What type of pet?

Question

i want a small pet but i dont know what to get.i dont want a hamster or a bunny.i cant have a chinchilla or a ferret .can somebody help me?/?/?/?/?

Answer 1

I think rats make great pets! They are easy to care for and are SO affectionate. They do not live very long though (average life span is 1 1/2 - 3 years), which is sad.

Below I have includes most of the basic information for caring for rats. This was written by me, so allot of research and experience with rats has come from this knowledge. I will continue to update as my knowledge grows and I learn more.

A rats Life

Rats are cute, affectionate, loving, cuddly little creatures and are much easier to take care of than dogs. You may want to buy another rat (which I recommond you should) because they are very social and like a little friend to cuddle up to and groom them. But just remember to be a loving and caring owner by:

1. Giving them lots of cuddles and kisses.

2. Make sure they get their exercise (my little girls run around the house). Exercise should be about 30-60 mins a day!

3. Make sure they have a nice healthy diet and clean water.

4. Take them to the vet when they get sick and make sure you do everything you can to help them.

5. They dont live long so make sure you give them a happy life.

RATS LIFE

A cage: A decent sized cage (with NO wire floor, or if it does have one, take it out if you can) for the rat so she has enough space because remember rats get bigger!! Make sure you clean the cage once a week to stop it from smelling.

Food: Buy some food and bowl especially for rats at your nearest pet store and a couple of little treats so they will feel happy. Fresh vegetables and fruit are also very healthy treats for your rats. Make sure you clean out the rats food bowl every week!

There are a few types of foods you can feed your rat. The most popular type is lab blocks. Many people like to feed these as the rat`s staple diet as they will not pick out what they like unlike rat mixes. There are many different brand of blocks. A good quality one would have to be harlan Tekland and is used by many people and contains high quality ingredients. Rat blocks are not a very easy thing to find if you live somewhere other than america so rat mixes should be given. Alot of people think rat mixes are not nutrionally complete and balananced and that rats have a hard time digesting whats in it as some mixes contain corn or alfafa. Some people agree that rat mixes are good and that rats will get bored of having rat blocks and that you will have a hard time trying to get you rats to eat it. Some people also think that it is not a good idea to give rats rat blocks as they are tested on lab rats. Either one is good, I reccomend rat blocks but if they are not avalible where you live there are other options like rat mixes or even make your own homemade rat diet. I reccomend Sue bee`s ray diet or Debbie Ducommun rat diet.

Make sure that you supply fresh vegetables and fruit daily or every 2-3 days. This should make up 20% of their diet. Remember to always cook sweet potatoes and never give onions, green bananas, uncooked beans etc.

You may also like to feed other snacks like tofu, unsalted cracker, milk, a small amount of cheese, table scraps, cooked lean meats, museli, oats, dried fruit, whole grain bread, sunflower seeds, poridge, no added sugar cereals or baby food.

Water: All you need to do is buy a water bottle from your nearest pet shop and refill everyday with clean fresh water and wash with warm soapy water once a week. Rat bowls are not the best as rats will tend to tip it over, kick sawdust into and urinate in it. Also if you want to, in the summer time you can put a little bowl of water in the rats cage for them to cool down.

Bedding: You can buy sawdust/wood shavings as your bedding from a pet shop but just remember to see if it`s OK to use for rats. But I suggest that you use cat litter which is reccomended by my vet as it absorbs the rats urine and helps chest problems.

Toys: You can either make your rats some toys or you can buy some from a pet shop. The toys I would recommed to keep your rat happy would be; A large rat house from a pet shop, a hammock, chew toys so they can gnaw there teeth to help the teeth not to grow too long, a wheel, tubes and a ladder but its up to you what you do!

If you put him on the couch he will probably be to afraid to jump of but he can find other exits, so he could escape!

Games To Play Games With Your Rats:

Tickling: Lay your rat on it`s back and give him a good old tickle.

