Quote Originally Posted by cilidric View Post
they cant see eachother as it is divided by cardboard, the have solid black huts on top of their heating pads, hot spot pad temps are at 81 degrees, and humidity is at 67 % i have had them for 3 weeks, and havent handled them in like 4 days so they should have been fine, and i tried feeding it with tongs and moved the rat around, the both took LOTS of interest in it but just didnt strike. they flicked at it tons poked their heads againts it got in strike position but never stuck at it, they both did this.
First problem: 81 is too cold for a hot spot.

You want your hot spot to be around 90-92. Cool side 80-81 and an ambient temp somewhere between the two. How are you measuring temps? Where are you measuring temps? How are you regulating the temps?

How big is the tank they are in? How warm were the rats when you offered them? What is your substrate? If its too big of a tank, they might need more hides to feel secure. If its too small, that could also be a problem.