Has anyone got rats? I want to get 2 female rats and I am unsure about what breed! Does anyone know about the breeds really well? I am sort of Leaning towards dumbos & Hooded... also what are tailless?
2007-09-30 05:02:01 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Rodents
tailess are rats with no tail.
there is a
blue rat
http://www.altpet.net/rodents/rats/images/Skblrat1.jpg
tailess
http://www.centralpets.com/critter_images/mammals/rodents/ROD_0004045_20030303141651.jpg
hooded
http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/928/10115.JPG
hairless
http://www.maldony.com/images/IMG_0064.jpg
curly
http://www.neratsociety.co.uk/images/Varieties/rex/minkrex.jpg
dumbo
http://www.lilratscal.com/portalimg/BabeBlue.jpg
i have a dumbo,hooded,and hairless and they love to live together. they are males and they all huddle and cuddle.
those are all the breeds i no of
edit:
you cn also mix breeds.
my rat breeder has hairless dumbos
lol
edit again: there is also an odd eyed rat
http://www.spoiledratten.com/_uimages/oddeye.jpg
and albino
http://www.spoiledratten.com/_uimages/himi.jpg
lol another edit.
i read an above statement that somebody sid males are more likly to fight?
that is not true because my three male rats never faught and they all came from comepletly different places
2007-09-30 05:50:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are no breeds in rats - at least not like there are with dogs. A pink-eyed white will have the exact same temperament and requirements as a hooded, fawn, etc. The only differences are going to be those of individuals. Males are more prone to being lap rats (after they reach six months - almost all babies are hyper), and females are more likely to be hyper, or at least active.
The colouration of rats is just that - colour. Pick a colour (and personality) that you like, and go with that.
Tailless rats are just what the name implies - rats that were bred to be born without tails. There are a few health concerns relating to tailless rats - I'm including that in the links
Go take a look at the links I'm providing.
2007-09-30 06:04:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rats can be awesome companions. Whether you get dumbo, hooded etc. is up to you b/c the only difference is in how they look. We are currently blessed with 5 very sweet & playful rats: 2 PEW (pink-eyed white) brothers we adopted from a rescue who will be 2 yrs in Dec., a ruby-eyed hairless girl who just turned 1 yr, a cuddly black-hooded girl who is about 7mos & a younger dumbo girl. Of course we keep the girls & boys in different rooms.
When you get your new friends, try to find a rescue or a good breeder in your area. Petshops can be ok if that's your only option but wherever you go, ask to hold anybody you're interested in before making your decision.
2007-09-30 07:25:09 · answer #3 · answered by Catkin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not lame at all..
I had a pet rat in highschool, named him Socrates. He was an awesome little pet, very affectionate. I gave him away to a little girl I knew when I went away to college. He was what's known as a "standard" rat, of the "platinum" color, which is really more like grey.
Most all rats make good pets, as long as you buy them from a pet rat breeder. If you buy from a pet store, make sure to play with your rat and hang out with it a bit before you take it home.. temperament is more important than looks.
Pet rats are not broken down into breeds like dogs, but rather strains which describe mostly just how they look.
Check out this page: http://www.afrma.org/fancyrm.htm
lots of good info on there.
2007-09-30 05:44:28 · answer #4 · answered by dotman10 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
First, there are no lame questions. You have a need to know. Don't apologize. :)
I've never had pet rats. My pet rodents have been hamsters, gerbils and rabbits. However there are some good books about pets that explain the differences in breeds and how to take care of them. If you have never had a pet rat before, this is a good place to start.
Go to your library and check the catalog under the term "rats as pets". It should lead you to the books. Some may be in the kids section; some in the adult section. Get books from both areas. Kid's books are great because they are written in simple language and have lots of illustrations.
If you don't find the books you want, ask the librarian to Interlibrary Loan you books on the subject of "rats as pets" Tell her you want to know about breeds as well as care.
There are several publishers that do a wide range of pet books. Barron's and T.F.H. are two that come to my mind right now. Happy reading!
2007-09-30 05:11:43 · answer #5 · answered by Iris the Librarian 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Just stepping in to correct something the first commenter said--a lot of books about pet rats have outdated/wrong information (ie, they say you can use cedar and pine chips as bedding, one rat is fine on its own, etc). The only one I'm 100% sure about is Debbie Ducommun's--it's excellent ;). Your best bet is to look at some websites or join a forum, though, as nearly all of the information available is correct.
Good forums:
http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat/
http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/community/index.php
Websites (the first one is an absolutely fantastic guide on rat varieties):
http://www.hawthorn.org.uk/varieties.asp
http://www.petrat.info/
http://www.dapper.com.au/
2007-09-30 06:32:49 · answer #6 · answered by Rattiefuzz 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've had rats for most of my life and they can be really sweet, but I do have to tell you sometimes two of the same sex can fight, make sure your cage or whatever is big enough to give each of them adequate space.
Two males will fight more.
Try and get them as young as possible then hold them, talk to them play with them a lot, the more you handle them the more they connect with you and will be less apt to be aggressive with you or bite. They can have great personalities.
Both breeds your thinking about are fine, just make sure they are healthy.
Here is a link for more info: http://www.rmca.org/
2007-09-30 05:32:05 · answer #7 · answered by Shi. 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, go with the ones that you personally like or love the most.
If undecided get one of each and then you will know.
2007-09-30 06:03:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