..::Rat~Chat::.. {Note On Page 11}

[rokee]

Rats are so cute! I have mice though. Mice are so cute as well x3

[Keriae]

Hey there!

I've been trying for months to get my mum to change her mind and let me have a couple of rats (preferably boys). I have a job so I can pay for their every need, and as an Animal Management student I've looked after rats loads at college, so I do know how to look after them <3 I've also worked with a pair of elderly rats, and a pair of young ones at my previous job.
However, she's adamant that I can't have them. She's said that she'll think about a couple of hamsters (probably Russian Dwarves) but they're just not the same, you know?

I think it's the tails....

I've explained that she won't have to go anywhere near them and that I'd look after them completely, but she just won't listen and won't tell me exactly why she doesn't like them. Her answer every time is "I just don't like them".

Does anyone have any ways to try and get her to change her mind? I'd love to take a couple from college home (they've recently bred and all the babies are gorgeous little boys <3).

[Wolfclaw12]

I love rats. They are wonderful pets. My first rat was a girl names pearl. Sadly because her ancestors where lab rats, she got a huge tumour in her leg ad had to be put down. a few week later we got 2 new rats. "They are both male" the person at the store said. Or so they thought. We named them sawyer and huck, from the adventures of Tom Sawyer. Sawyer was to young to have babies. I came home to squeaking. I looked in their little house and saw 8 tiny babies. We had to put huck in another cage before they had more babies. But in the wild the males help look after the babies. So we put him near the cage so he could still see inside. Because sawyer was to young, some of her babies had issues. One, who we gave to out friends along with another, got sick and died. The other free a tumour. The other babies where sold at te store. But one of them always acted strange. She would bump into the walls and would hide in the corners. So 2 days later after giving tem up to te pet store, we took her back. As it turns out, she is blind, deaf, and amazingly acrobatic. Huck got sick so we put him down. A few weeks later the same thing happend with sawyer. But we still have their baby, "cloé". She is 3 years old now. Antcient for a female rat. She isn't the healthiest rat, but she is doing well, sleepig in her hammock all day. :3

[Doglover879015]

I used to own two rats that I named Scabbers and Patches.


The brown rat is scabbers and the white one with grey on his face is patches.

They died a few years ago then I found out I gained a severe rat allergy so I can't get anymore.

Rats are amazing pets as they are capable of learning (I read in the rat owner book I bought that you can even train them to use a litter box), they're less likely to bite you, and you can actually play with them if you can get them out of the cage.

[*Foxey*]

I love rats. They are wonderful pets. My first rat was a girl names pearl. Sadly because her ancestors where lab rats, she got a huge tumour in her leg ad had to be put down. :( a few week later we got 2 new rats. "They are both male" the person at the store said. Or so they thought. We named them sawyer and huck, from the adventures of Tom Sawyer. Sawyer was to young to have babies. I came home to squeaking. I looked in their little house and saw 8 tiny babies. We had to put huck in another cage before they had more babies. But in the wild the males help look after the babies. So we put him near the cage so he could still see inside. Because sawyer was to young, some of her babies had issues. One, who we gave to out friends along with another, got sick and died. The other free a tumour. The other babies where sold at te store. But one of them always acted strange. She would bump into the walls and would hide in the corners. So 2 days later after giving tem up to te pet store, we took her back. As it turns out, she is blind, deaf, and amazingly acrobatic. Huck got sick so we put him down. A few weeks later the same thing happend with sawyer. But we still have their baby, "cloé". She is 3 years old now. Antcient for a female rat. She isn't the healthiest rat, but she is doing well, sleepig in her hammock all day. :3

You do have to be careful with getting rats from pet stores. I remember about a year ago going into a pets shop where they had a female rat and a male rat sharing the same cage. I would not have been surprised if the female turned out to be pregnant.

Next time I would recommend (if you were to get anymore) to get your rats from a rat breeder, because most of the time the rats would be friendlier and healthier than rats in the pet store. I am surprised you did not suspect that your female rat was blind and deaf before? ^^

Anyway, congratulations on having your rat live up to 3 years. Means you must be looking after her well!

[pidgeoncat]

I really would like a pet rat, any suggestions on what store/animal rescue would be reliable to get a rat that won't bite or get sick and die?

[DeckOfCards]

I really would like a pet rat, any suggestions on what store/animal rescue would be reliable to get a rat that won't bite or get sick and die?

I suggest purchasing your rats from a simple pet store, or (if you are purchasing based on looks, etc.) from a breeder. While I cannot give you specific store names since I do not know where you live, a simple google search (Pet stores in [your area], Rats for sale in [your area]) should bring up helpful results. Most pet stores carry them. I'm not going to lie, but quite a few rats picked up from pet stores are very susceptible to pneumonia, however, if you care for them properly it should greatly decrease the chance of your ratty friend catching it.

Your best bet on getting a rat that doesn't bite is getting a young rat (shouldn't be much of a problem, most pet stores have 'em). Young rats, if properly socialized, grow up to be friendly and wonderful companions. I got both of my rats when they were young, and have never been bitten. It also depends on their personality though, which is harder to determine. However, if you get a young rat, you still have a chance of throwing some of those bad habits out of the mix. I suggest six weeks - three months. During that time span the young rats are still easily adaptable and can be socialized more easily.

[van]

I really would like a pet rat, any suggestions on what store/animal rescue would be reliable to get a rat that won't bite or get sick and die?

i'd stay far away from pet stores, if i were you. save yourself the money and heartache. even if the pet store takes good care of the rats, you're going to need to bring them to the vet right away. it's almost guaranteed that they'll either have a urinary tract infection, respiratory problems, or both. they're mass bred to be feeders in oftentimes less favorable conditions, and are often inbred so genetic problems are extremely common (i've had plenty of friends get young rats from pet stores and in no time they're dead from mega colon). it's extremely unlikely that you're going to get a healthy rat that'll live longer than a year from a pet store.
look on craigslist or ask around, you'll be able to find rats for sale in your area. also check in with breeders, they're definitely your best bet for friendly, healthy rats. rescues are great too!


but i haven't posted here a lot really, sorr y, i did get two new rats from a friend though because they had major biting problems. they're doing really good now and while they're still pretty skittish, they rarely bite, and when they do it doesn't break the skin *w*

[Juniper Berry]

Hi! I don't have any rats but I'm going to get two male rats soon, so if you have any suggestions just pm me, thanks

[.:Forcing Laughter:.]

Just found out one of my girls is pregnant, a total accident but the babes will be much loved. She's a week gone now! And I'm very excited. I have been keeping rats since I was 7 and now I'm 15, so almost half my life. I've kept both males and females XD I have no experience breeding rats, or caring for the doe and her young, so any tips would be much appreciated ^^ I have a lone male, all of his brothers died, so I'm thinking of keeping a couple of boys from the litter <3 The female has two other girls with her, so of course I'll have to split them up on the days before she gives birth.