# The awesome world of rodents.



## Ribbit (Apr 13, 2021)

I couldn't find a thread for them.


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## Kari Kamiya (Apr 13, 2021)

I just love hamsters. I love them.


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## Hot Daddy Hard Nipples (Apr 13, 2021)

sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff


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## JamusActimus (Apr 13, 2021)

@Rat Speaker


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## Swiss46 (Apr 13, 2021)

I had pet rats as a kid. Incredibly smart and loving animals with a tragically short life span.


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## big potato (Apr 13, 2021)

Finally, my time to shine, have my humble collection of photos of capybaras using computers.












Also some guinea pigs, because I like them.


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## Angry Shoes (Apr 13, 2021)

will u accept


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## Ted_Breakfast (Apr 13, 2021)

big potato said:


> Finally, my time to shine, have my humble collection of photos of capybaras using computers.
> 
> View attachment 2085311View attachment 2085312
> View attachment 2085313View attachment 2085317
> ...


What I really like about guinea pigs is their pouty bottom lip.


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## Radical Cadre (Apr 13, 2021)

Obligatory Knudpost.


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## big potato (Apr 13, 2021)

Ted_Breakfast said:


> What I really like about guinea pigs is their pouty bottom lip.


I like that too, makes them look all the more disapproving, which is adorable. Sassy potatoes.


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## TheRetardKing (Apr 13, 2021)

*Hi. My name is Reggie.*


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## Steely Dan (Apr 13, 2021)

capybaras are frens to all


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## Kari Kamiya (Apr 13, 2021)

Hammie babies


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## Ribbit (Apr 13, 2021)

I have been known to feed these guys from time to time. It's amazing how much stuff they can fill their mouths with.


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## Job the Long-Suffering (Apr 13, 2021)

I'll just leave this here. You can have it.


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## Rusty Crab (Apr 13, 2021)

McCarthy said:


> I'll just leave this here. You can have it.
> 
> View attachment 2085887


tag your nudity


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## amieth (Apr 13, 2021)

Swiss46 said:


> I had pet rats as a kid. Incredibly smart and loving animals with a tragically short life span.


I had hamsters and guniea pigs as a kid. I just got rats last year because covid made me depressed and let me tell you, they're the best. They're like tiny dogs, just as smart, loyal, and trainable, but without the life span. I dread the day my boys pass away. But on a lighter note, here's some cute rats:


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## Ribbit (Apr 15, 2021)




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## Agent Abe Caprine (Apr 15, 2021)

My mom had a guinea pig that knew how to use a TV. If he didn't like what was on, he'd turn it off. This was back when TVs had knobs.


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## A Rastafarian Skeleton (Apr 15, 2021)

Do rats smell as bad as hamsters and ferrets?


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## Ribbit (Apr 16, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Apr 17, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Apr 18, 2021)




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## Vingle (Apr 19, 2021)

Really wanted a chinchilla before I learned they literally scream at night.


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## Ribbit (Apr 19, 2021)




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## Overcast (Apr 20, 2021)

GeorgeFloyd said:


> Do rats smell as bad as hamsters and ferrets?


Rats are weird in that they love to clean themselves but also don’t mind eating and sleeping in their toilet.

But so long as you regularly clean and deep clean the cage, they shouldn’t smell too bad. Based on what I’ve seen and read anyway.


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## Kari Kamiya (Apr 20, 2021)

Vingle said:


> Really wanted a chinchilla before I learned they literally scream at night.
> View attachment 2099420


A friend from high school had one, and it's no wonder chinchillas were hunted/bred for their fur, it's literally a cloud. She was a sweet little thing who, according to my friend, was oddly calm when I held her the one time 'cause she was a ball of energy but wasn't known to be open to strangers. She never liked my friend's brothers holding her, either. Sadly, one summer their air conditioning broke down and couldn't be fixed in time, nor did they have anyplace to go. It's the downside of living in a desert for chinchilla owners.

It's funny to watch them take dust baths, though.





EDIT: AAAAHHHH OH MY GOD CHINCHILLA BABIES


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## Vingle (Apr 20, 2021)

Kari Kamiya said:


> A friend from high school had one, and it's no wonder chinchillas were hunted/bred for their fur
> 
> It's funny to watch them take dust baths, though.


