Pet rats???

Question

i have a couple questions about rats.....
do they poop/pee all over?
can i take them places with me without them pooping/peeing?
how about at petstores when it says small rats,medium rats,large rats and extra large rats... are the small rats babies or are they going to stay that size?? that always confused me..
are they friendly/social???
should i get two males or two females??
what should i look for when im picking out a rat??
any other information about them??

Answer 1

1. They sometimes dribble a little to mark their territory, and younger rats may poo, but I've found it's easy to clean up.
2. My rat's been sitting on my shoulder for about 30 minutes now, and she hasn't peed, so yes :).
3. I'm not sure about that one--the store could probably tell you, though.
4. Yes, I'd say they're probably the most social of all rodents. In the wild, they live in very large family groups, and they take to people easily.
5. Doesn't really matter either way--females tend to be more active, and males (or so I've heard) tend to be more lazy. Both are great.
6. Clean eyes and nose and soft fur (males' fur is coarser than females', though). Also, make sure the rats are curious and want to investigate you rather than huddling in a corner.
7. Try to get a large cage if you can, they like lots of space and toys. And, you can feed them pretty much anything as treats (fruits, veggies, cereals)--just avoid large amounts of chocolate, raw beans, and onion.
Also, they like running around under towels and going through tunnels =).

Answer 2

Usually the males are the one that tend to more pee or poop over you, because they do it to mark their territory. The peeing is usually just little dribbles here and there. Most males though if you have them neutered it will cut down on that behavior or even eliminate it completely, although there is never a guarantee it will work with every one. I have experience with 2 neutered males and they never poop or pee on me, except on rare occasions - if they really gotta go they gotta go i guess. I also have experience with 2 intact males - they poop or pee almost every time after I have them out for a while. Females are much better that way, because they don't mark. As long as you get babies, either a pair of males or a pair of females should be fine. Males tend to cause more problems when introduced to each other, but as babies growing up together they should be fine. I had a pair of intact males growing up together. Around age 5 months, they will fight a bit more intense because that is when their testosterone levels peak. Usually that behavior should subside again. In rare cases they keep fighting really bad and you have to separate them. If you wanna be sure, I would say get a pair of females - i had 2 females growing up together, never had a problem with each other, and later even added a 3rd one, and they all got along just fine. I am not sure what you are referring to when you talk about different sizes displayed at your pet store - Ive never seen that. They are probably just babies. Some rats stay really tiny and skinny, others - particularly males - can get pretty big, and a lot of them put fat on really easy... I had quite a few chubby rats. Adult Males can weigh up to 2 lbs. Rats are usually very friendly and social, they make great pets. Although it really depends on where you are getting them from. It is best to ask your pet store if the babies have been handled and socialized since birth, because that can make a difference. You can also check to see if you can find any rat breeders in your area. When you go to pick out a rat, it is always a good idea to have a look at them all in the cage, stick your hand in and see maybe which one will come to you first... maybe one will even lick or nibble your finger... it's always a good idea to let your rat pick you, because that can mean an especially strong bond you will have with your rat. Good luck and have fun with them!

Answer 3

I had 3 rats, and as soon as I started playing with them all the time, they didn't poop everywhere. They were really good about going back to their cage for that. When I took them places in the car, I would unip their travel cage, and they would ride on the headrest of the passenger seat. I always got funny looks from people... Rats are VERY social, and they like to play a lot. At the pet stores, the size is a reference to their age. Small rats are very young, etc. As far as choosing males or females, males are more relaxed, laid back... more likely to be content just hanging out, where female rats tend to be more energetic and playful. This isn't always the case, but a good generalization. Hope I've been of some help. There are plenty of websites with good rat info, as well. http://www.dapper.com.au/index.htm That is the most useful one I've found, but you can find tons on google, also.

Answer 4

Okay, first part.. they will become better at not relieving themselves while being handled, but only if they are handled regularly.. ..

