Is a rat right for me?
Attention
People of all ages enjoy the company of a pet rat. But there is some amount of responsibility involved with owning any rat. You need to be able to spend time with your rat everyday. Rats require at least an hour of time a day, even if it’s just riding around on your shoulder while you clean the house.
Cage/Water
Rats also require their cages to be cleaned weekly, and food and water changed daily or every other day. Rats should not be kept outside, as this is not a safe place, nor a happy place for your rat to be. He or she should be kept inside, and they usually like to be where they can see what is going on.
Other Animals
Make sure that the rat is not near any animals that may harm or scare it. I have a Golden Retriever who watches the rat cage and often lets out little woofs. This dog (Gracie) should not be allowed near the rat when it is out of the cage.
Children
I cannot stress this enough. Rats are very kind to children, but understand that kids can be rough. Kids should ALWAYS be supervised when holding rats. They can easily be injured or lost, and teach your children how to hold a rat and how not to. After a child reaches about age 10 and can understand that rats are delicate creatures, I think it’s
okay for them to hold the rat without supervision. Please keep in mind that all children are different and some may not be mature enough even by ten. Generally, just use your best judgement. If you swear that your 8-year-old can handle the responsibility, use your judgement. But also keep in mind how traumatizing it is for the child to accidentally hurt the rat.
Landlords and homes
Rats also love to play on the floor, exploring, but they are horrid chewers and can easily ruin things in a matter of moments. Make sure at least one room is “rat-proofed” with wires, toxins, etc. out of harm’s way. Last, rats are very kind animals, and they love attention and you. Most landlords will tolerate them because they are so small. Ask your landlord if rats are okay. If the landlord says no, you can always hide your rat…Speaking from experience. My rat lives in my walk-in closet!
on March 25th, 2006 at 9:50 am
What should I do if my rats claws get to sharp? Is a ferret cage good for my rat? What should I do if I go on vacation? Do I clean my cage weekly or daily?
on August 3rd, 2006 at 6:16 pm
Dear Justine,
I have read many books that state it is only normal for long claws but if you are bothered with this you may clip there nails using clippers for more information you may ask sara, as for the ferret cage it matters what kind. If you are to go on vacation you should ask someone you trust to feed and clean your rat while your gone. Cleaning the cage should depend on if you have an aquariom or wire cage. A wire cage will be fine if you clean it weekly.
on October 21st, 2006 at 2:14 am
We put in a rough rock a little bit bigger then the size of a fist and I’ve noticed that it dulls the ends of the nails. I’ve also read that if you have ramps and stuff like that in your cage, you can put sandpaper on one of the ramps and this will help keep their nails trim.
on December 1st, 2006 at 10:20 am
If you find your ratties with razor sharp little talons, you may want to cut their nails. Be careful not to cut to the quick. (This is the little red vein in their toenails. it’ll bleed if you cut it.) If you’d rather not take the risk, another option is using a rough nail file to dull their claws.
on January 18th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
I really really want rats but my mum hates them.What can i do?I have enough money for the cage, supplies and the ratties themselves. enough pocket money for maitenence.I would love rats,but cant think of anything to change my mums mind. Please help?Rats are so adorable and i would give them a loving home but my mum doesn’t think im reliable….Please Help?What can i do to change her mind?
on January 18th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
I really really want rats but my mum hates them.What can i do?I have enough money for the cage, supplies and the ratties themselves. enough pocket money for maitenence.I would love rats,but cant think of anything to change my mums mind. Please help?Rats are so adorable and i would give them a loving home but my mum doesn’t think im reliable….Please Help?What can i do to change her mind?
on January 29th, 2007 at 12:04 am
my mom wasnt thrilled when i wanted a rat but i decided to go behind her back and buy the rat,cage, food, bedding and all its necesities. at first she was pissed but she ended up falling in love and spends her own money on toys and treats for our spoiled little rats who have multiplied since the one i bought was pregnant..