I think they are still bred for their fur, and they just like some people more than others.

That's another thing. Fuck that, I'm not getting one. When it have to dust down the whole apartment for it to live a happy life.


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## No. 7 cat (Apr 20, 2021)

Kari Kamiya said:


> I just love hamsters. I love them.


So do cats, although not in the same way.


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## Coelacanth (Apr 20, 2021)

Ribbet said:


> View attachment 2096647



Ah. Finally. Quality gerbils.

I come bearing gerbils in hats.



Spoiler


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## A Rastafarian Skeleton (Apr 20, 2021)

Overcast said:


> Rats are weird in that they love to clean themselves but also don’t mind eating and sleeping in their toilet.
> 
> But so long as you regularly clean and deep clean the cage, they shouldn’t smell too bad. Based on what I’ve seen and read anyway.


The rats I've met at people's houses always seemed cleaner and more intelligent than other rodents. They act more like a pet/companion rather than wild pest.


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## Ribbit (Apr 20, 2021)




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## Quantum Diabetes (Apr 20, 2021)

I put out another fabulous D-con feast for my apartment critters, I think it's like energy bars for them based on the frisky retard action tonight. I didn't even unwrap the bait and the big ones grabbed em and dragged it under the radiator. Eat up you bastards.


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## big potato (Apr 21, 2021)

Rediscovered my favorite photoset;



Freedom!



Agent Abe Caprine said:


> My mom had a guinea pig that knew how to use a TV. If he didn't like what was on, he'd turn it off. This was back when TVs had knobs.


Oh man, I had a guinea pig who loved watching TV. We have a boxset of the 90s Poirot series and she loved watching those. Except the episodes set in Egypt, she'd grumble until we changed over to the next episode, not enough green. She also learnt that while sat on the desk, she could stand on the spacebar to make the youtube video pause if she didn't like it. Smart little creatures, but only when they feel like it.


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## XYZpdq (Apr 22, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Apr 24, 2021)




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## Positron (Apr 25, 2021)

I have a soft spot for coypus:





And I would really love to see one of those Southeast Asian "cloudrunners" (giant forest rats) up close.


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## ToroidalBoat (Apr 25, 2021)

Do rabbits count as rodents?


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## Ribbit (Apr 25, 2021)

ToroidalBoat said:


> Do rabbits count as rodents?


No. They are leporids.

Here's a rodent:


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## Positron (Apr 25, 2021)

Porcupines (both Old World and New World) are rodents too.


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## georgyjobe (Apr 25, 2021)

big potato said:


> Finally, my time to shine, have my humble collection of photos of capybaras using computers.
> 
> View attachment 2085311View attachment 2085312
> View attachment 2085313View attachment 2085317
> ...


Saw the capybara pics, thought "haha those would be a fun icon for the farms," scrolled back up, was pleasantly surprised. 

The first time I saw a nutria, I was around 10 and sincerely thought I had seen a cryptid/radioactive rat. I knew it wasn't a beaver because of the tail, but didn't know that these animals existed.


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## big jeff (Apr 25, 2021)

My sister did an internship at a lab running psychological studies. They used rats by the hundreds, all cramped up in tiny cages. To maintain professionalism, no one was allowed to take them home after studies completed or at any time during; they weren't even allowed to name them. Needless to say she formed a bond with them, one in particular. My sister completed her time there and on her last day took Cookie home with her. Best rat I've met in my entire life. It loved everyone. Fuck anyone that talks shit about a rat.


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## Kari Kamiya (Apr 25, 2021)

big jeff said:


> My sister did an internship at a lab running psychological studies. They used rats by the hundreds, all cramped up in tiny cages. To maintain professionalism, no one was allowed to take them home after studies completed or at any time during; they weren't even allowed to name them. Needless to say she formed a bond with them, one in particular. My sister completed her time there and on her last day took Cookie home with her. Best rat I've met in my entire life. It loved everyone. Fuck anyone that talks shit about a rat.


So Cookie was one of many who were being used for psych studies and lived in itty-bitty living space, and it still loved people? That's lovely.


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## TheRetardKing (Apr 25, 2021)




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## Positron (Apr 26, 2021)

ToroidalBoat said:


> Do rabbits count as rodents?


