Rats?

~Topleaf~ · April 2008

Anyone here have rats? I was going to get a guinea pig, but I am now leaning towards rats. Anyone own any? I would love to know your opinion. I heard they were much smarter and fun than guinea pigs.

a-sap · April 2008

I used to have rats, they are awesome. They are friendly, they are alot more interactive and in my opinion are just alot better then guinea pigs.

~Topleaf~ · April 2008

Thanks sappers. Did you have females or males?

KiteKatsumi9 · April 2008

I have 2 guinea pigs, I've had 3 others. I've never had a rat, but I'd say don't get a guinea pig. They smell bad, for one thing...they make lots of noises (cute at first, then annoying), and I've only had 1 friendly, un-skittish guinea pig. The two I have now bite us while we clip their nails, and when we take them out to clean their cage.

GAK04 · April 2008

i say rat is better. I've had rats and guniea pigs in the past and a rat was a better animal for me. Right now i have a male. He is very affectionate but lazier than a female.

Ranger · April 2008

I used to have a few, they are so fun

Boz · April 2008

Ooo Rats are super sweet! There was one at the Humane Society here, and he was a sweetheart! He'd sit on your shoulder and stuff xD Only thing is, if you get one, you should get two. They are much better in pairs. I've done research on them sense I'm wanting to get a pair in the future. So if you have some questions feel free to PM me.

~Topleaf~ · April 2008

haha, I have had quite the overload on info from my research. (I research a lot before I get pets) Yeah. Now the only problem is trying to convince mother to get over the Bubonic plague vermin thoughts.

GAK04 · April 2008

i am just like you. I research soooo much information before i get a pet. i did a research project on the bubonic plauge....its basically extinct. Rarely does it come up. i have a quick question...can rats be neutered or spayed? (for anyone that knows...cause i dont know for sure)

Evil · April 2008

I only buy my rats in singles, but males live much longer. My first rat that was a male lived to be 5 years old. My next rat was a female, and lived to be 2 or 3 years old. Males also are easier to train, and we even potty-trained ours!

Jazz · April 2008

I used to have a rat x3 They're the sweetest things.

Evil · April 2008

They can be neutered or spayed. My neighbour spays and neuters all of her Rabbits, Rats, and Ferrets before they even go on her property.

~Topleaf~ · April 2008

You can neuter male rats, and can spay females, though it is better to not put them through the surgery as it is internal. So better to neuter the male instead of spaying the female. Cheaper too

GAK04 · April 2008

Okay thankies ^^

Boz · April 2008

forbiddenforests wrote:

I only buy my rats in singles, but males live much longer. My first rat that was a male lived to be 5 years old. My next rat was a female, and lived to be 2 or 3 years old. Males also are easier to train, and we even potty-trained ours!

You house them separately? Why would you do that? Rats LOVE company! It's also nice to have at least a pair together because then they're not lonely when your not there! :] And about the plague, the chances our Domesticated Rats would bring that up are slim I think XD That's like not getting a dog cause it might carry rabies or something xD

a-sap · April 2008

~Topleaf~ wrote:

Thanks sappers. Did you have females or males?

I had both, but we used them to breed feeders for our reptiles :oops: My pet one was a male, he was the sweetest, females tend to get 'cranky'

Jackdaw · April 2008

I've had many of both. Rats are by far better in my opinion. They are more friendly, they are less prone to bite-scratch you, they bond with you more closely than a guinea pig would, they require less maintenance, they're less skitish, more intelligent and they're quite. As far as getting a male or female, I like both equally. Males usually smell worse/need their cages cleaned more often, though. One thing about rats though is you have to have two because they get lonely by themselves.

~Topleaf~ · April 2008

Yeah, I am not too worried about the plague thing, and I am trying to tell her that it was fleas that started the plague, and the rats carried them (I even did reasearch on that). My mother is coming around though a little bit I think. Yes, I will be getting 2 females most likely. In cage size 2 feet by 1 foot. I will upgrade it once I find a nice one that I like. The current one is suitable and somewhat nice, but I would like a larger and better looking one. As for bedding, I was hoping pine chips or shredded paper, which works better in your opinion?

a-sap · April 2008

Eh, pine tends to mess up their repertory system. Shredded paper is ok, but you need to change very often. My favorite is Carefresh ultra it is very good for all rodents.

Goldy · April 2008

rats are way better in my opinion. my rat was just as smart as my dog...(which, maybe that says something about my dog..) she was wayy affectionate and so cooperative. they are really good pets i think.

Cobalt · April 2008

Hrm...Although I agree rats need to be in pairs, I suggest male-female or female-female pairs, with male-female being the best. My friend had two males and they fought constantly and took chunks out of eachother...it was not very pretty.

Howdy, Stranger!

Rats?

Comments