Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / August 2005

Nice photos. Some times photos of rats fail to capture the attentiveness &
personality, but your photos show rats as they really are.

Gambian pouch rats are wild animals. If hand-raised they probably won't
bite & they have many of the traits of domesticated norway rats, including
curiosity & intelligence. But they'll always be jumpy & will never like to
be grabbed or held in any way that causes them to feel restrained. If not
already tame when you obtain them, that means they weren't hand-reared, so
probably won't ever be reliable.

A longer lived gnawing animal that makes a great pet is the Flemish giant
rabbit. They're intelligent, extremely calm, much more pleasant than the
sundry varieties of dwarf bunnies. But they really are giants & require a
large hutch. I've known people who let them live loose in the house
because they're quite easily housebroken to use a catbox or corner or even
to beg to go outside, but there's always the risk that something won't be
sufficiently chew-proofed & their movements have to be restricted at night
or they'll find a way to destroy things while no one's looking.

The Flemish is the most laid back of all rabbits & will lay across your
lap like a gigantic kitty or mid-sized dog. When they get used to children
they can even be carried badly without using their enormous hind legs to
cause damage, they get very trusting & forgiving of being picked up wrong,
unlike most breeds which fear falling & can kick hard enough to gouge big
wounds in the bellies of kids. I had a Flemish named Sandy MacGregor & he
would even follow us to the car & jump into the backseat to go to the
park, & was reliable loose at a picnic though we had to watch out for dogs
noticing him. Comparing him to Dutch, Polish, New Zealand, Satins, & other
nice rabbits, there's no comparison, the Flemish is hands-down the best
pet, but dwarf varieties are more commonly offered & thereby no one finds
out how clever & individualistic a rabbit can be.

-paghat the ratgirl

Your pictures are wonderful. I especially like the one of Token grows.

I knew a lady in Canada that had a Gambian and she told me that they
needed to be socialized every day or else they would revert back to
their wild instincts. The big rats are no longer allowed in Canada
because of that pox scare a while back.
Paghat is right about those Flemish Giants. They are wonderfully big and
loving animals.

Joanne
Owned by 15 rats

Dave I love the picture titled "T is 4 Token"  is the caption a take on "T
for Texas"?  Your pictures are really good-you caught some of the candid
shots I wish I could catch!  Those are the kind of pics non-rat people
should see.

Lisa -mom to Charlie, Cookie, Radar, Munch, and Dash