Hide And Seek: Put your rat in a room. Go count to 10-50. Then go and find them.

Bundeled Blanket: Bundle your rat in a blanket and let him explore and find his way out.

Rat Ride: Get into a position like a donkey(get on your hands and knees). Put your rats on your back and go around the house.

Tug Of War: Get a piece of rope or string. Put it near the rat and let him go to it and pull it. Grab the other end and pull it aswell. Only let your rat win sometimes!

There is also many other games!!

To find more on games go to these two websites:

http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm

http://members.aol.com/juliesrats/fun.ht...

Your rat will trust you if you give them loads of cuddles and attention!!

This is just some basic information but I suggest that you buy a rat book or find imformation on the internet so you are prepared!!! Make sure you do this if you want a healthy rat.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your rats!!!!

I recommend this web site which will give you alot of information and stuff on rats.

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

http://www.dapper.com.au/

http://www.ratz.co.uk/ratbedding.html

http://www.ratfanclub.org/

A book that i would also reccomend is "The Proper Care Of Fancy Rats" by Nick Mays. It is an excellent book everything you need to know about rats, diet, cage, breeding, diseases/sickness and much more.

Hope this helps, good luck with your new rat!!

Answer 2

get a potbellied pig. They stay much smaller than normal pigs and are so cute...lol or get a miniature pony...or miniature donkey (they can live in the house) Get a hermit crab. They sell them at wal-mart. They love to be held.

Answer 3

Get a pet rat! They are so nice,affectionate,sweet,caring and don't smell too bad if you change they cage weekly. They're not expensive to care for and  create such loving and strong friends with thier owners. They always want to play with you and have you hold them and will never disagree with a pat or 2 on the head and never ever bite. Start with a male, they're good for beginnners.

Good luck!

Answer 4

How about a guinea pig? they are great pets, i have 2 of my own and they are the awesomest!

They are very nice and social too!

Answer 5

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 =[



Good luck with your rodent hunting =]

<3 from,

Rach x

Answer 6

does it HAVE to be a rodent? u should try getting 2 small birds. if u dont like birds maybe u should get a turtle. if u want a rodent i would go for a rat. =D

Answer 7

介绍你一种好东西，养一只中国的大熊猫做宏物，不知你养得起吗，那个东西好可爱的，如...

Answer 8

RAT!!!!!! they are the best pets in the world, i have tried a lot of small animals and i keep finding myself saying 'i love rats the most' because they are very affectionate and low maintenance and very friendly. they are also intelligent and you can teach them lots of tricks!

so get down to your local pet shop and GO RATTY!

Answer 9

RAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there social, easy to take care of, friendly, incredibly cute, they only live three to four years.

Answer 10

I highly recommend gerbils.  They do not smell and are very social. From the day you get them they are ready to jump in your hand. Also they rarely if ever bite.  Just make sure you get at least two because they live longer when they have a constant playmate.

Answer 11

Get a bunny. There so much fun to play with. Watching them hop around and playing with them. Theres so much to do. Hamsters, al you do is watch them on there wheel. Boring. Bunnys you can let out and play with.

Answer 12

Try a rat. they are looked down upon by some people but they are very smart and become very attached too. They prefer to be handled more then a hamster or a bunny.

Answer 13

I would suggest a guinea pig, they are very sweet, and pretty easy to care for.

Answer 14

gerbkils are SO MUCH FUN! i have one and i have to say that they are much more lively and playful than hamsters. (gerbils have a longer tail than hamsters and are not as fat as hamsters if you dont know the difference between them) mine can climb up stairs, balance on 1 of my fingers, climb straight up our computer chair and so many more cool tricks. these animals are so entertaining. GO FOR IT!

hope this helps!

    ---Rach

Answer 15

Why can't you have a chinchilla? What are the criteria for this small pet? What is your reason for wanting one? How much time to you have to devote to this animal and what aren't you willing to accept (smells? Noise? ect.)