The size varies.. some will have them differentiated by breed.. but mostly the stores carry only a few that are similar sizes.. and the size will then mean age.. ( I found out when I bought a small one that turned into one rather large rat).. I would recommend finding a breeder or checking for a small animal rescue if I were you though.. I noticed that the ones at the store tend to come home sick.. it gets better but they die within a year.. (at least that's my experience with store bought rodents.. not so with home breeders)

With regular handling they are very social, and friendly.. but you do want to handle them first.. there are always some that don't want anything to do with you.. just like any other animal.

I preferred two males.. females are a bit more nippy and have a higher rate of tumors.. but this is a preference.. handle both and see which you get along with.

look for some amount of excitement.. one that is not terrified of being handled.. watch for signs of discharge around the eyes, nose, or mouth.. check for signs of lumps forming.. and just see which ones feel right.. if you are going through a rescue.. (petfinder generally has some listed) they will many times have sets that they keep together..

You can keep a single rat if you have the time and ability to bring it with you places.. keep it active and such..

Good Luck.. Rats are great pets..
If worried about having it running around buy one of those balls that are made for guinea pigs.. mine loved his even more than being loose..

oh, and here is a great page..
http://www.dapper.com.au/cagebuild.htm


between me and the next answer you should be set .. she thought of everything.. I was trying to dig up a link to that rat food recipe.. it really is worth it.. it cost about $15 to get all the ingredients, but it makes ALOT and you just keep it in nice and dry in an air tight container..

Answer 5

yes rats poo and pee everywhere but the pee is so little you can hardly notice, the poo is dry and pellet shaped so is easy to clean, small rats are baby rats and will grow, they are very friendly, affectionate and extremely intelligent and enjoy playing, i would get rats of the same sex unless you are planning on breeding them. Look for a rat that shows an interest in what is going on around it, that does not try to hide when approached, has bright eyes and no fur missing and most importantly handle the rat before you buy, most pet stores are happy for you to handle before you buy, this way you will know whether the animal bites or not, but remember baby rats that are not used to being handled may bite at first but will stop once they are used to being handled, this usually takes a week or two of regular contact. hope this helps, Good luck they make wonder full pets.

Answer 6

1) I wouldn't worry about the peeing and pooping too much.
2) If the rats are small, they stay small.
3) Get two females. If you get two males they might fight (over territory and all that)
4) Rats are actually fairly calm and affectionate creatures. You should have fun with them as pets.

Answer 7

we've the two one in each and every of them. My daughter has a albino lavender king snake plus we've 11 rats. some besides the shown fact that rats are up for adoption. we don't stay feed her (snake) and mice or rats in trouble-free terms frozen fuzzies we get from a puppy keep. We even have mice, Syrian hamsters, dwarf hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, cats, canines, cockatiels, some fish, a tarantula, an iguana, a wolf hybrid, a Pygmy goat and a pink sheep. they are saved at my abode and not in a preserve or puppy keep.

Answer 8

My son-in-law had a rat he bought while young and raised him,He took him everywhere with him and has never been peed or pooped on.His rat was very lovable just like any animal when raised with love and kindness.THE SMALL ONES ARE MORE THAN LIKELY VERY YOUNG AND THE MEDIUM ARE HALF GROWN. aSK THE PET SHOP ATTENDANT.

Answer 9

They cannot be potty trained, so they will pee. They can learn to control it a bit, as my females don't when they come out of the cage. Males pee a little more than females.

They are extremely social and gentle. I have 4, and have never been bitten. They each have their own personality.

