anyone here with a pet rat?
Discussion
shirt said:
sidekickdmr said:
get a house rabbit, got one about 3 weeks ago, no noise at all, small solid poo's and it is already litter trained
i am tempted. the one for adoption is fecking massive and would be cool to have around. my sister had a house rabbit when i was growing up and they aren;t much fuss at all.the main downside is that it would make me look like a massive bender. how do you pull it off [fnar fnar]?
and he is a right dude!
Adz The Rat said:
Im getting 2 rats soon when me and Mrs Rat move into our own house.
I want some that will be happy to climb on me and be inquisitive but not bite, are females or males better?
I have been keeping rats, both male and female on and off for the past 15 years. Probably had 12 different ones at differing times. I have had more and less nervous ones, but never had one bite me before.I want some that will be happy to climb on me and be inquisitive but not bite, are females or males better?
As long as you dont hurt them, they wont bite.
I would recommend females personally.
sidekickdmr said:
shirt said:
sidekickdmr said:
get a house rabbit, got one about 3 weeks ago, no noise at all, small solid poo's and it is already litter trained
i am tempted. the one for adoption is fecking massive and would be cool to have around. my sister had a house rabbit when i was growing up and they aren;t much fuss at all.the main downside is that it would make me look like a massive bender. how do you pull it off [fnar fnar]?
and he is a right dude!
shirt said:
thinking of getting one but not 100%, the last small mammal experience [degu's] not going exceptionally well due to the noise they made and the fact they were exceptionally boring.
so, how entertaining is a rat and what do i need to know? i am expecting to be able to let it out and have the run of the place whilst i'm in the same room and would want to be able to walk about with it perched on my shoulder like some kind of downmarket pirate.
is one ok to keep on its own? any issues with keeping a pair? i was after a fancy rat after seeing a russian blue but reckon i'll end up wit ha pet shop rat as i wasn't successful with a search in the yelow pages for rat breeder's.
It's not ok to have one rat on it's own no, they should be as paired and any decent pet shop wont sell them alone. You will need a proper rat cage with enough space for the both and things to keep them occupied, tunnels/hammock etc. They are ace pets if you make the effort to get them out and give them attention. They are extremely clever also, mine used to run around the room and come back when called.so, how entertaining is a rat and what do i need to know? i am expecting to be able to let it out and have the run of the place whilst i'm in the same room and would want to be able to walk about with it perched on my shoulder like some kind of downmarket pirate.
is one ok to keep on its own? any issues with keeping a pair? i was after a fancy rat after seeing a russian blue but reckon i'll end up wit ha pet shop rat as i wasn't successful with a search in the yelow pages for rat breeder's.
There is some really good forums out there, which is also the best place to find breeders and buy rats, rather than your local pets at home. For bedding use biocatolet, they have weak respiritory systems so you can't use anything dusty.
If you have any other questions feel free to email me and I'm sure I'll be able to answer them
.EFA just read your post, awesome, what are you going to name them?
Edited by Cas_P on Friday 9th July 13:04
Adz The Rat said:
Rado & Rocco 
Will stick some pics up later on.
Cool, I found my males interacted more than the female rats my sister had. They will be good fun, they are not long living sadly, prone to chest infections and tumours but provide them with a clean, large environment, good food, lots of toys and handle then lots you will have 2 great pets there.Will stick some pics up later on.
Avoid pine based products and do not use saw dust, large open plan cage not plastic or glass tanks.
A rat enthusiast I know makes all sorts of funky hammocks and beds for pet rats:
http://fuzzbutt.co.uk/
http://fuzzbutt.co.uk/
Adz The Rat said:
£50 off Ebay that cage, brand new too.
How do you teach them thier names?
Perseverance and reward based training How do you teach them thier names?
, it is hard with two but can be done. Have a treat ready and as they come over call their name, eventually you should be able to call them first before giving treat and then not need to give them a treat every time. That's how I've done it before, there maybe other suggestions.They are very wary of us still at the min so just trying to get them used to us by stroking them and offering them food.
Got Rado out of the cage for 5 mins earlier but he was nervous being on me so put him back, will keep trying each day, hopefully they will get used to us and be content to sit on settee with us??
Anyway, some better pics of Rado as he was out...
Got Rado out of the cage for 5 mins earlier but he was nervous being on me so put him back, will keep trying each day, hopefully they will get used to us and be content to sit on settee with us??
Anyway, some better pics of Rado as he was out...
ds!Forgot to add, my first rat was excellent, very well trained, very clever, and lived exceptionally long for a rat (nearly 5yrs from memory! RIP Brockie) but when me and my missus got a pair of them a few years later it didn't work out so well. My girlfriend came home from work one day and one had eaten half of the other one...
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