I agree with what the others have said. Rats make great pets. I much prefer them to gerbils, hamsters and guinea pigs.
domestic rats?
- Thread starter MomtoSyd&Emma
- Start date
rats are awesome!!! Males are sooo sweet and laid back, they make great pet. Its also good that they are coming from a breeder as pet store rats almost alway come sick, usually with "Mico" which they can live with but shortens their lives and sometimes require antibiotics.
As long as the wire spacing on the cage is ok it will make a nice cage. 1/2" is the biggest wire spacing for smaller/younger rats once they are big a little bit wider is ok. You will want to install lots of platforms and places to climb and play. Flooring and ramps should not have wire spacing bigger than 1/4"x1/4" or they can get their little footies caught up. I would put fleece down for comfort and 100% fleece hammocks are a favorite!
Wodent wheels are the best wheel but other types as long as they have a solid running surface and no crossbars can work.
rats should not be kept on ANY shavings. Cedar is a huge no, no but even pine and aspen can cause respiratory issues in such a sensitive little animal. A carefresh or similar paper bedding is the best.
Feed a good staple lab block and then I supplement with a homemade natural mix. I have whole oats, dried fruit made for birds(no sugars or additives), human grade ingredient type of dog food, bee pollen and sometimes a puffed rice or uncooked veggie pasta. They also get fresh veggies and fruit a couple times a week in small amounts.
I love my rattie babies they are so sweet and entertaining. Right now I have two but am planning on two more soon. Here are their digs: Ive added wodent wheels and more toys since I took the pic
As long as the wire spacing on the cage is ok it will make a nice cage. 1/2" is the biggest wire spacing for smaller/younger rats once they are big a little bit wider is ok. You will want to install lots of platforms and places to climb and play. Flooring and ramps should not have wire spacing bigger than 1/4"x1/4" or they can get their little footies caught up. I would put fleece down for comfort and 100% fleece hammocks are a favorite!
Wodent wheels are the best wheel but other types as long as they have a solid running surface and no crossbars can work.
rats should not be kept on ANY shavings. Cedar is a huge no, no but even pine and aspen can cause respiratory issues in such a sensitive little animal. A carefresh or similar paper bedding is the best.
Feed a good staple lab block and then I supplement with a homemade natural mix. I have whole oats, dried fruit made for birds(no sugars or additives), human grade ingredient type of dog food, bee pollen and sometimes a puffed rice or uncooked veggie pasta. They also get fresh veggies and fruit a couple times a week in small amounts.
I love my rattie babies they are so sweet and entertaining. Right now I have two but am planning on two more soon. Here are their digs: Ive added wodent wheels and more toys since I took the pic
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I LOVE my ratties! I have 10 adults and 4 litters due any day
I am just starting out breeding them (but I have been breeding mice for ~5 years). Rats make WONDERFUL pets...they're like little dogs that don't bite and like to snuggle....lol I definitely think the boys are more mellow on average...and I haven't noticed too much odor difference between my boys and girls (I have 5 of each and normally the boys are all in one cage and the girls are all in one cage.....except now with the girls being due they are separated into more). I feed almost exclusively Harlan Teklad 2018 lab block...though the girls that are pregant are getting some dog food as well (merrick before grain and taste of the wild mix). They all occasionally get veggie, "cereal," or fruit treats.
A converted bird cage can make a great cage for rats as long as you can give them solid surface shelves
Wire surfaces of any spacing frequently cause bumblefoot and are too be avoided in general. You can always cover shelves with cardboard or newspaper or the like.
In my experience a lot of rats won't use any wheels at all...but for those that will the only type I will use is a saucer wheel (http://www.petdiscounters.com/Flying-Saucer-Exercise-Wheels-p8564.html)
Even rats from breeders frequently "carry" "myco" (short for mycoplasmosis)...many rats will never present symptoms...or will only be symptomatic in times of great stress. It cannot be cured...but antibiotics can repress it.
I agree with the comments about them being better than hamsters, gerbils, and g. pigs.....sooooooo much more social and interactive! Mice are better than all of them too...but I would put rats a little ahead of mice (I love my meecers as well!). You can train rats almost like dogs....and it is hard to get them to bite. I've worked with hundreds of each having worked in pet stores the past couple years...besides what I've owned and bred myself.....dwarf hamsters are demon spawn...syrians are slightly less evil, gerbils are just plain crazy, g. pigs just aren't very interactive....mice and rats very very very rarely will ever try to bite, and are very social, intelligent, and interactive!
You will have so much fun with your new boys!!! Enjoy them!!
