Do large rats die faster than small and medium sized rats???

Question

im getting 2 rats tommorow there both gona be males and i always wonder will the large pet rat die first than the small and meduim sized rat since it so big?

Answer 1

wouldnt a bigger rat just be older? if o, then i would buy the smaller one, because its younger, so it will live for a while longer.

Answer 2

Rats do not come in different sizes. They are all the same type of rats, there are no breeds or size differences. Soem petstores label them "small" or "medium", but this is only to describe their size at the moment. This is only to help snake owners pick out the right sized food for their snakes.

But obviously since a larger rat will be older, than it is possible that the older rat will die before the younger rat. But even then, it isn't a sure thing. At any time, health problems could kill the younger one quicker.

Usually, males do grow up to be a bit larger than females, but this is nothing more than a stereotype. I ahve had some huge females, and tiny males. They are just like people, it depends on the size of their parents to determine how large they will grow up to be.

But from what I have seen, no, size does not affect health. Obviously, a rat will not just die without reason. They will develop an illness, and die from that. But there are no size-relate illness that I know of.

Males however are prone to a number of problems. I have had quite a few males which died from kidney failure. They are also prone to paralysis as they age, so they might lose control of their back legs usually, and have to drag them around. This is still alright to live with as long as you don't encourage them to climb.

Answer 3

Whats wrong with it dieing faster?

Answer 4

The larger sized one is probably grown.Buy the smaller sized one.Not a new born baby but one that is about 5 months old maybe.Buying the smaller ones will give it time to get used to you.

Answer 5

no not always my rats are huge or small or median, but it just depends on the health of the rat smaller rats would probably die before because they might be the runt of the litter.

Answer 6

It depends what you mean by "big."  If you just mean the normal bone structure and body type of a rat, then no, it wouldn't have that much bearing on if it dies faster or slower than smaller rats.  Fat rats on the other hand, can die earlier as it puts strain on their tiny hearts and cardiovascular system.  Studies have also shown that a diet of low fat and low protein can increase the lifespan of a rat.

Hope that helps!

Answer 7

Assuming you're getting them from Petco (where they label them by size):

LARGE rats just mean they're about 6 months old.

MEDIUM rats are about 4 months old

SMALL rats are closer to 2 months old.

So, the ''large'' rats may die before the ''small/medium'', due to being slightly older. BUT it all depends on the quality of care, and what health problems, if any, that individual rat has to deal with in the future.