Does anybody like pet rats?

Question

I have three of my own, and they are just about the sweetest creatures. The thing is, they have a reputation of being dirty, disgusting, mean animals. Lots of people I know are wigged out by the tails.

There are two types or rats in this world-- the fancy rat and the sewer rat. The fancy rats are clean, sweet, and do not bite. the sewer rats are stinky and dirty. I think that people are confused and think fancy rats are the same as wild rats.

If you have a rat-- let me know if you like him/her.

Thanks, Maggee96 ☺☻☺

Answer 1

i looove fancy rats they rock but i haaate sewer rats

Answer 2

I have had rats before- last time,i helped do 'rescue' and took in 3 or 4 cages of Moms and babies (someone had dumped HUNDREDS of rats at a strip mall, some kind people collected as many as they could before exterminators came). One Mom got out- and my german shepherd who has a VERY high prey drive, caught her- but I was right there, my dog did not hurt her, she reluctantly let me take her from her mouth- the rat became named 'Lucky' and we kept her (if being rescued from the jaws of a shepherd meaning to eat you isn't lucky, I don't know what is).

They DO make nice pets- but I find them a bit smelly, rather quickly. i rpefer gerbils, who need far less cleaning.

Answer 3

There are other kinds of domestic rat not just fancy rats although i do agree i have to rats and some of my friends don't like to touch them just because of what they have heard on tv. I love my rats soooooo much they are very sweet and soo kind and loving!

Answer 4

Actually.......Rats come in a number of colors and sizes and are well into the hundreds of different breeds.  I have owned 4 rats...my first rat was my baby.  She would ride in the car on my shoulder and hide in my cleavage when I went into the store..lol.  I planned to say..if I got busted with her, no pun intended..haha...Look what I found in your produce department!!!!!  LMAO She was a brown rat named Holly.  I got her a buddy-rat, who wasn't planned, but when I seen her...I had to have her...and the were just too funny to watch.  Holly tried to pull Molly-the new rat out of the tunnel...as if she knew she would get stuck...and sure enough she did.  I got them a huge $50.00 cage and they loved it!!!  Then I got them a even bigger cage, but Molly kept escaping..lol.  Well, at a visit to the pet store...I ended up getting a dwarf rat because she was being attacked by all the other rats in the cage...I kept her seperated from Holly and Molly due to size difference.  Tocker would escape all the time, but was easy to catch because she would always come back to the cage.  Then, my landlord's secretary pawned her rat off on me because she said her kid's wasn't feeding it and giving her water...so, I had her for a year - to a year and a half.  The day she had to be put out of her misery due to a tumor and blindness, then attacking-which was completely out of her character-I knew she was out of her head and suffering.  I went to the pet store and was going to get a pet mouse, she was orange and I knew most likely couldn't be tamed, so I got her a buddy and she was a copper brown..Mandy and Brandy.  I ended up falling in love with a black and white bunny and bought him who was suppose to be a girl for my girl bunny to play with.  But, found out he was a boy when I caught them in the act and had my female fixed right away.  Brandy lived about a year and mandy-the orange one..actually just died about a month ago.  My brother's gf knew I loved animals and rescued many...called me up from her work several blocks away.....saying do you have a pet rat missing?  Because a black and white baby rat was in the dry cleaner in the back where it would have been really hot even at night after they closed.  I said no,  I don't have rats...I have 2 mice now...but, went to try and catch it.  I had a cage and lured it to the cage after a bit with food...closed the door, held it up and the women was all clapping because they knew I would give this rat a good home.  The dang thing jumped out the side bars...he looked too big to fit...UGHHHHH.  So, I taped card board sheets all around the cage and started over...thank God the rat was hungry and lured him back into the cage...as he stepped on the door..I hurried and shut it.  Once i got him Home, I had my son babysit him until I could get a smaller cage for him.  So, I ran to the pet store for a cage-spent $20.00 + food...within a month, this rat was ready for the bigger cage....he grew very fast.  I will never by choice have a boy again though...he is mean as h**l!!!  I tried to tame him, I would get him out and hold him, but he was a biter and got as long as my forearm.  So, when I clean his cage, I wear rubber gloves...finally get the nerve to grab him by the tail-which I would never usually do, but he has a mean bite...and get him into a transfer cage until I can clean his cage.  My son cracks up because he will spin like he's possessed, and scare me to death!!!!!!!  He's fat and happy...I just hate it that I can't hold him or pet him, but I won't get rid of him...I won't turn him loose or let him be snake food, or be killed.  I think he was either bred for snake food or by nature boys are meaner...either way, I love my past female rats.  They were all very sweet, loyal, and smart.  Tocker was a bit of a biter, but I think she was because she was abused by the other rats at the store.  I will say-jokingly, this is the one time I wish I owned a snake when Oscar-the boy rat tries to bite me...but, my son laughs because he knows I'm joking.  Boy rats stink worse than the girls.  Also, boy rabbits do too.  Guinea Pig's are cute...but stink too much.  I actually have a very funny story about my first 2 girl rats-Holly and Molly...so, I'll share it real quick...lol.  They had their own bedding, but I put shredded newspaper in their new expensive cage also...that had a ramp to the food and they slept under the ramp.  Holly was taking it to the food...Molly was taking it back to the bed.  This went on for hours...I told my son,  Holly was telling Molly that...unless you want to get your fat @ss out of bed and go eat, you better keep the bed with the food....LOL  Funny thing is... Molly gave up and started taking the shredded paper to the food area where Holly was...LMAO!!!!!!!

