The BRODENTS! Rodent Enthusiast Thread! V2

[fluffycat6]

Are degus a lot like rats? I absolutely loovvee rat personalities and how cuddly and interactive they are but they’re illegal to own here 😖. I’ve heard degus are a lot like them, is that true? I have a mouse right now and I love him to pieces, but even though he’s really tame he won’t sit on your shoulder or cuddle with you, and can’t be toilet trained, and I’d really love a rodent that can do that.

[gamorasass]

Sorry for being MIA folks. Hope everyone and their critters are doing well!

I got some sad news last week. My heart rat, Templeton, that I rehomed to a wonderful lady that runs a rat rescue, is showing signs of hind end degeneration. :c I don't want my boy being in any kind of pain or discomfort and I wish I could go visit him, but it's not good for my health since I'm severely allergic. He's not in pain currently and eating and drinking without issue, he's just starting to drag his bum a bit :c I wish I could give him a kiss and cuddle again <3

[dwarjam]

Are degus a lot like rats? I absolutely loovvee rat personalities and how cuddly and interactive they are but they’re illegal to own here 😖. I’ve heard degus are a lot like them, is that true? I have a mouse right now and I love him to pieces, but even though he’s really tame he won’t sit on your shoulder or cuddle with you, and can’t be toilet trained, and I’d really love a rodent that can do that.

I've owned both rats and degus and currently own 4 degus - they really are not similar in any way, in fact they really are very different in loads of aspects. degus will not interact with you the same as rats, or really, like many other rodent species. degus aren't as cuddly and they don't seek much human interaction.
I trained all 4 of them from very young to be used to human interaction and only one of them ended up liking to be interacted with by a human, and only if he chooses to (I put my hand out and wait for him to climb on it, if he wants to).
as they were still little, they were very okay with interaction and being picked up, as they grew older, they started to dislike it a lot.

of course, this is my experience, and every animal is different, all my degus have very different personalities and it happened to turn out that three out of four don't enjoy human interaction, that species really isn't even ideal pet for those who want to interact a lot with their pets and cuddle and all that.

I've owned 4 rats in the past, they're the cuddliest beings in the world, love attention and being around humans and absolutely loved me. I could keep them out of the cage at all times, all day long, they would keep close to me and never wandered off.

they are both very intelligent species, though. so both of them need lots of stimulation, they both needs toys and a companion. that's about as much common things I can think of from the top of my head.

degus also chew a lot, and plastic is the worst thing you can have around them, none of my rats ever chewed anything except for things that only were intended for chewing.
so you really need a cage for them that is chew-proof, I learned it the hard way thinking maybe they are different and they chewed up multiple cage bottoms and water bottles and toys.
degus are also picky eaters, a lot of foods don't suit them and you have to avoid anything with sugar at all costs. they also have pretty specific personal preferences for some foods and treats.

rats of course can chew a lot too but I never had any problems with them chewing stuff up.

by reading what you're seeking for in a rodent, I would say degus are not for you, they really are nothing like rats. :>

[fluffycat6]

Are degus a lot like rats? I absolutely loovvee rat personalities and how cuddly and interactive they are but they’re illegal to own here 😖. I’ve heard degus are a lot like them, is that true? I have a mouse right now and I love him to pieces, but even though he’s really tame he won’t sit on your shoulder or cuddle with you, and can’t be toilet trained, and I’d really love a rodent that can do that.

I've owned both rats and degus and currently own 4 degus - they really are not similar in any way, in fact they really are very different in loads of aspects. degus will not interact with you the same as rats, or really, like many other rodent species. degus aren't as cuddly and they don't seek much human interaction.
I trained all 4 of them from very young to be used to human interaction and only one of them ended up liking to be interacted with by a human, and only if he chooses to (I put my hand out and wait for him to climb on it, if he wants to).
as they were still little, they were very okay with interaction and being picked up, as they grew older, they started to dislike it a lot.

of course, this is my experience, and every animal is different, all my degus have very different personalities and it happened to turn out that three out of four don't enjoy human interaction, that species really isn't even ideal pet for those who want to interact a lot with their pets and cuddle and all that.

I've owned 4 rats in the past, they're the cuddliest beings in the world, love attention and being around humans and absolutely loved me. I could keep them out of the cage at all times, all day long, they would keep close to me and never wandered off.

they are both very intelligent species, though. so both of them need lots of stimulation, they both needs toys and a companion. that's about as much common things I can think of from the top of my head.

degus also chew a lot, and plastic is the worst thing you can have around them, none of my rats ever chewed anything except for things that only were intended for chewing.
so you really need a cage for them that is chew-proof, I learned it the hard way thinking maybe they are different and they chewed up multiple cage bottoms and water bottles and toys.
degus are also picky eaters, a lot of foods don't suit them and you have to avoid anything with sugar at all costs. they also have pretty specific personal preferences for some foods and treats.

rats of course can chew a lot too but I never had any problems with them chewing stuff up.

by reading what you're seeking for in a rodent, I would say degus are not for you, they really are nothing like rats. :>

Hmm that’s too bad, and yeah that doesn’t really sound like what I’m looking for. What rodent would you consider the most similar to a rat? Thanks so much!

