Everyone who joins Mischief agrees to this promise. It applies to posts, comments, rat profiles, photos, nests, crimes and messages anywhere on the site.
We support, we do not assume
- Every rat owner arrives somewhere different: different budgets, homes, vets and knowledge. Assume the person asking is doing their best with what they have today.
- Offer help, not a verdict. If you would not say it kindly to a friend holding a sick rat, do not post it here.
No bullying and no judgment
- No pile-ons, name calling, mocking a cage, a rat's condition, a person's home, income, age, body, culture, gender or beliefs.
- No shaming someone for a rescue rat, a solo rat, a pet-shop rat, an accidental litter or a mistake they are already fixing.
- Disagree with the care, never attack the person. One kind correction is enough — you do not need to add to five others.
Nothing inappropriate
- No sexual, violent, gory or shock content, and nothing sexualising anyone. Graphic medical photos are allowed only when they are genuinely needed for help, and must be described in the caption first.
- No hate speech, harassment, threats, doxxing, spam, scams or selling live animals.
- No promoting breeding for profit, feeding live prey, glue traps or anything that causes an animal avoidable harm.
Private reporting
- Any post, comment or profile can be flagged quietly. Only the moderators see your report — the person you reported is never told who flagged them.
- Moderators can hide or remove content and accounts. Serious or repeated breaches end in a permanent removal.
- Please do not reply to the trouble in public. Flag it and let the moderators handle it.
Health content is not veterinary advice
- The Care Centre, the Infirmary, the Soupling Guide and the vet directory are shared community knowledge, not a diagnosis.
- Vet listings are submitted by members. Hours, emergency cover and the species a practice will see change often — always phone before you travel.
- In an emergency, contact a rat-experienced vet straight away rather than waiting for replies here.
AI is allowed — but it must be tagged
- AI-made and AI-edited content is welcome here. You just have to say so.
- When you post, choose 'AI created' if an image or the post itself was made by AI, or 'AI assisted' if AI helped with the wording or the edit.
- Untagged AI content will be removed, because people need to know whether a rat photo is a real rat.
- Never present AI-written health guidance as advice from a vet or from lived experience.
Your content and your account
You keep ownership of the photos and words you post, and you give Mischief permission to show them on the site. Only post photos you took or have permission to share. You can delete your content at any time, and health logs, pregnancy watches and soupling photos stay private unless you choose to share them.
Mischief is offered as-is by a small community team. We may update this promise as the community grows; the version on this page is always the current one.
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