Pros and cons of Rattus Rattus as a pet. For the a future rat keeper...

[Bruce Whitehead]

Hi there,

Bruce here. I have a few years experience breeding rats as feeders, as well have had many that are pets only, or pets and breeders.

I had a friend come over today, as her daughter has recently become fascinated with snakes as a pet. But surprise, the rats stole the show, as they always do.

Mom asked if I would post an info gathering thread for her daughter. They are receptive to the idea of pet rats, and I have given them as much information as I could think. But I am biased, I love my rats and think they are one of the most under-rated pets available for kids and people that live in smaller spaces.

What they would like to know, from others that have raised rats. is...

1)...the difference in regards to same-sexed pairs. Males vs. females.

Keep in mind that these rats would be in an environment where they will never come into contact with opposite sexed rats.

This can be as broad or as specific as you would like to be. Health, behaviour, etc.

I leand towards two males, my partner is partial to two females.

2) Another point I discussed was the importance of having the pets spayed or neutered. I approached this from the long-term health aspects, and that this shows an investment in the animal, and ultimately will give their daughter a more positive rat-keeper experience.

Nothing worse than having a pet die at 2-3 years, that may have had a better (and longer) quality of life. When that is simple and preventative, then I feel it is an imperative lesson for a child to take from any aspect of animal keeping.

3) Any personal antecdotes regarind positive experiences, or aspects of concern.

We have discussed attentiveness, and having her daughter's room rat-proofed prior to bringing the babes home.

Any contributions you can make to this thread would be greatly appreciated. Rachel, the future keeper, understands that this will be an experience that has to planned for, so there is lots of time to ensure the family has the information and makes an appropriate decision regarding their capacity to care for the rats long-term.

The family are perfect bilinguals and responses can be in French or English.

Thanks in advance from myself (bruce), mom (michelle) and the future keeper (rachel)

Bruce

Here is a pic of Rachel and "Monsieur Heureux"

[Bruce Whitehead]

[wolfy-hound]

I love rats, and have reccomended them as pets to a lot of people. I think that the males seem more friendly, but they tend to pee more. I've had nice males and females.
Mine seem to like exploring, and loved riding my shoulder around, hanging onto my ear. Cardboard boxes with holes cut into them were the best thing EVER in their tiny rattie minds. Never mind the plastic store bought houses, the boxes can be chewed on. Small boxes/bags can have treats put into them and then ratties can tear them apart to get to the treats. I use toilet paper tubes a lot for that. Just pushing in the ends makes a perfect treat tube.
I hope this helps.

[Argentra]

Rats are the greatest rodent pets ever! They are clean, gentle, smart, playful, and inquisitive. Not to mention very pretty.

I have always kept two(or more) females together and used the largest cage I had room for:





Girls tend to be more active than males and can get feistier, but they stay smaller than males and don't really smell at all. My favorite rat ever was my dear Amber - a golden Aguti:


She was my shoulder rat, and loved just riding around as I went about the apartment. She took grapes and other small fruit pieces right from my fingers and was the best pet.

I've kept or cared for most rodent pet types, including hamsters, mice, rabbits(I know, not rodents), guinea pigs, chinchillas, and gerbils. Rats are right up there near the top for best pet (I prefer chinchillas, personally).

Cons of rat keeping include needing a good sized cage (not those tiny things they claim are for rats in the pet stores), keeping that cage clean all the time since rats can be prone to respiratory and skin problems, making sure you offer some fresh foods each day but not overfeeding them, the rare bite can really hurt, all the explaining you have to do to others who see your pets and don't understand, and... hmm, can't think of anything else.

[snakelady]

Good thread.
Question though...you folks that have rat pets and snakes. Do you have any trouble feeding your snakes rats?

[Bruce Whitehead]

Good thread.
Question though...you folks that have rat pets and snakes. Do you have any trouble feeding your snakes rats?

Never had a problem with it myself.