on March 3rd, 2007 at 5:31 pm
i love rats and currently own a buck -alexander and two pregnant does pandora and multitudina [shell give birth to multitudes] multi is sweet and never bites but pandora is a diffrent story how do i curb an agressive rats behavior shes been like this scince i got her 3 months ago
on March 13th, 2007 at 12:46 am
One of my rats, GusGus, just died unexpectedly recently. I’m feeling really guilty because I’ve been busy lately and have not had time to hold her much with homework, work, and school. I have another rat who is now lonely and I’ve been making an effort to hold her everyday because I feel so terrible. Even though there were two rats in the cage, do you think GusGus was lonely because I didn’t hold her a lot? I miss her so much and I’ve been crying a lot lately. I feel absolutely terrible but I hope she is resting in peace up in rat heaven.
on August 1st, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Do female rats really smell that bad? My mom is okay with a rat, but her only reservation is odor/urine marking. Just how bad is it?
on August 9th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
The smell isnt that bad
Just make sure you change the cage atleast once a week and change every fabrik atleast twice a month 
on August 22nd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
I really want to get a rat because I’ve been thinking about getting a pet (despite my mom’s constant ‘nos’) and I think a rat would be good for me. I work at a day camp and we had a visitor come in and one of the animals was a dwarf rat. I fell in love with it. It just looked so curious and calm. All the kids were petting it and remained completely calm.
I was thinking about getting a ferret but they are fairly large and need to really roam around. Also they are quite social and often need another ferret to socailize. Also I heard from a lot of people who had been near them that they have quite a foul odour. Then I was thinking about a rabbit but I looked after my friends for a week. It was adorable but it pooed all the time.
So I think a rat would be a good pet. They are smaller so I could get two. ( I would love males but how much is it to get them neutered? approx) I could get a cage and food no problem. It would just be the location of the cage because I’m certain my mom would not let them stay in my room. Would a work room be okay? It stays about the same temperature as the rest of the house, maybe a degree or two cooler but not too bad. Also the door leads into the rest of my basement which is the social capital of the world so there would be lots of noise and activity coming from there.
Any comments, suggestions, tips on ways to get my mom to say ‘yes’ to a rat?
on August 27th, 2007 at 5:46 am
I am 13 and looking into getting a rat. I have enough money and my home is really ideal. But is it okay to use an INDOOR rabbit cage to keep my rat because the cage is quite large? Also what types of vegetables and meats should I feed them and what shouldn’t I? thanks for the help.
on August 27th, 2007 at 5:49 am
oh yea! and is it ok to have one rat on its own just as long as i give it lots of attention and play with it loads
on September 5th, 2007 at 3:40 am
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on November 15th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I want a rat sooooooooo bad! im getting babies soon!!!!!!!!!
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on February 4th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
lois- its NOT ok to have just 1 rat! imagine what it would be like to never see another human again. even if you have contact with animals its not the same. rats need to be with other rats just like you need friends and family. havent you seen i am legand?
on March 13th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I bought my rat a cage at the pet store…the people that work there say thats just fine..I brought it home got everthing situated in it…walked away…went back in my room…she was gone. Apparenty the she was getting out of the bars. I really liked that cage, it was nice and roomy. She was only about a month or so old when this happened…do you think she’ll grow into it ?
Or should I just go out and get another one with bars closer together ?
on March 30th, 2008 at 9:56 am
what kind of rat is best for a pet and lasts longest?
on April 9th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I have a pet rat, and I’ve getting more info on how to care for it. I’ve read at different sites that a rat needs 4 hours of attention everyday if it doesn’t have a cagemate. However, other sites say only about 1 hour per day. How long do you guys hold your rats? Do they seem happy with the amount of time you spend with them?
on June 18th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
i REALLY want a rat but i have a couple of cats. if i only let them out while the cats arent around will i be ok?
on June 30th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
my rat remy has a fear of my bird what should i do?
on July 17th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
my cat is annoyed when he gets bugged buy my ray roxy and roxy can be a pain to my parents sometimes but my mom wants a hairless rat but i think there UGLY!!!!!!!