Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / June 2007

When I read your post about her peeing a lot I wondered if she had a
uterine infection (as one of our rats has pyometra & that's one of the
symptoms), but you'd posted she'd passed away before I had chance to reply.

I don't know if anyone's said, or if you've read this before, but rats
are /much/ happier in groups. Many people keep a pair. Personally I'd
never have less than three & we currently keep anything from five to
eight does. Two would be okay though.

I was going to mention this before, but figured you had enough to worry
about while Oreo was so ill. I hope you & any new rats will have better
luck & bring you much joy.

I think that bringing someone who knows the subtleties of rat behavior
is a very good idea. "Mellow" in a rat may seem sweet, but it can also
be an indication of illness. Of course some rats are just mellow,
especially boys- so having someone with you who may be able to better
tell the difference would be great.

I bought an older baby girl (4months or so) after my first two girlies
passed away. She was the last one of her litter left (who were all
sold as food!!) and she had some socialization problems, although the
store owner (who I knew) denied that anything bad had ever happened to
her. She would bite only when i tried to take her out of her cage, so
I would allow her to climb out herself- we worked with trust training
by hand feeding, lots of attention, and soft baby talk. I had had her
for about a week when I came home from work to find her writhing on
the floor of her cage- the vet said that she had broken her own back
most likely trying to *bang* open the top to her cage. I was heart
broken- I felt like the vet was looking at me like a horrible owner- I
swore to never get another rat!

Then a month or so later I happened upon two gorgeous 4wk old Hoodie
sisters (Astro Zombie & Flea). I went to the owner"s everday for the
week until they were weaned to be sure that they were healthy, happy
girls before I brought them home.

There is nothing that says you have to bring home a rat the day you
find him/her. If you are not sure, tell the store person that you are
very interested in this rat (although I suggest 2) and ask if he/she/
they can be put aside for a few days so you can be sure that he/she/
they are healthy. The best rats I have ever had came from a breeder,
not a store- so maybe if you look around locally, you can find one.
They tend to be fed better food, handled from birth, and better
socialized. Of course, there are wonderful rats who need homes in pet
shops, too.

I had been working with a rat rescue trying to adopt a couple of
babies for months before I accidentally came across Jack and Rocky. I
was very specific that I did not want rats who had social or health
problems because they would actually be my sons' rats. I would prefer
rats who were 5wks but would take them up to 8wks. I was willing to
drive up to 4hrs. away! My older son was devistated when Dandy died
and although some day he will have to deal with that pain again, I
wanted both of my sons to have the best chance of having a long, happy
relationship with their pets.

I hope you have better luck this time around. I'm sure you will find a
wonderful rattie. Just be stringent about what rat you bring home- or
be prepared for the work, time, and emotion that a needy rat needs.

Keep posting so I can see how it turns out.
--Michaela