Pet Rats Practice Loving and Respectful Interactions; Valerian and The City of a Thousand Planets Could Learn From Them (08-01-17 #10) | The Nerdy Rat PodcastThe Nerdy Rat Podcast

Matt and Liz talk about our new foster pet rats, rat enrichment DIY, Valerian and The City of a Thousand Planets, and more.

Ratty Topics – We had to put down our beloved pet rat TippyToe due to old age and congestive heart failure. We miss her so much!! Rats are so empathetic to each other when they are sick and Pinky and Baby Groot took good care of Aunt TippyToe her last few days.

We had some biting rats as fosters and we share some tips for how to make them bite less. Let them settle in to their new environment without forcing interactions, make sure they have enough wood toys to chew on, and gently push back on their mouth when they bite. Very gently and with love! Parent animals check their youngsters like this when their play biting gets too aggressive and you can do it, too.

We also give some tips for DIY rat enrichment.

For more rat enrichment ideas, check out podcast Episode 19.

Local Animal News – Rats care for kittens at a special cat cafe! We tell you all about it.

Rats caring for kittens

For more news about cat cafes, check out podcast Episode 20.

Nerdy Topics – We groan and moan about Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and the SNES Mini. But on the bright side, Liz loves her newly discovered iPhone game Gardenscapes.

Mads Mikkelsen wants to play Doctor Doom

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider supporting our two favorite charities.

Small Angels Rescue, Inc., is a Frederick County, MD based 501(c)(3) non-profit, no-kill, all-volunteer organization dedicated to rescuing and re-homing gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, and rats.

Extra Life unites thousands of players around the world in a 24 hour gaming marathon to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Email us questions and feedback at thenerdyrat@gmail.com !