New Pet Rat, New Grommet Tool, New Games, and Revisiting Atari (05-01-17 #5)

Liz and Matt talk about our new foster pet rat Toro, video games and more.

Ratty Topics – We talk about our new foster rat Toro, who was raised alone for the first year of his life. He is so sad and depressed – rats need to be raised with ratty companions. They are highly social animals and human companionship is not enough for them. It can be difficult to do introductions with a rat who has lived alone for a long time, but it is so worth it for them in the long run. They become so much happier!

Local Animals News – A bit of crafty ratty news, Liz discusses DIY rat hammocks and the best grommet tool out there for the job. Hint: it’s a table-top tool instead of a hand press. Also, we talk about Marty Mouse House (who, btw, is a rat, not a mouse. Mouse is just his name.)

Grommet tool for making rat hammocks
Marty Mouse House

Nerdy Topics – We talk about video games, some distressing news from Nintendo, retro Atari, and somehow Bon Jovi comes up (but let’s be honest, that’s never a bad thing!)

Playerunknown’s Battle Grounds
Nintendo announces they are stopping production of NES mini
Bon Jovi fan karaoke video
Nintendo’s Restrictive Licensing History

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 !

Caring for Pet Rats Before They Give Up the Ghost and Ghost in the Shell (04-16-17 #4)

Matt and Liz discuss caring for elderly pet rats, local DC eagle news, Ghost in the Shell, Batgirl movie announcement, gaming, and more. 

Ratty Topics – We discuss health issues that older rats can face as they age and how to best care for your aging rats. Most pet rats only live 2-3 years so for those of us with big rat packs, caring for elderly rats is a frequent issue.

Check out podcast Episode 20, Episode 21, and Episode 26 for more information on caring for elderly rats. 

Local Animal News – In DIY, Liz shares a recipe for baking clay so you can make your own pawprints ornaments. Also, as always, more updates on the DC Bald Eagles!

Baking clay recipe for pawprints

DC Bald Eagles

Nerdy Topics – We discuss the Ghost in the Shell movie. Also, there’s an exciting Batgirl movie announcement and we talk some about gaming.

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 !

Two Horrible Things – Exercise Balls for Pet Rats and Iron Fist on Netflix (4-2-17 #3)

Liz and Matt talk about weight gain in pet rats, why exercise balls are no good, and what to do if you cannot keep your pet any longer.

For more information about dangerous toys for pet rats, check out Podcast Episode 13

We also talk about the Iron Fist show on Netflix, Legion and the Flash musical episode.

If you like 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 !

Why own pet rats? (3-19-17 #2)

We answer the question: Why own pet rats? We also talk about Kong: Skull Island, Get Out, and Iron Fist.

Check out Podcast Episode 0 for tips and advice for new pet rat owners.

Bald eagles nesting in DC – sitting on their nest in the snow! Dawwwww. And the egg just hatched this week.

Patrick Stewart and his foster pit bull, Ginger.

 

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 !

New Pet Rats in a Mischief, New Mischief for Logan (3-6-17 #1)

Matt and Liz talk about introducing new pet rats to a mischief. We talk how to do first intros and how you might need extended introductions with new rats.

For more tips on doing rat introductions, check out podcast Episode 6 and Episode 11

For nerdy topics, we cover the movie Logan (spoilers end at 36 min mark), the future of Doctor Who, and more.

Matt’s Rat Hoodie from Unconditional Fashion
Rat Patches from SpiderStitchesParlor
Rat Bonding Pouch Pattern from PetHelpful

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 !

 

Pet Rat Ownership 101 – You Can Be As Awesome as Lego Batman and The Flash (2-19-17 #0)

Matt and Liz talk about some considerations before adopting a pet rat and give lots of helpful advice for brand new pet rat owners! Then we discuss the Lego Batman movie and The Flash.

Also check out Podcast Episode 2 to learn why pet rats are a great pet!

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 !

Welcome

Status

Welcome to The Nerdy Rat.

A podcast about pet rats and the nerds who love them. Your hosts Liz and Matt have been fostering rats for Small Angels Rescue since 2013. Small Angels is a rescue for rats, mice, guinea pigs and hamsters serving the DC, Virginia, and Maryland Area.  If you are in the area and looking for a new family member, see their animals available for adoption right now. If you are not in our area but would like to adopt, here is a list of rescues around the country.

New episodes about once a month.  You can email us any questions for the podcast to thenerdyrat@gmail.com

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider donating to one of our favorite charities. We support Small Angels Rescue and Extra Life. And Like us on Facebook!

Check out more of Matt’s rattie artwork on thenerdyrat.deviantart.com

Visit our Etsy shop for rat bonding pouches and hammocks made by Liz.