Rats; Do they bite?

Question

In about 2 weeks I will be bringing a rat home, but my mother has some questions about them. Do they bite? Are they smelly? Nocturnal? What do they eat, sleep on, play with? How much care do they require?

Answer 1

The domestic or pet rat is very different from a wild one, they can make wonderful pets if you do a little research on proper care and maintaince to see that their needs are met.

The rat is a very social species, and very much like us, they place a great value on friends and family. Please get two or three rats together. Rats will spend hours playing, grooming, and sleeping together and get very lonely and stressed out if kept in "solitary confinement".

Rats who are properly handled very rarely bite. As with a puppy or kitten, you must socialize them. Gentely handle your rats everyday, let them get use to your hands and let them hop on and off and realize there is nothing to fear. Do not swoop in from above or grab them suddenly as a preadator might. Let them come to the open door of the cage and climb out of their own free will. Often you can train them to come when you call their name.

Rats are very clean animals, and just like cats, spend much of the day washing, combing, and grooming themselves. The only thing that would smell would be the cage due to not being kept clean. I recommend the use of Carefresh bedding- a recycled paper product that is safe for small animals to walk on, breathe around, and absorbs smell like you wouldn't believe! Dump the litter and wash the cage with soap and warm water weekly and place fresh bedding inside.

The cage should be large enough for them to run in, with a solid plastic or metal floor- not a wire mesh that their feet can slip through and get trapped. Place a very large wheel with a solid floor (not the wire kind with rungs) for some exercise. The best way to exercise them though, is to buy a "small animal play pen" or let them run in a rat-proofed area, with you sitting in the middle, holding treats.

Rats do sleep during the day, but not in the sense that a hamster does... when hamsters sleep, DON'T disturb them to play, or you will get bitten... they like their beauty sleep. Rats on the other hand seem very willing to awaken for a little play time with their owner. It is one of the many endearing traits i have come to love about them.

Give them toys like empty cardboard tubes (make sure they are big enough to get through), fluff to make a nest with, hard-plastic cat balls with bells inside, and bird toys like climbing ladders and hanging mobiles. Rats love to climb so add in some shelves and ladders or hanging ropes.

As with all rodents, rat's teeth will constantly grow and need to be worn down to prevent dental problems. Feed them the large- boring looking hard pellets or "lab blocks" which forces them to gnaw in order to eat which weard down their teeth the way they would in nature- it also provides excellent nutrition. I use a brand called "Forti-Diet" by Kaytee. It is not as exciting as the other brands that have lots of seeds and colorful shapes (good for ocasional treats), but it is better for their dental and gastrointestional health. Since rats are omnivores (eat both meat and vegetables) you can give an occasional Milkbone dog treat which also encourages gnawing and adds calcium.

Besides overgrown teeth, the other major health factor to be aware of, as with all other animals, is the importance of spaying and neutering... yes, even with rats, especially with rats! Domestic rats are very prone to cancer, and spaying or neutering will eliminate the risk of prostate, testicular, ovarian, uterine, and breast cancer from ever developing. It also stops aggressive, territorial behaviors, mounting and humping, false pregnancies, and hundreds of unwanted babies. Often times rodents will eat their babies and this is never a good experiance for the owner or for the rats themselves. Pregnancy and false pregnancy also takes a major toll on the female's body and shortens her life span.

Please take your rats to a veterinarian who deals with"exotic" pets or "pocket" pets and who sees rats regularly... they need different care than a dog or cat and when performing a spay or neuter it is best to make sure it is done by a vet who knows his/her rats... don't be afraid to ask around at vet clinics.

Until you get your rat(s), please read! read everything you can get your hands on and learn all you can about rats and the proper way to care for them.. the more you learn, the better chance you can give your rats for a healthy, enriched life. And the more you will come to respect these facinating critters.

I wish you and your rats all the best.

-RVT
(Registered Veterinary Technician and rat owner)

Answer 2

Rats are very smart animals and make very good pets. They are not very smelly, but like any living creature they pee and poo so you need to be sure you clean there cage 2 times a week at least to keep the smell down. You can buy rat food at a pet store for them to eat, but you can also give them treats like sunflower seeds, cheerios, fresh vegetables and fruits. A great toy for a rat is a paper tube, like from a papertowel roll or a toilet paper roll. You can also put a papertowel in the cage and they will rip it up and make a little nest with it. They would also like a litle plastic or wood house to sleep in. They are nocturnal, so they sleep during the day. They do have teeth, so they can bite, but rats are usually pretty friendly. Like I said, they are very smart and can sense human emotions. If you are very nervous or afraid they will sense that and be anxious. If you are calm and happy they will be at ease. I recommend talking to them like you would to a baby. They love that. Good luck and have fun with your rat! If you have any other questions (or if your mom does) you can e-mail me at [e-mail] (those are zeros at the end).

Answer 3

Ah, the wonder rat. I've had several, and they were wonderful pets. The only time I was ever bitten was when one of them was injured and out of her mind in pain. Even then, she didn't break the skin.
Rats themselves have a very clean odor, but the cage can get rank if you don't clean it at least once a week.
I've noticed that the males tend to be more nocturnal than the females. However, they will always wake up to play with you.
One last bit of advice. Get two. One rat alone will get lonely. They are very social animals. However, keep it same-gender, unless you want to be raising generation after generation of rat pups!

Answer 4

not much care at all. they do not smell, they are sooo clean. they only bite if you dont handle them enough, so just play w/ it alot (once a day). and dont put food in its bowl w/ your hand. it will apply your finger to feed time. you can feed them hamster, gerbil, rat any kind of feed from a store. mine eats walmart brand hamster food sometimes. they like hammocks but chew alot up. keeping it in a multi level or large glass tank would be best. just put shavings in the cage, NOT CEDAR they can get real sick from them. they are nocturnal but, can and will adapt to your schedule (mine knows when i get up and gets excited to eat).
Rats are great pets and love to run around. you can teach them to come when you call, as long as you handle them alot. i give mine a bath with shampoo if he looks dirty or smells a bit.
people think they are so dirty, but i have owned alot of animals and my rat is probably THE cleanest animal i have ever had! so no worries for you mom!
Good Luck and i hope you enjoy your new pet!

Answer 5

They might bite but normally learn not to. The cages stink - 2 of my friends have had rats & the cages were much worse than my gerbils or guinea pigs.

Answer 6

I've typed this answer out to a similar question so I'll just give you the link to that:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiH3kQUabefFajKw2M6YNZ_ty6IX?qid=20070409062615AAQAx8w&show=7#profile-info-bL6bOwfWaa

Rats do not generally bite, so long as they are handled a lot from a young age.

Chalice

Answer 7

they definetly bite...they stink up their cages pretty good. I've never had a pet rat, but I've lived in 3rd world countries before