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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / June 2007New Rats
So after a week of being without a pet I have decided that I need someone here to come home to. So now I am off looking for a new rat. A friend is coming with me tomorrow to check out one that I really like. Its a boy this time (as they are more okay being alone, and they tend to be healthier... though they do smell a bit more) and he is white and tan, so very clean looking. I went to the pet store and they told me he was a 'feeder' rat, which confused me. I know they are meant for snake food, but does that change anything for him being a pet? I let him run around on me for a while, and after about 10 minutes he peed, which I hear is a good thing, and his privates became visible (when we pulled him out we thought he was a girl since we couldnt see anything, but he was just afraid). So I think he likes me. My friend has a boy rat, which means they could have playdates. Now that I am looking into getting another rat I'd love some advice from you guys, the experts. 1.) Does him being labeled a 'feeder rat' mean he wont be a good pet? 2.) Which bedding do you currently use? I have been using ceder, but I hear this isnt okay for rats 3.) Is getting an older rat a bad thing (he is probably like 7-8 months, though they couldnt tell me for sure) 4.) What are the benifits of having a boy to a girl? Thanks in advance for all advice given. I know there are websites, but I dont think that any advice is as good as advice from friends, and what is what I consider all of you. Thank you for all your help with Oreo. > So after a week of being without a pet I have decided that I need > someone [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > boy this > time (as they are more okay being alone Excuse me - no rat is ok being alone. Please get a same sex pair.  SignatureRatty Hugs & Cavy Kisses Jackie Ably Hindered by The Buck House Crew "Behavioral psychology is the science of pulling habits out of rats." Dr. Douglas Busch I know of three of four friends who have one male rat, and they are all perfectly happy. Also, the rat I am looking at was completely seperate from all the other rats, where all the others were sleeping on one another he was alone in the opposite side of the tank alone. I know having rats live alone is not the best of all situations, but I'm not supposed to have even one, and to get a cage which could comfortably house two rats would be almost impossible to hide from the landlord. I understand what you are saying, but please take into account that I cannot house two rats. He would have a playmate though, so its not like he would never see another rat again. >I know having rats live alone >is not the best of all situations, but I'm not supposed to have even one, and >to get a cage which could comfortably house two rats would be almost >impossible to hide from the landlord. If you can't comfortably house two rats, you can't comfortably house one rat. Two don't need any more space than one does. You've probably heard the landlord lecture before, so I won't go on about it, but it really isn't fair to put an animal in a situation where it may suddenly not have a home. --Theresa http://tiger_spot.mapache.org Also... Does anyone know anything about having male rats nutered? Their privates are so unattractive, so I was considering it. Any advice such as if it changes anything in their personality, behavior, and how much it may cost? Hmm... They become much more docile and don't scent mark as much. You should expect to pay as much as you would for a dog or cat. But why risk the life of your pet because you think a part of their body looks unattractive? If they bother you that much, just get a pair of does. > Also... Does anyone know anything about having male rats nutered? Their > privates are so unattractive, so I was considering it. Any advice such as if > it changes anything in their personality, behavior, and how much it may cost? All you need to know about rats (or at least a great deal): http://www.quite.co.uk/rats/ > So after a week of being without a pet I have decided that I need someone > here to come home to. So now I am off looking for a new rat. A friend is [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > dont think that any advice is as good as advice from friends, and what is > what I consider all of you. Thank you for all your help with Oreo. Hi there, Ceder and pine bedding is unhealthy for rats, it causes respiratory infections and can cause kidney damage if they eat it. Fabric bedding (e.g. fleece, flannel, old bed sheets etc) is the best to use to line rat cages and can be put through the wash. Also a box with extra fabric for your rat to sleep in is a good idea. They also like hummocks - although this isn't warm enough in winter. As far as cages go, tanks aren't good because the rats don't get enough fresh air and they are more prone to respiratory infections. They are also deprived of a lot of outside stimulus like smells and sounds. They are happier in a large wire cage and free