Bestest Comments: Pet Rats

My rat, Grapes, has major fleas. I didn't notice til now. This website helped so much!!!

I have a question regarding different species of rats co-habitating with each other. I already have two female rats and was wanting to know if placing a third, but hairless variety (also to be female). Would this be okay?

I am a proud owner of 18 pet rats. I have one Russian blue male who is 1 year old. I have 2 of his babies (1 male, 1 female) who are blue berkshires. I have one blak hooded female and I have one agouti vari female who just gave birth to 13 babies. I have owned rats for about a year and I can't imagine life without them. My Russian blue male (T.C) is the sweetest little guy. He loves to give kisses to everyone. He accompanies me everywhere and people are always amazed that a rat can be so sweet. There are a lot of misconceptions about rats. I hope that websites like this raise awareness of the BEST PETS IN THE WORLD...

Hi There... I Have A Pet Rat Called Crackers.. He Is 2 And A Half And I Got Him As A Christmas Present From A Friend Who Breeds Rats..In The Past Few Weeks I Have Been Noticing A Change In Crackers Breatning Almost Like He Is Wheezing.. Also As I Clean Him Out Once A Week And Play With Him Eveyday His Fur Has Little Brown Bug Like Creatures in it i am not sure if they are lice fleas or ticks.. and can i catch them:S I Am Booking An Appointment For The Vet.. But I Really dont want too lose ihim as he is a great friend and is very well trained.. if somebody noes what im talking about then can you please give me advice.. thank you..

I've had numerous pet rats over the last four years and each has their own personality and quirks. I've had cuddlers, adventurers, and diva's - each a close friend. Loki would wait for me to get home from work and greet me at the door when he heard my car pull in to the drive. He'd climb up my leg, onto my shoulder and lick my bottom lip when I'd say "give mommy kisses". Tony Montana loved to be slid across the floor like a bowling ball and would play fetch with toys and balls. Zoey was a mother 3 times to a total of 36 darling babies. All of our friends used to shy away from the idea of a rodent in the home, but my blue dumbo Skillet melted all of their hearts with his huge ears and tiny body. He's got the silkiest dark silver fur and is cage mates with a fluffy siamese rat. The fur by his ears, tail, face and feet turned dark just like a siamese cats. I read that the color change is temperature related - colder zones turn darker brown, the warmer zones stay a creamy off-white. My boyfriend was indifferent to rats when he met me. He got along well with the 3 rats I brought into his home, but got the full effect of special bonding when we picked out baby Hash-Bones and Skillet from a breeder friend. Now he treats them as if they were our children. Loving and caring for these fuzzy buddies have brought us a little closer to each other, and turned all of our skeptical friends into rat enthusiests.

My pet rats are the smartest and most loveable rats I've ever had. I'm a teenage girl who loves the unusual, so naturally I decided I wanted to breed the animals my parents dread.... the RAT. it started as a back sass at my parents, and turned into a wonderful pet-owner relationship. only a couple of my rats are still with me now, including my favorite Rollie Pollie Ollie's. When all of my friends saw how cool and friendly Roll's is, they wanted his babies. (some people wanted the rats for snake feeding purposes) and i sleep with my Rollies in my shirt sometimes. he's so cute.... want a rat?? lol. love Kenzie Email me if you'd like to see photos of the babaies! texasmccoy@hotmail.com

I am the proud owner of a male rat who is almost 2 years old. Shooter is the best pet I could have asked for. My son and I adopted him from our local pet shop when he was 3 months old as a Christmas present to ourselves. We only have him because he gets soooo much attention every single day, hours of attention! His cage is in the living room because we spend most of our time there. He is incredible with my 6 year old, my son was 4 when we adopted him. Shooter is so patient with him and has even learned a few tricks from my son's training. I am an experienced rat owner, I had 13 at one time when I was a teenager. I hate when people look at having a rat as "wierd". They are just as smart and loveable as any dog or cat, maybe even more. I will be a rat owner forever, I cannot get enough of their cuteness! My advice for anybody debating adopting a rat - be prepared to be involved with your rat every single day, keep their cage clean and their food coming, and they will adore you like nobody else!

