General rat help?

Question

i dont lnow if i want a male or female rat can some one pls tell me witch one might make a better pet and tell me your opinions and if you have experience pls tell me

also i live in canada and i fly to the us for vacations so i was wondering if i could bring him on a plane or are they not alowed and do you need vet pappers and what would is bad for rats

that you for your help

Answer 1

get  a girl rat. i think you could bring it on the plane with you. yo dont need to bring it to the vet, i dont think. i didnt have to bring my hamster to the vet, well good luck

Answer 2

females and males have slight differences.

for one, the male is a lot larger, and therefore cuddlier. theyre also more laidback and lazier so if you're a crazier type of person, go for a female. if you just want to sit down and stroke a big cuddly rat, get a male.

males, unfortunately, stink very bad though. they like to mark their scent in their cage so you would have to clean their cage quite often.

if you dont like this, then you can always have your rat desexed. he'll stink alot less, but he will still be good to cuddle up to.

females are more active, and are considerably smaller. they're fun to watch but not the best to just sit down and hold them in your lap.

also, you will need at least two rats. they are very social creatures and will need a rat companion of some sort. just make sure you get two or more of at least the same gender otherwise your house will be crawling with rat babies.

Answer 3

First of all, you can NOT have only one rat. Rats are social animals, and living with companions is As important is feeding them the right food, or having a big enough cage. You would not be taking proper care of a single rat, and only giving it substantial care. Always get at least two!

Travelling anywhere with any small animal is a realyl terribel idea. All rodents are prey animals. Anywhere outside your home is totally unpredictable (like if someone suddenly decides to start jumping aorund, or a noisy vehicle passes). Anything like that will startle the heck out of any rodent. THe first instinct that rodents have when scared is to get out of there. So if you are holding him, he will, I guarantee you, make a run for it. And if he is locked up, he will get extrememly stressed out. Stressed rats get something called poryphorin in their breathing passages, and eventaully cause respiratory problems which kill them slowls unless you get them treated at a vet's. Besides, there is no way an airline would allow animals that have not been vaccined to fly in with the passengers. That is just a health regulation for all the people's safety.

The difference between males and females is quite distinct. Males are a lot calmer and usualyl relaxed. They are more likely to just hang out with you, napping or something. They are however highly territorial, and unless you neuter them, they willprobably spend a lot of time marking territory with urine. Nothing awful, but little dabs of urine. Males also generally smell more offensive, and need more cleaning. But again, neutering will reduce the smell. Females are a lot more energetic, and would rather explore than stay still. They are very curious and get into everything. They are not territorial at all, so probably will not have too many accidents when out of the cage.

Since males are territorial, they would be the more "violent" ones. But BOTH males and females will occasionally have little fights, like people sometimes bicker with their family just because they get tired of them. This is not anything you should worry about.



If you would like to know about introduction, I suggest reading this: http://www.petratscanada.com/ratcare.htm...

Answer 4

umm i used to have 3 rats at different times. first i had a boy and he was good except he smelled a lot more. but either way ther wasn't tht big of a difference between male or female.

i have no idea about the plane thing.

good luck!

Answer 5

Both sexes are quite active as youngsters but here are some common differences:

Males: Tend to become more lazy and laid back as they get older, making better lap rats. Mark more with urine (little dribbles), and have a little more odor to them.

Females: Tend to remain active and playful as they get older. Prone to benign mammary and pituitary tumors later in life if not spayed.

I'd recommend adopting a same s*x pair of rats since they should never be kept alone: http://www.petfinder.com/

I have a website on rat care that might be helpful to you: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratin...

Answer 6

females STINK! go for the male

Answer 7

depends on what temperment you want. females tend to be more playful and active. males generally would prefer to just lay around. if you get both rats at the same time, you should put both boxes (that they came in) in the cage and let them be. put out some fresh water and food but don't force them out of the cage, let them come out themselves and once they do, put the bedding in the box they came in and spread it around the cage to have familiar smells with them. i have two female rats right now and i really enjoy them! one of them is really laid back and just wants to sleep and the other is always hyper and is constanly 'marking her territory' (i was able to train her out of that) and making nests(out of my socks and other laundry that she shouldn't be in. you'd deffinantly need vet papers to get the rats through customs, im not even sure if rats are allowed across the u.s border (fellow canadian here!). i think flying wouldn't be good for their health either. finding a rat sitter would be the best option.

EDIT:

neither gender is smellier than the other. if they are kept in a clean environment then they wont smell.