Ok I'm freaking hooked!!!

[Freakie_frog]

So I got up the guts to really spend some time with my few breeders that I got not long ago. I have to admit I was scared fhitless of getting bit. Well I got to petting them and they got to exploring me and climbing...


Rats are freaking great!!!! their like little dogs.. you can rub their heads, scratch behind their ears..

So what did all this lead to..Well all I have are albinos and a blonde one.. So what did I find??? blue hooded rats at Pets mart and females at that Somebody please stop me.. I didn't get any till I get back from the vet tomorrow having two of mine looked at for possible RI..Wouldn't want to introduce a new one to that cause I really don't have a place to separate them just yet.

[frankykeno]

Oh we got another one over to the darkside of the rat world....bwwwwhahahahahahahahahaha!

Rats are very cool....they are by far the best of the rodent group, very smart, interactive and make great pets, but also for our purposes can be nicely hand tamed and will return our good care by providing lovely, healthy snake food.

Guess I better not tell you that you can teach them simple tricks as well as put small ferret harnesses on the big males and take them out for walkies LMAO!

[dr del]

Try tickling their little bellies - mine used to love that.


Mind you I'm partial to it meself.


dr del

[Freakie_frog]

Oh we got another one over to the darkside of the rat world....bwwwwhahahahahahahahahaha!

Rats are very cool....they are by far the best of the rodent group, very smart, interactive and make great pets, but also for our purposes can be nicely hand tamed and will return our good care by providing lovely, healthy snake food.

Guess I better not tell you that you can teach them simple tricks as well as put small ferret harnesses on the big males and take them out for walkies LMAO!

what tricks Oh its on now

[recycling goddess]

ratties are woooooonderful! you are sooooooooo going to have a harem in no time... and then you'll be talking about retiring your females and keeping them as pets!!!

[rabernet]

I quickly fell in love with mine too Ed! And I adore Mrs. Snuggles (who just gave birth to her third litter of 13 today). She's the only one that I allow to run around the apartment (supervised of course), she always comes running back to me when I pat the floor and call her back.

And she's just a squishy, cuddly rat. Karl actually named her, without ever having handled her - and she took her name and ran with it. It's the perfect name for her!

I'm sure you'll have a favorite very soon too (although they are all great - but there WILL be one that finds that special place in your heart).

[frankykeno]

Well granted I don't do this stuff with the colony rats anymore (who has time) but back when we had pet rats we taught them to sit up pretty for treats, go round and round in circles (okay they were just chasing our hands with a treat but IT COUNTS lol), ride around in big toy dump trucks, come to me if they heard a certain sound I made...just basic stuff.

With the colony rats we just work on handtaming and taking treats from the hand nicely. Oh and to stop fighting when Madame Boss Rat says so LOL.

Oh and Aleesha, Casanova our big old male says to tell you boys like to be retired to pet status too!

And Derek, nice try darlin but we aren't lining up to pat anything of yours! LOL

[Freakie_frog]

I quickly fell in love with mine too Ed! And I adore Mrs. Snuggles (who just gave birth to her third litter of 13 today). She's the only one that I allow to run around the apartment (supervised of course), she always comes running back to me when I pat the floor and call her back.

And she's just a squishy, cuddly rat. Karl actually named her, without ever having handled her - and she took her name and ran with it. It's the perfect name for her!

I'm sure you'll have a favorite very soon too (although they are all great - but there WILL be one that finds that special place in your heart).

Well so far it is my big male.. His name is Popeye. He was born with only one good eye. Hes a very trusting, curious fellow who would get into anything if I let him I think, Then blondie she gave me my first litter a couple of days ago, a very attentive mother and not bitey like some I have seen I was checking her litter tonight and as it touched them and made sure they were all still ok she would just pick them up and stack them back up..LOL very sweet.

[frankykeno]

I've had some of my breeder females literally drop a fuzzy in my hands. I don't know whether they are friendly, trusting or trying to encourage me to feed off a few of the lil leeches. LOL

[rabernet]

Well so far it is my big male.. His name is Popeye. He was born with only one good eye. Hes a very trusting, curious fellow who would get into anything if I let him I think, Then blondie she gave me my first litter a couple of days ago, a very attentive mother and not bitey like some I have seen I was checking her litter tonight and as it touched them and made sure they were all still ok she would just pick them up and stack them back up..LOL very sweet.

I've been very lucky in that all my females are very good about letting me check their babies, and none seem threatened or particularly disturbed by me doing so. I do speak to them each day and hand offer them treats and scratches, so I do think it pays to interact with your rats so that they learn to trust you. Moms often get off of their litters to come and say hello to me.