pet, rats

[mischevious21]

So I attempted to feed my big girl earlier- and she wouldent take the rat... And I accidently got attached to the rat- hes a sweetie So I decided, why not keep him?
Well then a friend of mine that LOVES rats (but isnt mad about me having snakes, lol), came by and fell inlove so I let her take him home..
But Ive decided now- I want a female rat, for a pet.. Not to be bred, either.
So what type of things would you suggest for a pet rat- enclouse type, do they need some kind of place to hide or something, what kind of food, ect. Also, can they be potty trained? lol, but seriously.
Oh yea, and it might be a dumb question, but do they need one of those (big) running-wheels, like a hampster? lol.
Please and thanks.

[Argentra]

First off, rats are great pets...but you'll need to get 2 of the same sex. They don't do that well alone.

You'll want a good size wire cage for ventilation, preferably a two level, with aspen or the like. They'll want something to hide in, and it can be anything from a cardboard box to a nice plastic 'igloo' or wooden chinchilla hut. The big, solid plastic wheels are a great addition...my girls love theirs! And the best food would be Becky's rodent mix...there's a sticky on it here in the feeder forum. And make sure they have lots of safe toys and stuff to chew on.

This is the cage my girls live in We call it Rat Mecca


Did I leave anything out, all you ratty people?

[mischevious21]

Oh, I though you could only house one together- my friend had two males living together, then one day she woke up and one had killed the other... But of course, maybe thats just males...

[771subliminal]

most of the time if one kills the other its from them not being from the same litter or was going to die anyway (getting rid of the weak natures way) atleast thats wat always happens with my rats when i had em

[littleindiangirl]

That's very odd for the males to just kill one of the others. Rats are very social creatures and you can have a colony of 10 if you wanted, granted that there is enough space, water, food etc for each animal to live comfortably.

I find that females are a lot more active than males. I have 2 girls that hang out with me daily, and are constantly on the move. Checking stuff out, climbing all over me, just some crazy stuff from those girls.
Most of my males get to hang out with us, but two in particular can come out and roam daily. One boy will just sit in chris' hood for hours, snacking on little bits of food, riding around in his hood. The other has got to run about the room hiding littles morsels of food, jumping around and playing constantly. But he has no where the energy level like the girls do. Those girls are little energizer bunnies (ratties)

I went and bought one of those giant 12" Silent wheels. There is no opening for them to get a tail or leg caught and broken. Some girls use it constantly, some just like to play with it. The wodent wheel is another one that I would like to get, I just never got around to it. We have a large cage, I think 36x30x17. I think... it's a super pets cage with plastic levels and ramps and no wire bottom. Martin's cages are also really good.

I hope you find a pair of ratties you really like!

[frankykeno]

Jessika, I'd also recommend a pair of nice, recently weaned male rats as pets. Don't keep rats singly, it upsets these very social animals and they will not learn their "manners" from each other (things like nipping hurts, etc.). For me anyways, I find the females stay more "busy" as they mature whereas the males turn into big lazy, lap rats.

Get a good sized rat proof cage (check craigslist for decent used ones), some big multilevel ferret cages work as long as the bars aren't too far apart. Check out the Feeder forums here, most of that information is good for pet rats too. Check Becky's homemade dry rat mix. A lot of the store bought rodent mixed are pure garbage and mostly wasted by the rats so avoid those.

Rats don't need a wheel but if you do get one, make sure it's the big closed kind.

When you pick young rats pick them like you would a puppy or kitten in most ways. Clean eyes and nose (no red discharge), clear ears, dry butt, no sores on tail or the bottom of their feet, clean coat free of fleas or with a scabby skin layer underneath, not all fluffed up (guard hairs up). Pick a active rat, not a spazzy one but not the one hiding over in the corner either. Expect them to be nervous at first but not actively aggressive to you in the pet store. Buy only from a pet store or breeder that strictly keeps the males and females seperated after 5 weeks of age (in the case of female rats, you don't want a pair of preggo females).

Check out the thread in Feeders on coat patterns and colors. You will see the large variety available plus get an idea of what healthy rats should look like.

Lastly, do not let your pet rats get fat. It's a common mistake to overfeed them treats and a fat rat is a rat that will die young. Fit is best, fat is not.

Depending on where you are in Michigan, I'm in Toledo and have loads of rats. You're welcome to contact me about a pair of weanling rats if you'd rather avoid a pet store purchase.

[littleindiangirl]

Good points Jo! I don't usually have very many rats to spare, but I'm in Saginaw- Midland- Tri-city area in MI. I would be happy to help too.

[frankykeno]

Thanks nice of you Connie. Heck I don't have a lot to spare either LOL, not with all these hungry mouths to feed but I don't mind setting aside weanlings either to help someone get started out on a breeder/feeder colony or to go to good homes as pets. I don't sell rats though as pets unless they go in same sex pairs. Singles only would go out as pets if they are to be kept with a pre-existing pet rat that lost it's cage buddy.

[RambunctiousRatzSFL]

Currently I have some very great dumbo babies that would be a good addition as pets. (not feeders, ok)

boys


girls

[frankykeno]

Oh I love dumbo's. You wouldn't happen to live near Toledo, OH would you LOL.