Rabbits aren't rodents but there are a few species of hare- and rabbit-like rodents in South America, all caviomorphs.

The Patagonian Mara





The Viscacha


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## ToroidalBoat (Apr 26, 2021)

I wonder if a kiwi birb could pass as a rodent...


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## Oddjob OTP (Apr 26, 2021)

ToroidalBoat said:


> I wonder if a kiwi birb could pass as a rodent...


Kiwis are what happened in New Zealand when Birds evolved to fill an ecological niche that's normally filled by rats. Because until humans moved in the only mammals living on the islands were bats.


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## bluegenius8585 (Apr 26, 2021)

I've always loved Rodents, I currently have a pair of guinea pigs. Mostly its the noises they make that I like, and they are pretty decent eye bleach from the degeneracy you come across on here


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## Ribbit (Apr 26, 2021)




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## georgyjobe (Apr 26, 2021)




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## bluegenius8585 (Apr 26, 2021)

georgyjobe said:


> View attachment 2121109View attachment 2121110View attachment 2121111View attachment 2121112View attachment 2121113


Gawwwww

Normal service will be resumed shortly

I always see these as the reddit animal, basically screaming into the void


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## Positron (Apr 27, 2021)

The Pika is a lagomorph, cousins of rabbits, and is not a rodent.

I love this clip:


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## W00K #17 (Apr 27, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Apr 27, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Apr 30, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Apr 30, 2021)




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## Ribbit (May 3, 2021)




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## XYZpdq (May 3, 2021)

it's a good thing squirrels are cute or else I'd notice there's slightly-more-furry rats everywhere at my apartment complex


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## Oddjob OTP (May 4, 2021)

Japanese are autistic for capybara and Japanese Zoos frequently give them fake hot springs to sit in during the colder months


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## Shitted Scaredless (May 4, 2021)

I don't know if it's a rodent but it looks like one so close enough. Also leg reveal.


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## Pina Colada (May 5, 2021)

Still remains one of my favorite mouse pictures to this day.


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## Ribbit (May 7, 2021)




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## Stoneheart (May 7, 2021)

Shitted Scaredless said:


> I don't know if it's a rodent but it looks like one so close enough. Also leg reveal.


1. thats an Eulipotyphla
2. you have shit on your shirt.


i dont get why people like rodents, they are pathetic when compared to shrews, tiny killers...


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## Ribbit (May 11, 2021)




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## Ribbit (May 14, 2021)




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## Rozzy (May 14, 2021)




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## Ribbit (May 15, 2021)

Chipmunk Reflection


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## LinkinParkxNaruto[AMV] (May 15, 2021)

The majestic one and only biggest rodent on earth , the Chigüire a.k.a Capibara





Your browser is not able to display this video.


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## Ribbit (May 17, 2021)

This is a Prevost's Squirrel.


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## XYZpdq (May 18, 2021)

Ribbet said:


> View attachment 2178418
> 
> This is a Prevost's Squirrel.


looks like an otter


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## Robin Yad (May 19, 2021)

Behold the Indian Giant Squirrel:


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## Ribbit (May 20, 2021)




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## Android raptor (May 20, 2021)

Most of the rodents I deal with are already dead because reptiles but I do have a pic of capybaras I saw recently


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## Mister Qwerty (May 20, 2021)

Spoiler


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## Sundae (May 21, 2021)

I love capybaras.  They're one of my favorite animals, after cats and dogs.
























I love how laid back they are.  It's like they're nature's Zen Buddhists.


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## Paracelsus (May 21, 2021)

My boy BIG pete


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## glass_houses (May 21, 2021)

Paracelsus said:


> View attachment 2189518
> 
> My boy BIG pete


I would give him the biggest pats.


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## Ribbit (May 23, 2021)

Snugglin'


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## amieth (May 24, 2021)

Paracelsus said:


> View attachment 2189518
> 
> My boy BIG pete


I love Pete. I would love to give him some snacks and pets


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## Slap47 (May 24, 2021)

Map of rat populations.


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## Android raptor (May 24, 2021)

I wonder what rodents have the longest lifespan? The lifespan issue is why I don't think I could ever keep rats.


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## big potato (May 25, 2021)

Android raptor said:


> I wonder what rodents have the longest lifespan? The lifespan issue is why I don't think I could ever keep rats.


