Tell me about your rats!

[dolphinrescuegirl]

i started working at a rehab center and have fallen in love with the rats. Now I'm pretty sure I can't have these. Therefore I am thinking of getting my own. I know I want 2 so they can keep each other company and the same sex. I have read that male rats are more lazy and will sit on your shoulder and lap more quietly while females are more prone to want to get down and explore. Can you dispute this or is this true?

What kind of food is the best? I'm also researching cages as I want one big enough for both of them and toys and lots of room to run around. Is there one kind of bedding better than other kinds? I've read that the corn cob bedding is nice. I have allergies so I want to stay away from cedar, pine, and other dusty types. Where did you get your rats? Is one variety better than another? Thanks for any advice!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

My cousins niece had 2. One escaped and my cousin volunteered to get it under the couch. It nipped her a little she thought or remembered.

She got really sick a couple of days later and then got so sick she had to be hospitalized. She was diagnosed with rat bite fever and it took quite a while for her to get better.

The rats had to find a new home.

Good luck with your new pet.

 

[hereyago]

Hi.

My Dd12 has 2 dumbo rats (boys) that came from the same litter. We actually got them from Petsmart some time back. They are actually really smart, some people via youtube.com have videos about how they can do 'tricks',etc.

dd lets them out and wonder about in her room daily and they are curious. they are not big "hold" me rats, but they like to wonder around.

We actually use Kaytee Soft Granule Blend for the bedding as well as their rat food. The bedding isn't "dusty" and it works a lot better, in my opinion. We also get them things to gnaw on for their teeth.

Now, I don't hold them personally because I am actually a big chicken,lol but I'm trying to get better at it.

Good luck!

 

[FergieTCat]

Our rats live in the subway system. They are not social and do not work and play well with the rest of us New Yorkers.

 

[minkydog]

Haven't had rats, but we had gerbils for about 10 years and they were delightful pets. Small enough to hold, they can live in a 10-gal aquarium tank, and they don't pee much. My DNiece had a rat for several years and he was really a sweetie. She used to wear overalls so she could carry him in her front pocket. Lots of times he would ride on her shoulder. It caused a lot of double takes, for sure, and i never quite got used to seeing that.

ETA: I meant to address the bedding. Corn cob litter is definitely superior to cedar or pine or compressed newspaper pellets. Corn cob makes very little dust, has no noticeable odor and is very absorbant. Some small animals are highly allergic to cedar & pine, btw. Before we knew better we used it with our gerbils. Some of them got so stressed they developed respiratory illnesses and bloody noses.

 

[lemondog]

I don't know anything about rats, but my vet recommends them as pets! He said they are smarter and live longer than hamsters, gerbils, etc. My friend growing up had 2 pet rats and she loved those things. I wouldn't touch them!

 

[hereyago]

She used to wear overalls so she could carry him in her front pocket. Lots of times he would ride on her shoulder. It caused a lot of double takes, for sure, and i never quite got used to seeing that.

I'm having a kooky day and I thought you meant the rat used to wear overalls, sorry getting ready for Irene and i'm not "quite" all the way here.

 

[Greenepona]

DBF and I have 4 "ladies" 3 fancies and 1 dumbo. They are super sweet. one of their favorite things now is to "swim' in the tub. they love treats, and to make a nest from the fabric scraps, hay and paper we give them. we use the kaytee soft granules "lavender" its smells nice and is soft

 

[minkydog]

I'm having a kooky day and I thought you meant the rat used to wear overalls, sorry getting ready for Irene and i'm not "quite" all the way here.

But I have to tell you, DD used to make little outfits for her gerbils and put Barbie crowns on them.Then she would stick them in her pink Barbie car and pull it around her room on a string.

 

[lisajl]

Our rats were great. We fed them rat food and gave them something hard to chew on for their teeth. Unfortunately, they only live around three years/
Good luck with them!

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Way back when I was in high school I raised fancy rats as part of an independent study biology project. I started with two and ultimately ended up with 20 or so total. The most I had at one time was 11, I think, in my parents' guest bedroom (when my breeding female gave birth over Christmas break).

Anywho, it's been a while, but I think I just fed them basic pet store rat food. I had them in aqauriums, because that's what was available in my school. I gave them things to chew on and built a little den house for the breeders (they chewed the bottom out of it). One thing I might mention is to make sure that your cage can be securely locked. They are little escape artists. Mine were also acrobats (they would flip themselves up into the air so that they could cling upsidedown from the mesh acquarium cover).

Males are more affectionate, and are more likely to stay put on your shoulder. I was very fond of my breeder male (an albino named Pestilence). Not so much my breeder female. She did not like me (or perhaps she didn't like being kept pregnant all the time ). She did bite me on several occasions...hard. But I never had any problems with the bites, they just needed bandaids. She was the only one too, all the other rats were quite friendly.

 

[mamacatnv]

DD had 3 female rats, I think they are pretty cool pets. They don't smell and are super smart. Our issue was the ones from the pet stores kept developing tumors and I was having to haul them to the vet to get put down which costs me about 20X's what the stupid rat cost.

We used CareFresh in their cage and used to give them the paper stuffing from new shoes to shred. They loved that stuff.

If I were to do it again I would seek out a rat breeder that didn't have the health issues the pet store rats have

 

[Magic Mom]

Rats make cool pets. They will come to their name and can learn tricks. Our first rat was so much fun. She would tease the dog, it was so funny. She was an only. Then later we had two rats. They weren't as much fun because they bonded with eachother so they din't want much to do with us. They both caught something and died. After that I was done for a while with small animals.

 

[Michelle67]

Our rats live in the subway system. They are not social and do not work and play well with the rest of us New Yorkers.

Rats hang around my chicken coop, much to the delight of my cat who kills them and then leaves them on my deck to prove her might.

 

[hereyago]

But I have to tell you, DD used to make little outfits for her gerbils and put Barbie crowns on them.Then she would stick them in her pink Barbie car and pull it around her room on a string.

 

[monkeyboy]

Our rats live in the subway system. They are not social and do not work and play well with the rest of us New Yorkers.

And are big enough you could saddle them and ride to work