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[sylverkestrel]

O man... I love my cats and my dogs and my horses... but rats... *squuueeeee!!!!* they are just so freaking SWEET!!


I work at a pet store that carries all sorts of small animals; typically, the hamsters are EVIL (though I do have to say we do get some exceptions), but the rats are always sweet, and I have never been bitten by any of the rats we have gotten. They will nibble at my fingernails a little, and they like to lick and give wisker-kisses (hehe, someone brought in some baby rats that we are trying to adopt out, and one of the little girls climbed up on my shoulder and started to groom my hair)!

They can be rather curious and love to play; I can see how her and your kitten might like each other!! :3 Any sort of foraging type inrichment will be good for her, to give her some excercise and put that intelligent little mind to work! what you might consider is getting some cardboard toilet paper rolls or paper towell rolls and poking some small holes in the side and then covering up the other ends with some newspaper. She'll likely tear it up, but it will be good fun, as the rolls will like to roll away from her as she goes to nab them. xD

Hand feeding is likely a good way to get her to warm up to you. With the young rats we have at work, I'll but some cashews or some cut up carrot bits in the palm of my hand and stick my hand in there. They'll come up, sniff around, and pick out the yummies from my palm.

Also, if you want to get her out and you are nervous about her reacting badly when you try to pick her up, you could try coaxing her into a bowl like object (we have those plastic igloos, and we can turn them upside down and they'll crawl into in, and then we'll pick it up with one hand while using the other hand to keep them from jumping out) and then taking her out that way. Once you've done that, you can go into a secluded small room where you kind find her easily and she can't really escape (like the bathroom), and sit down and put whatever you are carrying her in your lap. Then you can let her out to explore, and see if she'll climb up your body to investigate you! I've habituating a few of our less skittish little girlie rats in a similar way. You may get soiled on, but their droppings are usually pretty dry and easy to brush off, and if she urinates on your skin, just be sure to cleanse the area with soap and water, and then wash your hands real good. :3

It's so super awesome of you to take care of your friends baby like this!! Most people are so opposed to rats, that they don't even give them a chance! It's really neat that you're willing to do this! Good luck, and have fun! :3

[October Twilight]

I took her inside her cage up to the bathroom and set her down. I sat there for about 20 minutes with the door open and she just sat there staring at me inside. xD I guess she felt more comfortable in her cage. I laid on the floor and she laid down next to her bowl of food. I just petted and talked to her some and then took her back. It wasn't very eventful.

My friend warned me that she likes to scrape her teeth on people's fingers. Really gentle. She tried doing it to me earlier but it scared me (it was unexpected) and I pulled away quickly. I feel bad now. I used to have a hamster. @.@ He bit everyone. He was my first small animal so I've been nervous around them ever since.

Awww. I love all animals. Why wouldn't I take her? It just took a little convincing to get my mom and her boyfriend to let her stay. I get so angry about the way they talk about certain animals. D:< They're always talking about how ugly and disgusting reptiles are and snakes and crocodiles make better boots. They sat there and tried to tell me when I asked that rats are dirty and stink. I know better than that. UGH! I just hate it so much!

['Possum]

Sounds like you've gotten some very good advice on your new fuzzy friend. I just want to add best wishes to both you and your friend and lots of kisses and yogies for Leto.

[Autumnglory]

Good job with the bathroom! It may take her some time to come out - but keep at it. You did JUST the right thing, getting down on her level, and that she mirrored you by lying down as well shows that she has, indeed, bonded with you. Great work!

My friend warned me that she likes to scrape her teeth on people's fingers. Really gentle. She tried doing it to me earlier but it scared me (it was unexpected) and I pulled away quickly. I feel bad now. I used to have a hamster. @.@ He bit everyone. He was my first small animal so I've been nervous around them ever since.

What your friend is talking about is social grooming - it's a sign of trust, that she's accepted you into her clan. Rats groom one another constantly to show their devotion to one another. My heart's rat, Trickster, would lick and nibble-groom me for hours. Hamsters, though, that's another matter. It's not their fault they're so psychotic, for the most part... it's their nature working against them. The bigger hamsters - not the dwarfs - are solitary by nature; solitary creatures rarely make the best pets. Then there's the issue of being purely nocturnal - where many other rodents, like gerbils and rats, are crepuscular... twilight and dawn active, with other bits of wakefulness throughout the night and day. Nocturnal animals tend to react VERY strongly to being awakened - and once a small animal realizes that it can drive a threat away by biting, they tend to keep that habit. And hamsters are very territorial by nature, so they react to fear with fight. They're the terriers of the rodent world. I've met a few who have been gentle and sweet - but these are owned by older kids and adults who are very aware of the needs of a nocturnal creature, who interact on the hamster's terms.