I used to have a wonderful blond rat named jean-bob. he was a great companion and lived in my home for several years. his favorite place was on my shoulder and he loved to crawl into my hair. he had a cage that he stayed in when i was not at home. ferret cages seemed to work wonderfully for all the rats I have owned over the years. They tend to find a way out of the lids on aquariums. Jean-bob is the only rat I ever owned that liked hot tea. He would go crazy over dried cranberries. When I would go to bed, he would bang his toys against the cage, run around, and make every noise he could until I would bring him to bed. He would then curl up in my hair and go to sleep with me. In my opinion, rats are the best companions. For adults and children. This article was very informative, but everyone should know that as long as you care for your rat and love them, they can be the best companion you ever get.

I have about a six month old male fancy rat, and his name is Mickey. He is very curious, playful, and social. He loves to curl up in between my neck and chest. But beware, their claws are sharp, so you might want to wear something their claws cannot puncture. I didn't know much about rats when I first got him, and the Petsmart people weren't very helpful either. But this website pretty much gave me the heads-up on what little I did know about rats. On a scale of 1 to 10, this website gets a 10.

My boyfriend and I own two lovely lady rats called Meg (albino with beige hood) and Maddy (albino). Always have more than one rat. Aside from the fact that they will be happier and healthier, it's fun to watch them playing and wrestling and building nests with their bedding together. I wanted to mention that healthy rats can make noise other than the distinct "eep" sound. But it's most likely something an owner wouldn't notice until they spend quite some time with their rat because it's a very soft noise. Rats sometimes grind their teeth together to wear them down, making a sound referred to as "bruxing". They do it when they're stressed or relaxed. You may also notice their eyes "boggling" at the same time when they're really happy. Although sometimes I think they do it for attention too. One day my boyfriend was sitting at his computer. The girls were leaning so far off the bookshelf we keep their cage on they were almost falling off (we always keep their cage open when we're home and awake) and they were bruxing so loudly because they wanted to sit with him that he could hear it through his headphones. He, of course, picked them up and they snuggled together between his shoulderblades. That's another thing. Ratties can be pretty spikey, it's best to wear layers as they like to hide.

I own two litter mates, does. This is the first time I owned a rat and I got the two. Their names are Maura and Mercedes! I love them so much and I want to know more about what Im doing. So I was looking at different sites to help me better understand and this site is a "winner".

yep i love this site. it helps me know if my rats are going to be ok and healthy. i have 3 rats; der des, nubberlous, and buttercup and i love them all. they mean the world to me :D

Rats are great pets! They are, like mentioned earlier, dogs in a small package. My rat Chester died just under a year ago and is dearly missed. Rats are perfect pets for kids who have never owned a pet before. They can be fed table scraps occasionally and they dont have very strict dietary requirments like Chinchillas and Sugar gliders. Rats bond closely to owners and are extremely smart. They do like large cages. Bucks (boys) and Does (girls), make equally good pets but Bucke tend to be slower then Does, and more incined to sit on laps. Does are happy to be on the move, exloring. Their are exeptions to this rule though! Rats need lots of toys in their cages, to keep them from getting bored, as they are very smart. Rats should be kept in groups or pairs, as alone rat needs 4 hours of human intention a day. Rats should be fed rat fod, either a mix or lab blocks. Mixes have the down side of the rat being able to pick his or her favorite food and not eating the healthy parts. Lab blocks are really better, as they wear down the constantly growing teeth and provide all healthy nutrients. They dont add much variety. I fed Chester both, and he lived to be 3. Thats the down side of rats. They have short life spans of 2-4 years. Rats also can NEVER be housed on ceder, or pine, actually, no rodents should. Chester had on-going health problems from his original pet home housing him on ceder. Rats should have clean water supplied daily in a plastic or glass water bottle. Beware of plastic, which is easily chewed. Play time is very important, and you should spend at least an hour a day with your rat. As for the puchase, the best place to get a rat is from a local, private breeder. Especially if you have never had a rat before. If you must go to a pet store look for one that keeps the rats off of cedar or pine. Also look for a rat that is responsive, playful, and has clean fur, bright eyes, no discharge around eyes or nose, or a dirty under belly. You should have a wire cage with nessasary supplies aready set up at home. But always remember, if you want a rat research their care. dont be afraid to ask rat breeders questions and ask questions on forums. Enjoy your new best friend!

