Hello, I'm looking for fellow rat owners, especially any in northern Ontario or in Manitoba. But anyone in Canada or northern Minisota.
Looking for rat owners
- Thread starter Katimavik_Lindzy
- Start date
To find out about their experiances and to learn where they got them and learn about differant breeders etc...
I bet Steve had bad heartburn.
Hey, did you know rats are highly intelligent and can be trained to do stuff, like a dog. Not that I would touch a rat. Just an interesting point.
Kat_LIn, is your rat trained, do you do that with them or are they pets?
I don't like rats.
My daughter had two rats and two cats. Due to circumstances beyond her control, she moved back in with us for a year. I said "no animals" because we owned a mutt (lots 'o terrier in him) that would have gone crazy. She said "what am I going to do with my babies!".
I said "Rats and cats? Simple. Put them all in one big box, come back in an hour and shoot the survivors. Saves on ammunition."
She wasn't amused.
My daughter had two rats and two cats. Due to circumstances beyond her control, she moved back in with us for a year. I said "no animals" because we owned a mutt (lots 'o terrier in him) that would have gone crazy. She said "what am I going to do with my babies!".
I said "Rats and cats? Simple. Put them all in one big box, come back in an hour and shoot the survivors. Saves on ammunition."
She wasn't amused.
If you put them all in a small cage and throw it in a lake or ocean for you, then you save even more. But remember to put a rope and float on the cage as it costs more than bullets.:laughing7:
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I'm in the process of litter training and they all come when they hear their name... or the treat bag rusling lol
I'm working on it, I've just started litter training.
Here are 3 of my 6 girls, I'm working on getting vids of the other 3 up soon
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=LindzyRae
Here are 3 of my 6 girls, I'm working on getting vids of the other 3 up soon
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=LindzyRae
Working at a pet shop that sold Rats I would never own one no matter what. I was bitten by a female rat which caused me to get stitches. Female rats are worse the males, the males are sweet, but the females are mean.
The problem with that is a lot of pet shops do not know how to properly care for rats. There should only be two or three rats per tank. Rats are naturally very calm and it is rare for them to bite. IF they are socialized properly. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen especially in pet shops because too many are put together. When too many are put together, they are more likely to become timid, bite, females are sold pregnant, and they are less likely to be as healthy as a rat that is properly socialized. The problem is, a lot of pet stores treat their rats and mice like snake food and they aren't treated with any respect. There are however a lot of organizations out there trying to change this. Rats are amazing and wonderful pets. Rats are teriffic companions and have sweet, affectionate personalities, males and females both. They are one of the only rodents that bond with people and they are incredibly smart. They need lots of attention and time out of their cage, but if you can do that, I would reccommend a rat to anyone!
Rats should NEVER be kept in tanks. They do not have enough ventalation. Rats have very sensitive respitory systems and the ammonia will hurt them. That is also the reason that softwoods can't be used as bedding (ex. Pine or ceder shavings). The phenol oils in them are harmful to them.
Female rats tend to be much more active then the males and often in petstores (I've worked in Super Pet and did a lot of educating to the staff about rat care) they have them cramped together in to small a cage with not enough room. If you have enough cage space any number of rats can be housed together, they should have AT MINIMUN 2 cubic feet for a pair of rats. I have 6 wonderful girls housed together and they love it. The cage I have them in is also quite big and I'm saving up to get 2 Ferret Nation cages to attach together for my girls. I also have 2 boys and as they get larger then females they need more space, I advise 2.5 cubic feet for a pair of boys at minimum. This is a cage with the same mesurments as the one I have for my boys. Technically it would be ok for up to 3 males but the more room the better is the rule with rat cages.
Also rats ABSOLUTLY MUST be in pairs at minimum! It is NOT healthy for rats to be alone. They either need a same-gender companion, or if you have one of each gender one or both need to be sayed and/or nutered. It's recomended that you get all female rats spayed as they are prone to cancer and this cuts down the risk greatly.
Rats do make fantastic pets. And anyone who is willing to do the research and put the care and money into them should think about it. But people should ALWAYS do research before getting a pair, rats require some special care and not learning about them could do some serious harm.
Female rats tend to be much more active then the males and often in petstores (I've worked in Super Pet and did a lot of educating to the staff about rat care) they have them cramped together in to small a cage with not enough room. If you have enough cage space any number of rats can be housed together, they should have AT MINIMUN 2 cubic feet for a pair of rats. I have 6 wonderful girls housed together and they love it. The cage I have them in is also quite big and I'm saving up to get 2 Ferret Nation cages to attach together for my girls. I also have 2 boys and as they get larger then females they need more space, I advise 2.5 cubic feet for a pair of boys at minimum. This is a cage with the same mesurments as the one I have for my boys. Technically it would be ok for up to 3 males but the more room the better is the rule with rat cages.
Also rats ABSOLUTLY MUST be in pairs at minimum! It is NOT healthy for rats to be alone. They either need a same-gender companion, or if you have one of each gender one or both need to be sayed and/or nutered. It's recomended that you get all female rats spayed as they are prone to cancer and this cuts down the risk greatly.
Rats do make fantastic pets. And anyone who is willing to do the research and put the care and money into them should think about it. But people should ALWAYS do research before getting a pair, rats require some special care and not learning about them could do some serious harm.
I would never keep a rat in a tank either, but most pet stores around here do. That is why I said tank. I however keep my rats in a wire cage, taller than I am. I would advise getting more than one rat as well especially if you dont have enough time to devote to one rat, they need a lot of attention.. However, when they are babies and in pet stores and they have to compete for food and space in a small tank, they are not socialized properly and it can lead to very timid rats. research SHOULD always be done, I agree I have had rats for many years and my major is wildlife rehabilitation and I have had many pets. Animals are a big part of my life, however I ALWAYS research my pets first. Rats are much more intelligent and need much more attention than most people realize.