Choosing a Rat
Believe it or not, choosing a rat is more difficult than you might think. It’s a decision that you are going to have to live with for the entire life span of the rat you choose. So not only is it important to choose a rat that is healthy, but also to choose one that is bonded to you, that loves you, and that wants to be with you–and vice versa. You also must make decisions about gender, color, and pattern, not to mention where to buy your rat–which is going to take some researching.
It might be a good idea to print this out for future reference–you never know when you’re gonna “need” another rattie, right?
Step 1
Getting Prepared
Before we go over the actual choice, you need to get prepared. Get your phone book, or find your favorite online yellow pages. Look up pets and breeders. Look in the Classified ads in your local and
statewide newspapers. Look up rats and rodents. It is very important to know where you want to go, and have a wide choice of places to get rats from. If you don’t, you may end up only being able to choose from a variety of sick rats. There are many places to go to. Namely, breeders, pet shops, humane societies, and maybe even laboratories. Rats from Labs are generally myco-free, which is a VERY big plus. Mentally, you need to be prepared for several things:
- You may see a lot of sick rats that you may be tempted to save. Keep your heart where it belongs–you need to be strong. You’re on the search for the perfect rat, and a sick rat is not perfect.
- You may see a cute rat that’s healthy, but doesn’t do much. We’re talking BOND here, so don’t get a rat that doesn’t show an interest in you.
- You are going to see people buying rats for snake food. Don’t flip out. You are CERTAINLY allowed to give them a piece of your mind (”Rats are sweet, kind…”), but don’t buy out the stores stock of rats in order to save them. There are SO many more where those guys came from (sadly) and you can’t save the whole world.
- You may have some breeders pushing that their rats are the best. If you don’t have a good feeling about it, don’t buy from that breeder.
The main thing is to be strong. If anyone knows about buying ratties on impulse, it’s me, and I’m telling you right now: You do not want to regret this decision later, so BE CAREFUL!
Step 2
Questions to ask yourself
The following are questions you need to ask yourself. You probably already know that you want a rat. The main thing to keep in mind is not to be too picky. Don’t limit yourself to blue hooded tailless odd-eyed rats, because you’re not going to end up with a lot of rats to choose from.
- Do I want a male or a female?
- Consider the differences. Do you want a lap rat (male) or a playmate (female)? Are you going to want to breed? Are you going to want to deal with tumors (if not, it’s probably a good idea to get a male)? Are you going to want to deal with lots of rat pee and utter ‘manliness’ (if not, get a male and neuter him, or get a female)? Consider all these questions and think of others.
- Is color or pattern important to me?
- Am I ready to get another rat?
- Did a rat just recently die? Is it time, emotionally? Am I trying to fill the void in my heart without thinking about this rationally?
- Do I have the means to care for a rat?
- Do I have the space, time, etc. for a rat?
- How many rats do I want to get?
- The only reason this is important is to make sure you get the same sex and that you put them in the cage at the same time.
- Do I want to look at mainly breeders, or are pet stores okay as well?
- What advantages to breeders offer? What kind of conditions does the pet store have?
This should give you an idea as to where to start.
Step 3
Checking out the surroundings
When you walk into a pet store or a breeder’s rat area, look to see if the place is clean. This is a clue as to what the conditions are that the rats are facing. When you see the cages, first look to see if they’re clean. How long has it been since the litter was changed? Then look and see what kind of litter is used. Is it pine or cedar? If it 
is, leave. See what kind of food they’re using. Rodent blocks are good. Hamster or rodent MIXES are bad, the rats aren’t getting proper nutrition. How long has it been since the water was changed? What color is the water? Are the rats crowded in the cage? Are the males separated from the females? Look at the atmosphere. Would you treat your rats this way? Would you like to live this way?
If you have an opportunity to talk to a breeder, ask them these questions:
- Are you breeding rats for attractiveness, or are you trying to breed out health problems?
- The answer can be either, but this breeder is a great find if the answer is “yes” to breeding out health problems.
- How many litters has the mother rat had? Have the babies turned out to be healthy?
- The answer should be yes.
- Does the mother rat or the father rat have any known diseases, such as mycoplasma?
- The answer should be no. If the answer is yes, ask if the rats have been treated.
If you’re happy with what you see, great! But if you’re not, move on to the next store or breeder on your list.