Chinchillas can live around 20 years in captivity, iirc, though they're quite skittish and nocturnal. Supremely soft coats.
I've had guinea pigs live 8-9 years, which is also a pretty good lifespan. The record holder was 15 years old, I think.


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## Staffy (May 25, 2021)

Baby gerbil


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## Oddjob OTP (May 25, 2021)

Android raptor said:


> I wonder what rodents have the longest lifespan? The lifespan issue is why I don't think I could ever keep rats.


I'm reasonably sure the secret to keeping rodents is that you keep a population not one or two. Rodents shouldn't be kept alone anyway unless they are autistic like hamsters.


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## deso2y (May 25, 2021)

Thank you OP for dedicating this thread to the jewish people and therefore supporting the state of Israel (and being such a nice goy)


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## Ribbit (May 26, 2021)




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## Android raptor (May 26, 2021)

These guys are so neat, especially to a bug sperg like me since they're eusocial just like social insects (bees, ants, termites, etc). Also it seems like they spend 80% of their time in big cuddle piles


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## Agent Abe Caprine (May 27, 2021)

Mommy capybara



Spoiler: Winona's big brown beaver






What's that? Dassie rat.


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## Toolbox (May 27, 2021)

Overcast said:


> Rats are weird in that they love to clean themselves but also don’t mind eating and sleeping in their toilet.
> 
> But so long as you regularly clean and deep clean the cage, they shouldn’t smell too bad. Based on what I’ve seen and read anyway.


Are bioactive setups common for rodentia? It seems like people are obsessed with using wood chips but I don't see the benefit other than easy cleaning, but with bioactive you don't even need to maintain as much. Do they just produce so much waste it would be useless?


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## Android raptor (May 27, 2021)

Toolbox said:


> Are bioactive setups common for rodentia? It seems like people are obsessed with using wood chips but I don't see the benefit other than easy cleaning, but with bioactive you don't even need to maintain as much. Do they just produce so much waste it would be useless?


I would think they'd get their fur dirty, plus I know they pee a lot. 

Can rats be litter box trained? I know they're very intelligent and trainable.


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## Toolbox (May 27, 2021)

Android raptor said:


> I would think they'd get their fur dirty, plus I know they pee a lot.
> 
> Can rats be litter box trained? I know they're very intelligent and trainable.


Sure, but you could give them an active water source, add worms, the whole lot. It seems like it could be doable with a reasonable sized setup. Don't most rodents naturally make burrows anyway?


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## Android raptor (May 27, 2021)

Toolbox said:


> Sure, but you could give them an active water source, add worms, the whole lot. It seems like it could be doable with a reasonable sized setup. Don't most rodents naturally make burrows anyway?


That's a good point. I guess it would be up to the owner. 

Don't hampsters work best in more naturalistic setups?


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## Toolbox (May 27, 2021)

Android raptor said:


> That's a good point. I guess it would be up to the owner.
> 
> Don't hampsters work best in more naturalistic setups?


Seeing the stories of them escaping and being found tearing up the carpet in a closet somewhere in a house, and the fact that they naturally at least make burrows to support their young I would assume it's a good idea to give them some sort of decent substrate to support that. But we have the megamart pet shops selling tiny wire cages and pushing a small layer of wood chips to be utilized. It's nonsense.


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## Android raptor (May 27, 2021)

Toolbox said:


> Seeing the stories of them escaping and being found tearing up the carpet in a closet somewhere in a house, and the fact that they naturally at least make burrows to support their young I would assume it's a good idea to give them some sort of decent substrate to support that. But we have the megamart pet shops selling tiny wire cages and pushing a small layer of wood chips to be utilized. It's nonsense.


Yeah, mainstream pet stores are horrible with reptiles too. It's really sad how smaller pets get treated.

I just remembered I had these hairy wet beaver pics


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## glass_houses (May 27, 2021)

Android raptor said:


> Can rats be litter box trained? I know they're very intelligent and trainable.


Yes they can, although not for urine. They'll use the litter box for faeces, but the little buggers will urinate as usual, i.e in their beds, on you, to mark a trail where they've been, anywhere.



Android raptor said:


> Yeah, mainstream pet stores are horrible with reptiles too. It's really sad how smaller pets get treated.
> 
> I just remembered I had these hairy wet beaver pics
> View attachment 2206038
> View attachment 2206043



And they say that platypuses are bizarre looking animals...