A converted bird cage can make a great cage for rats as long as you can give them solid surface shelves
In my experience a lot of rats won't use any wheels at all...but for those that will the only type I will use is a saucer wheel (http://www.petdiscounters.com/Flying-Saucer-Exercise-Wheels-p8564.html)
Even rats from breeders frequently "carry" "myco" (short for mycoplasmosis)...many rats will never present symptoms...or will only be symptomatic in times of great stress. It cannot be cured...but antibiotics can repress it.
I agree with the comments about them being better than hamsters, gerbils, and g. pigs.....sooooooo much more social and interactive! Mice are better than all of them too...but I would put rats a little ahead of mice (I love my meecers as well!). You can train rats almost like dogs....and it is hard to get them to bite. I've worked with hundreds of each having worked in pet stores the past couple years...besides what I've owned and bred myself.....dwarf hamsters are demon spawn...syrians are slightly less evil, gerbils are just plain crazy, g. pigs just aren't very interactive....mice and rats very very very rarely will ever try to bite, and are very social, intelligent, and interactive!
You will have so much fun with your new boys!!! Enjoy them!!
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- Thread starter
- #14
Thank you all so much! I THINK we are going to start them in an aquarium (while they are babies) because we are going to the beach in 2 weeks and my parents will be coming by to feed and water the zoo for us and I feel that they cant escape as easy on them in an aquarium, but when we get home they will go into a wire cage (bird or rat) for sure! I have always had male hamsters and their "jewels" are always a laugh for company I admit lol I am SO looking forward to getting them, I am emailing the breeder again today to find out their age and colors. She said she feeds them a food from Petsmart so i will stick with that for now and then switch them over to oxbow feed as that is what we feed the rabbit and always fed the guinea pigs! I saw on a forum where they used a bird cage and used bird ladders for ramps and that was a neat idea! I am so excited about getting them! If anyone has any pix or any ideas and would like to email me my email addy is [email protected] please put BYC rats in the subject line so I will know its not spam lol Thank you all so much, Shelli
I personally wouldn't keep anything but fish in an aquarium, not enough ventilation, even with an open top and can be the beginning too all sorts of respiratory problems.
My rat Louise(RIP, she passed away in our house fire about 8 years ago). Would routinely get out of her cage. We didn't have cats or dogs at the time and she would immediately come searching for us. Far from running away she would find us in any room of the house. On more than one occasion she would escape at night and end up in bed with us. I often compare them to very tiny dogs. They are wonderful animals.
My rat Louise(RIP, she passed away in our house fire about 8 years ago). Would routinely get out of her cage. We didn't have cats or dogs at the time and she would immediately come searching for us. Far from running away she would find us in any room of the house. On more than one occasion she would escape at night and end up in bed with us. I often compare them to very tiny dogs. They are wonderful animals.
We have two black boys and LOVE them. They are hilarious and love peanuts and got angel food cake this morning for a treat. I buy a big bag of food from the feed store for about $20 and it lasts forever . . .PetsMart is $$ . . .and they do like to eat and nibble. They are always sooooooo delighted to see you, I like them better than hamsters and that type . . .we have white mice too and they are hilarious. My son will pick one of the girls up and play with her, and when he puts her back in the cage all the other little girls run up to her and it looks like they are asking her all sorts of ??'s about how she was treated!!
GET THEM! There is also a solution you can buy to place in their water to neutralize the smell so you dont have to clean the cage as often.
MomtoSyd&Emma :
Thank you all so much! I THINK we are going to start them in an aquarium (while they are babies) because we are going to the beach
How long would they be in the aquarium? Its not good at all for rodents especially rats to be in aquariums for respiratory reasons.
Thank you all so much! I THINK we are going to start them in an aquarium (while they are babies) because we are going to the beach
How long would they be in the aquarium? Its not good at all for rodents especially rats to be in aquariums for respiratory reasons.
- Thread starter
- #19
Quote:
How long would they be in the aquarium? Its not good at all for rodents especially rats to be in aquariums for respiratory reasons.
If we used the aquarium it would be from Saturday to Wednesday so not long at all. The breeder left to go out of town until Sunday night so we will get them Monday, this actually gives us time to figure out housing for them!
How long would they be in the aquarium? Its not good at all for rodents especially rats to be in aquariums for respiratory reasons.
If we used the aquarium it would be from Saturday to Wednesday so not long at all. The breeder left to go out of town until Sunday night so we will get them Monday, this actually gives us time to figure out housing for them!
If you clean their cage regularly, wash their hammocks and use a good bedding you won't ever notice a smell. The "Rats Rule" forum at Goosemoose.com is fantastic! It's the BYC of the rat world!
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