Dwarf hamsters are different. Still nippier than most small critters, but social by nature and easier to manage. I just rehomed one given to me by Petco - it came in without an eye, and nobody would buy it, so I took her and found her a good home. My little pirate hammie - wish I could have gotten her an eye patch!

Awww. I love all animals. Why wouldn't I take her? It just took a little convincing to get my mom and her boyfriend to let her stay. I get so angry about the way they talk about certain animals. D:< They're always talking about how ugly and disgusting reptiles are and snakes and crocodiles make better boots. They sat there and tried to tell me when I asked that rats are dirty and stink. I know better than that. UGH! I just hate it so much!

Older folks tend to be far more judgemental than younger. When my ratboys lived in my classroom, kids would drag their parents in to meet them, rattling off the counterarguments to the old stereotypes: "They aren't dirty; they're always cleaning themselves and US, too - and they use the litter box! They don't smell, unless you stick your nose in their fur, and when you do, they smell kinda like Fritos - but when they were babies, they smelled like GRAPE SODA!!!! No kidding! And yeah, their tails are naked - but they don't sweat or pant, so that's how they control their body temperature and don't get overheated!"

My boys were the focal point of my classroom, a way I could get my reluctant readers to read (let them hold a rattie while doing it), and since my whole year is based around the theme of avoiding stereotypes and accepting differences in ourselves and others, they were ambassadors for the message. It broke my heart when the school board said that nobody but science teachers could keep furry animals in their classrooms, and though I've had many rats since, those first three boys - Trickster, Pippin, and MerlinPeeps - will always be my most special rat sweeties. I'm going to write a memoir about life with small pets someday, and someday I'll have a room just for my rodents where they won't instigate asthma attacks in my dear, understanding husband. ::sigh::

My last rats, bless their hearts, are now living with a student of mine who suffers from severe muscular dystrophy. The joy they bring to him more than compensates for my sadness at letting them go. I still have my gerbils, but I do SO miss my rats. ::sigh::

[October Twilight]

I'm glad I seem to be doing everything right! I wouldn't want her stay here to be uncomfortable. That would just make me really sad. D: She got some celery, a small baby carrot, and some blueberries today. She seemed pretty excited about it. I'm selling some books today so I'm hoping I'll have money left over to buy her a toy or some yogies (I know what they are but my friend doesn't have any for her!)

@.@ I had a dwarf hamster. My mother and I believed that he was deaf though. I think that's what his problem was. Everyone would surprise him by reaching into his cage.

I've had Guinea Pigs too. They were really sweet but I couldn't really get them to warm up to me. I'd have to chase them around with my hand for a few minutes just to pick them up. lol They were awfully talkative. We bought just one originally and ended up with two. The pet store warned us she might be pregnant and one day she just popped. xD She had a boy and a girl. I gave the boy away as soon as he started making weird movements towards his sister and mother. The little girl was mine. She had this weird curly, slightly rough fur. Boy, was she loud! Sadly, the boy passed away early. I'm not sure what happened. I haven't heard about the other two but they went to a good home. I'm sure they lived a full life (it's been a few years.) The mother piggy was Cocoa Puff (my mom's piggy, so she named her), Bria was mine, the little girl, and Rian Wise was the boy. I named the babies. They were born on St. Paddy's day so I gave them Irish/Gealic names.

Awwww. I'm glad your ratties are happy where they are! I hate having to give up a pet. I'm more attached to my cats than I am any rodents I've had, sad to say. We never bonded. My cats are my babies. <3 I could easily be a crazy cat lady someday. lol I cried when I had to get rid of my last kitten, Elvis. Luckily, my best friend was able to take him and I still see him. He's a lot happier with her. He's a relatively healthy, 13 lbs. boy! And he just turned a year old this month!

[barhakkuda]

Well, i don't have a rat but i have got a syrian hamster one of the closest relatives to a rat.. If they don't know you then put your hand in the cage for a while and let it sniff you and get used to your smell. After that hand feeding it small treats and talking to it make it feel relaxed. The more you do this the more the rat will come to know and remember you. Nomally rats only bite when they feel threatened, scared or you are teasing them with food they are not allowed. As long as you look after it carefully and with a bit of patience you could try getting it out and stroking it. If the rat is still unsure about this and doesn't come willingly when you try to scoop it up then stroke it and talk to it to relax it. When you do get it out hold it on the palm of your hand. You don't want the rat to feel threatened or scared by a stranger holding it too tightly or making it feel a bit claustraphobic.

Hope it helps xD