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## naaaaiiiiillllll!!! (May 27, 2021)

Love seeing the original screaming marmot vid.  It's oddly cute -- I like to think the little dude is saying "RICOLAAAA" in his own way.


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## Quantum Diabetes (May 27, 2021)

Staffy said:


> Baby gerbil
> 
> View attachment 2200021View attachment 2200022


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## Friendly Primarina (May 27, 2021)

Android raptor said:


> Yeah, mainstream pet stores are horrible with reptiles too. It's really sad how smaller pets get treated.
> 
> I just remembered I had these hairy wet beaver pics
> View attachment 2206038
> View attachment 2206043


_Totally_ forgot beavers were rodents until this post reminded me. Just look at that face:


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## Ribbit (May 29, 2021)




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## Focken Kiwi (May 30, 2021)

Meet the Vizcacha. No, it is not a rabbit.


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## Ribbit (May 30, 2021)




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## Sundae (May 30, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Jun 1, 2021)




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## Android raptor (Jun 1, 2021)

Gave this guy at the park some birdseed and made friends


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## Ribbit (Jun 2, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Jun 7, 2021)

This squirrel is very bashful.


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## Ribbit (Jun 11, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Jun 20, 2021)

Looks like it's saying morning prayers.


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## glass_houses (Jun 21, 2021)

Ribbit said:


> View attachment 2280349
> 
> Looks like it's saying morning prayers.


Is that another squirrel or is it something else? I really wanted to see a squirrel when I went to Europe but I didn't get the chance, so I've never seen one irl. All the range and varieties of rodents all over the world are strange and fascinating. Here in Australia, if it's not a rat it's a marsupial.


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## Overcast (Jun 21, 2021)




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## XYZpdq (Jun 23, 2021)

well shit if we're including squirrels then my neck of the woods is lousy with the little fucks, I'll have to start taking pics


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## Ribbit (Jul 17, 2021)




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## Toolbox (Jul 17, 2021)

These bitches be crazy. Gambian giant pouched rat, probably one of the largest if not the largest rat. Some are used to track down landmines in Cambodia.


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## Ribbit (Jul 21, 2021)




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## Gutpuke (Jul 21, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Jul 25, 2021)




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## glass_houses (Jul 26, 2021)

Here, have some gremlin photos. Sorry for my crappy photography skills. 








If you're not familiar with rats, she has what's called a patchwork coat, although I think she might present a little differently to American patchworks.


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## Ribbit (Jul 30, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Aug 5, 2021)

Our friend appears to be meditating.


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## Shiversblood (Aug 6, 2021)

Finding a zen to it and mediating What’s up ahhhhh hello everybody that mouse is a transgender


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## Quantum Diabetes (Aug 6, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Aug 28, 2021)




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## Shiversblood (Sep 3, 2021)

The big rodents coming into South America I want to see a huge Rodent close up or like a rat from morrowind or the one from south America I want to see it IN PERSON.


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## Schauma mal (Sep 5, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Sep 25, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Nov 2, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Nov 13, 2021)




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## Ribbit (Nov 21, 2021)




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## Gunga Dan (Dec 1, 2021)




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## Gunga Dan (Dec 18, 2021)




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## Gunga Dan (Jan 1, 2022)




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## Gunga Dan (Jan 7, 2022)




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## glass_houses (Jan 27, 2022)




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## glass_houses (Jan 28, 2022)




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## GuitarRevi (Jan 28, 2022)




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## glass_houses (Jan 29, 2022)




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## Su-27 Flanker-B (Jan 29, 2022)

I have two guinea pigs. My sister got them first, and they ended up on a diet of stale water and cheap food (no vegetables) for almost a year. Then I sort of kidnapped them from her, and now Iosif and Vladimir live comfortably in their 1,5x1,5m enclosure. They are stupid, but I still am glad to have taken them from her, poor things didn't even knew what a cucumber is, they were afraid at first.


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## glass_houses (Jan 30, 2022)




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## Scolopendra Dramatica (Jan 30, 2022)

Toolbox said:


> Sure, but you could give them an active water source, add worms, the whole lot. It seems like it could be doable with a reasonable sized setup. Don't most rodents naturally make burrows anyway?