Step 4
Checking the rats
This is one of the most important parts of choosing a rat. It’s important to check to see how healthy the rats are in the batch you’re looking at. Pick up a random rat. The following are MUSTs:
- Hold the rat up to your ear and listen to its breathing.
- What do you hear? It is necessary to listen for sneezing, wheezing, and gasping as a sign of Mycoplasma. Wheezing is more apparent after exercise, so have the rat run around for a while.
- Turn the rat over and gently feel his belly.
- Do you feel any hard lumps? Anything feel abnormal? Do you see any tumors?
- Check the rats nose, eyes, and ears.
- Are there red spots around the nose, eyes and ears? Are the eyes cloudy, misty, etc.?
- Feel the rat as you pick it up.
- It should feel hefty, not frail or thin.
- Do the rats have any other apparent health problems?
- Sick rats tend to hunch up and be unresponsive. Although fear can cause a rat to tense up, in time it should relax. By the way, diarrhea can also be caused by fear.
- Does the rat look bloated at all?
- This is a sign of sickness.
- Is it a male or a female?
Step 5
Options
If you’ve found a place to buy rats from, you may or may not want to get your rat checked out by your vet. If you do, ask the breeder, owner, pet store employee, etc. if this is okay. Then make an appointment, and have the vet see if the rats are healthy by giving he/she a checkup.
Step 6
Choosing your new pet
This is by far the most important part of choosing. The actual choosing! In order to get the perfect bond between you and your new pet, you’re going to want the rat to be curious, friendly, and sweet. Put your hand in the cage and let the rats come up and sniff you. Shy rats take more socialization than friendly rats, and if your rat chooses you, then it’s a mutual decision. Good luck!
on April 15th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
This is a great a website to go to when you don’t know what to do
for a new rat. I have not had a rat yet and this really helped me a lot.
I would like to know how often to feed it and change the water.
on August 4th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
I am an owner of only one rat. I was wondering if introducing a new baby rat to a two year old rat would be a good idea. Will my older rat hurt any new rats?
on August 13th, 2006 at 9:54 am
Hi !
It depends on the temperment of your rat and if it is a male or female because if it`s a female that has already had kittens then she may be less agressive than the male you might want to keep them in seperate cages for a while and of course supervise them when they are together but rats are very social creatures so itn should be ok.
on August 28th, 2006 at 7:39 am
Thanks Very Much Very Helpful!!
xxxx
on September 4th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
HI i was thinking about gettin some rats but i am going to get 2. i would like to get a male and a female. but i dont know of a place that would have them together so i wouldn’t have to introduce them. (i dont want baby rats) and i have 1 cage so they would have to stay together. what should i do?
on September 9th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
If you want them to stay together it is very possible to get the female speyed and the male neutered…the vet would do this easily
on September 12th, 2006 at 6:33 pm
robyb but i dont have enough money to get them spayed or neuterd
on September 13th, 2006 at 8:02 am
Bobby, If you put an unneutered male and female together, you will definitely get babies, and then more babies and then more babies! To prevent breeding (and there are already lots of rats needing homes), it is best to get two of the same sex. That way, you can get them from the same litter and avoid the problem of introducing them. Good luck and enjoy your ratties!
on September 15th, 2006 at 11:05 am
After our first rat died aged 2 we have just got 2 7 week old females but one seems to really bully the other one making her squeek. Will they grow out of it or can we halp them get along?
on September 16th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
I have a bald male rat and a black and white hooded female, two weeks ago my female had 13 babies. They are adorable and i’ve found 2 of them a home already. But more turned out white and i’m afraid more will become snake food than pets. I really want to find them all good homes if anyone might be interested please let me know. About hale are dumbo and the other half is reg.
on September 18th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
hey i am back could anybody tell me about a female rats persinality and what differn’t kind of rats are there? is there a kind that you recomend
on September 21st, 2006 at 7:16 pm
hey im really thinking of getting a rat(i have to beg my father) and i wanted to know i want my rat to be able to cuddle with me and wanna play with me as well so what sex should i get?! also could you train a rat to walk on a leash that would be so cool!
on September 23rd, 2006 at 10:44 am
do not give a rat any rodent food that is not specified for rats because most rodent foods are too seedy and high in oils and can therefore kill them
on October 1st, 2006 at 2:08 pm
is it ok for me to give my rats the hard seed of a buck eye tree?
