i want a pet rat :)

[Martinussen]

Hi as the title says i want a pet rat.
The reason i want one is because they're cute, small, smart and cute.

But im all new to rats so any advice would be nice.
i've got some questions here but please dont laugh at me if they're stupid :P

is there any special kind of rat species that is best to get?
how many hours a week should i expect to clean cages and such?
i dont want a complete black or brown one.
either complete gray, gray-white, black-white, brown-white or compelte white. is it possible to find a good rat with these specifications?

how many hours a day should i take them out of their cage and play with them?
i am a gamer in a small room (approx: 3*4metres) so i've got alot of cords etc so would it be a dangerous place for him?
i've got an elderly dog (11years) and he have been catching and killing mice and rats all his life, so would it be possible for me to train him NOT to kill my rat?
i also heard that its best to have two cus they're social animals. fine but should it be female-female or boy-boy rats?
i dont want alot of rats so thats why i wont get a male and a female

also what about the smell? i've got a budget of around 100$ at max to spend on a cage and the rats themselves (they cant cost that much eh?)

can anyone answer my lots of questions ? feel free to add more to this is you've got any other tips.

[Deleted]

I guess 'hamster' would be more appropriate to call them unless you really want rats in your house...

I don't think you can train an 11 year dog. Afaik young dogs (1-2 years) are very easy to train and learn fast.

[Mozu]

I had 3 rats. I would heavily advise against getting them. Their life expectancy is 2 years (which is really short, especially if you get attached) and they are bred for cancer. All 3 of my rats died of tumors in their brain.

They are very sweet though, so if those things don't bother you, go ahead. Personally, I would suggest a parrot instead. Lovebirds live for 15+ years and are just as intelligent/cute. My 2 cents

[Martinussen]

i know about the short lifespan and it sucks, yet fits quite nice right now. im looking forward of a few years of, school consisting of Getting up in the morning, go to school, go home, eat dinner, go to bed, get up........ and i dont like birds.

[beanburrito]

I don't have ANY knowledge of what you're asking, but I'm in the same boat as you, I really want one too I remember being in middle school and playing with my teacher's rats, sweetest little things. Wish they lived longer.

[Ziaki]

I sent you a private message because for some reason it wouldn't let me post my answers on the forums. Something about links or some such even though I took all the links out. Hope it helps.

And to all the people saying not to get them. There really is nothing wrong with rats. They are the least likely of all rodents to bite. And yes they can be susceptible to tumor but no more than hamsters or gerbils or anything else. And if you get a rat from a breeder then they are even less likely to have those issues.

Average life span is about 2 years but if well taken care of and if they have good genetics they can live upwards of 3 - 4 years.

And with starting out with pets its better to get something that doesn't live that long anyways because then you are not tied down to a long term commitment if you decide that it's not the right pet for you.

---------- Post added 2011-06-26 at 04:04 PM ----------

Hi. I think I can answer your questions for you. I am an avid rat lover.

is there any special kind of rat species that is best to get?
There are not really different species of rats. There are different types. There are the standard rats or there are dumbo eared rats, and there are also minitures. Standards are the easiest and cheapest to come by. Dumbos will cost you a few dollars extra if you will be getting them from a pet store. Minitures can only be obtained from a breeder and will cost you a good chunk of money.


how many hours a week should i expect to clean cages and such?
I would suggest cleaning 2 - 3 times a week. The more often you clean the shorter time it takes. You can also attempt to litter train them which would make cleaning even easier but this takes a lot of time and patience.

i dont want a complete black or brown one.
either complete gray, gray-white, black-white, brown-white or compelte white. is it possible to find a good rat with these specifications?
You can get rats in a wide variety of colors, pretty much anything you can think of. A rats personality is highly dependent on genetics and how / where it was raised but for the most part rats are the least likely of all rodents to bite.

how many hours a day should i take them out of their cage and play with them?
If you plan on just getting a single rat, then maximum out of cage time is absolutely necessary. Rats are fairly intelligent and can get bored and lonely easily. My suggestion would be to get a same sex pair, preferably from the same litter. Two rats does not take any more effort or cost than taking care of one rat and they will be much much happier with a friend. If you get two then I would say about an hour or two a day even if they are just sitting on your lap or in your shirt while you game.




i am a gamer in a small room (approx: 3*4metres) so i've got alot of cords etc so would it be a dangerous place for him?
I've never had an issue with my rats chewing but some rats are ravenous chewers. You can avoid accidents but organizing and tying up your cords and taping them up out of rat reach.


i've got an elderly dog (11years) and he have been catching and killing mice and rats all his life, so would it be possible for me to train him NOT to kill my rat?
I would think not. My dogs are good with all of my rodents but both of them have been around rodents since they were 6 weeks old and are very obedient. I would suggest that you keep the dog out of the room that you will be keeping the rats in and making sure the door is securely shut when you leave.

i also heard that its best to have two cus they're social animals. fine but should it be female-female or boy-boy rats?
Yes that's exactly right. 2 is definitely better than one.
Gender is all a matter of preference. But heres some things to help you choose.

Boys tend to be calm and cuddly. More likely to sit on your lap. They tend to be lazy once they get to be a couple months old. They do have a tendency to dribble pee when they walk sometimes but they generally don't spray and the urine doesn't really have a smell.
They can be a bit musky and if they don't clean themselves throughly they can build up what is called buck grease which may require a bath.