See, here's the thing: you could give them both and they'll pick the cosier, more manufactured bedding every time.

Rats seem to really get on with a bit of human intervention, like cats loving a good sofa and warm waterpipes underfoot, they'll actively choose to use our odd inventions. Wild rats using house insulation for bedding vs burrowing for example. My girls love it when I shred my old clothes and chuck that into their house. It immediately gets relocated to their bedding area.

They're smart little buggers and adaptable, they use whatever they can find and will swap up materials for something superior (and this can vary from rat to rat. One might be picky and only like a certain material, another won't care in the slightest as they could get cosy on a slab of concrete) in a heartbeat.

And whilst I can see the appeal of closely  replicating their evolved environment and creating a self cleaning system, there is a downside; rats might be clean, but they are cluttered, there's a lot of mini home renovations and they like to come out to play as often as you can get away with and that's going to mean a lot of dirt kicked out into your home in the process.

Tl:dr A full rat biome would be really cool, but the rat appreciation to ballache ratio wouldn't make it worth it.


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## glass_houses (Jan 31, 2022)




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## glass_houses (Feb 1, 2022)




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## glass_houses (Feb 2, 2022)




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## Newman's Lovechild (Feb 2, 2022)

Well boy howdy, they're growing.


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## glass_houses (Feb 4, 2022)

Newman's Lovechild said:


> Well boy howdy, they're growing.


They're noisy too. I have the maternity tub in my bedroom, and every two hours it sounds like a dozen baby birds cheeping at the top of their lungs.


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## Cats (Feb 4, 2022)




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## amieth (Feb 4, 2022)

glass_houses said:


> They're noisy too. I have the maternity tub in my bedroom, and every two hours it sounds like a dozen baby birds cheeping at the top of their lungs.
> 
> View attachment 2951886View attachment 2951887View attachment 2951888View attachment 2951889View attachment 2951890View attachment 2951891


i love these babies


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## glass_houses (Feb 5, 2022)

They're all saddlebacks like their mum. The vast majority look like they're going to be argentes or fawns, but there's a very attractive, very laid back champagne in there that I'm hoping is a doe so I can keep it. (I only keep does.)


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## glass_houses (Feb 5, 2022)

Stacks on!


Their fur/skin is indescribably soft and delicate. The only thing I've felt that's softer is microbat fur.


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## glass_houses (Feb 7, 2022)

Couldn't take pics last night, had to take them this morning.

It was unseasonably cold last night, so mum made a lovely warm nest for them.



It's getting difficult to photo the babies, they wriggle something fierce, and they're surprisingly fast for something that's blind and can't even walk properly.



Also, they're added a new noise into their vocabulary of cheeps, meeps, peeps and chirps: a loud, painful sounding squark that freaks me the fuck out and makes me think one of them is being murdered. After the first few times I heard it I ended up going through all the kittens and the tub to make sure there were no ants in there- my house has a problem with ants- there wasn't thankfully, but mum was pissed off with me.


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## glass_houses (Feb 7, 2022)

Annotation to the loud shrieks I keep hearing: I think it's actually mum who's doing it. Twelve bubs, twelve nipples, that's got to hurt.

Their personalities are starting to develop. As I was handling them tonight, some were unbothered, one slept, a couple squeaked quietly in alarm, and one even groomed me with a teeny tiny tongue.


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## amieth (Feb 10, 2022)

glass_houses said:


> Annotation to the loud shrieks I keep hearing: I think it's actually mum who's doing it. Twelve bubs, twelve nipples, that's got to hurt.
> 
> Their personalities are starting to develop. As I was handling them tonight, some were unbothered, one slept, a couple squeaked quietly in alarm, and one even groomed me with a teeny tiny tongue.
> 
> View attachment 2964007View attachment 2964008View attachment 2964009View attachment 2964010View attachment 2964011View attachment 2964013View attachment 2964014View attachment 2964015View attachment 2964016View attachment 2964017View attachment 2964018View attachment 2964019View attachment 2964020View attachment 2964021


Are they any sort of particular breed or just cute hooded ratties?


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## Ted_Breakfast (Feb 10, 2022)

I like their little toes.


