is there anything i should know about rats?

Question

random facts any good advice?

positive info only

Answer 1

*sigh* one word: MISCONCEPTION!!!!!

Seriously, rats are THE best small animal pet you can own. And no, they do not carry diseases...if you picked one up outside, sure, but if you go to an established pet store, they are bread for being pets and the worst thing you could get is ringworm; which is treatable.

Anyways...on to some facts about them:

Sex is up to you...both are sweet and intelligent, so the only factor would be if you do not care to look at their sacs. But here's something that is kind of cool about male rats..their testicals are retractable! They can pull them in if they are in any kind of danger...weird..but cool, huh? ^__^

Rats, like all small animals, have teeth that grow constantly, so make sure to have a couple chew sticks available in their cage at all time..and do throw them out once a week while cleaning their cage for they've most likely been laying in the rats waste. If you use a forti-diet, a compressed food of all the nutrients in a block shape, that too is good for the gnawing on the food helps to shave down those fangs of theirs ^__^

Bedding I reccomend carefresh. It's easy to clean, doesn't smell, and when you pick your rodent up, you don't end up covered with it. Plus, it helps hide their waste better during the week before you clean it out.

Cage wise, I had a 20gal long for mine, and it was nice for her cuz she had a lot of room, but they do sell some cages at the pet stores that I had considered buying (they were new) for mine, but she passed away just last month. (sorry, I hadn't mentioned I had one, but I'm sure you could've guessed).

They love attention, so you gotta give them all the love they need and want. Plus with enough work, you can get them to do almost anything...they are such smart little critters! I have two dogs and two cats and mine could run the house because she knew they could just step on her and kill her so when they were curious of her existence in the house, she nipped em on the nose and made them bleed horribly...felt bad, but it taught them to leave her alone from then on! So, she was then allowed to run the house and when I wanted to know where she was I'd call out "Nezumi!" (rat in japanese) and she would come running and climb up on my bed and run up to my chest and lick my chin as I pet her. I do suggest keeping an eye on her though, small animals in general LOVE electricity, so they go to the cords and take a nice bite out of em...you could end up losing some precious cords that could cost you much to replace...so yeah, keep an eye on em at all times :p

Water: make sure you use filtered or distilled water, straight tap water is not safe for any animals now a days besides cats and dogs..and who knows...soon not even for them. I just go to wal mart and get a few gallons of distilled water every month to keep all my reps and fish watered (and until last month, my rat).

Hmm my biggest advice would be to keep an eye out for anything on them. Rats are prone to tumors and the like, so if you catch them early enough, you can take them to your vet and have it taken care of...I was not watchful enough, and my baby ended up dying because of a tumor. I was considering getting another, but that might just have to wait a few years when I can handle it again. Remember, rats only live up to 3-4 years, so make sure your time with them is precious and fun.

Teach them all kinds of tricks...they'll do anything for a treat! I once saw on tv a rat on a toy firetruck, run up the ladder on to a burning barbie house, and pulled down the barbies to save them...but only once the house was on fire...when it was just sitting there he could care less...cool huh?

Anyways, have fun with your new friend, once you pick them out. Any questions or just wanna talk Rats, hit me up!

Answer 2

Give me a break! some really paranoid people on here. Yes rats carry disease, their mouths are very dirty, but so do cats. There are groomers who won't groom cats because if you ever got bit by one you would have to go to the emergency room even for a small bite, the bacteria in their mouths is incredibly toxic and infection spreads fast. I say if you want a rat get one, it is certainly not the worst pet you could have. I raised them for 12 years (bred, sold, bought, etc) and never had any problems. They are less skittish and more gentle than hamsters, mice, guinea pigs and so on. They can be taught tricks, mine knew her name and came when called. I love rats, I used to be the secretary of a rat fan club. I would love to tell you anything you would like to know about rats, contact me! [e-mail]

Answer 3

If you're talking a bout pet rats...they make wonderful, sweet & loving pets! The cage has to have at least 1.5 cubic feet of space per rat. Rats are social creatures & should never be kept alone. They are not evil, nasty, or dirty that's only what people that know nothing about them say. Yes, they can carry diseases, but in captivity thay are actually very clean animals.