Snakes eat rats, and the rats are bred as food. I never feed my retired females off or my adults though. Have had people that keep larger snakes offer to take them off my hands, but I do my best to place them as pets first.

The ones that are held back are usually due to genetics, size of litter they came from, temperment, etc.

I find the problem is that they grow faster than they can be fed off. So if I have a few snakes fast, then I end up with rats that are too big to feed, so I end up with too many adults. I do not feed anyone over 60g. That being the biggest I would feed a bp.

And as much as I find them to be a perfect pet, they are hard to place as pets.

Bruce

[SatanicIntention]

I have 30 rats as pets and only feed mice to my Ball Pythons. Pet rats are Rattus norvegicus, or Norway rats. Rattus rattus are roof rats or Black rats(tiny little things).

Everyone knows the pros of having rats as pets, but there are a few cons that aren't mentioned.

Rats get cancer.. They get cancer very easily, be it malignant or benign. They mostly get mammary tumors, which are easily removed by a qualified veterinarian. If the rat is female and is spayed early in life(4mos), then chance of them having mammary growths are greatly reduced.

I've also had rats get malignant cancer, such as squamous cell carcinoma. Tried chemotherapy drugs on them, but both rats didn't respond to treatment and had to be humanely euthanized. Any future owner needs to be prepared for this. It's not a matter of if, but when.

They can also get abscesses, which are easily treated by just flushing with chlorhexidine gluconate a few times a day. Antibiotics are generally not required unless the abscess is in a dangerous area.

They can get lint(IE carefresh bedding which is JUNK, do not use) stuck in the corners of their eyes, but hairless rats are more prone to this. If the material remains in the eye, it can cause ulcers, which can render the eye useless and it will need to be surgically removed. Ulcers are extremely painful, so if you see one of your rats squinting, some porphyrin around that eye, try flushing the eye with some lukewarm saline solution.

The rats need to be in a well-ventilated, but not drafty area. Under 75 degrees is preferable as they don't cool themselves easily. Using a good bedding such as Yesterday's News or aspen will ensure the rats don't come into contact with anything harmful. Do not use pine or cedar, it will cause respiratory distress and will eventually cause liver/kidney failure.

I always recommend either a trio of girls or a trio of boys. Trios work well because if one rat happens to pass away, the other two still have each other.

Spaying and neutering is very important(people often forget this with their dogs and cats, so why would they remember a little rat). Neutering males at a young age will greatly reduce scent marking, and the males will have soft fur from lack of buck grease production. Males can also get mammary tumors, so neutering will reduce that as well. Contrary to popular belief, neutered male rats(and other males of the dog and cat species) still get very large sized. Neutering early will also greatly reduce aggression tendencies, such as those brought on by puberty(can be violent).

Spaying females early can prevent alot of problems such as mammary tumors, uterine infections, ovarian cysts/cancer, and unwanted pregnancies. I have a dwarf female rat who is spayed and even at 2 years old, she still hand wrestles, runs all over the couch, and is a general pain in the rear, haha. She hasn't had any of the health problems normally associated with aging.

Here's a good site that I send people to if that have questions:
www.ratguide.com

[Bruce Whitehead]

I always recommend either a trio of girls or a trio of boys. Trios work well because if one rat happens to pass away, the other two still have each other.

I used your advice previously regarding how important it would be to have them spayed and neutered. Probably one of the best pieces of advice ever given to me regarding rats, and mom is completely on-board with it. So that was a great thing to hear.

But the trio aspect is a really good point, and not one I had considered. I had figured a duo would be sufficient.

Bruce

[Argentra]

That was great, Becky. Thanks for mentioning the other stuff. I can't believe I forgot about the diseases...

And yes, having a trio of rats is a lot better. I went through that whole scenario where I had just two (one from Petsmart) and the pet store rat died after only a year. Her partner was really depressed, so I went to the breeder I got her from and picked out a pair of young rat girls. That way, Amber(the older rat) had friends and the youngsters would have each other when Amber passed (she was 2 1/2).

Having three was a lot more fun anyway.