Does anyone have any experience with Rats as pets with other household pets? My daughter would like to get one but we already have a dog and 2 cats who like to hunt small stuffed animals while the kids are gone. Housing? We have a prior cage that a Guniea Pig was kept in. Keeping cats away? I should mention we also have 2 bunnies. Any info would be a great help.
2007-01-28 09:19:32 · 14 answers · asked by eeyore9573 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
dispite popular belief,
rats are better than hamsters.
we own two female rats and they are so cute.
they don't bite us and they love to be held. I know someone who has rats and a cat. The rats go missing, and when they look at the cat, there are the rats protected by the cat. I would recomend an aquarium or a cage with a tall tray on the bottom. If the tray isn't tall, they'll push their poopoo and their stuffing out of the cage. The first three weeks of owning the rats are the hardest because they aren't comfortable with you. You have to hold them as much as you can otherwise they won't like you and will release their lovelies on top of you. Make sure they are comfortable with you. One of my rats likes to be on top of my shoulder wherever you go. They love to cuddle!!!!! My mom and sister didnt really like them at first until they grew up and stop pooing and peepeeeing. ewwwwww!!!!! I would also recomend getting two or more of them because they'll get lonely. If one of the rats die or u want to return it make sure you get a new one quickly or the other rat will get territorial. They love to sleep ontop of eachother so I would recomend not getting too many homes for them. Don't get small homes. Make sure the wheel is bigger than them because they get big and they love to run!!!!! If they fight stop them. They won't kill each other I would recommend feeding them with your own hands. I would recommend rats over any other rodent because they are cute, friendly, and adorable. It is perfectly fine for little kids too!!! Keep them inside because they love company and people. Good LLLUUUCCCkkk!!
2007-01-28 10:40:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rats make very good pets. For housing, cages with bars that are no larger than 1" apart are good. The bigger the better, especially if you don't think that they'll be taken out regularly. This website will tell you if a cage is big enough and how many rats can live in it: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/habitat/cagecalculator/ I didn't have a problem with having rats around my cats and dogs. Just don't leave them alone together. It may also help if you kept them on a table or shelf that didn't leave room for he cats to sit on, like an aquarium stand if you choose an aquarium. Good luck, they are GREAT pets, very clean and intelligent.
2007-01-28 10:52:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have two pet rats myself, and I've found them to be VERY rewarding. I would advise you against getting just one rat though, they're very social animals, and do much better with a second rat playmate. Taking care of two is really no different than taking care of one, and so much better for their health. As far as the dog and cats are concerned, I had to put my cage up higher because my cat would try to grab their tails through the wire cage, but now that it's out of his reach he pretty much leaves it alone. The dog, i'm not sure on, but I'm sure he could be trained to leave them alone, and you could always put them in a secure area when you're gone or put them in your daughters room and keep the door shut if you leave the house. Depending on how big the guinea pig cage is, it might be ok, just watch the spacing on the bars since rats heads are smaller than pigs, and be sure that they have plenty of toys to play with. Good luck! feel free to contact me if you have any other questions!
2007-01-31 13:43:08 · answer #3 · answered by blue_angel_1400 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am an avid rat fancier, and they make fantastic pets. I would keep the rat cage elevated and in a room the other animals can't get to. Also, a guinea pig cake would probably work great, provided the spacing of the bars isn't too great (anything more than 1/2" they can get out of).
More websites:
dapper.com.au
afrma.org
2007-01-30 14:52:08 · answer #4 · answered by fortune_cell 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have 2 cats and a rat...I was worried about it at first, but rats can hold their own in a fight. mostly the cats just sit there and watch while the rat trys to kick their butts! they're natural fighters and you really shouldn't worry, unless they're somewhat wild cats, then i don't know how theyll react. I just keep Tito in a seperate room and the only time the cats are allowed in is when me or my boyfriend is in the room. It's been almost a year and they've adjusted pretty well. Trust me cats get bored with them
2007-01-28 09:27:42 · answer #5 · answered by giggles for breakfast :) 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
don't let the bunny and the rat play if she does get one as the rabbit will find it to be a threat or food. the guinea pig cage should work as long as it doesn't have a wire bottom. keeping cats away with a squirt bottle usually works. rats should always be kept in same sex pairs to keep them happy unless you plan on them spending most of the day with you.
2007-01-28 09:42:04 · answer #6 · answered by MommyCaleb 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mu daughter had a small white mouse when she was younger.. she originally wanted a snake but when she found out you had to feed them mice she wanted one of them instead ... the first one made a good pet.. she could hold it and play with it.. the second would bite... i would suggest you being able to hold it in the pet store before you buy it..i think gerbils make a better pet or Guinea pigs.. they come in so many different colors.. but rats and mice don't live long. .. i had a rat that i brought one day and a few weeks passed and after being able to pick it up it bite me one day 2 days later i found out why it was going to give me Babies rats .. for weeks i was finding those little things every where.. i went to get socks out the drawer and a few of them were in there lol
2007-01-28 10:27:17 · answer #7 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have 2 dogs that try to eat my 2 pet rats [they haven't] but they try. If you keep them in a cage higher up than your dogs can reach and the cage has a good lock on it they should be fine I even went as far as to put a simple lock on my door because my beagle can open my door when it is shut completely.
2007-01-30 10:54:28 · answer #8 · answered by gtownprincess155 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like any other animal the more you handle them the more socialized they are the less problems you will have. Rats get into everything - they are very curious. The can hold their own against larger animals. If your cats are used to other small rodents there should be no problem. Like with any other animal avoid chocolate as it will cause seizers.
2007-01-28 10:01:40 · answer #9 · answered by Beth 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My daughter had a pet rat, Watts. We also had cats and dogs. We kept in him a glass aquarium with a hood on it. It kept all the other animals out. You can get them at Walmart for little or nothing.
2007-01-28 09:28:12 · answer #10 · answered by Cheryl C 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