ranging in a safe environment. They are also **much** happier living with at least one other rat. There is no difference between a feeder rat or a pet rat - both make perfectly good companion animals. It is perfectly fine to get an older rat, personally I prefer them. Male rats have less health problems, being less prone to tumours as compared with females. A decent vet will be able to neuter male and female rats. This will cost between $60 to $110 - all my rats get speyed and castrated now. The personality of rats does not get worse with neutering and the males are less smelly (females smell less anyway). Aggressive males typically calm down with neutering. Here are some good websites to refer to. I learnt a whole heap from these and other websites: http://ratguide.com/ http://www.rmca.org/Resources/faqs.htm#TOC http://www.petratscanada.com/ratcare.htm#gencare http://www.ratfanclub.org/helpinfo.html http://www.ratsrule.com/ratcare.html I hope everything goes really well for you and your rattie. Dewi Dewi, Do you think it is worth it to get them nutiered? Someone else mentioned their lives could be in risk, and I totally dont want that. Also, what is your opinion on having multipul rats? I know its better to have more than one, but I dont know if I have room. I currently have a cage which is 2 feet wide, 1 1/2 tall and 1 1/2 deep. (feet on all those). This is bigger than what the stores keep 4-5 rats in, but it doesnt seem like they are happy there. I picked out one rat that I really like, and another one which I liked, but he seemed to be a bit slower, didnt relax real fast. Very shaky... and I didnt like the way that the store picked him up (by his tail). When I meantioned something they said they dont like rats, so that's the only way they will pick them up. I tried to tell them that it wasnt okay, but they seemed to ignore me, so I figure I didnt want to get a rat from them, though he was much bigger than the one I'm looking at. Hopefully I'll get some pictures soon. Also, what do you guys think about traveling with rats? In the next few weeks I am driving to see my parents (a 12 hour drive). I am unsure of what to do since it will be during that first few key weeks of bonding time if I should leave him with my friend, or take him with me. What do you think? Jenn The shaky rat in the store was probably scared. Heck I would be scared living in a hell hole like that. With TLC and patience, the vast majority of rats will relax and bond with you. Even though rats can be happy with their human, they are more content and relaxed with other rats. So I think it is a good idea to have more than one rat. The cage you described could house 2 rats max, but they would need a lot of free ranging time. You could always set up the bathroom or some other room for them to free range for several hours at a time (or more). So long as it's secure and safe, there's no need to supervise. Adding hummocks, shelves and tubes will increase the surface area of the cage making it more useful for them. With neutering, the main thing would be to find a vet who has experience doing surgery on rats, which isn't impossible to do. All surgery has its risks no matter what species, but death is uncommon in a healthy animal so long as you have an experienced vet. Make sure they use an inhalant anaesthetic and not an injectable one - an experienced vet will know all about this. Some people are very anti surgery, I personally am not. 9 of my boys have been castrated and they have had no problems whatsoever. They were back to their normal active selves within half a day. If you feel your friend can care for your new rats well, then just leave the rats with them. You can always bond when you get back. If you travel with rats, be sure to keep them cool and out of the sun, make sure they have easy access to water and food and provide a nice dark place for them to hide. Keeping the noise down will also help reduce stress. We've travelled with our rats and they coped fine, but were always happy to get home. Dewi So everyone thinks I should have more than one rat, but do I get a younger, older, same age rat? Also, should I wait a while to get another one, or get him the same day, different day? I already picked up my new rat, so I would need to go today to get another one. Also, does it matter if one is bigger than the other one? I really dont want two rats... but if they would be happier then so be it. I just dont know what to do. What do I do if they fight? I cant have two cages. As much as I understand what everyone is saying, I might only keep one, as it makes it easier for me. But I will see. Any POSITIVE advice is appreciated... I dont need any more lectures, but anything can be said positively. > So everyone thinks I should have more than one rat, but do I get a younger, > older, same age rat? If the first is young then I'd go for another of around the same age, as they'll both be active & more inclined to play. If possible from the same litter, but from what you describe that might not be possible to determine. > Also, should I wait a while to get another one, or