I love rats. I really do. Ask me anything pet-rat related.
this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2023
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Animals and Pets
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Stacked babies!
Yeah, they really like that!
Yay ratties!!! I had a pair growing up and the tales of my pet rats inspired my friend to get a pair of their own! Such cute and lovely animals. So smart and some of them can be very affectionate. More rat love is always a good thing in my book!
I appreciate your lil' rat buddy.
Yeah, cool pets. Just a pity that the typical ones are bred to get cancer and thus usually don't live that long.
I wish a breeder would focus on domesticating and shrinking gambian pouched rats.
They don't seem far off.
Or could get a degu.
I feel like degu behavior is sufficiently different from rats that the gambian pouched would have a better end-result.
True. The way I see it, though, is it's their entire life for them. It doesn't really matter. And one rat dying is an opportunity to provide a better life for another one. It's morally correct and utilitarian, I think!
No question, just some more appreciation! My sister had two as a kid. I don't remember much, just that they were really curious and really fun to have around.
Rats piss everywhere, I find them hard to integrate.
I've easily made my girls piss and poop into a litterbox, it really helps. But it requires some patience.
Probably my mistake, I had boys.
Female rats are way less likely to do that, ime though, they're also way less "chill" and are bundles of energy, so it's a bit of a trade-off
Yes, but female rats don't have rat BALLS.
RIGHT!! we have 3 male rats and they have massive balls
I love rats! They’re like small dogs, only way more intelligent. Shame they live such short lives :(
You know, it has an upside, though. For a rat it does matter not whether they live for 2 or 10 years, it's their entire life. You know, a happy and content one. And if they unfortunately pass away, you could always give another one a chance to have a nice life too.
Are rats social animals?
We started out with 3 gerbils, but for the last couple of months we're down to one (he's about 3 1/4 years old) and I think he's pretty lonely. Unfortunately he was the one of the three who most disliked human handling, and so i'm not sure he super enjoys when we take him out of his enclosure.
He's got his wheel and a huge enclosure all to himself, but he's been noticeably less active since the others passed.
I always wonder if our pets think we're eternal beings or something, I've had my dog since she was a pup and now she's old and i (from her perspective) have hardly changed.
True that! And it's even more interesting once you see how selfish they are at the same time. Very conflicted nature, hits very close to home :P
Yes, rats are social animals. They need another rat or they'll literally die. Gerbils are likely the same. There's nothing to beat the entertainment and comfort from the other animal.
And yeah, interesting thoughts! They probably think something akin to that!
How many do you keep? Did you teach them any tricks? What are their names?
I've currently got three of them, they are named Kiara (which is the one on my profile pic), Skye and Afum. They have diametrally different characters and behaviours at large, making quite a special team of three rodents. I did, in fact, teach them a few tricks like spinning, fetching and coming over when called by name, although I had no time to dedicate to make them do tricks. I've got a friend though, and he's currently training a rat to open wallets and take money from the inside, which is frankly hilarious if you ask me.
Wow those are good tricks though! And I love their names :)
Also the wallet thing is amazing 😂
Years ago we had 3 hooded wistar rats. I got them from the university animal house manager - swapped for a 6 pack of Guinness!
That's actually amazing!
Can I raise a baby rat found in the wild or are there domesticated rats that make better buddies?
You can raise a baby rat (although it doesn't need to be a baby, too) found in the wild, because they are virtually the same as domesticated ones. At least here in Europe, where I live.
The type of a rat you're looking for is a "Norwegian Rat" or "Brown Rat", which is the most common type in the wild.
Generally speaking, there's a saying that animal you rescued will try to pay that back in love.
Rescued or kidnapped?
A rat in the wild isn't in an ideal situation for said rat.
If you're somewhere that rats are native then you should leave them be, if the choice is between killing them to protect our native species or keeping them in nice conditions until they die of old age then I'd hardly call it kidnapping!
Pet/fancy rats have gone through some breeding selection to try and weed out aggressive behavior (or at least bites). With that said, a wildie can be just as friendly, but you'll want to be extra careful to try and curb negative behaviors.
Is there a world where I can keep a rat at the same time as cats? I want one so bad, but I also like cats.
Typing this was literally interrupted with my two girlt getting into a fight so maybe not. :(
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