on October 2nd, 2006 at 6:59 pm
wil some one please tell me if buck eye seeds are bad and what a female persinaloty is like
on October 12th, 2006 at 6:56 pm
Bobby, I dont know about buck eye seeds, but I’ll tell you this about females: first of all, the best thing, is that their urine doesnt smell as strongly as a males. Females will cuddle with you when they’re tired, but they are alot more active than males. They often want to be off exploring somewhere. Females usually dont get as big as male rats either. hope I helped!
on October 13th, 2006 at 3:35 am
hi, ive been begging my parents for a rat anyway i was wondering what sex of rat would not drop so much urine and would cuddle up to me some oe plz help
on October 14th, 2006 at 6:25 pm
Danielle well the male rats drop urion but cuddle. The female rats dont but they dont cuddle as much.
on October 15th, 2006 at 10:00 am
sorry if i am cluttering up the board but do you know any good names for two femal rats?
on October 15th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
I have had rats in the past, and cant wait till my 2 little girls are ready to come home next week. I am saving them from my bio teacher who feeds them to his snakes and lizards. Sence i was saving them, i didnt really check them out that much. I am afraid of tumors, but im getting girls. Is there a large chance that they will have them?
on October 25th, 2006 at 9:44 pm
if they are girls more so but even if they are boys they could just get them from genetics or just chance.
on October 31st, 2006 at 11:56 am
Hi! What an excellent website. I’m hoping to get my rat in a few weeks time once I’ve got the cage etc. How long do rats live for?
Thanks!
Zöe
on November 10th, 2006 at 11:32 am
Hi, i’m really excited for i’m getting two rats after xmas! How often do female rats get tumors, are they easy to get rid of?? Zoe- I think they live from 2-3 years it think…
on December 17th, 2006 at 7:46 pm
helen well females do get tumors but not as much if they aren’t albinoe (white with red eyes) and yes and no the tumor if not cancer can be removed if caught early enough but if it is cancer than bye bye rattie
|
|
(Y)
(xx)
===
(”)-(”)
*RIP raty
on February 1st, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Hi! I’m hoping to get two rats, but I have a couple questions: I have a cat, and I’m pretty sure he will be nothing but scared out of his minds of the rats, but is their a way I can introduce them so I don’t have to worry about him “playing” w/ the rats? And also, if one rat dies and the other is left alone, my dad said I couldn’t get another one. I heard they are very social so should I be worried about that as well?
on February 7th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Madeline–
Introducing rats to your cat probably isn’t a good idea…cats are predators and they will do what comes naturally to them. However, all animals are different, so if you try it I recommend keeping the rats in a wire cage during the intro, and ALWAYS watch them thereafter. I’m in the same boat–one of my pair of rats recently passed, and I consulted a local breeder about what to do. Rats kept by themselves can become depressed, anxious, and bored, so it really is best to get them a companion (or try three rats, if one dies then the remaining two still have a buddy). But you need to be careful when introducing older rats to new companions, especially if your current rat is male.
on February 11th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
i have 2 cats and 3 dogs, and have no problem. They usually do not notice them when i carry them around on my shoulders. i don’t know anything about males becuse i have 2 females, but i’m probably sure that’s not a good idea.
on February 11th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
i’m afraid my females will get tumers! i’ve had a vetranarian tell me. is there anything i can do to reduce the chance ofthat happening?
on August 5th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
Females do have large chances of getting tumors–I had 5 female rats, and 4 of them died from tumors (one died of being hit on the head…). However, spaying your rats significantly lowers the chance of tumors. There are also some foods (such as broccoli and tomato) and medications that fight against tumors. Spayed rats also tend to live longer than non-spayed rats, and it typically costs less than the removal of a tumor. Long story short, spay your rats. I hope I have enough money to spay mine; my brother, sister, and I are all getting a female rat (though females aren’t as cuddly, we aren’t fond of holding rats with large testicles, which is a main reason we want females) each. They’re going to be outside our rooms, so they can all be in a big cage together (rats should always have at least one roommate). =)
I recommend http://www.petratscanada.com/, it’s not only useful to Canadians. (I don’t mean to stray people away from here, incase you think that, I think that the more comfirmations and information the better)
on August 15th, 2007 at 7:07 am
I have a cat and I am thinking of getting a rat, now I am scared if my cat will eat the rat…
What should I do?
on August 27th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
I have a female rat and she digs at her neck really bad and pulls her hair out. How would i get her to stop?
on August 30th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Elena,
because you have a cat i do not sujest getting a rat. but if you must be sure to always keep it in a different room than the cat. also to not frighten the rat be sure to keep the cat out of the room until the rat gets used to its new home.
