Should i get a pet mouse or rat?

Question

i am not sure witch one i want i have a few questions about them can a mouse become a friend of you and not run away

and i heard rats are smarter so why would they be a better pet and i have another quetion do rats or mice like to swim also how often do you clean there tank

Answer 1

Mouse, rats are disgusting!

Answer 2

rats are better, dont just get one though as they are social animals and like to live with at least another rat and also get them in same s*x pairs to avoid breeding

Answer 3

Rat!

I had one for 2.5 years (died sadly..=() and she was the most adorable precious thing! Actually that was her name, Precious! Lol.

Rats are very loving and get very attached to you, they require you play with them for an hour or so a day (out handling them) and talk to them (for attention) every few hours. If not, they get depressed.

Rats are smarter, they have a very good memory and can find there way back to the room where their cage is if need be.

Both swim, rats can swim because I was once bathing Precious and she decided she was gonna jump into the plumbing....lol

Rats should be in a wired cage, I had Precious in a ten gallon fish tank for about half a year because that was all she knew before I got her, I cleaned it every other day.

When I got my wire cage I just put my rat in an exercise ball and let her run the kitchen while I took the bottom of the cage and removed the old bedding, washed the metal, put new bedding, and about every two weeks I sprayed the wires with a hose.

Answer 4

rats are better pets because they will want to be ur friend and play with you. some rats like to swim and i clean their tank at least once a week.

Answer 5

One of each, while your at it, get some cockroaches too. Maybe a chicken with bird flu. Some tetse flies are nice, maybe a cute little ring worm? When you buy the rodents ask if they come with lice and fleas.

Answer 6

rat RAT RATrat! rats are much smarter more aware of you as their friend and they learn not to pee on stuff after a while... where a mouse will just pee whenever and it smells worse than rat. i have had 17 rats over the past 8 years and i love them... but their is a lot to know about them so do your homework before you decide to get them. and i always recommend you get more than one. they are VERY social and will be lonely without a friend. and it is nice for them to have company around when you cannot entertain them. RATS RULE mice DROOOL. and rats also have more individual perosnalitys than mice.

Answer 7

If you get either you should get two, so they can keep each other company.  Make sure they're both either male or female otherwise you'll be over-run with rodents within weeks.

Both make excellent pets, but mice have very smelly wee so they need cleaning out more often.  One good clean a week is sufficient for rats, but be sure to remove all uneaten food immediately and if possible pick out their poo.  Rats CAN swim, it doesn't mean they have to, none of mine ever did.

Answer 8

rats

Answer 9

Mouse, they don't smell as bad as rats and generally I found them to be a little bit nicer.

Answer 10

Mouse. they are so cute! They could if you spent enough time with them to gain their trust and friendship. Rats might make a better pet because they could learn more tricks, if what you heard was true. I don't know if they ''like'' to swim, but I think they can. Well, based on common sense, every day or every other day, depending on the mess that they make.

Answer 11

I have had both.

My first mouse was like my best friend he gave kisses and was super sweet.

Now I have a rat she is super sweet too and loves to be held. If you get a rat its better to get two because the are very social animals. Rats dont smell bad at all unless you dont clean their cage in like 5 months. But you should clean like once a week depending on how many rats you have. Mice if I remember smell a little bit. I think rats are more frinedly and get attached to you more than mice. My first mouse was extremly attached to me but my second one wasnt so much. Rats are smarter and may live a little longer depending if you take care of it. If you get a mouse I dont recomend the cages with all the tubes because they are very difficult to clean and take apart and get smelly.

Answer 12

personally id go with the mouse because the mouse will turn into a rat some day any way so its a win win with the mouse.

Answer 13

A rat is much more intelligent and sociable. They all have their own personalities, likes and dislikes.

They will bond to their owners and they love to give and receive affection. My rats give me little licks like kissed when I come home and they are happy to see me.

They know their names, do tricks and come when you call them and I allow them to roam freely around the house (within certain rooms and supervision).

They learn very quickly, my first rat was potty trained in less than 3 days and then thought the other rat without my help.



Rats when they are playful, might like the water, but some do not. I fill the bath tub just enough to let them play in it, in general rats are supposed to be able to swim.

If you prefer a specific gendered rat...

Male rats have a more stronger natural smell as females do not. Also males leave little drops of urine to mark their territory as females do not.

My rats rarely if ever needs a bath, they  clean themselves. From experience, do not let the cage get overly dirty because it will effect the rats hygiene.

The cleaner the cage the cleaner that rat.

Personally, I clean their cage about every week and a half really well and wash it, but I do not allow it to get overly dirty in the meantime.

When I feed them, I wipe up any messes at the time and scoop out any droppings. (this helps cut down on cleaning time and any smells.)

I can recommend that it is better to get a cage rather than a tank because the more ventilated it is, the less it will smell.

If you are concerned about size, their are various sized rats, I have small ones and their adult size is about 5-6 inches + their tail once grown.

I once was a little creeped out about their tail, but be curious about it, touch it to see what it feels like. Maybe you know someone with a rat, go play with it to get a feel for them.

Once you have a rat, you will want to always share the benefits with others because they are such wonderful pets!

Answer 14

Not sure about the last question but you should definetly get a rat. They are way smarter and stink waaaayyyyyyy less!

Answer 15

I would get a mouse. They are more calm and have different designs. Rats are meant be feed for snakes if I'm not mistaken.

Answer 16

rats, Rats, RATS!

They are lovley creatures and are kind by nature...If you do get 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 =[

Mice-

Bad things:

They stink

They arnt as inteligent as rats

N many more, but i 4got =[

Good things -

They arnt as likly to die from a tumor or cancer.

They dont need a big cage

They dont need 2 be sozilised as much with.

But my personal preference is RATS!

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 17

clean about every week

daily if u want

umm i would get a rat

but thats just my opinion

no they wont run away

i have one

its name is hammy

i got its name off of over the hedge

haha hope i helped

tehe bye

Answer 18

Rats are smarter! They are more social, and like to be on your shoulder. Some mice won't run away, but highly unlikely. I've met a few friendly mice tho. But I would get rats because they are so cool! I would clean their tank every 1-1.5 weeks. Some rats like to swim.