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## glass_houses (Feb 11, 2022)

amieth said:


> Are they any sort of particular breed or just cute hooded ratties?


No, just standard coat hoodies. When I rehomed the doe, the litter's arrival weeks later came as a shock. Definitely not planned.


Ted_Breakfast said:


> I like their little toes.


Their little toes are delicious. I also love their little tails, they're so expressive and soft looking. 

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple days, I've been a bit busy.

Day thirteen. They're washing their little faces, grooming themselves carefully. Some of them, but not all, have opened their eyes.


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## glass_houses (Feb 11, 2022)

Day fourteen. They're all fully mobile and exploring the enclosure. Their eyes and ears are fully opened. I've roughly sexed them by visible nipples, and I have nine bucks, three does. Both of my favourites are bucks, unfortunately.


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## glass_houses (Feb 14, 2022)

Day fifteen. The bubs are showing interest in the yogurt and baby food I'm giving mum, though I'm not sure if they can actually eat it yet. They're also showing a lot of interest in me, licking, nibbling, and biting on my hand, and climbing all over me.


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## glass_houses (Feb 14, 2022)

Day sixteen. They've caught the zoomies! The babies are playing and wrestling with each other, zooming hither and thither. They're always talking, squeaking and chirping. Their individual personalities are developing. So far the males are the boldest and most friendly and interested with me, whilst the females are shyer. 

That's quite fine by me. I'll be keeping the does either way, so I'll have plenty of time to socialise them. I will not be keeping the bucks, and the better handled and more social they are going out into the world, the better their shot at a good life (or so I hope.)


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## glass_houses (Feb 14, 2022)

Day seventeen. I managed to convince mum to stay still enough for a picture.



You wouldn't believe how noisy these furry little buggers are.


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## Paracelsus (Feb 21, 2022)

glass_houses said:


> Day seventeen. I managed to convince mum to stay still enough for a picture.
> 
> View attachment 2984010


ANGELIC! WE DON'T DESERVE MOMMY RAT!


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## glass_houses (Feb 27, 2022)

Paracelsus said:


> ANGELIC! WE DON'T DESERVE MOMMY RAT!


I wouldn't exactly call her angelic, considering her habits of making nests under my bed, tearing up the carpet, and hiding behind my wardrobe where I can't reach her until 5am. Nevertheless, I have managed to take several more photos of her. It took many days to get them.

Presenting Dangerous Beans, aka the floozy who was supposed to be desexed but who turned out to be the absolute opposite.


Spoiler: Ginger, lots of ginger kids... now that I think of it, is she a Weasley?







Before we go any further, some important information on rat husbandry:





That's the spot where you return the favour when a rat gives you kisses.

Day 18, and the genital areas on the males and females are beginning to differentiate.


Spoiler: Day 18


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## glass_houses (Feb 27, 2022)

Day 19. Torpedoes have commenced loading.


Spoiler: Day 19







Day 20. 


Spoiler: Day 20







Day 22. 

No Day 21. The pictures are going to drop in quantity and quality from here on out. The little buggers are beginning to move really, really fast by this stage and getting even a couple of mediocre photos takes a fair amount of time and energy.



Spoiler: Day 22







Day 23 
They've started to play along the edges of the maternity tub they currently make their home in.


Spoiler: Day 23


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## glass_houses (Feb 27, 2022)

Day 25
No  Day 24. They're working hard on the trademark rattie expression of wounded innocence.


Spoiler: Day 25








Day 27
No Day 26.



Spoiler: Day 27



 



Day 28


Spoiler: Day 28
















Day 30
No Day 29. I am an endlessly fascinating climbing frame for them. They lick and nibble on me constantly. They love playing with my hair and will wrestle with each other for the privilege of sitting under my braid. Mum has started the process of weaning and is no longer nursing them as much, no matter how much they yell at her to let them to. They are extremely fast and are getting their adult proportions. They still have their velvety baby coats, however.


Spoiler: Day 30








....annnnnd we're all caught up for the time being.