Hope this helped
-Harkat
on August 30th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Jeanah
take you rat to the vet and they should be able to help
-Harkat
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on September 9th, 2007 at 2:28 am
This site has been a great source of info! very cool. I`m going to get a couple of rats in a day or two. I`m thinking boys, but if I find a couple of girls that I can`t pass up I`ll get them.
on September 9th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Kaylaface,
I hope your rats are very happy in their new home. i have two females and yes they are very active. just to tell you boy rats have huge testicles and it is not fun to touch them on accident. female rats can be cuddly and be sure to get two rats( they should have a roommate.) also petco stands behind there rats and the rats there are very nice and cuddly. if you happen to go to petco to get your rats look at the rodents for adoption. even if they look sad it would make them very happy to be adopted. thanks for listening.
Harkat
on September 19th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Sydney: I have a 9 week old bald rat that I adopted from the pet store. I am looking for a friend before he gets much older and will not bond. You can contact me tilliamhomewv@aol.com thanks
on September 21st, 2007 at 7:14 am
DEAR FRIENDS: I really want to get two does the younger the better ,I have devoted many hours researching rats and their ailments,After seeing so much in health problems I worry if the rats I get will they be sick all the time…Its very frustrating.On average do most rats people get stay ill a lot or is it just a 50/50 chance they will be sick all the time…..THANKS GUYS/GALS…
on September 30th, 2007 at 12:23 am
Dustin,
Thats awesome that you’ve spent a lot time researching “rats”…the more you know the better! Rats can suffer from a lot of different things, but dont let that scare you from getting one..just provide them with the best food, fresh water daily, and socialization and believe me the positves of owning one of these awesome creatures will out weigh the bad. Just remember to choose healthy rats from the start, clear eyes, no runny nose, nice shiny fur, no sores anywhere, ect…these are things that you can look for , otherwise anything that might show up later is something you can ask your vet about. It is sad rats dont have a long life span(2-3 yrs) but in that short time they sure can bring a lot of happiness to you. Well good luck and take care! Hope this helps a little! Tracy
on October 7th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
I have two rats. they should be 2 males. but i’m not sure what there “parts” should look like. now that they are older one of their “parts” looks a lot bigger than the other ones. and it has a big bron spot on it. so i need to see a pic of what it should look like. please help!
on October 15th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
im getting 2 rats in a week or two. the only thing im really worried about is not spending enough time w/ BOTH of them. suggestions?
on October 25th, 2007 at 11:21 am
hiya brittany! Its really easy once u get the hang of spending time with both of them. get them both out at the same time if they are boys they are more likely to just sit on your lap or sit on your shoulders when you go out for walks ect i enjoy thins lol. Girls are likely to want to play so play on the stairs with them both race them this is fab excersice. If u hav a big cage leaving them a little longer than usual wont affect them because the hav plenty of space to run! i hope ive help brittany ! x
on October 27th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
this is erin!
i have 1 siver male, and 2 white females. they are all in separate tanks but the females gave birth. Nixie, gave birth in the 20 gallon tank and had only 8 babies. but noodle gave birth in the 10 gallon tank with 10 babies. this is bad becuz noodle gave birth to more babies in a smaller area and the person i bought them from said dont pick them up or clean the cage as less as possible. *one litter the babies are barely walking and the other are still small and have hair but arent walking. should i just keep them in the cages there in or how should i switch them out if required. ****my siver male has like a wisping sound every time he breathes. its been going on for about 2 weeks and he has silky hair but there are some random hairs that are long and scraggily. is he old? the place said he was really rare because he is a grrey silvery color. anyway what should i do about all this???
on October 29th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
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on November 14th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Dog Care Tips…
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on November 17th, 2007 at 11:05 am
This site rocks. I come here everytime i wanna see what the heck my rat is doing >.
on December 11th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
hey hey hey, i rented like 10 books about rats from the library and have decided to get 2 rats 1 male 1female, but dont know how much it costs 2 nueter/spay them. if someone knows plz tell me. TY:) P.S. THIS SITE IS AWSOME. :0
on December 11th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
sorry if im talking to much but i was just thinking about my decision and was wondering if it would be better just to get 2 males since i dont want a rat that is to hyper since i have acat and dont want the rat to jump out of my hands if the cat gets near. P.S. are rats good swimmers or should i them away from bodys of water that are more than 3 times bigger than they are?
