Rats

ImportsandLines · April 2010

Well my birthday is tomorrow and I want a rat. Except my parents think they are smelly and disgusting. Except it said rats are very intelligent creatures and they can learn tricks. Any advice?

SirPopcorn · April 2010

Gah that's exactly what my mum thinks

From what I've heard they're more hygenic then mice and yeah they're really intelligent

MadFarmPupII · April 2010

All of our rats Litter trained them selves and knew there names

They were Much cleaner and a little less tinky than the guinea pigs we had

Hibachi · April 2010

I have to agree with the above post. xD I was going to get a chameleon pair, but my parents resisted every word I said...so I snuck a chicken into my grandparents house....although, AFTER I get the animal my parents don't care it's just the process of getting them to say yes. :roll: :P

RoyalRaccoon · April 2010

I just have to say that rats hardly smell; even the boys. Now, mice stink really bad, which is one reason I think people believe rats smell so bad. Some can learn tricks. It takes a lot of work. Any friendly, and well cared for rat should be able to at least learn to come when called. Just keep researching them, politely show your parents information on them, and take them down to the pet store to get information from the employees. When I wanted a rat I did that for quite sometime(probably a couple months) and my mother finally agreed to let me get one.

DiamondPuppy0809 · April 2010

PrinceSushi has everything correct.

My rats don't smell bad as long as I clean the cage 1 or 2 times a week, and I have three girls. *[Never only get one rat. They're too social to not have another of their species to interact with.] Feel free to ask any questions.

SunnyDaysDontLie · April 2010

Take her to the pet store and prove it? D; One of my old friends had a rat. She was cute (: Its Guinea Pigs I hate

Jazz · April 2010

I have a rat... he doesn't smell at all unless you don't clean his cage. Rats are actually very clean, very smart animals, they're really sweet and they make great pets.

RoyalRaccoon · April 2010

Garfieldz Gal wrote:

PrinceSushi has everything correct. My rats don't smell bad as long as I clean the cage 1 or 2 times a week, and I have three girls. *[Never only get one rat. They're too social to not have another of their species to interact with.] Feel free to ask any questions.

I disagree. 1 rat can actually do fine on it's own, and it's pretty much the only way to house unaltered adult males. I've owned pairs before, but my last rat(male), and my current rat(female) are single rats, and they do great as long as you play with with them and offer lots of toys. I've found that single rats bond better with their owners, while rats kept in groups bond with each other more.

ImportsandLines · April 2010

Yeah I have been reading. I really want 1 or 2 females, but my parents are like no they stink and they are scary. And whenever I try to tell them different there like stop asking.

ShesTheManROX · April 2010

My mum said no. I bought a female anyway and she was like whatever and hated it, but she thought she was cute when she slept, then where i let her out to run in the lounge my rat would chase her into the kitchen cause she was screaming and i guess my rat found it just as funny as i did. The she just eventually started liking her, and now 2 years later she tells me to bring the rat over everytime i visit cause she misses her... It's all abou breaking the parents in. My 2 younger sisters now have a rat each i have 2 and my boyfriend has one.

everyone just has to realise rats are the cleanest reptiles.

ImportsandLines · April 2010

Sigh, well I cannot just go out to buy one I am only 13.

Hibachi · April 2010

oreocakester wrote:

Sigh, well I cannot just go out to buy one I am only 13.

I'm 17, but I can understand your situation - my parents and grandparents said no more animals after I got my chicken, but I am going to be sneaking mice in soon. XD Other than that, I have to wait until I "officially" move to receive more animals.

~Hawk · April 2010

PrinceSushi wrote:

 I disagree. 1 rat can actually do fine on it's own, and it's pretty much the only way to house unaltered adult males. I've owned pairs before, but my last rat(male), and my current rat(female) are single rats, and they do great as long as you play with with them and offer lots of toys. I've found that single rats bond better with their owners, while rats kept in groups bond with each other more.

Actually, male rats, so long as they are either raised together or properly introduced on neutral ground (don't just throw them in a cage together) can and will easily live together. I have 2 males currently housed together, the girl that got me hooked on rats had 4 males that lived together. I've also got 5 females that live together. It's also very true that rats are happier and healthier when they have a companion to keep them company, play with and sleep with. It helps to lower their stress levels also. So long as you give them equal attention, you won't have bonding issues. My 9 year old can come down and open the cage and get mobbed by every one of them wanting to come out and be held and played with. Males are a bit more pungent on order than females, but it's not a problem so long as you practice good house keeping for their cages. The males also tend to be more laid back and lazy which is great when you have kids that want to hold them. The females usually tend to be more energetic and squirmy which can be difficult for younger kids to handle. But, with good socialising, females can be easily taught to calm down. My Sandy girl will spend hours lounging on the couch watching tv with my daughter, just content to get her ears scratched. All in all, Rats make excellent pets so long as you give them the time and care they deserve and I always recommend a pet rat over any other when parents are seeking a small fury animal pet for their kids.

ImportsandLines · April 2010

Hmm. Well I have not made very much progress. I saw this very cute white one at Petsmart the other day and he was curled up in a ball in the corner. So very cute. Why do they only sell males?

Hibachi · April 2010

oreocakester wrote:

Hmm. Well I have not made very much progress. I saw this very cute white one at Petsmart the other day and he was curled up in a ball in the corner. So very cute. Why do they only sell males?

Some places only sell one gender of animals - I know here at our petsmart they only sell females because they don't want little ones.

ImportsandLines · April 2010

Oh, because if I got one I really wanted a female.

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