Girls are high energy and not quite as cuddly. They like to run and are very active, very fun to watch. They go into heat quite often and tend to hump each other a lot. They are generally smaller and leaner.


i dont want alot of rats so thats why i wont get a male and a female

also what about the smell? i've got a budget of around 100$ at max to spend on a cage and the rats themselves (they cant cost that much eh?)

The best cage on the market for rats is called a Critter Nation.
I believe the cheapest you can get a single unit (more than enough for 2 rats)
A little over your budget BUT it is easy to move (it has wheels) and has a removable tray, GIANT doors so that you can get at the entire cage without having to reach. It has small quarter inch bar spacing so baby rats and small rats won't be able to escape.
Ferret nations are a similiar cage but they are no good because the bar spacing is much too big for baby rats and female rats.
You might be able to find a used one one for cheaper.

When you are cage shopping though keep in mind that for each rat you have you want a minimum of 2 square feet. So make sure to bring your measuring tape with you.


If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask.

---------- Post added 2011-06-26 at 04:04 PM ----------

Woohoo finally got it to post.

There's the info for anybody else who might want it.

[Martinussen]

thank you very much Ziaki very nice message if im getting rats i think the male rats sounds best to suit my lifestyle ;P
but you talked about some cages and i was wondering if you could maybe come with some links for some starter cages?
keep in mind, that this might be the first and only time i'll get rats so not something big and expensive and i can build hammocks and such my self.
if i enjoy having them i'll probably get more rats and get bigger cages

but any ideas of some good (small) cages?

[vizzle]

You people are weird. Get a hamster or a rabbit if you want a rodent, not a rat.

[Martinussen]

why are we weird? cus we think rats a cute? You people are weird. Get a scorpion if you want an arachnid not a spider.

[Deleted]

Rats are V cute & friendly but you will be cleaning the cage -a lot-, hamsters/gerbils/mice: you can get away with cleaning the cage like once a week or if you were really busy you could leave it a few more days up to like 2 weeks without it starting to fester. Rats on the other hand, 2-3 days and the cage will need to be cleaned for your health and theirs.

[graypaw]

PLay with him, but make sure he doesnt get out of your side, other wise he might chew a chord or something else. Maybe hold the rat, and try to get the dog used to him? I know it worked with my cat, scold him if he tries to bite, and I think youll be good.

[Nab]

Do not get Rats unless you want a billion of them in like 2 weeks they breed like maniacs and they spread disease, I'm speaking from experience.

[Violent]

I had a small albino mouse when I was about 5 - 7? I kept him in an old plastic butter bowl, his name was George... One day I had went to spend the weekend at my grandparents.. My mom had a couple friends over. One of her friends had a dog with him. Said dog ended up eating George (some how).. So the dog owner, thought he would be slick and hide it from my mother and I by going to the pet store and getting another.... I come home not having the slightest clue of anything.. I went to go play with whom I thought was George... I was bit, which George NEVER did. The guy came clean.. I cried my eyes out!



True story.

[Martinussen]

i said i'd not get a male and a female for said reason and they spread less diseases then human when they're kept clean together with their enviroments.

[Collegeguy]

I have owned many rats and other types of pets. From my experience, I loved rats the most. They are extremely easy to take care of, smarter than most people think, and not very messy.

From many different types of pets I have owned including rats I would suggest not getting more than one. You run into a problem when you get more than one of them because they are likely to bond with each other than with you, or they might become jealous for attention. Although I never had this happen with rats, I once had two mice who ate each other when I bought two of them together.

When your at the pet store buying your rat, make sure you take it out of its cage and handle it first. The biggest mistakes I have seen from people buying pets is they don't try to handle them first. I had a girlfriend that bought me a pet gerbil for my birthday once, and she didnt take it out of the cage to hold it before she made the purchase. The gerbil as a flesh eating monster when we she came home and she was very sad... Stores will try to rip you off if you dont handle them first before you buy. A store employee would never allow you to handle a pet that is a man-eater.

Hairless rats are the most affectionate and tame of all rats. I never noticed an attitude difference in males or females.

You should allow your rats to roam around your room whenever possible. People say that they often make a mess by chewing on anything, but I never had any problems with my rats chewing through things in my room.

[Sidone]

I had a white rat. Awesome beast. I loved her. 3 years.
Did let her roam but she was a bit scared so she pooped. Also, she liked to nibble on the sheets.
It was clearly visible she liked me too

[Collegeguy]

You people are weird. Get a hamster or a rabbit if you want a rodent, not a rat.

From what I have seen with hamsters, rabbits is that they are more violent and aggressive than rats. They are not as intelligent as a rat and therefore are easily spooked and skiddish compared to a rat. My experience is not a perfect example, but I have been bitten very often by hamsters and rabbits but never a rat.

[goneloco]

i had lots of tame rats when i was younger and they are lovely pets. the biggest problem imo is that even if u clean often enough the cage will still smell some. cords... oh ye they like those.

[PixelFox]

Honestly Rats are one of the best "small animal" pets. They're relatively intelligent, calm, friendly, and clean. Good luck finding a hamster that actually has a personality, or that you can take out of the cage and play with (at least without getting the end of your finger bitten off regularly).

Many people have an almost instinctive loathing for rats, and see them as disease ridden plague bringers of death. People from Europe and people who grew up in larger cities seem to fall into this category more often than others. Honestly there's just no arguing with them and they will never be able to look at a rat without seeing something oozing with imagined diseases.

But as far as "small animal" pets go, Rats are about as good as it gets. They're very mellow (at least the males) unlike psycho ferrets for example.

P.

[nerdraaaaage]

go fish in dalaran sewers for pet rat