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## Ted_Breakfast (Feb 27, 2022)

glass_houses said:


> Day sixteen. They've caught the zoomies! The babies are playing and wrestling with each other, zooming hither and thither. They're always talking, squeaking and chirping. Their individual personalities are developing. So far the males are the boldest and most friendly and interested with me, whilst the females are shyer.
> 
> That's quite fine by me. I'll be keeping the does either way, so I'll have plenty of time to socialise them. I will not be keeping the bucks, and the better handled and more social they are going out into the world, the better their shot at a good life (or so I hope.)
> 
> View attachment 2983951View attachment 2983952View attachment 2983953View attachment 2983954View attachment 2983955View attachment 2983956View attachment 2983957View attachment 2983958View attachment 2983959View attachment 2983960


For some reason, I find it very endearing that the females are called "does."


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## glass_houses (Apr 2, 2022)

Day thirty five, the final day. (Many apologies, I completely forgot to post)

This is the day I tore the loving family apart. I removed Mum from the maternity tub and put her back in with the adults. She didn't seem distressed by this; if anything, she looked relieved. I suppose if I had twelve babies, all of them fully mobile but still nursing, and each of them at least half my body weight or more, I'd be glad to escape them too.


Spoiler







Five days after that, I took all the kittens out of the maternity tub and separated them out into male and female. The young does went into the cage with my other does, and the nine bucks went into their own cage. At that point I realised that there might be something very wrong with the entire litter.

They were all _tiny_.

The young does were struggling to break 100g and the little bucks were only 150g. I felt that I could not in good conscious sell them to a pet store or sling them on Gumtree if I knew there was something wrong with them. I ended up getting in contact with a rat rescue who said that they'd be happy to take all of the boys off my hands.

While I was there, the knowledgeable and very nice individual in charge looked over the boys and told me that they were, in fact, completely fine. Well nourished, bright eyed, smooth coats, well socialised etc. Their small size is partially due to the fact that they're still growing, and mainly down to the fact that Dangerous Beans, their mum, is undersized herself at 220g, and then she went had such a large litter. Honestly, I was there and I don't know how she managed to pack twelve beans in her uterus. It must have been like a game of Tetris in there. So a small mother and a large litter size combined to keep growth rates down.

I wouldn't have minded some final pictures of the bucks, but there were other people moving about the cages and I was starting to get embarrassingly sentimental about the whole thing anyway.

So yeah. Good luck for your future, boys. I hope it's filled with soft hammocks and tasty noms and all the cuddles you could ever want.


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## Overcast (Apr 2, 2022)

There's just something about fancy rats that I just can't help but adore. Like you just want to hover over and protect them ya know?


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## He's Ronald McDonald (Apr 2, 2022)

Teddy bear hamster with teddy


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## amieth (Apr 4, 2022)

glass_houses said:


> Day thirty five, the final day. (Many apologies, I completely forgot to post)
> 
> This is the day I tore the loving family apart. I removed Mum from the maternity tub and put her back in with the adults. She didn't seem distressed by this; if anything, she looked relieved. I suppose if I had twelve babies, all of them fully mobile but still nursing, and each of them at least half my body weight or more, I'd be glad to escape them too.
> 
> ...


Thank you for taking very good care of them and for taking them to a rescue and not a pet store. Wholesome ending. God speed to the nice young men


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## Positron (May 30, 2022)

The Malabar Giant Squirrel, almost looks like a bird.


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## Positron (Jun 9, 2022)

Red-bellied squirrel imbibing from bombax flowers in Hong Kong.


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## Agent Abe Caprine (Jun 10, 2022)

Caught a mouse that was in my house last night. He had the cutest little face I've ever seen on a wild mouse. Was tempted to keep him but he probably has PTSD now. Best to just let the mouse run free. Besides, I'd need to catch another mouse to keep that one happy. Then I'd have two mice suffering from mousey PTSD. Since I have no pictures, have a stock photo.


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## Sundae (Jun 12, 2022)




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## glass_houses (Jun 12, 2022)

Sundae said:


> View attachment 3381592
> View attachment 3381587
> 
> View attachment 3381585
> View attachment 3381593


Very cute. What are they?


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## Sundae (Jun 12, 2022)

glass_houses said:


> Very cute. What are they?


Mongolian gerbils.


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## He's Ronald McDonald (Jun 14, 2022)




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## Positron (Jun 16, 2022)

The Pacarana.  Its extinct relatives includes the cow-sized _Josephoartigasia monesi,_ quite possibly the largest rodent ever lived.


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## Wraith (Jun 17, 2022)




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