Hairless Rat???

[blackcrystal22]

Alright, so, I went and saw Year One and there was an albino Burmese python in it, and hairless rats..

They looked so darn cute and I just want some now! I was thinking about getting rats because I do have a bigger boa now, and some of my animals prefer rats over mice and asfs.
So, I just wanted to know, if anyone had these, what I should know about them?

Do they breed well? I want some to be pets as well, but do they get bitey with breeding? I hear their temper is good, is this true?

Should I start out a pair in a 20 gallon long? How well would that suit them? I also have some tall tubs I have for ASFs (about the same dimensions as a 32q except taller), would those work well too? (I feel they are a bit small).

Thanks for any advise! I might pick some up at the Wheaton reptile show tomorrow.

[JLC]

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=91636

[blackcrystal22]

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=91636

Aw, and I thought my thread was original.

Edit: Ok, so breeding on a large scale would be a no go, but I'm planning on breeding for ONE maybe TWO snakes, and would not be mixing them with non-hairless. These would be my only rats (besides ASFs, but those are really their own category.)

I still want one, they're like sphynx cats, except smaller and much more accepted in my home. Should I consider just getting a single one as a pet then?

[JLC]

I'm not a rat expert myself...but from all I've read about them, they don't usually thrive as singles. They're very social and need a friend. Maybe get two females?

[blackcrystal22]

I'm not a rat expert myself...but from all I've read about them, they don't usually thrive as singles. They're very social and need a friend. Maybe get two females?

That's another thing though.
I have also heard that males have a better temperament with humans?

[m00kfu]

From what I've seen with our rats (not hairless), females tend to always be on the go when handling them. Males are more likely to sit down and just hang out once they come to trust you. On the other hand, males also tend to leave scent trails everywhere they walk. As far as a single rat vs. a pair of rats, they are social animals, so it would be a good idea to have a pair to keep each other company when you aren't there to play with them.

[joshn6805]

they are pretty neat little fellas. they don't really tend to be great pets because they are always moving around and don't like being tampered with that much. i have a pretty modest little colony of 4.8 and they produce pretty consistently. they make good feeders though. I had a litter of 8 three days ago.
sorry but i really need to clean her cage out so excuse the dropping and urine stains.

[littleindiangirl]

If you're getting these hairless as pets and the possibility as a breeder in the futre, get hairless males. Hairless females lactate very poorly.

If you want JUST pet hairless rats, like m00k said, females are very curious and excitable, males are more likely to just sit there, but pee on everything as they mark their little routes.

Whatever you choose, don't get just get a single rat, they should be with other rats all the time.