Do you love them, or hate them? and why?
2007-01-12 12:13:23 · 18 answers · asked by Dani 7 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
ugh....good lord people. Im talking about PET rats, not sewer rats. I didnt think I needed to specify.
2007-01-12 12:20:23 · update #1
I really love rats. I mean, as a pet, what's not to love? They are lively, intelligent, engaging and affectionate when interacting with you outside the cage. They are highly social, and with due care for their gender and character, do very well in colonies of their own kind, which makes them particularly fascinating as pets. They can be trained to go back to their box in the cage when they need to go potty. Adapt well to being left for periods in their cage and are then thrilled to get out and be with you.
They are pets who are willing to be great friends with you, but at the same time are pretty low maintenance. I really love them, and the only problem I have with keeping them is that their life-span is on average way too short for me: they always break my heart!
2007-01-12 12:35:23 · answer #1 · answered by meptastic 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Rats can be cool pets but I found they need training and time. I guess many kinds of pets do. I found them to be clean animals and more intelligent than other rodents. And being born in the year of the rat, I tend to like them.
2007-01-12 20:24:22 · answer #2 · answered by firestarter 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I totally agree with Meptastic. We adopted pet rats from the pet store. Someone had taken theirs in there and dumped them in an empty cage. I considered them the same as sewer rats and told the manager under no circumstances would I adopt rats! Once I got them home (I caved) and got them situated, I became very attached to them. When I would walk by their cage, they would run to the door and sit up. They would let me pat them on the head, and would take treats from us and be extremely gentle about it. We were never bitten by either one. Even our cats and dog loved them. It broke our hearts when they died. Until you own a pet rat, don't knock 'em.
2007-01-12 20:58:33 · answer #3 · answered by lucy7 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I am absolutely head-over-heels, madly-in-love, with pet rats.
Why?
Because they are the only rodent that really wants to interact with humans. Go figure.
Because scientists have proven that a rat can achieve the same intelligence level as a 3 year old child.
Because rats combine the behavior and the antics of a rodent, a cat, a dog, and a monkey rolled into one furry little body.
Because rats are so misunderstood that I have made it my mission in life to promote rats as the wonderful pets they are, and educate the public on their proper care and treatment.
Because they make me laugh with the silly things they do while playing.
Because they give ratty hugs and whisker kisses.
Because they have very sweet facial expressions and some are built like little grayhounds.
Because rats are crepuscular, rodentists, ear and nose diggers. They like to have their bodies pressed, and all of those other facinating rat behaviors.
http://www.ratbehavior.org
Because we owe rats a dept in gratitude and respect. If it wasn't for them, we would still be in the stone-age with our medical knowledge.
Because I like to watch people squirm when I tell them I keep rats as pets. And then I go on to tell them how wonderful rats really are. I've changed many a bad attitude towards rats when they hear the facts.
The fact that our pet rats are as far removed from the wild rat as the poodle is removed from the wolf.
The fact that our pets are decended from the same animal that people know as the brown rat, norway rat, sewer rat, and barn rat; Rattus Norvegicus.
The fact that, despite the name, rats never came from Norway, they came from Asia.
The fact that the Brown Rat, therefore our pets, had absolutely nothing to do with the plague. It was Rattus Rattus, the Black Rat, also known as the Roof Rat, that carried the plague infested flea. The flea carried a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis. http://www.bacteriamuseum.org/species/ypestis.shtml. The rat suffered just as much as the humans did, and died the same horrible death.
Just Because.........................................
Rats as pets:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Rats+as+pets&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAnYM54NvMNPtXBeKUqFf2zcazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAs6qPmKbEGuHV570VYkOMTkazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Rats+as+pets
spazrats
http://spazrats.tripod.com
Specializing in the health and care of pet rats since 1997
2007-01-12 21:29:55 · answer #4 · answered by spazrats 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Ofcourse all of you dont like "rats"
the thought of a little creepy rodent living in a sewer..
well they do have ALBINO rats, [ white ones ]
and they make good pets.
so do the normal colored ones.
i think it's just their appearance.
rats are good pets.. their just like hamsters
how would you feel if somebody said
"i hate dogs, their just barking monsters with fur"
lol. it wouldnt be right.
well then stop talking about rats and go hold one and scream to teach yourself a lesson!! mwahahahaha.
2007-01-12 20:45:54 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I LOVE rats. I had four about 5 years ago. I got them in second grade and they were the coolest. I wish I could get more, no time right now. They were great to play with they learned really easily, mine used to clime a lego tower and wind down to get popcorn. They are awesome pets, just make sure you dont use a thin mesh top to cover your cage, they'll chew right threw it.
2007-01-12 21:08:27 · answer #6 · answered by antiprep101 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I don't particularly care for them. Even though you are refering to those other than sewer rats, they are related and have similar tendencies. I hate the fact that they can climb so well and go through small holes. Weirds me out.
2007-01-12 20:24:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anna Hennings 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
actually, rats did NOT carry the plauge, you need to do your research before spouting off "facts"!
FLEAS carried the plauge, which rats had, as well as dogs, cats, deer and even PEOPLE.
They DO NOT attack babies, who ever said this was on drugs.
They do NOT need any kind of training besides trust training.
And rats do NOT have any kind of yearly shots they have to have......do a little research before stating your opinion on them that supposedly contains "Facts".
I love rats, they make incredible pets, vet bills and caging can be expensive though!
2007-01-13 00:28:18 · answer #8 · answered by Sapphire 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
i hate rats because they live in sewers and other nasty places that are dark and creepy.
2007-01-12 20:17:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I hate 'em! They're not only carriers of some of the worst diseases (like The Plague!), but are quite aggressive and will even attack unattended babies and small pets. They're ugly, too!
2007-01-12 20:20:23 · answer #10 · answered by SieglindeDieNibelunge 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