Difference between a pet rat and pet hamster

Question

I'm getting two baby pet rats and I've never had one before. I've raised several hamsters but never rats. Is there any difference?

(housing, food, care,etc.)

Answer 1

Food is a bit different as love the occasional bone needed to grind their teeth on. Lots of advice on feeding rodents and a lot closer to human food. Love frozen peas in their water when it is hot as will submerge their little heads looking for them also feeling through the water with paws.Will also come when called and put up with being brushed with soft brush. Love to play fight with your hand once they trust you and you do not make any sudden noises. Will grind food of your hand gently when they trust you. Sleep in hammocks suspended in cage but needs to be kept clean so change monthly also gets chewed so replace. I make mine out of the leg parts of jeans and hang up with soft wires. In the winter time also give them a blanket---cut up woollen garment also straw, shredded news paper and wood chips (curls) so good luck and make sure they have an excercise wheels as the girls will use it . The boys are too lazy but you have to keep them separated or you will have millions. OK got to rush now and cook my potatoes as mine are Irish at the moment as rice is too pricey !

Answer 2

I have had rats and hamsters. Hamsters i think are cuter, but rats are a lot more friendly, and a lot less skiddish. My hamsters didnt like to be held much, but it seems like my rats cant get enough attention.

Just be prepared to let them out a lot and hold them. They love attention!

They will need a bigger cage and my rats seem to go through a lot more food than my hammies did. I have 4 rats, 2 girls and 2 boys (the girls are caged seperate from the boys). I adopted the boys from a home that could no longer keep them, and i had already gotten the girls from a pet shop. There are different sizes of rats, and my girls are full grown and only about 1/2 the size of my boys. So make sure that you know what kind of rat they are before getting a cage. Also  do not use cedar bedding. Rats can get bad repitory infections from it and die... :-(

Good luck and have fun with them!

*AVOID THESE FOODS WITH YOUR RATS PLEASE*

There are some foods to avoid due to toxicity, those include:

chocolate,

raw beans,

carbonated drinks,

raw sweet potato,

blue cheese,

raw red cabbage,

raw brussel sprouts,

raw artichokes,

orange juice,

green bananas,

green potato skin and eyes,

rhubarb,

dried corn,

cucumber,

radishes,

spinach,

collards,

turnip greens,

beets,

almonds and,

Swiss chard

Answer 3

be prepared for activity. they get bored easily and figure out stuff like you cant believe. they can learn tricks and how to get out of their cage, and they are much more expensive.

Answer 4

rats are alot more socible than hamsters, and will enjoy your company alot more so will need more out of cage time.

rats are also alot bigger than hamsters so will obviously need a bigger cage, they like to sleep in hammocks.

your rats would really enjoy ropes, a wheel, ladders.

they will also need theyre claws and teeth clipped, if you do not clip theyre teeth, theyre teeth will keep growing into theyre brains.

they will need rat food. but apart from that they are very simular.

good luck with your new rats, and keep researching!

Answer 5

I had hamsters too when I was younger and now I have 4 rats. They are a lot more interesting. I stick my hand in the cage too and they just run around and sniff it instead of biting it like my hamsters would have with that kind of a chance.

Housing: Rats need a bigger house. I am getting the Martins Rat Tower.

Food: They make rat food but they will eat a number of things.

Care: They need more interaction and stimulation.

Answer 6

Well not really you will need to get a different food mixture from the pet shop. housing i am not sure don't they need a big cage??  

Answer 7

Some of the medical problems that you need to watch out for in rats are respiratory infections (look for sneezing and blood around their nose) and tumors.  One of my good friends has been raising rats for many years, and I know several of them have lived to be pretty old, but usually pass away from infections or tumors.  

Also, keep an eye out for who is the dominant rat, especially with males.  They will pee on anything that they feel like claiming, including you or anything near them, and will pick fights with any other rats.  You can easily tell who's the dominant male, usually.  He'll walk higher off of his belly than the submissive one, with an arched back.

Answer 8

They are basically the same as a hamster.  Just do what you did when you raised a hamster and you will do fine!  Rats are generally a bit bigger than hamsters so they may need a bigger cage as they grow.  Also, i would make sure they aren't male and female..or else you will have lots of baby rats, lol!  Good luck!

Answer 9

just do what u did with the hamsters

Answer 10

YAY 2 points to meeeeeeeeeee (:

thanks x

Answer 11

Yes there is a difference as rats are much bigger and they smell more and they need a big cage but you can train rats! Hope it all goes well ! :D

Answer 12

yes. rats are very cleaner. they also seem to be low maintenance. rats are better

Answer 13

The differences between looking after a hamster and a pair of rats are significantly important so it's a good job you asked! You've already obviously done a fair bit of research as I'm glad you've opted for a pair of rats over a singe one - so many people seem to getting single rats nowadays and it's just so sad that they aren't allowed to be sociable!

Housing - your rats will need a significantly larger cage than a hamster. The recommended welfare standard is 2 cubic feet per rat,  so that's going to be 4 cubic feet for your pair which will be a pretty large cage to you if you're used to hamster cages! For a pair of rats I would recommend the Savic Freddy 2 Cage as it's an ideal size, very good quality and easy to clean. Most pet stores sell this cage, retailing around £70, but you can easily get it online for much cheaper - it's easily recognized by it's yellow base and navy blue bars. When buying your new rat cage you must take great care to ensure it's the right size - Ebay is not a great place to look unless you know the exact name of an ideal cage - there are countless people selling cages that are TOO SMALL for hamsters, let alone rats, as rat cages so you must  try to get your cage, or at least the name of a cage from a responsible rat breeder or pet store - putting your rat in a hamster cage will cause growth and behavioral problems and even health problems related to ammonia levels.

Food - like hamsters, rats are best fed on a cereal diet specially formulated for rats - you must take care to ensure it's a rat feed as many foods designed for hamsters, mice e.t.c don't contain enough nutrients to keep a rat healthy and often contain sunflower seeds which rats are allergic to and shouldn't be fed. I would opt for the cereal diet over Lab Blocks, as they provide more texture and variety to the diet, however you must feed no more than the recommended amount per rat as suggested on the packaging or they may pick and choose which cereals they eat causing a lack of certain nutrients. You can supplement your rats diet with biscuits or fruit and vegetables every other day - but feed them in moderation or they will make your rats ill. Rats, like hamsters also need something to chew to keep their teeth down so constantly providing a bone-meal dog biscuit or untreated wood block is ideal.

Care - rats need a full clean out every week, with you taking out damp patches, p**p and mopping up urine everyday. You should use shredded cardboard (dust controlled specially for small animals) or a bedding like Carefresh for your rats as some types of wood shavings are extremely toxic to rats, but nearly all of them cause respiratory

problems in rats so I wouldn't recommend them. Rats tend to be more friendly and sociable than hamsters, and aren't nocturnal adapting to your life style so they'll probably need more out of cage time play and cuddles then your hamsters did - at least an hour a day, but more if possible - an ideal place to play is on the sofa if you put down some mats in case of accidents - your rats will love to play all sorts of games and will probably tell you when they want to go back by acting restless or showing signs of needing the loo!

One of the advantages of rats over hamsters, is that they will smell less!

I would recommend you get a few books on rat keeping, or go and visit other rat owners or breeders before you get your rats as that way you'll know exactly how to care for them when they arrive. Rat books will also explain to you the best way to settle your rats into their new homes and get them used to you and handling.

Hope this helps!