Best pets ever! My husband and I had ten of them many years ago. If you love the first two so much you’d like to add any more, I would do it sooner than later. Adding new babies to the group got harder the older the originals got.
We adored them, they were some of the best pets we’ve ever had (and we’ve had
many). They each had unique personalities but generally speaking the boys were snugglier and the girls were the little explorers. All were as friendly as any golden retriever.
So far, we’ve shied away from getting more because of the short lifespan and medical issues mentioned by others. If I’m remembering correctly, at least four of the seven females developed tumors. For three of them they were in inoperable locations and we managed end-of-life care with steroids, pain meds, etc. until it was time to euthanize. One of the girls dealt with benign mammary tumors throughout much of her life and we surgically removed something like eight or nine of those. I can’t remember if the males never developed any tumors or if it just wasn’t as prevalent as it was with the females. The males were neutered, so that may have had something to do with it, too.
I miss having them but every time I’m tempted to get back into it, I think back on all the medical expense, effort, and stress and I hold off. It would be a different story if they lived to be ten, but it was a lot for something that only lives a couple of years, unfortunately. I wish someone would breed a better rat — longer lifespan and fewer health issues — because they’re such awesome little creatures. I’m sure we’ll have them again at some point, probably when the kids are older and start begging for pets of their “own,” because even with the downsides it was still an experience worth having.
