Baby Rats?

Question

If I buy a 2 week old feeder rat from the pet store will it be friendly like a pet rat since I held it and interacted with it a lot?

What is the difference between a feeder rat and a pet rat?

Answer 1

For starts i noticed you said A 2 week old rat. Getting one rat is something i and many other rat owners disagree with because rats are social animal. Yes, som rat books will say that you can get one rat and become its companion but are you there 24/7 do you sleep with him/her, Nope so if you are thinking about owning rats getting two would be a start.

The next thing i noticed was that you said a "two week old" rat. At that age they should still be with there parents. They should only be sold at the age of 5 weeks minimum.

And i agree with the fact that they wont have very good health becuase they werent bred for it.

I would research rats more thoroughly before buying.

Answer 2

At 2 weeks it's still too young to be alone, they aren't weaned until at least 3 weeks.  You would have to feed it a special diet.  Feeders and pets are the same rats....the feeders just usually get fed to reptiles.

Answer 3

u need to get an older 1 they cant leave the nest until they atleast 5 weeks old

Answer 4

First of all you should not be buying one rat.

Rats are social animals and need a companion to live happy and long.

Second of all rats from pet stores are not always healthy especially if they are meant for food.

You should try and find a breeder in your area if possible.

Rats which are meant for food grow a lot bigger than pet ones.

2 weeks old is way too young for them to be seperated from their mother.

Also they do tend to bite.

I would definitely not recommend buying one rat which is meant for food.

If you have anymore questions or comments feel free to visit my site at www.rattie-love.piczo.com

I Hope I Helped

Answer 5

okay feeder rats they use to feed to snakes and other animals like that. A pet rat is a rat that has been handled somewhat and the store is selling it as a pet. And yah the baby rat would be perfect if you played with it a lot. I just would NOT get one that young. It'll most likely die. It needs it's mom still.

Answer 6

Why would you do that? Do not take a rat from it's mother before it is weaned please. Feeder rats are just what they sound like. They were born and bred to be fed to snakes. This means they were not bred for their health and they aren't likely to be very well socialized.

Pet rats should be kept in same s*x pairs or groups, never alone. They are very social. Please do some more research into rat care before looking at owning them:

http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratin... (My website)

http://www.rmca.org/

ftp://members.aol.com/juliesrats/e4ninde...

http://ratguide.com/

http://www.goosemoose.com/rfc/index.php