Hi, Does any one here keep pet rats? Me and my fiance are thinking about getting one, maybe two so they can keep each other company at times. But does anyone here know what they are like as pets? Ive done some research obviously, but if anyone actually has some experience It would be helpfull So any rat fans?
Rat's are awesome pets, some people say they're better than dog's or cat's for their trainability. A friend of mine and her husband owned a pair of rats about 5 years ago, and they absolutley loved them. Unfortunately both of them died quite some time ago, but because of the bond that had formed, the two of them still have yet to move the cage where the rats died. Or for that matter, burry the rats. Currently the two rats are alone in a freezer in their garage that hasn't been turned off or opened in all those years. Rats are awesome pets.
My girlfriend has had rats. They can make really good pets and be really docile, just sit there and let you hold/pet them sometimes. My girlfriends sister has one now and I've had it curl up and go to sleep in the pocket on my hoodie a couple times. If you're gonna get two though, try to get two females. Males will usually fight and a mix is bad for obvious reasons.
Hamsters don't do much but roll around in balls and sleep all day not alot of fun i reckon! Gerbils? they're just weird hamsters arn't they Rats I've heard are quite fun little things and can be trained a little and are quite loyal.
Well I hate small furry animals all together (exculding squirrels, I love squirrels). My little brother has a hampster. I've come close to killing it on several occassians. Smells rank too.
My girlfriend has a pet rat and i've known someone else to keep them and they do make very nice pets. All you have to make sure of is that if you want to play with them that you take it slowly so they don't leg-it.
If you are getting a rat, make sure you get a female one, they're a lot nicer to stroke. male rats can also be agressive, I've teh scars to prove it they are social animals so get two.
Gerbils rock, and a pair of them is better too. They're basically a tamer and more friendly rat, need less space, and don't scare mothers as much Rodents are just great in general, we had squirrels at the bottom of our garden that would come to their individual names and eat nuts out of our hands. Couldn't bear to see them in captivity though, even with gerbils it feels really harsh to have them in their cage all day. They love some cardboard laid down and tubes to run around in in the bath every so often though
A friend of mine has rats and says they are very intelligent pets, very affectionate and just love being around people.
I don't know much at all about rats, but I just want to say that if you do get some then you HAVE to name one of them Splinter!
I agree completely!!! I had a rat for a few years when I was younger (about 14) and he was a d@mn good friend. He was responsive and I was closer to him than my dog at the time (I've got a spoiled Pug now). I have a bearded Dragon and a snake now, but I don't have the same connection with either. They're neat and nice, but they don't match up to mammals, especially rats. We (my sister and I) had hamsters, but all they did was screw and have kids, then screw their kids, then eat thier kids and repeat... Plus they made fodder for our dogs. The Dog wouldn't go near my rat though, I think he scared them (well, one was older and the others were little -1 Pug and 1 Shih Tzu)
My mate named his first pair of gerbils Snark and Boojum...ironically it was Snark who was the evil critter. I have an everlasting image in my mind of him shaking his head violently with a yellow blur hanging onto his nose for dear life
i used to raise mice as pets when i was younger. they were actually good pets and the ones i had were very trainable. if you get mice though, you have to be careful and seperate them. at one point in time i ended up with close to 100 mice but i knew several people with snakes who paid me for them.
I have about 35-40 pet rats, they have their own room in my house (my girlfriend breeds them). They are excellent pets. I don't know if there's anything specific you want to know, send me a private message if you like, the only thing I'd say is don't get one on its own, at least get a pair, they need company, someone to play with.
I used to have a pet rat. His name was Brian after the messiah. This is probably going back 15 or more years but he was very cool. He used to sit on my shoulder while i went about my business. I used to ge tthe occasional sniffle in the ear which was kinda nice, was tickly too . He also used to do this thing where you would feel him shift his weight from foot to foot as he was preparing to jump off as i was walking past a bookshelf or something lol. They can jump for bloomin miles! Get one, i doubt you will regret it. Let it out often though, dont be too scared of loosing it, it will most likely turn up soon enough.
Thats one of my only worrys about getting one at the moment, loosing it I'm worried it (or they) will hide away some where and chew a load of wires or something, there's quite alot of wires in our flat. I want the snow to clear so I can get to pets at home and see if they have any. Or do you think it would be better to go to a breeder?
You shouldn't buy animals from a pet shop, they are appalling places who certainly shouldn't be encouraged. A poorly bred rat is susceptible to things like tumours and illnesses, it'll cost you a fortune in vet fees if you get a rat from a pet shop where they have no idea of the rat's breeding history, it's just some random rat plucked from a rat mill. If you go to a decent breeder, you'll get a pair of rats who will be bigger, healthier, won't bite you, be nice and outgoing, etc etc. If you are in the UK, have a look here for available kittens near you, and here for some general information.
