks, ramps, toys, accessories, and any remaining supplies — completely free of charge. Our only goal is finding the right home where these sweet boys can live out the rest of their little lives happy, comfortable, and very spoiled.

We love Olie, Rio, and Bo Bo so much, and saying goodbye is going to be incredibly hard. We’re just hoping to find someone who will love these boys nearly as much as we have. ❤️

06/19/2026

Ozzy, now Frampton (the black masked rat to the right), was adopted a couple weeks ago by one of our prior adopters and she just started intros and he's already making friends! This is wonderful news considering he's lived alone for his entire life from what I was told. Faye to the left is one of our alumna and if a rat passes the "Faye test," then all is well. She can be quite alpha 🤣

06/17/2026

I'm getting on my soapbox for a minute. Anyone that's talked to me knows at the end of the day, I honestly don't care where you get rats from but what I do care about is people giving money to breeders who conduct HIGHLY unethical practices. I can guarantee if you get neutered males from a breeder they are going about it very inhumanely. Either banding them like livestock, chemical castration or I just got a breeder in Stephenville to admit to me she takes her males to a livestock vet who just puts numbing solution on their testicles and does the surgery while they are awake. This breeder justified her actions and proceeded to call me explicit names for calling her out. Please don't support this. And if I knew who the vet is, I would sure as hell be reporting them.

Don't support this abuse, please. Rats deserve better.

And this is coming from someone who would save tens of thousands of dollars if I took the inhumane route since we neuter all rats. I don't take shortcuts because it's terribly unethical and inhumane.

06/11/2026