I want i rat/s.how do i convince the parents

Question

i really love raats, we had mice for ages but they kept breeding and escaped from the cage. i have two rat eating cats is it a bad idea to get them with CATS around?

Answer 1

the best way to present your argument is with a lot of research behind you, so start joining forums and looking for reputable rat-related websites.  your parents will be more inclined to listen to your request if you can answer all of their questions confidently and provide plenty of convincing evidence as to how you will take care of them, what you will feed them, how you will rat-proof your room/house, and how you will clean their cage and control their smell.  there's a lot of information out there on the internet and a lot of really experienced rat owners who can give you great advice, so start reading.

if you had problems with your mice breeding it was because you were keeping males and females together.  rats can breed very quickly and at very young ages, so make sure you never house unaltered males and females together.  (if you do have your heart set on both boys and girls, find a vet who can spay or neuter them.  actually, it would be a good idea to find a vet anyway, because you want to know in advance where you'll take your pets should any health problems arise.  some vets aren't really qualified to work on tiny animals)

make sure that you get a cage with narrow enough bar spacing that even baby rats cannot escape.  (1/2-inch or so)  if the bar spacing on your cage is bigger, you can use mesh or chicken wire to cover the sides of the cage until your rats are big enough not to fit through the bars.

as for the cats, some pets get along better than others, so it really just depends on the individuals.  just make sure that your cats don't have access to the rats during their play-time, and if they start aggravating the rats you might consider how to keep the rats and cats separate at all times.  if this isn't feasible then it might be a better idea to wait until you're living in a more rat-friendly environment.

as a final thought, i'd like to remind you to get more than one rat, so that he or she doesn't get lonely when you're not around.

good luck and enjoy your rats!

Answer 2

what do you think? if you still don't know NO IT IS A TERRIBLE IDEA!!!

put them in a separate room where cats are not aloud and get a plastic cage to prevent escape.

Answer 3

Yes, it is a VERY bad idea.

Rats can die of stress.  Even if the cage is completely secure, the cats can kill the rats without ever touching them.  Having two cats constantly trying to get to them will cause an extreme level of stress, resulting in death.

The only way that you can have rats in the same household as these cats, is if you have a completely secure cage kept in a room where the cats NEVER go.

I love rats, so I completely understand your desire to own them.  However, if you really do like rats, do them a favor: show how much you like them by waiting until your situation is more appropriate.

Good luck!

P.S. A plastic cage is not especially secure.  They can chew through plastic quite easily, and plastic cages get quite warm (they can die of heat stroke).  Plastic cages are better-suited for hamsters.  I recommend a Martin's cage (http://www.martinscages.com) with a small padlock as being the most secure rat enclosure.

P.P.S.  I agree that the rats may be okay with some cats.  However, "two rat eating cats" are going to be extremely interested in the rats.  If the cats are already convinced that rats make good food, it is unlikely that you will be able to get them to completely ignore the rats.  Even if you were able to eventually train the cats, it would take a lot of time.  Time during which the rats would be suffering (and possibly dying).  Therefore, in this case, with these cats, it is a very bad idea.

Answer 4

I used to breed rats on a big scale (20-30 bubbas at a time, really cute) and the cats did not seem to bother them, but I did train my cats to not do that. Everytime the cat went near the cage, you should squirt it, then it will associate the rat cage with getting wet. hope that helps