Answer 4

The website below has lots of info, such as care, feeding, and housing. The site listed the general facts below:

Rats as Pets
From Lianne McLeod,
What You Need to Know about Pet Rats
Rat Facts
Average life span of 2-3 years.
Length: body 9-11 inches; tail 7-9 inches.
Nocturnal, so will be most active at night.
Males are called bucks, females are does, and babies are pups or kittens.
Rats are social so do best if kept with another rat (or group of rats).
Rats reach puberty very young - at 6-8 weeks of age. They shouldn't be bred this young, though, so make sure males and females are separated before this age.
Females go into heat every 4-5 days (for about 24 hours) and may seem agitated or restless during this time.
Wide range of markings, as well as varieties (e.g. standard/smooth, rex, hairless, tailless).

Rats are intelligent, social animals that can make wonderful pets.
Easily tamed.
Relatively easy to care for, but are not low maintenance pets.
Require a fair amount of attention and exercise time outside of thier cages (at least an hour a day is ideal).
Rats are very social and do best if kept with other rats. Same sex pairs or groups are ideal. Males usually get along fine with other males especially if introduced at a young age or they are littermates. Keeping rats in groups does not make them more difficult to tame if they are handled from a young age.
Rats are very curious.
Many owners compare the companionship of a rat to that of a dog.
As a rule, males are larger and somewhat lazier than females, and have a coarser coat. Females are smaller and tend to be more active and playful.

Finding a Pet Rat
Pet stores: only if the store/staff are knowledgeable about caring for rats and keep them in appropriate, clean housing with a good diet, and handle them regularly. Look for stores that house males and females separately, to avoid a surprise litter.
Breeders (ratteries): probably the best option for finding a well socialized young rat. A good breeder will make sure the babies are socialized and handled from an early age. Also probably your only option if looking for a particlar coat type or color.
Shelters: consider rescuing a rat in need of a home - check with local shelters or rescue groups. Choose a rat with a good temperament; rescued rats may be a little skittish or shy at first but you can probably overcome this with patience. Avoid rats that are aggressive though, as this is harder to overcome and most rats are not aggressive.
Whichever source is chosen, make sure the rat appears to be in good health and condition, and is well socialized.
If buying an older rat, try to make sure it has been handled from a young age.

Choosing a Pet Rat
Try to avoid rats that are panicky when handled, especially if they do not relax quickly, and also those that are overly quiet and calm (may be ill). Often a good choice is a rat that is curious enough to approach you.
Rats should be alert and active.
The rats body should be firm and well rounded. Younger rats are likely to be on the lean side.
The nose, eyes, ears, and rear end should be clean and free from discharge.
The coat should be clean and well groomed (healthy rats spend a lot of time grooming). The skin on the ears and tail should be clean and pink.
The skin should be free of sores and not red or flaky.
Watch the rat's breathing to make sure it is not labored, and make sure the rat is not sneezing or having discharge from its nose or eyes (all signs of respiratory disease which is fairly common in rats).
Watch for drooling or wetness around the mouth, which can be a sign of dental problems.

Answer 5

Don't listen to all these people who obviously don't know the difference between a domestic rat and a wild rat. Rats are great pets. They're smart, social and friendly. They make better pets than most of the other small rodents ie: hamsters, gerbils, mice...

Answer 6

i love rats and own three. Martin's cages are the cheapest and best, you can buy online. Mine is HUGE and I only paid 140 including shipping. A trio of males or females in the best, but i like the male's personality the best. They take time to become your friend, ususally several months, but once you gain their trust they are like a child. They need basic rat food, as well as a good supply of chicken bones, i buy legs for them and take off the meat. they eat eggs, pasta, veggies, seafood (they love shrimp) and i make them lunch and dinner every day. they are very lucky little guys, i saved them from becoming dinner. they also love chocolate pudding and cheesecake. I know about all there is to know about these wonderful little creatures and would be happy to share with you. I have tons of adorable pictures also, e-mail me at [e-mail] and we can share. I just love my ratties!!!

