First things first, you can use code FALL2026 to save 25% off sitewide from October 1st - November 2nd.
Where the heck have I been?
Well, firstly let me apologize for the lack of new products, social media presence, etc. The short answer is that I've been struggling with physical and mental health issues, but I am getting better.
The move was both the best thing I've done for myself in a long time (We're now living close to my family, who are all amazing and supportive people), as well as the bane of my existence.
During the moving process it rained NONSTOP, and while loading a heavy desk into the moving truck I slipped on a puddle that had formed on the truck floor and pretty severely injured my back.
Since that moment, I have had almost constant sciatica pain. I am used to back pain, knee pain, etc. from doing physical labor for much of my life, but the level of chronic nerve pain I've experienced since my injury has been absolutely debilitating.
I've been doing better recently with a regimen of stretches, a TENS machine, and some other small lifestyle changes. I am still in pain if I sit for long periods of time (or sleep more than a few hours) but overall I've learned to cope.
In addition to the injury, I had multiple printers damaged by water (I have repaired or replaced pretty much all of my printers at this point). I also had to adapt to my new environment. We went from a hot, dry climate to one with insane humidity, massive daily thunderstorms (and often brief power outages as a result).
My printers went from a nice air conditioned office to a hot, humid garage, and this wreaked havoc on my prints. I was lucky enough to be given a portable AC, but since the move I've had to invest in shelving, a powerful dehumidifier, an office chair with good lumbar support (otherwise processing orders is torture), UPS battery backups (for power fluctuations), and a new sticker printer, on top of a bunch of other little costs here and there.
Things have finally stabilized, and I promise that I have actually been working on new designs in the background, and I hope to be releasing some of them this month.
What's next?
Well, my wonderful partner Amber is going to be helping me keep up with social media (I'm bad at it even at the best of times). I'll still be involved and available to chat, answer questions, etc. but she will likely be the one uploading cute pictures and videos of the ratties for the most part.
Now that I'm getting a handle on my mental health and my chronic pain, I expect to be slowly easing back into R&D of new product designs. I try to release new products in batches, but I may just have to start doing one at a time to make things more manageable until I'm in a better place.
I just want to wrap up by saying thank you to all of my wonderful friends in the rat community for your kindness, caring, and for listening to me whine about my problems. It's helped more than you can know.