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on December 31st, 2007 at 12:38 am
my rat is about 4 years old but really active and loving. he recently got a tumor thats been growing fast. i was wondering how much it would cost to get it removed, i dont have alot of money but i dont want him to die either.
please give advice!
on January 13th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
hi.
i live in georgia and ive had 4 rats in the past and they were all females and they arent exactly the best cuddle bugs and so im ready for a male but i dont know of any in georgia. most people down here think KILL THE RATS, definately not to breed them. so i tried going to pet stores but they only sell females..grr. if you breed in georgia tell me thanks.
=]
on January 13th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
this site kicks BUMM.
=D
on January 17th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Hi all,
I’ve had two rats in the past, both female. But they we’re both active, and I prefer animals that cuddle. I’m therefore thinking about getting a male rat this time. How much does getting him nuetered cost? and what do the disadvantages of getting a male rat include?
Cheers.
on January 17th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
SOME BODY TELL ME WHERE THE FUDGE THEY BREED/SALE MALE RATS.
I WANT A WHITE BOY AND I WANT TO NAME HIM CHOWDER.
email me sob. kbryce10@hotmail.com
on January 20th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
HEY YALL I JUST GOT A BLUE FEMALE RAT ABOUT A WEEK AGO AND I LOVE HER .I WENT TO THE PET SHOP AND THEY HAVE A BLUE MALE FOR ME AND I WOULD LIKE THEM TO LIVE IN THE SAME CAGE BUT IT IS HUGE.I WAS WONDERING HOW MUCH IT WILL BE TO GET MY MALE NUETURED?EVEN A BALL PARK WOULD HELP.IF I NUETURE HIM DO I HAVE TO SPAY HER??AND HOW BAD DOES THE MALE PEE SMELL CAUSE MY GIRL IS VERY CLEAN AND I KEEP HER HOME CLEAN SO I DONT HAVE A SMELL PROBLEM AND I DONT WANT THEM!!OH AND FOR TWO RATS HOW MUCH SHOULD I CHANGE THE CAGE> THANK YOU AND I CANT WAIT FOR AN ANSWER
on January 21st, 2008 at 6:55 pm
hey amber…
HOW DID YOU GET A MALE!?
message me back pleaseee.
thanks.
on January 21st, 2008 at 8:48 pm
HEY BRICE…
I WENT TO THIS PET SHOP CALLED PET LOVERS AND SHE DIDNT SELL MALES BUT SAID SHE COULD ORDER A BLUE ONE FOR ME .I CANT WAIT! I WOULD LIKE TO BREAD THEM AFTER I SEE HOW THEY ARE AND GET THEM USED TO ME.IM ALSO GOING TO TRY TO FIND GOOD HOMES FOR THEM ALL BEFORE I BREAD.HAVE YOU HAD RATS BEFOR?IS THERE ANYTHING I SHOULD KNOW?I LIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA IF SOMEONE IS LOOKING FOR A NEW BABY AND CAN GIVE THEM A GREAT HOME.
on January 21st, 2008 at 8:55 pm
OH..
TODAY I FOUND OUT ABOUT HOW MUCH IT IS TO SPAY AND NUETURED A RAT IN CASE SOMEONE ELSE WANTS TO KNOW.FOR A MALE ITS ABOUT $140.00AND THEY SAY IT MAKES THE SMELL OF THE PEE ALOT LESS HARSH AND ABOUT$160.00 FOR A GIRL AND CAN HELP PREVENT TUMERS.BOTH WILL CALM FROM HAVEING THIS DONE I WAS TOLD.
on January 28th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
hey amber,
oh well i live alll the way in Georgia so yea i dont think im gonna be able to get one of yo babays. but that would be cool.
yea ive had four females.
two pairs at different times.
do you have myspace?
on January 30th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
HEY BRYCE ,THANKS FOR GETTING BACK TO ME .I HAVE A PAGE DO A SEARCH AND PUT IN AMBER LOSITO IN SC .ILL ADD YOU IF YOU FIND ME!!
on March 7th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
hey this is for bryce. if you live in canada (toronto area) the toronto humane society has TONNES of rats you can get. there are currently lots of baby boys who are white. come check us out!
