The Nerdy Rat Podcast thenerdyrat.com

Liz and Matt say a lot of good-byes to members of the rat pack, so get your tissues handy! We also talk about our favorite frog who’s splashing our way this weekend and we review Spider-man: Far From Home.







Ratty Topics – We have lost a lot of rats in the last two months, and Braveheart was the hardest. He died at a super young age of only about 4 months due to a strange neurological disorder. That was one of the hardest losses we have had to face since he was so young and it was so unexpected, plus he was one of our favorites.







We also talk about adopting new rat Tula and her challenges in recovering from surgery for mammary tumors. A few of our babies who we just got spayed also had some complications and we give you some tips on what to watch for after surgeries.







Liz updated the rat cages with some fun wooden ladders and perches – be careful to never buy pine wood toys or non-identified woods as pine is toxic to rats. Here are some links to some safe wood toys (they can be surprisingly hard to find as many manufacturers don’t disclose the type of wood.) Also, be sure to never leave rats unsupervised with new toys or any toys you are worried they could get stuck on or get strangled on.







* Wood ladders* Wood perches* Coconut hidey and ladder







Local Animal News – Our favorite frog is back! Kermit is singing his way into theaters this weekend in a FathomEvents special showing of the original Muppet Movie. That’s the one made before you were born, children.







And, don’t forget to brake for opossums this summer! They eat ticks by the hundreds and it is tick season, so welcome the possums to your yard and tell your neighbors to be kind to them.







Nerdy News – We review Spider-man: Far From Home and talk about our favorite moments. We also discuss the current seasons of Supergirl and Agents of SHIELD.







Liz shares some news about popular gardening games and you’ll want to be sure to keep your eye out for the release of Peace Island, a game where you play as cats on an island where humans have disappeared. Liz also talks the heart-wrenching horrors of the unfolding story on her iPhone game Love Nikki and she revie...

In this episode Liz and Matt talk about saying good-bye to heroes, both pet rats and in the Marvel Universe. They also talk about some heroes in the local Animal Control unit and a hero cat. Ratty Topics – We had to say good-bye to our beloved rat Squeaks. She unfortunately got cancer just like her sisters did and we had to have her put down. And, Liz’s beloved heart rat and muscular-man Toro also died. There was a lot of crying this week in TheNerdyRat household. But, we soothed ourselves by adopting lonely rat Pettigrew! We also share a story about an adoption that didn’t quite work out as expected. Local Animal News – A hero cat in Crimea raises baby squirrels. Also, Washington, DC’s animal control division did an awesome job moving baby squirrels nested in a phone box to a safer location and they filmed Momma squirrel carrying them to a new nest. And, Washington, DC has wild turkeys! Who knew? Nerdy News – We review Avengers Endgame! And, because we are so slow on doing podcasts lately, we also review Shazam! Also, did you catch that the latest Star Wars: Episode XIV trailer has Liz’s favorite character of all time? 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.Also, check out our Etsy shop if you would like to buy a rat bonding pouch handmade by Liz and visit us on Instagram (thenerdyratpodcast)Email us questions and feedback at thenerdyrat@gmail.com !

Happy National Rat day.







This week Matt and Liz talk Aquaman stories and the new Joker trailer. Also will the new rattties integrate with the silly squad only time will tell. Also talk about post surgery complications after our boys neuter, and Silly Squad intro progress with the new boys.

Matt and Liz are back and talk Captain Marvel, Bumblebee and more.

In the Christmas Episode, Matt and Liz talk pet rat updates, safety tips for pet rats around the holidays, naked mole rats, PAX Unplugged, and Into the Spider-Verse.

Liz and Matt talk new foster rats, naked mole rats, BlizzCon, Venom, Bohemian Rhapsody, Flash, Daredevil, and Doctor Who.

Ratty Topics – We have two sweet new foster pet rats, Willow and Celeste, who are going to their forever home next week. Willow recently had mammary tumor surgery and then had an allergic reaction to her sutures. She developed two seromas in succession that had to be drained but we’re hoping she’s on the mend. (*A seroma is a blood filled pocket of tissue, it looks like a squishy swelling.)

For information on the benefits of spaying to prevent mammary tumors, check out podcast Episode 16 and Episode 29. 

Our silly boy Lando established the pecking order in the newly integrated Spicy Silly Squad (or “Splicey Squad”). After a few weeks of introductions, everyone is getting along!

For tips on how to do rat intros, check out podcast Episode 1, Episode 6, Episode 11, and Episode 22. 

Local Animal News – The National Zoo in Washington, DC has a live-cam of their naked mole rat colony! Squee!! For fans of naked pet rats, they look very similar but have huge fangs. The colony is organised much like bees with a queen… who is close to being decided.

News article about the selection of the queen

In disturbing wildlife news, insects and birds have declined by almost 50% since the 1970’s according to several scientific studies. Insects are the base of the food chain and pollinate most of our food sources –  if they die out, the planet’s ecology will collapse.

Washington Post article – 50% of wildlife gone

Guardian article – massive insect decline

NY Times article – massive bird decline

What can you do?



* Don’t use pesticides on your lawn OR on insects at home – many pest companies routinely offer to kill any and all insects on your property. No! The environment needs bugs.

* Plant a wide variety of native plants – not just orange butterfly weed to save the monarchs, but many different plants which host and feed different species. Non-natives don’t provide any food sources for insects and birds. (And don’t mess with nature, btw, by hand-rearing and releasing monarchs.)

* Get rid of your traditional lawn little by little by adding more and more native plantings.