How do i convince my mom to let me get a rat even if we have 2 dogs?

Question

She says its because she thinks they smell and of there tail

Answer 1

this is a tuff 1 bc i want a hamster n i got 2 dobermens tell her thta u willl be vey responsable for it or u can beg lol n u can ask the pet shop what the money goes to i it goes to cahraty or medacle help ect if  none of it work ask your dad or buy 1 n dont tell her about it till like a month afterwords

Answer 2

Well, if you're moms a good sport about getting animals like my mom is, (2 dogs, 3 cats, a snake and a hamster) just give her the facts.

Read up on a lot of How to Care For Rats and rat-need-to-knows. Impress her with all the knowledge you have of the rat, and the, to press on even more, make out of a list of things you need for your rat and things that could keep it healthier and happier. This way, she'll see you'd really have the best intrest in the rat and that you really would want to take care of it.

Answer 3

Your mom's reasons are not relevant:

1) Rats stink

Um actually no they don't! Rats actually have a gland which secretes a sweet-smelling scent that leaves them smelling very pleasantly of popcorn! Rats are very clean animals that can be litter trained and constantly wash, and as long as their cage is given a furore cleaning once a week and any wet patches and p**p is taken out every morning and every evening they will not smell in the slightest! Males rats will only smell if they're not cleaned out regularly, and females seem to smell less so I'd suggest choosing females over males if you're worried about them smelling. I assure you, as somebody who is a kennel worker, dogs smell a lot more than rats do!

2) your mom doesn't like their tails

That's something she's just going to have to get over! Rat tails are very soft and clean and are vital to your pets balance. They're not slimy or disgusting and being afraid of them is very irrational - rats are friendly, intelligent and very loving and you cannot help but fall in love with their characters regardless of their tails - strangely, that is the most human thing about them and yet so many people find the tails scary?!!

My main concern however is that you have two dogs - dogs are predatory animals and may try to hunt your pets - if a dog was to come into contact with a rat, no questions asked, it would almost definitely kill it. Puppies can be trained to accept small animals but they should still never be left alone with them. If your dogs are terriers, they will do nothing else but try to kill your pets and so I would not recommend rats to you. If you are prepared to keep your cage in an out of reach place, high off the floor and preferably in a room where your dogs cannot get into because the door is shut then it may be okay for you to keep rats - however young rats need lots of play outside of the cage and you'd have to do this in a dog-free area - even just seeing a dog is enough to scare a rat to death.

If you still think you can keep your rats well away from your dogs and they will be safe, then I suggest buying some good rat care books and visiting some rescue centers to talk to experienced rat owners and to handle some rats. Rats MUST be bought in same-s*x groups or pairs, as they are highly sociable creatures and it is essentially cruel to keep them on their own. You will have to be prepared to buy a large cage (2 cubic feet per rat, or 4 cubic feet for a pair) and to clean it throughly every week and take out mess twice daily. Your rats will also need several hours of human interaction a day. If you are sure you can provide for all these needs then show your mom how responsible you can be and how much you know about keeping rats - then she may be more likely to listen to you.

Answer 4

tell her rats have NO smell if their cages are clean and there is a breed that has no tail. I know how you feel, I want a rat so badly but we have a cat,dog,afish, and little brothers(exotic right?) Hope I could help

Answer 5

rats are actually very clean animals and if you keep the cadge clean they dont smell.  i had a couple a few years back.  my mom was alright with it my dad just needed some convincing.  show them you are responsible, help out without being asked. do your research and show them you are ready and prepared for an animal of your own. this is how i convinced my parental units.  :]  good luck!

Answer 6

Rats are so cute!!! I wanted a hamster, and I already had a dog, and my mom said NO, but.... I made a bet with her, If I could keep my room clean, and SPOTLESS for a week, I got a hamster, you could do that with a rat.  If you do get a rat, will you name it Rufus, in honor of my hamster?? He died last year on my birthday  :-( :-(:-(:-(:-(

Answer 7

Chances are your mom doesn't really care as much about the smell and the tail, she is probably more concerned about you being responsible when it comes to caring for an animal.  Just by her worrying about the smell, she's probably worried that you won't clean the cage enough.  Last thing she wants is you buying an animal you'll play with for a few weeks and then grow bored with.  Rats can live up to 5 years in some cases, are you really ready to make that kind of commitment?  If not, stick to a goldfish.

If you really want to get a rat, I'd recommend learning as much as you can to show your mom how committed you are to the animal.  Some good sites are:

http://www.ratguide.com

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/home/

For example, one thing you should know is that rats should be kept in pairs, never alone.  They're very sociable creatures and need a buddy.

The smell really depends on you.  If you are the type of person to be diligent about cleaning the cage every week and do spot cleaning every morning, then the smell won't be bad.  You can also cut back on the smell by getting a high quality bedding.  CareFresh or Yesterday's News are both good ones you can choose.

As for the tail, you get used to it.  It's not like you can argue that point.

Hope that helps.

Answer 8

tell your mom they don't stink, cuz it's true! Just clean it's cage 1-2 times a week and it will be fine.

Answer 9

The smell can be reduced by cleaning the cage everyweek

Answer 10

Try to clean the cage everyday to stop the smell...