on March 9th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
last night my cat managed to rip the top of my breeding cage off i’m assuming the mother protected her babies because she and most of them dont seem to have been harmed but they got my buck and one of my babies out of the cage the buck is fine and has mostly calmed down but the baby (4 days old) has alot of shallow scratches and cuts i cleaned him off with warm water and put him back with his siblings he is still quite active and doesent seem traumatised by his experience but i want to clean his cuts better i’m just worried that his mum will lick and astringents or antibacterial soaps off of him and get sick ….any recomendations …
on March 9th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
also i live in NH if anyone wants babies
on March 21st, 2008 at 7:53 am
Hi Katt
Your babie should be fine rats are pretty amazing and will survive by them selfs through most things, our boys got into a fight and one came off worst cuts all over and a 1 1/2 inch laceration right across his balls and he healed up all by himself with no stiches, best thing is to clean it and leave it !
on March 23rd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
yo people. does any body here live in Ca. i am looking for some plastic shelves and was wondering if any body knows where i can get some(IN CA OF COURSE)
thank you so much
PS. my rattys will love you
on March 23rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
yo. does any one live in ca. i am looking for some plastic rat shelves.
I live in CA.
Ps my rattys will love you
on April 12th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Hi I owned 2 rats 3 years ago saskia (white fancy) and maisey (brown hooded fancy) they were lovely and I trained them to come when called walk on back legs and took them every where. Unfortunatly maisey died after 2 years and saskia had a tumer that had to be removed, it was very expensive but loved my rat and we had an extra 8 mths together.
3 weeks ago we gained 3 more gizmo (white and tan fancy) stripe (hooded black an white with strip) and coral (gray and white patched fancy) all girls. We couldent be happier with them but would recomend serious consideration into buying and caring for rats. can be gut renching at times.
on April 26th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Hi! This is a GREAT website! I got a ton of info. from here. I printed it out and took it to a rat breeders house and asked her all of these questions. All of the answers were what I wanted to hear. Thank You!
Rachael
on April 30th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Hi i read the article and it helped alot…but i’m still worried about the fact that rats can get tumors. I’m thinking about getting two females (I don’t wanna end up touching a certain area if i got boys), does anyone know the percentage of female rats that get tumors? And if so how much it would cost(in Canada if possble). Thanks in advance
on May 1st, 2008 at 6:42 am
to becky,
our rat had a tumer an it cost £85 (uk) to have it removed sorry I don’t no what percentage of rats get tumers.
on May 20th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Hi,
I just got a broadcast email sent through an exotic animal meetup group. The Humane League of Phladelphia is asking for homes for 70 rats from a University that are scheduled to be gassed if they don’t find homes. I have 3 cats and a small dog. Is it a bad idea to take a rat from a lab?
on May 20th, 2008 at 4:50 am
to adrienne,
hi
its only a bad idea if you cant keep the rat seperate from your other animals. plus you will need at least 2 rats as they prefer company.
on May 20th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Hi Lane,
Thank you. I was searching the net for detailed info on rats last night and finally found this page.
I’ve had mice, hamsters and gerbils with cats but in a larger space and yes, I would get 2 males. I didn’t know that cedar and pine are toxic for rats or that the common pet store food is not good for them. I like the Alfalfa for bedding idea and the paper pellets a lot.
I just thought that I would ask about the fact that they are coming from a school laboratory. they are supposed to be very docile and human friendly (argh = for good reason) but I don’t mind having pets that are aggressive or won’t interact with me (as long as they have enough to do and a friend) but just wondered if anyone had gotten from a similar place.
I come from an animal rescue angle, in part, and would be taking them to keep them from being gassed though a friend of mine has a very sweet female who has the run of his apartment during part of the day and cuddles with him and interacts a lot.
I just don’t want to take a rat from a horrible situation to one that would be a long term misery.
Thanks for your advice. If you have any other thoughts or know anyone who is interested in this let me know. I am not advertizing here which is why I’m not providing contact info for the rats.
Best,
Adrienne
on May 21st, 2008 at 4:50 am
to adrienne,
Two females might be better because as they get older the testosterone hormones rise and can trigger a aggressive responce to you or each other (not in all cases)
I use a paper based cat litter for my 4 rats and have no problems with that. if you have any other questions or are not sure of any thing feel free to message me and i will try to help.
good luck,
laine
on June 2nd, 2008 at 6:28 am
to Sian,
please dont worry its very unlikely that your rat will die. You should contact the shop you brought it from and explain what has happened. The should be able to buy any babys your rat has back and supply you with another cage for her or at least give you a discount.
rats are not allowed to be sold before 6 weeks of age so I would make then aware of that to.
