Are Rats good pets to have?

Question

well i have had hamsters practically my whole life and i want something different. i wanted a lot of info on rats what kind , their behavior, stuff like that. i doubt my mom will let me get one but you know it's worth a try. Please help me and give me as much info as possible. thanks <3

Answer 1

Rats make fantastic pets, but they&#039;re are significantly different to look after than hamsters. Rats MUST be bought in pairs or small groups to live a happy life  - please don&#039;t buy just one rat - and as any rat cage should provide at least 2 cubic feet of space per rat, rat cages even for just a pair are very big and take up a lot of space. Rats are generally more active and friendly than hamsters as well and will need more out of cage play and human interaction. They are however, usually more loving and intelligent than hamsters and will smell less if looked after properly. If you want lots of information of looking after rats, I don&#039;t want to write it here or you would end up with a novel!

This is my rat group on Bebo - www.bebo.com/ratsxrock. If you scroll down to the blog section I have written a couple of blogs specifically for first-time rat owners. Blog one is about deciding if rats are right for you, and choosing the best kind to have. Blog two is about housing and the kind of home and food you should provide for rats. I&#039;m also writing a third blog on general behavior, how to get to know  and handle your rats and what games to play with them, which will be available in the next week. You can also use the group to contact other rat owners with any questions you may have. Most importantly, before even considering buying or adopting some rats read some general rat care books, visit some rat shows and talk to owners and breeders - they will be able to tell you anything you want to know about keeping rats and will provide you with plenty of opportunities to handle them. Also, feel free to email me!

Answer 2

my friend has a few rats...they are kinda hyper active but they are pretty good pets

Answer 3

These places have a lot of info: http://jamielynn2000.tripod.com/ratsrcoo...

http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-a-Pet-Ra...

http://petcare.suite101.com/article.cfm/...

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pag...

HOPE THS HELPS!!! :)

Answer 4

Hey!

Well, I personally love gerbils! The are more friendly then hamsters, and cuter then rats! They are active and don&#039;t bite!

This is a wonderful site to check out!

http://www.thegerbils.com/

Good luck!

Have a wonderful day!

-Miss Giggles

Answer 5

i had a pet rat once and i loved him...he was a domesticated african rat i think...he was white with brown spots...he was a hyper rat too and he LOVED to play...also when you hold them they sometimes potty on you...mine never pooped on me but he peed...and rats are also prone to cancer

Answer 6

YES! They do require a lot of time, though. You have to hold them 20 mins a day and let them run around an hour a day or every other day.they also actually love you and get attached to you unlike hamsters. They live longer, too! 2-3 years usually.  

Answer 7

rats are kinda ugly..

Answer 8

w2ell it depends on u

Answer 9

Rats make excellent pets. They are very similar to dogs personality wise. They are even trainable!

However, rats are not as low maintenance as some people like to believe. They require a large cage (1.5 cubic feet per rat at the bare minimum) and it must be wire. It can also be difficult to find a proper food for them since most commercially available rat foods are actually very unhealthy if not dangerous for rats. They also can be good at racking up the vet bills.

I have several rats right now and honestly I couldn&#039;t live without them. There are tons of great websites about rat care and there is also a great book by Debbie Ducommun called Rats about their basic care.

My suggestion would be to go out and get a set up, then look in your local rescues and humane societies for an older pair or trio of rats. Since rats don&#039;t live very long if you get an older set they will likely pass within a year or a bit more. By then you&#039;ll have either decided rats aren&#039;t for you, or you&#039;ll have a houseful.

Sites to check out:

http://www.ratsrules.com

http://www.ratfanclub.org

http://www.ratguide.com

http://www.petfinder.com

http://www.ratrescue.com

http://www.ratster.com

Answer 10

id say the best starter pet to have is a bunny,

you can potty train them, which is very good

they play with toys and are a low cost, they are also VERY friendly

good luck!

Answer 11

Well . . .rats are defiantly smart, but your parents are probably going to freak out.  Unlike some other rodents, though, rats are well-trained, and you can train them yourself, too!

