Hi,

Just wondering if anybody here has any Pet Rats?

Thanks

I did and would love them again, but have to travel with my job occasionally, so can't have them at the moment. Brilliant pets, why you ask?

Yep, we've got 4 of them.

We've got 8 boys at the moment, and will be getting another 4 possibly 5 in the next few weeks or so.

If you need to know anything about them - the best place to go is the National Fancy Rat Society (http://www.nfrs.org). They make great pets, love socialising (so always get 2 or more), and love being handled.

If possible - avoid pet shop ones, and try and get yours from a breeder instead. That way they would've been handled from a very young age and wouldn't be nervous or bite (although biting is very rare in rats - unlike hamsters).

Good luck!

Oh, its that everybody here is busy talking about dogs and cats, just think if anybody had any pet rats.

I have been taking care of rats for sometime now. I don't breed them.

Always kept girls. I had a pair, one has passed on, nearly a year ago. Her sister is still ok, pushing on over 2 and half years, actually, in August she will be three. But she is really really sick. Her Doctor (Vet) has said that where her tumours are, he can't operate without risking her life and leaving them there is dangerous too.

I am taking her tommorow to get her checked out again, as the tumour has got bigger overnight and she can't move at all, so a decision will have to be made...

4, wow. I have had them for aruond 7 years now. All girls. I started off with 1, then got another one. Then I got two sisters and now I have two more, or had two, only one left...


wow, 8 boys. I have not got the space, otherwise I wouldn't mind.

Have you see jorats on youtube? her videos are beautiful..

Yes, my last two were girls. When I finish this current job, I am thinking of getting a couple of boys.

Awww... your poor ratty.

Well, got back from the Vets and he can't do anything.

I've taken two weeks off to look after her. When she gets extremely poorly, then I'll have to let her go.

She seems depressed, she only wants to stay with me, she doesn't even stay in her cage. I hope she goes peacefully.

That tumour has turned into a dead blob, which will soon eat her skin, resulting in it falling out, leaving a big hole.

Oh well, what can you do....She had a good two years...

I'll post some pictures in a new Rat Pictures thread, when I get the time...

:sleep::sleep:

I've owned four rats in the past. I don't have any at the moment. They're dear little things.

They are very intelligent aswell, aswell as clean. She is my sixth and probably the last.

*big sigh*

I've got 9 rats at the moment, 7 girls and 2 boys.

I'm sorry to hear about your poor girl

Thanks...

Interesting thing is the lumps have shrunk slightly and she can move around...

I call this the calm before the storm...

all the rats I have looked after got well before they eventually passed on. Her sister had two strokes, couldn't move and in the last week she was running around like nobody's business...she even knew who I was, I would call to her and she would run, climb up my arm and sit on my shoulder... :sleep:

i had rats when the kids were little - lovely creatures - i advised my daughter to get a rat instead of a hamster, she didn`t take my advice and now has a hamster they`re all too scared to handle because it bites like a bitch.

lol....

my rats have never bitten me....I remember one of them had a stroke and would sometimes forget not to bite my finger when I used to feed her. She would then, somehow know, its my finger, she would hold it with her hands and lick it, as if to say sorry....

very very intelligent, I can't list all the things I have been witness to..for example, I would speak to them..and say "if your hungry come and sit in my hand..and she would come.."...then I would say "go call your sister"...and she would go and call her...and both with come..

beautiful creations of mother nature...

Aw, love this thread. So sorry to hear about your rat subversive. I lost one of my rats in January and I was devastated, I still miss her. I still have her sister (they were my first two rats) and she is 2years and 3months old and still going strong. She is pretty overweight though, I'm trying to slim her down but it's tricky. I got two rescue rat to keep her company after her sister died, they are nowhere near as friendly because they had a bad start in life but they are coming around. They don't bite and they are curiuos and will come to me but aren't keen on being picked up still.

I know what you mean about what amazing little creatures they are. When Daisy died in my arms I put her back into the cage so that Poppy could see she had gone. Poppy nuzzled her face and licked her and even lifted up her little paw, when she didn't get a response she turned around and ran back to me as if she wanted me to help her, it was heart breaking.

in that case they've not properly handled the hamster, i've had 4 now and they've all been sweet as
the only times i had been bitten were when splitting up a fight (i had 2 at the time) and when my last ham was dying
just need to know how to treat them

the main one is not to wake them up as you will be told off by way of tooth

Mine would bite when they were young and I was feeding them. If one of thema accidentally bit my finger I would give a loud 'ow' and she would immediately let go. They knew.

Which is precisely what a rat won't do. Pet rats will also adapt their routine to fit in with yours so that they get the benefit of your company. Hamsters are not nearly as intelligent and are much more antisocial.

we have in possesion with ours our two african grey birds zoom and kelly get back to us if interested for more info and pictures of the lovely birds.leessharon@yahoo.com

I don't have any now but I used to have anything up to 8 at a time.

My last 2 were a pair of lovely girlie-rats called Flame and Tillie I adopted from a student who got them when she started uni and then realised she couldn't just leave them over the summer and her parents freaked at the thought of her taking them back home.

Flame was my favourite of all the rats I've ever had - she was a ruby-eyed champagne and so affectionate. She loved sitting on my shoulder and used to tug at my hair with her teeth if I was ignoring her. When she was a very old lady, I realised she wasn't going to make it through the night and went to bed with her curled up against my neck and shoulder. At about 2am woke up and found she'd died - with a strand of my hair in her mouth.

I want to get a couple more but Mr Cat is taking some persuading!

they both have their good points and bad points, just need to know how to treat them.
personally would never have rats. something about them i just don;t like.

i`ve known some interesting hamsters - one bit the half cat`s ear clean off. needless to say the other cats avoided it like the plaque.

a lot of people are freaked out by the rats tail.

My daughter has pet rats

Absolutely love them to bits, fantastic bright little creatures and they love company. They spend most evenings sitting on either her or my shoulder watching TV!

We've got two boys, and they're our first rats. Only wish we had had rats years ago because they're awesome

That's fair enough Before I got the ratties, I was thinking of getting a hamster but read a website that said rats make better pets and I started doing a bit of research, so plumped for pet rats instead. Before I got them, I wasn't sure if I would cope with their tails but I was fine it turned out.

i can cope with mouse tails, but rats tails... Oh my, no. They're a bit much!

Rats i've handled for college work and found them to be "too confident" not sure if that makes sense or not
Basically i had one of them standing up of her rear legs right at the edge of my elbow
Just too scared she was going to fall!
They are sweet, and i do know they make good pets and everyone raves about them, but i... I just couldn't keep them myself

Well away with hams and mice though, everyone seems to be scared of the hammies but you just need to know how to keep them sweet, if you need to handle them when they're sleeping, just wake them up and let them wander out of their bed for a couple of minutes & they're good
They're hardly ever the tooth and claw monsters everyone thinks they are when you treat them with respect, my last hammy before Doris was so sweet, my 2 year old nephew handled her without issue, and you know how kids can be
So short lived though, bless her, had a stroke at just under a year old
Brilliant little girl, had some amazing adventures!
the dog even turfed her down the street in her ball one night, didn't know anything about it - ended up walking up amd down the street, 11pm with a torch, eventually found her asleep in her ball wedged under a car!
Then if she was in my room and managed to escape her ball, just had to wait about 5 minutes and she'd appear on top of my wardrobe
Class rodent right there.