I recomend that you seperate your male and female rat asap.
on July 4th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Hi, ive just got a new rat and im wondering what kind of rat it is ???
i mean, is it a Blue rat a Rex, A dumbo or what???…..
you havent seen the rat so you obiouse can’t tell what kind it is but can you tell me a way so i can figured it out by myself,
If it’s to any help, it has a Black head, black eyes, and and the rest of the body is white…
i asked the pet shop owner and she diddent know what kind it was !! but it was cute so i’ve just bought it after loking after illness,
Ehm can you Please write to mee on my Email couse i don’t know if get able to get on this site again fore long time
thnx
on July 6th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
to buster,
it sound like your rat may be a hooded fancy rat. if it has a large head with large ears that are closer to it neck then eyes its a dumbo rat.
other to that with out seeing it its hard to say
hope this was helpfull
laine
on July 21st, 2008 at 10:50 am
Does anyone have a rat i can have?? I wont pay anymore than 15 dollars for it. I would like it to be no older than a year. I realy want one! Male or female, but i would rather have a male. Make sure its healthy! If you have a rat for sale, thats no more than 15 dollars, please email me at: Jujolia9101@hotmail.com
Thanks!!
on July 21st, 2008 at 10:51 am
Does anyone have a rat i can have?? I wont pay anymore than 15 dollars for it. I would like it to be no older than a year. I realy want one! Male or female, but i would rather have a male. Make sure its healthy!! please email me at: Jujolia9101@hotmail.com
Thanks!!
on July 24th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
i hav had boy rats for the past 3 years nd sadly 1 past away aftr jst 2 nd a half years nd now my othr rat might hav a tumer (vets next week). my little sis wants to get female rats nd wantd to kno would it be best to get thm spayed nd if so whn would the best time in the rats life to get them spayed??????????????
thnks!!!
on July 27th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
to chewat,
sorry about you rats. if you other rat does have atumer its best he remains alone for the time being as the stress of new comers could make things worse for him.
if you are considering getting girls that are to be kept seperate from males there is no need to have them spayed.
if however you want themto be the younger the better over 2mths is proberly best
on July 29th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
hi i want (maybe)a rat and my parents only said i can have one is that ok for it? or will it get too lonley and sad?
on July 29th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
hi i want (maybe)a rat and my parents only said i can have one is that ok for it? or will it get too lonley and sad? i think a male rat would be good for me because i want it to be really affeconate…
on July 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
dog person,
it should be fine to have 1 rat as long as it has plenty of attention and stimulants. females can also be very affectionate
laine
on August 19th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Dog Person,
If it helps, I think the males tend to do better on their own. Still, between my boyfriend and I, we’ve done both males and females by themselves and they’ve done OK. You just need to give them as much time as you can every day and try to give them a big cage with lots of interesting things to do. Right now, we have one female rat by herself and she’s doing fine since she has a tall cage and she loves to climb.
Best advice I can give is to leave yourself open and try to find a rat that suits your personality. I like lap-rats more, but my boyfriend loves to play.
Kate
on August 19th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Looking at some of the other posts, I see some people concerned about tumors. I’m pretty new at this myself, so I can only say what I know.
My boyfriend’s male rat died from a tumor, and one of my girls, who is about 2 years old now, just had major surgery to remove a tumor about 2 months ago. The tumor grew surprisingly quickly and became expensive because of its size; still, it was largely detached from her body and could be removed. Meg, who had the tumor, has a new lease on life now and is running around like nothing happened. There’s no guarantees that she won’t get another tumor, but I’m glad I did have the surgery done because I get more time with her.
In talking to the vets, yes, rats get tumors fairly regularly, but most of the time they can be removed early on and the rat can continue to live a pretty normal, ratty life. Even if Meg’s tumor hadn’t been removable, I wouldn’t regret having bought her. She’s a terrific rat, and has convinced a lot of people in her lifetime that rats are cute and sweet and make great pets.
Kate
on September 26th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
l have 2 friending rats that l can not longer have one is blue rat and the other is a hairless they are both good pets l am trying to find them good home l live in broward fl u can call me at 9545343659 or email me thank u