I am sorry. I am not really a rat person, so I can&#039;t give you much information.

Go to www.wikipedia.org

    or

www.petrat.info

    or

www.dogbreedinfo.com/pets/rat.htm

Answer 12

Rats are awesome!!! But they could be ugly...also it depends on u...

Answer 13

rats make wonderful pets, i haven&#039;t had mine for very long but they are adorable and super friendly.  they&#039;re already starting to learn to come when i call their names.

some people have already given you really good advice, and the internet can be a great resource.  i just wanted to remind you that the &quot;rat food&quot; you find at pet stores is usually not nutritionally balanced for rats, and sometimes it contains dried corn, which can give your rats stomach cancer.  you should check out other food options, like lab blocks such as Harlan-Teklad (i think that one can be ordered online).  you can also make a homemade feed mix like Suebees, using a staple like low-protein dog food.  just google it, it&#039;s online.

you&#039;re going to love having rats!  there&#039;s lots of info out there on training and socializing them -- they can even be litter box trained!  once people get over their initial uncertainty about rodents, it&#039;s easy to see why rats are the best small animals to keep as pets.  good luck!

Answer 14

yeah, they hardly ever bite.  they can learn their name and even learn to play fetch, with some practice.

Answer 15

Well, rats are ALMOST the same as hamsters. Except I hear they are nicer (they don&#039;t bite much) and they have long tails. The part where they have tails everyone should know.

I will try to give you as much rat info that I can...Which will be enough I hope :)

Rats are bigger than hamsters so I suggest get a bigger cage, tank, whatever you are comfortable with buying. If you go into the store and see the rats, you would agree that you need more space.

Rats love living in pairs, or groups. Buy at least two rats to make them happy.

They make good pets, but may freak out your rodent hating friends/ family. I hope that they get used to it.

It&#039;ll be easy finding a diet for your rat because at every pet store, they have a mix in a bag that says: &quot;Rat food&quot;, or something like that.

They live from about 2 to 3 yrs and I&#039;ve read that the longest living rat was 7 yrs. Better keep your rats healthy if you want to break that record!

Oh, and the more company and happiness you supply for him/ her, the longer they would live.

They are very cool animals and all rodents are great pets. I don&#039;t really mind TOO much about looks and some rats are fairly cute!

I hope that this helps and good luck with getting a pet rat!

Answer 16

Rats are great pets. They are unlike any other rodent.

They require a nutritionally balanced food for them..

They can use pretty much any bedding you can find, but Don&#039;t use pine, cedar or other softwoods because they contain phenols that will irritate the rat&#039;s respiratory system and lead to other health problems.

A guinea pig cage can do, if its big enough. But, rats are climbers and prefer taller cages. They thrive with a wire cage, but make sure the wires are vinyl coated (the wires will last longer than galvanized wires). A rat loves exploring a cage with levels. The only time a multi-level cage is not good for them is if the rat is injured, sick or too old to move far.

Rats rarely pass on any diseases to humans or other animals. Their bites are dry (due to the position of their teeth). But, the rats can get something from humans. If you get strep-throat, have someone else look after your rats until you are better. Rats can get strep and often die within days of getting it.

Female rats can be active their whole lives while males tend to mellow out with age. Males tend to get fatter with age, and are often known as squishes by rat lovers.

Some rats will run in a wheel or even a ball, but not all rats are like this. Luckily, all 5 of my rats have run in a wheel. Make sure the wheel is safe for them.

Rats are my #1 rodent. Gerbils are second. Hamsters are third. Mice are at the bottom (only because I&#039;ve had a bad experience with them).

If you do decide on rats, please get at least two of the same gender, at the same time. Rats are highly sociable critters that need another ratty friend to do ratty things with. Humans are great too, but you can’t spend 24/7 with them, nor can you do all the ratty things another rat can do. A single rat is a lonely, depressed rat.

You’ll love rats so much that you might find yourself spending a lot of your free time with them. Teaching their names, teaching tricks, giving treats and other goodies, petting and scritching them, talking, and just holding them…among other things.