[eff]

recently, i've started to really want a small fury of my own.
im really considering mice or rats, but i live with my family who will not stand it.

eek they are just so cute i cant i wont i love them so much. my moms
main concern is that we have a jack russel *a ratter dog*. i think as long
as they dont meet (i mean, they'll always be in there cage when the dogs
are roaming, as they dont have free roam of upstairs unsupervised) then
it should be fine.
anyone here have a ratter/type dog and own small furies?

mam also said she'd prefer me to have a rabbit or guinea pig. don't know
enough about them but had a guinea when i was like 5. got rehomed for
being aggressive / it was rehomed to us anyway and wasn't socialised so
it bit our little fingers.

[fluffycat6]

recently, i've started to really want a small fury of my own.
im really considering mice or rats, but i live with my family who will not stand it.

eek they are just so cute i cant i wont i love them so much. my moms
main concern is that we have a jack russel *a ratter dog*. i think as long
as they dont meet (i mean, they'll always be in there cage when the dogs
are roaming, as they dont have free roam of upstairs unsupervised) then
it should be fine.
anyone here have a ratter/type dog and own small furies?

mam also said she'd prefer me to have a rabbit or guinea pig. don't know
enough about them but had a guinea when i was like 5. got rehomed for
being aggressive / it was rehomed to us anyway and wasn't socialised so
it bit our little fingers.

I don’t have a ratter dog but I have four cats that would very much like to eat my mouse haha. Everything goes just fine, the mouse is kept in a room away from the cats so they can’t bug him. If you bring them into the room they’ll try to attack the cage sometimes so just be really careful with that, not only does it scare the heck out of them but they could hurt it through the bars or open the cage 😣.

All of those critters can make great pets, just depends on what your looking for!! The really little guys like mice, gerbils and hamsters are a lot less high maintenance and take up much less space, but are generally more skittish and less into interacting with you. Rats, guinea pigs and rabbits are more high maintenance and take up a lot more space but are much more cuddly and interactive. So it just depends what kind of pet you’re looking for.

I always thought rabbits were just like a big hamster or guinea pig until I baby sat one, they actually remind me more of a cat or a ferret. They’re so lovely, very smart, personable, and so full of personality. They’re a lot of work though, need at least 4 hours outside their cage and need a big cage area. Most cages aren’t big enough for them so a pen works better.

From my experience guinea pigs aren’t as personable or trainable as rabbits and rats, but they can be lovely too. They remind me a little more of a big hamster than a rabbit. They’re lower maintenance than rats n rabbits and still plenty fun to play with.

I have a personal bias to mice and rats but I’m sure you can’t go wrong whatever you choose haha! Watch creekvalleycritters on YouTube, if that doesn’t make you want a mouse nothing will.

[eff]

i know tones about both mice & rats (kinda have to if i'm co-owning this thread)
but don't think i'd consider degus or guineas. possibly hamsters, but my heart
will always fall for little rats. i can't with them - such big personalities. i'd like
the idea of owning mice and possibly two free-range rabbits in the future when
i've secured my own home.

[fluffycat6]

Ok this is a real weird question but theoretically could you keep a sewer rat as a pet? Like if you caught it as a baby and raised it would it be tame?

[amsie]

Ok this is a real weird question but theoretically could you keep a sewer rat as a pet? Like if you caught it as a baby and raised it would it be tame?

its important to note, taming and domesticating a rat are
two completely different things. you can theoretically
'tame' any animal but domesticating can only work through
several generations of selective breeding.

if you were to hand rear a sewer rat (which i would not
advise because they can carry disease), they would not be
similar or suddenly become a fancy rat. they'd easily scare,
bite, and act anti-social towards you. they'd still need company
of their own kind - which would mean you'd need more wild rats
to rear.

they would really be completely different to fancy rats. it
would be technically tame, but it would carry many of the
wild rats quirks. defecating and urinating can for the most
part be directed with fancy rats, however wild rats won't
know this, even if you train them for all their 2-3 years.

so, to answer your question: it would be tame, yes. but it
would not be a fancy rat in that it was loving, social or
trainable. it will scare easy, hide more, forage more, dig and
climb, possible fights, etc.

[nervousdog]

Hi all ! I used to own several rats before they all passed over a year ago ( all for varying reasons, most of old age ) . I had a lot of them ! I had Toaster, Over, Microwave, Refrigerator, Freezer, Rose, Powder, Zeus, and Hades ! So nine is total ! But only ever, about, 6-7 at one time . Toaster was 100% my heart rat, and before he passed I made sure to get his footprint in paint on an index card so I would always have him . I now have his paw permanently tattooed on my right fore arm < 3

I believe I would enjoy getting a pair of rats again, but wont really do more than 3 . I already bought a decent sized cage ( just big enough for up to 3, but it will only house 2 ), so now I just have to save for the rest of the supplies ! I kinda want to get females, as I used to own males- but honestly, I'm kinda afraid to end up with 20+ rats if I end up getting a pregnant one . I tend to get feeder rats as they are more easily accessible where I am at, but I might save up to get a nice, well bred pair ?