Pet Rat HELP!?!?!??!?

Question

OK, well I was thinking about getting a pet rat....I want something cheap and playful.

I have the choices of a 2 gerbils, 2 mice, or 1 hamster.......since my mom HATES rats.

Are rats good pets?

What can you play with them?

I would LOVE to know EVERYTHING about them so I can persuade my mom to let me have one.

PLEASE tell me hoe I can convince my mom to get a rat just by talking to her. I already do chores and I not allowed to get an allowance so I cant buy my own food.......

PLEESE HELP ME MAKE HER SAY YES.....

Also if she doesn't say yes can you tell me what other small animal that I listed would be good.......?

~~HELP ME!?!?!?!~~

Answer 1

Rats make wonderful pets, they are one of my favourite pets.  You can play with them and teach them to ride around on your shoulder.  Some will play with toys, but mine have all been lazy boys who will scamper around with me or sleep.

Hmm, everything is a pretty big request but I'll give you an overview.  Rats are very clean, they groom themselves.  The only time they smell is if the cage is not cleaned regularly.

You'll need a large cage, much larger than some other people have mentioned.  The more space the better and they love to have multiple levels and plenty of room to climb and play.  This cage calculator will let you know if the cage you are considering is large enough:

http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.sht...

For bedding you'll want to use something safe like aspen, carefresh, or yesterday's news.  Never use cedar or pine as it can be damaging to their respiratory tract.  For comfort in the cage I usually provide a hidey house and then a few hammocks made out of fleece.

As far as food, don't buy seed mixes available at pet stores.  They are not nutritionally complete, particularly if the rat does not eat all of the bits.  A lab block the Oxbow Regal Rat is a good choice, it provides complete nutrition in every bite.  The other option is to make a grain mix like Suebee's.

http://www.oxbowhay.com/Shop/showProduct...

http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html

Rats are happiest with at least one other rat for company.  Both rats will still bond with you and be friendly, they'll just have company when you're not around.  I've never noticed a difference in friendliness when I've gone from one to two.

Also, please start saving money for a vet fund.  Vets are prone to respiratory infections and cancers.  They require immediate veterinary care if they appear to be ill.  They also need to go to an exotics vet, so not your regular cat or dog vet (typically).

Great information:

http://www.ratsrule.com/ratcare.html

http://ratguide.com/care/

http://www.petratscanada.com/

Answer 2

They are lovley creatures and are kind by nature...If your mom agrees to let u have a rat, here are a few thing ur rat will deff need!

~ a large cage

~ another rat 2 play with ( at least 2 rats cuz if u dont have 2 rats it will become depresed no matter how much u play with it)

~Toys

~bedding material (shreeded tisues are good and cheap too!)

Floor material (i wouldnt recomend wood shavings as the tiny dust in it will iratate ur rats eyes and nose, thus maiking it sneeze ad more prone to respiratory disese so i would recomend wood-based cat litter not made from pine tho!)

Here is a little info about the s*x of the rat

Male~ Male rats are laid-back and calmer than female rats, and will gladly sit in your lap. BUT, they mark places with a few drops of urine, this might put u off! ( by places, i mean places inside the cage! =p)

Females~ females are always active, and are hyper! they come into heat ( when they can breed) about every 14 days, so unless you want loads of babys, i would recomend the same s*x pairs!

Vets~ you will have to find a specilist vet 4 ur rats, as not many vets are specilised 2 take care 4 rats as they r 2 small!

Tumors + cancers~ unfortunatly, rats have a high chance of dying from cancers + tumors, this is because of how they were tested upon in the labs and its in all rats genes. If you do get rats, and ur rat(s) get a tumor or cancer, it would be the kinist thing to put it to sleep =[

Good luck with your rodent hunting!

Hope this helps!

P.S if u have any questions just email me on yahoo!

Love from,

Rach x

Answer 3

Show this to your mom.