Answer 10

1] poo/pee all over- yep while their young and marking their territory and they do fear poos when theyre worried, youll know about them believe me *gag*
EDIT TO ADD HERE
male rats do not need to be neutered to stop them marking, it doesnt work for that AT ALL, neutering works for hormone induced aggression and you wont know that until 6-8 months of age some rats never get it and some get it bad and then it subsides again some, like my sox, needs neutering as it never subsides leaving an unhappy group and an unhappy hormonal rat

2] as they get older and more comfortable yes you can although they will still fear poo if frightened, some rats[about 8 out of my present11] will go back to the cage to do their business

3]x large,large , medium , small rats indicate the feeder size, for reptile keepers, these ones are exactly the same as *fancy rats* possibly even the brothers and sisters, just not the pretty ones, probably the black/brown or white ones, they ddeserve a home as much as any other rat
small ones are approx 5-8 weeks medium 8-12 large 12-20 and x large above 20 and therfore practically full grown
a full grown male should weigh between 4 -700 g [although my present chunkiest weighs nearly 900g] and a female 3-500g
so in answer to your question the small ones WILL grow as big as the large ones, if not bigger being given the pampered life of a pet
personally for a pet id go for two small ones, easier to tame and less likely to be frightened of you
PLEASE NOTE:
there is only one breed of rat for sale as pet/feeder that breed is rattus norveguicus. there are however many varieties/colours within that breed
look here
http://www.hawthorn.org.uk/varieties.asp
as im guessing your in US be wary of high white varieties as these can carry megacolon and even if surviving will always be sickly rats
http://www.midwestrats.org/articlehighwhitecont.html
here in UK we are lucky in that we have nearly 0%highwhite genes just good husky/roans

4] two males or two females, depends on what you want from your rats[plural please] do you want rats that will stay playful, manic and pingy for all their lives coming for cuddles at their pleasure? then get girls
do you want rats that once they get between 6-8 months turn into squishy cuddlemonsters that just want loving? then get males
not sure ? then stick your hands in the tank, the ones who run up them are the ones you want just make sure they BOTH HAVE GIANT TESTICLES, or not as the case maybe. even at 10 days old you can see them so dont be told they havent dropped yet, if their not there their not male, and remember MALE RATS HAVE NO NIPPLES, EVER NEVER [LOL]
one more DO NOT: if there are males AND females in the cage together DO NOT choose females, they WILL definately I PROMISE already be pregnant, they can breed from 5 weeks old and have upto 20 babies
Males DO NOT have to be realted to live together it is total tosh and myth, they dont even have to be the same age[ although i would recommend it in your case] or variety, mine are a total missmash of ages types and varieties

5] What to look for? clear eyes, no sneezing, have a listen to their chest if you can hear rattles or noisy breathing or wheezing put them back, chunky tails indicate good feeding/plenty of protein, soft shiny clean fur a healthy rat cleans itself more than a cat does
are the little ones playful are they interested in you
colour? your choice or let them choose you

6] other things to know
biggest cage[not tank] you can afford, rat should be the smallest animal in the description anything with mouse gerbil or hamster associated with it is TOO SMALL
never use shavings or sawdust or wood pellet litter, when they get wet from rat urine they release phenols and poison/scar your rats lungs causing all sorts of resp problems and a shorter life
use 100% paper based cat litter, chopped cardboard, hemp or carefresh
look here for a great diet for them
http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html
A GOOD DIET IS 80% DRY AND 20% FRESH EVERY DAY
and young ones need plenty of fresh protein EVERY day
bananas, avocado,chicken, tuna, tinned fish in fresh water soy milk, tinned beans,chick peas, boiled or scrambled egg, ceedee[baby bird food with insects in, make to a thick porridge with the soy milk or plain water]
daily upto the age of 6 months then down to once or twice a week
toys tunnels hammocks ladders ropes
think lateral think rat
hanging baskets make good beds as do large bird boxes
old baby jeans can be hung up as is making a great hammock plus two tunnels already attached
knuckle bones for dogs, baked, make great chews
tea towels old tee shirts make great beds
have a look here
http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat/board,18.0
for ideas
you can do it all for pennies or for mega bucks they dont care

handle and play with as much as possible and theyll be youre friend for life