Answer 7

I got one when I was younger because I heard they're really smart & you can train them to do tricks. Whenever I took mine out, she just tried to run away, it probably would've gotten easier with time, but I was a teenager & didn't have the patience. Once I left the house, my parents took over her care. Eventually she started getting big tumors on her body, so my parents took her to the vet. I can't actually remember if they got them removed or not, but the vet said they are extremely common for rats and they would just come back anyway. I think they actually killed her eventually.

Answer 8

There are lots of things to know about rats!

First of all, domesticated rats are safe and very clean. As long as they haven't been in the wild or been cared for by someone who doesn't know what they're doing, they most likely will be a very safe addition to your home. They don't smell as long as thier cages are clean or carry diseases or parasites into your house. They can occassionally get mites, as can ANY animal, but they are fairly easy to get rid of.

They are affordable to buy and to feed. They sell them at lots of pet stores but if you want a certain color or a very friendly one, I would reccommend getting one from a breeder. A rat that has been handled by humans from day 1 will most times tend to be more outgoing and affectionate. You can also adopt rats from a lot of shelters and rat rescue organizations but sometimes they're not used to humans and may require more care and attention. If you want to find a breeder near you, you can look at the american fancy rat and mouse association online or the rat and mouse club of america. There's also a site called the ratster that lists breeders.

Most pet stores will tell you rats live between 2 and 2+1/2 years. I tell people that adopt my rats that they live between 2+1/2 and 3+1/2 years. I've also found that rats from breeders tend to live longer than those from pet stores in my experience. However, some rats will live from 3-5 years, as my little girl Violet did. She died at about four years and 3 months old last month.

Rats are fairly healthy creatures and easy to maintain. Some tend to get respiratory infections or ear infections that your local exotic vet will be able to treat w/ antibiotics. Also, some are prone to certain cancers and benign tumors as they get older. However, in my experience, I've only had two rats w/ tumors thus far out of many, many rats. The others that have died have simply died of old age.

Rats will eat people food but it should be kept to a minimum. Just like any person or other animal, they can become obese if they consume too many calories or too much fat so they should usually be fed a standard rat diet. My rats like some people cereals like wheat chex and cherios and they love fresh fruit and vegetables and occassionally are lucky enough to get small bits of grilled chicken. Other than that, they should really only eat food specifically created for rats. You can buy rat mixes and rat "lab block" at many pet stores and online. They do LOVE treats and will do tricks and eat from your hand for them. You can also find many rat treats (yogurt drops are a big favorite!) at local pet stores and online. They should also be given plenty of fresh water out of a small animal water bottle that they can access easily.

You can keep rats in glass aquariums (with screen lids of course) and in wire cages (with small enough spaces between the bars that the rats can't escape). Most people recommend the cages because they can get better air and be cooler but either one is ok as long as they are kept clean and healthy and at a good temperature. They should be kept in a litter like carefresh or yesterday's news or cellu-sorb (what we use in my rattery). They can also be kept in aspen chips with NO aromatic oils but should not be kept in pine or cedar chips as they contain aromatic oils that have proven to be harmful to rats' lungs and other organs. Cages should be cleaned out once a week or sometimes more if you have several rats. The rule of thumb tends to be that if you can smell thier cage, think about how awful it must be for them, with thier nose just inches off the bedding. Thier cages should have toys as rats ALWAYS want to play. Mine tend to enjoy hammocks, tubes & pipe to run through (but NOT pvc pipe), and wheels. Solid plastic wheels are most recommended because they make it so that the rats can't get paws and tails stuck in the wheel. They should also have some sort of shelter whether it's an igloo from the pet store or a shoe or tissue box to sleep in and call thier own (which should be changed when the bedding is changed to prevent odors). Hairless rats should also be given some fabric or fleece to play in so they keep warm enough.

If you have male and female rats KEEP THEM SEPARATED unless you want lots of baby rats around! They should be separated by 5 weeks old to prevent breeding.

Other than that, they are just wonderful happy little critters that love to play and explore. They can be trained to perch on your shoulder or snuggle into a corner of the couch when they are out for playtime. They enjoy being spoken to and petted as much as you'd like. For more information, you can always seek out the organizations I listed above and read up on fun rat facts!

Answer 9

rats can carry a lot of diseases

Answer 10

Yes that they're dirty, cause desease,and carry rabies be careful they are evil creatures.