Rats are the best pets for kids, especially the 'first pet' ... rats are naturally more friendly, they don't stink as badly as most other rodents, and are extremely 'trainable.'  If you get a rat, get ONLY one rat, because two rats will naturally bond with each other, but one rat will bond with your child.  Rats don't need anything fancy ... a plain wire cage of at least 10"x10"x16" will suffice.  It need to have a 'solid' bottom and having some sort of low side wall is recommended ... my first rat lived in a bird cage with a 'drawer' to pull out the bottom for cleaning, and that worked very well.  She even had the wooden perches, plus the door when opened made a 'porch' where she could sit and watch us, come out to play with us, or go into her 'house' as she wanted.  This rat was very smart because we 'taught her well' from the very beginning.  She would even clean her own cage ... I'd spread three pieces of newspaper, open, in front of her cage, and set the strips of newspaper for her bedding to one side.  She'd clean out all of her old bedding and the 'garbage' (p**p pellets, old food, other small pieces of junk) would be taken to the middle of the paper.  Then she'd sit on her hind legs with her front legs up and watch as I changed the 'padding' (old newspaper) on the bottom.  When I was done with that, she'd take her new strips of paper in and arrange them while I put all of the trash in the wrapped up newspaper and threw it into the garbage can outside.  Then I'd feed her and give her fresh water ... but she ALWAYS wanted to come out and 'play' before she ate or drank anything.  This was a 'people rat' and most of her life she lived on my shoulder, where I'd show her things (letting her touch, taste, and handle them with her paws), give her treats.  If we went into a store or place she knew that caution was needed, she'd slip into my chest pocket or wrap herself around my neck, under the 'fold' of my collar.  Her name was Rachel and she came to me when I'd call that.  This rat was a female, and when she was a year old, I started breeding her.  

Even though she loved her mate, she didn't miss him when he was in his 'bachelor cage' because he was also a people rat ... but when the babies were born she would 'squeak' until I went and put my hand out in front of her cage.  She'd line the babies up so I could see them and would nurse them ONLY after I'd told her they were all beautiful baby rats (they were ... and I was afraid to say one wasn't beautiful, for fear she'd kill and eat it immediately) and before I sold the babies to pet stores, they were ALL cleaning their own cages in just the same way she did.  RATS ARE BEAUTIFUL AND LOVING PETS.  Get a 'Dutch Hooded Rat ... one that has black or gold at its front end, and white at its back end, because they are the rats that have been 'domesticated as pets' the longest, and are the most friendly, even friendlier than albino rats, which are pure white with bright red eyes ... tell your daughter that it is up to HER to take care of it ... to see to it's food and fresh water EVERY day, to clean it once a week (she'll try to train it to clean the cage the way mine did, which is fun ... she'll need to 'interact' with the rat very closely for that to happen).  You may expect to see the rat sitting on her shoulder or peeking out of her pocket at dinner time.  I've had my rats ON the dining table (one 'stole' a carrot from my bosses plate one night, much to her delight ... we were eating spaghetti and the carrot was there to 'tempt' the rat to make friends).  For the first rat, you should get a FEMALE and make sure it's a 'baby' (about 1/3 the full grown size, but weaned from it's mother) and that it has been kept with ONLY OTHER FEMALES (rats can get pregnant at 4 weeks of age, but that is NOT a 'good thing' for the 'mom' or the baby rats) and let her have a rat for her first 'pet.'  Rats are far more playful than any other rodent, and they bond much more quickly to people than any other rodent.  Rats are the CLEANEST of all of the rodents, and they 'stink' much less ... my rat cages NEVER 'stank' because they were cleaned on a weekly basis.  I was 18 when I got my first rat (I had other pets before that) and I'm now 57 ... I have no rats because we live in a 'no pets' building (I do have a hedgehog, but she can be hidden more easily because she's 'quieter' and more still than a rat) and I will love rats BEST of all pets, especially for kids.  I raised four kids and when they were four they each got their first rat for one of their birthday gifts.  They are all grown now, but I have two granddaughters ... and they both have a rat of their own (two separate cages on opposite side of the room because the rats bond with their girl, not with each other).  Rat food is very inexpensive, and you can 'supplement' it with food you normally 'throw away' ... rats will eat any food they are given, just don't EVERY give them celery ... the 'strings' get tied into knots in their stomachs, and that kilss the rats (rather horribly).  Now, tell your daughter she can have a rat, and go to the pet store!

