Care Sheets?

[ADEE]

no, ya know.. i just got off the phone with a place i worked with a few years ago (ben siegel if you want to look them up) and i think im going to get a crested through them.. i know in my heart thats what i want to get, and were not talking short term so i'm going to do my research from now till i get it, set that bad boy up and go from there. they were asking $50 for a red (thats what she called it) they don't typically get morphs in but if that red sells before i get up there then she will call me next time they get a shipment in. i don't want to go back and forth and not get exactly what i want. they are so cute and i love their big eyes.. and in terms of care, exactly what im looking for. i suppose with the first one we will just get a regular and perhaps add a morph later on, can you house a male/female together if you wanted to breed? (im just starting to learn about these guys so thats a long way off) when i get home tonight ill do some research and really start reading. i just needed to decide what i really wanted. iwas sad when i settled on the car we bought because it wasnt exactly what i wanted and i swore i wouldnt do it again.

[frankykeno]

See now I'd have gone a whole different direction and suggested a couple of nice, just weaned rats. A 20 is fine for them until they are a lot bigger, they make outstanding pets that small children can learn to handle safely (they don't get smooshed like hamsters and smaller rodents), they don't run endlessly on those stupid wheels, they are very easily hand tamed, don't have a lot of natural stink as most rodents do and are funny as heck to watch. Males are my preference for pet rats as they tend to mature into big, lazy lap rats - the females tend to stay busier but also do make lovely pets. A must is to get a healthy rat and one that has been kept away from the opposite sex - a same gender pair is a must - rats are far too social to be housed alone.


Think rat!

I'm not just for dinner.....


Cute fattie boy rat (his name is Lightning)....


Hi there, we make great pets too!....

[ADEE]

thats a great idea.. i might just do that! that baby was way cute..






although i really do want a crested someday

[frankykeno]

Nothing wrong with cresties but being a mom myself I know how much kids like to touch pets and cresties just aren't good for young kids to mess with. When it comes to the rats, make sure you judge them as you would pretty much a young puppy or kitten. Clean butts, clean eyes, clean noses, no sores on feet or tail, no sneezing, coughing or wheezing, hair shiney and not all fluffed up with guard hairs, no scabby skin under the coat or patchy coats, good body weight and nice temperment. A recently weaned pair of brothers or sisters is a good bet usually. They might be nervous at the pet store or rat breeder but they shouldn't be aggressively nippy (temperment is genetic in rats so bitey parents have bitey offspring).

Pet stores are okay, breeders are better much like any animal. There are some incredible colors, patterns, coat types and ear sets for "fancy" rats.

One of the reasons I suggested males for your sons is that they do tend to be larger at maturity (big enough to go on small ferret harness/leashes) and generally are lazier so easier for kids to handle. Very few rodents are really good "kid pets" due to nipping or being too small to handle. Rats are an exception to that and are, as far as I'm concerned, the best of the rodent group when it comes to pets.

Big thing...don't let them get fat! Fat rats die earlier, are more prone to cancers, etc. Chubby is okay...fat is not. Pet rats tend to be way overfed and way overweight (we did this back when we had only pet rats and they didn't live the long, healthy life our breeder group does).

[Kagez28]

i have posted this many times....

but how could you pass this up


cresties are sooooo cool and so easy to take care of. although the rats arn't a bad idea, now that my collection is really growing. next open tank i have is going to some rats.

[ADEE]

I love the little cresties they are so stinkin cute!


judging by my siggy you can tell we went and got a pet rat.. i got a female as i thought of the breeding possibility, hey she could pay her way in terms of babys (not that i could have the heart to do such a think) i got just one for now as i didnt know if my husband would kill me lol.. i do plan to go get another female for company.

[frankykeno]

You can't go wrong with a nice healthy young rat as a pet. Do tell your husband that the female will make a nicer mannered pet if she has another female for a companion. Rats teach each other social behaviours. If a rat play nips another too hard, the other rat yelps and moves away (much as puppies do to each other). This conditions the nipper that biting isn't nice and no one will play with you. This translates into their interactions with humans. Unsocialized, lonely rats tend to bite and be nervous and depressed in their actions, eating and grooming behaviours.

The other issue is with feeding. Rat mixes from the pet store tend to be a lot of waste. Even if you bought some you can bump it up easily with dry stuff from your own cupboard. Check out the feeder forum for TONS of rat information and a stick on Becky's homemade dry rat mix. It's a winner! Also here's a great link on what leftover "human" food to offer a couple of times a week. Rats are omnivores so basically can eat much of what we eat and why not put those leftovers or that last handful of dry cereal or ends of a bread loaf to use. A popular favorite here with our male rat group is leftover peanut butter and jam sandwiches! The boys will sit up and beg for Mikey's leftover lunch LOL.

http://www.ratnutrition.com/suppleme...forbiddenfoods

Teach the little rat that hand fed treats mean you are a friend. Rats are food driven so use that to entice good handling behaviours. Very quickly these smart rodents figure out that yummo treat = be nice to the human persons.