get > him the same day, different day? Personally the sooner the better. > I already picked up my new rat, so I would > need to go today to get another one. Also, does it matter if one is bigger > than the other one? I don't think so. > I really dont want two rats... but if they would be > happier then so be it. I just dont know what to do. What do I do if they > fight? You'll get lots of tips on introducing them. If they're both pretty young (ie not yet adolescent) it shouldn't be a problem - a bit of fighting to decide who's boss is normal to begin with. Females would have been a little bit easier in this respect, but from what I've read you'd be unlucky to have problems which meant they could never live together. Even in that case, neutering would very likely work around the problem. Expect more qualified advice from others, as we've only ever kept females :) > I cant have two cages. Shouldn't need to. > As much as I understand what everyone is > saying, I might only keep one, as it makes it easier for me. But I will see. I understand your point of view. What others are saying amounts to if you can't manage two then it wouldn't be fair on the rat to just keep one; that might seem harsh but try to bear in mind even if you feel you have reason to disagree, probably everyone here means well & only has the rats' interests at heart. > Any POSITIVE advice is appreciated... I dont need any more lectures, but > anything can be said positively. I quite agree. One concern I'd have if I was in your position: as someone else mentioned, have you thought about what happens if your landlord does find out? Do you think he/she would go as far as evicting you or forcing you to get rid of your new pet/s? There are lots of uncertainties & unknowns, so obviously you're the only one who can make the decision as to what if any risk you'd be taking. For myself I'm not sure what I'd do. I just hope you've been able to think it through rather than forget about the issue & trust to luck. Either way, all the best. SignatureMichael m r o z a t u k g a t e w a y d o t n e t Thank you so much for all the advice. For right nowI am sticking with one (dispite everyones objections). I have a few friends who all have just one, and they seem to be happy healthy rats. While they probably would be happier if I had two, right now I only want one. I cant imagine getting two and having them die suddenly like the previous one I would be completely crushed. I think I am going to stick with the one for the moment, and if I think he is getting depressed I'll buy another one to join him. I think it will help him bond with me if there isnt another one fighting for my attention. Though, I tend to be pretty undecisive, so who really knows what I'll end up doing. Thank you for giving me advice, and I will take your words to heart. I'm just not sure what to do. > Thank you so much for all the advice. For right nowI am sticking with one > (dispite everyones objections). I have a few friends who all have just one, [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > -- > Message posted viahttp://www.petkb.com Just be sure to spend lots of time with him. My son had a single female and she was wonderful- but he (and I) spent hours every day with her. Try to rat-proof an entire room, even if it's just the bathroom, so you can give him free range to play and get exercise while you're spending time with him. (Be sure to close the toilet lid, especially if you allow him to free roam alone) Rats also like to cuddle when they sleep, so buying a pouch- some call a bonding pouch- might be a good idea. Then during the day he can curl up in the pouch next to your chest while you are home. I even do the dishes with the babies in their pouch. They come out to sniff sometimes and run up to my shoulder for a while, but the only time they get really squirmy is when they have to pee. I plop 'em back into their cage, they use their litter box, and then run right back up my arm. The Dapper rat website has some wonderful ideas about cheap homemade toys which would be nice to help occupy your rat's time. If you need info about anything, use the links that Dewi gave you (or of course, here). I have had rats off and on for 19 years, and I have learned more new things recently- mostly from some of the websites Dewi sent you the links to. *Most* store clerks know very little facts about rats and may give you bad, even harmful advice. There was no internet when I got my first rats- so I had to wing it, they slept in wood shavings and never ate meat because I was told that it made them mean. But now that the info is readily available it is easy to be a good rat parent. Good luck with your new sweetie. What did you name him, btw? Have any pics? --Michaela > Thank you so much for all the advice. For right nowI am sticking with one > (dispite everyones objections). I have a few friends who all have just one, [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > -- > Message posted viahttp://www.petkb.com Oh yes, the Dapper Rat link is www.dapper.com.au |
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