Answer 5

People have misconceptions about all rats. Sewer rats are only sewer rats because humans have taken over all of their habitat and the sewers and rubbish dumps are the only places they can find food. And because they arent eatig healthily and in contact with HUMAN waste all the time they get diseases and so on. Wild rats in the bush, forest etc etc are often very healthy with few diseases etc and are not pests. Humans are the ones who have caused their "dirtyness" in the urban environmet.

I have had 6 rats all together, I have three now and they are so cute, so intelligent, affectionate etc etc. They are very nice pets. I always hate it when I say I have pet rats and people shudder and cringe and say it is disgustig, they have no idea. It is very frustrating.

However, as more and more people are getting rats as pets their image will improve over time.

I have a theory that some people would think is mad but I thik people are actually threatoned by rats. Rats are very intelligent, are social creatures, work in teams, can adapt to almost any climate and environmet and they could easily take over if human life was ever threatened. Apart from cockroaches and humans, rats are the most widespread populated animal and II think apart from the disease factor some people actually subconciously see rats as an animal that could easily beat us in the survival game.

Answer 6

no,I don't..

because rats here in our place were pests and not pets...

and they also bring different diseases...

Answer 7

i had a pet rat before and she was brill she ran about in a ball and had a fuss everyday. i would suggest getting a rat they are amzaing pets to have. -but make sure its a albino rat.

Answer 8

I have two adorable rats called Lally and Saeia!...they are amazingly intelligent and you can teach them all sorts of tricks and games. They bioth have individual personalities!...I lopve them to bits!!

Answer 9

I love rats! I own 3 beautiful little rat boys! Rats are very smart creatures! They are actually very clean! They spend 85% of their day grooming themselves or each other!

Answer 10

I don't have a rat but a friend of mine did and I was pleasantly surprised.  I was under the impression that they were gross as you had said.   But,  she was very sweet and friendly and would come to greet you when you would get near her cage.  Personally, I think they would be a better choice then a hamster or gerbil if someone's looking for that type of pet.

Answer 11

Yes, I love them!

For the record, sewer rats are only stinky and dirty because they live in sewers :)

People who think rats are all dirty and mean and horrible are simply uneducated and basing their opinions on stereotypes.