Answer 4

Rats are awesome pets!! I have two females and they are the sweetest most interactive little pets I've ever had. Next to Dogs and cats of course.  Tell her you'll get females because they DONT Smell. They are sweet. They shouldn't bite at all. After you've had them for awhile and they get used to their cage you can let them out and they'll only p**p and pee in their cage. They are SOOO smart, will come to their names, give kisses, jump on you. I give them baths with baby shampoo and feed them lots of different foods. Mine love to walk around the house and collect stuff like Lego's, pennies, paper and take it back to their cage and tell your Mom, I bought these pets for my kids and I fell in love with them!!! Creepy tails and all.  They even chase my cats around.  

They are such interesting animals. Good luck!!

Answer 5

rat are great pet and are extreamly smart! you can teach them lots of things! http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm

this is a great website about things to do with your rats and I was suprized about how much stuff they could do! hope this helps!

Answer 6

Rats are VERY good pets. They are sweet and cudley and they can have the affection of a dog!! They are not that hard to keep. They can learn their name and can be taught to use a litter box! You cna not get "a" rat you have to a least get two if your mom does let you get some. If you get only one it will not have a very good bond with you! Also, rats RARLY bite!!! I hope you will get one!!

Good Luck!

-Sarah-

Answer 7

rats are not good pets. gerbils are friendly. you can read stories of rats biting and scratching a kids eye out if you like.

Answer 8

I prefer hamsters over rats, but rats are more playful I've heard.  You can keep more then one of them in a cage, and not be worried about them fighting as much as a hamster.  Look on wikipedia to find what kind of food to feed it, how big the cage should be, ect.  Use carefresh as bedding because it's recycled newspaper and it's really good!  Tell your mom that you will:

~Clean it's cage once a week

~Give it new water every week

~Never take it out of your room unless it's in a plastic ball

You should also tell her this:

~Rats don't stink unless you don't clean their cage

~They don't need to go to a vet like a dog or a cat (unless it's an emergency)

~And they don't bite nearly as much as a lot of other rodents.

Good luck=)

Answer 9

i have had a rat. it was my favorite pet by far. you can get them tail-less in some places if that bothers you. here are some reasons why they are amazing:

1. People around me were disgusted with rats, but after holding and seeing my domesticated rat, they fell in love

2. they are extremely clean, they groom themselves

3. they are very smart

4.get them when they are babies and they wont bite you

5. rats have the ability to form relationships with people. if you are loving and nice to them they will do the same.

6. they are inexpensive and dont ask for much

7. you can teach them tricks such as walking upright or across a small rope or responding to their name with a reward of a cheese-it

8. domesticated rats have no diseases, and are as clean as cats keep themselves.

9. their life span is not too long, which wont be a hassle for you or your mom, but are long enough to form that special bond and enjoy each others company. (3-5 years)

10. my rat even licked me. i would let her run around my room and id call to her and she would run right up to me.

they really are the best pets, i wish you the best of luck on getting one.

Answer 10

people think rats are just ugly creatures that scuttle round on the street and carry diseases-WRONG!.

1. they are very clean.

2.they are very fun animals

3.when you get a rat and it settles in they seem to have a personality as a puppy.

4. they are much much much intresting than a hamster etc.

5.they can be trained to be let out run freely round the house (making sure they dont go near wires etc.) and be litter trained so if they need to p**p they go back in their cage.

ok and im gonna keep this simple for you...

bad points.

1. rats are proned to cancer. this can be very sad.

2. if you lose intrest of your rat it will lose intrest with you and probably try to bite you : )

but i totally agree you should get one

ive had 3. they were super duper!

pleasee mum let her get one!!

Answer 11

Well for starters, how about trying the following:

#1 Cleaning your room and making sure that it STAYS clean and tidy.

#2 Making sure that your homework is done and handed in on time.

#3 Sweep the floors in the living room and kitchen without your parents asking you to.

#4 Wash and/or dry the dishes.

#5 Do not fight and argue with your sisters & brothers.

#6 Eat what you are given and don't whine or make "yuck" faces when given it.

#7 Don't talk rudly to adults

#8 Always share with other kids.

#9 Go to bed when you are told to.

#10 Research the pet and breed you want to be 100% certain that it is the right one for you.

# 11 Ask them about getting this new pet in a nice way and don't beg and whine about it.

If 100% sure that if you give those a try, they will see that you are serious about wanting to add a this pet to your life and family. :)