Hi First of all I'd like to say that it's good to see another site with information about rats. I've been a rat owner for many years, and I think they make fantastic pets. I would, however like to point out some information. Almost all rats will show signs of Mycoplasma Pulmonis or "myco" (pneumonia). (More on this later). They are also very prone to tumours, which are usually benign and easily removed by a vet. I'd add a note that it's important to have a contact vet before buying rats, as there will almost certainly be reason to go at some point in the rat's life. This can get expensive, their vet bills are not cheap. I've seen a rat with a benign tumour three inches across that the rat was dragging behind him because the owner didn't want to pay to take him to a vet. Secondly "when buying a rat"... also "listen for any sign of wheezing". Any sign of the rat squeaking that is not a distinct "eep" is myco (pneumonia) and needs to be treated by a vet IMMEDIATELY to avoid lung scarring which can later lead to other health issues. Also it's important to always buy more than one rat as rats are social creatures and need company. Females are livelier than males and will be more "fun". Males are quiet and will be more "cuddly". Environment: A handy guide to calculating cage size is two cubic foot per rat, which means the minimum cage size for two rats would be 4 cubic feet. Rats are very active and need space to move around. Rats can't tolerate as high temperatures as we can, and too hot is more serious than too cold. If a human is feeling "warm" then your rat is probably too hot. If you live in a warm area don't buy rats. Don't keep rats in sunlight, and if it's an unusually warm day make sure they have plenty of water. A good "house" for rats is a hammock. Just tie a piece of old clothing, about 1' x 1' up by the corners and you'll find your rats love sleeping in it, or just lying there observing the world. You can make double layer hammocks too, and the rats will crawl between the layers. For bedding pine shavings should never be used since the phenols in the wood (the nice smell) cause lung damage. Nutrition: You should add something to the cage with calcium, since rats need a lot. Bird calcium stones are good for this. Social behaviour: No, one rat is not ok. You may think you can spend a lot of time with the rat at first, but nobody has as much time for a rat as another rat would, and they need companionship for grooming, playing, etc. Most rat "fights" you will see are actually the rats tickling each other. Rats have the same "tickly tissue" us humans have and they love flipping each other on their backs and tickling. When they do this they "laugh" although the sound is too high pitched for the human ear to hear. Breeding: Putting one male in with several females is a recipe for disaster! Each female could have 15 kittens, which would mean 45 extra rats if three females were in the cage with one male. True, sometimes they might only have, say, 7 kittens, but that's not a risk to be taken. Also before breeding you should know where you are going to rehome the rats. Breeding and giving to a petstore just for the sake of seeing you rats breed is not a good idea, however cute it may seem. Fathers can NOT be left in with mothers, since the mother can (and probably will) get pregnant again the SAME DAY she gives birth, which means she will have a runty second litter as she is still feeding the first litter. Female rats can reach sexual maturity in 5 weeks, which is earlier than the males. If the father is left in the cage you will have all the female kittens pregnant after 5 weeks, as well as the mother. Ailments/ treatments: For any of the ailments I'd recommend going to a vet immediately. Any sign of sluggishness is probably a sign of sickness, watch the rat closely. Any redness around the eyes or nose is porphyrin, which is a sign of stress (like tears in humans). Porphyrin is probably a sign that your rat is sick, and you should see a vet. A common misconception: Any sound at all, apart from a clear "eep" when the rats are playing, or hurt themselves (or someone tries to steal their food, etc) is a respiratory problem. Rats DO NOT "talk" to their owners with small grunting squeaks - this is a respiratory illness and has to be treated as soon as possible with antibiotics. Please feel free to verify anything I've said with a rat club, such as the Rat and Mouse Club of America: www.rmca.org, who have a very informative website. Regards, Johanna

what a great site dedicated to our friends and family .. mine is called Sadie, a big healthy male black hooded rat, and the love of my life. he's the best companion i've ever had on the couch when watching TV and never argues about the channel! living on my own i enjoy cooking for 2 and being able to share what i eat with him, he's my best food critic .. ha ha.. his silly antics keep me laughing for hours. sometimes he has free run of my bachelor flat and i have on occasion woken up with him curled up in my bed. as a student we share the same hours, sleep all day, party all night so it's always a joy coming home and he's up wanting to get some love and a run around. only prob is he keeps stealing my smokes, especially when it's the last one. he's crossed borders with me and is now joining me in embarking on the next stage of my life .. leaving the student life behind and starting to work. in about a month we'll be moving into the vast and lonely African Bush together. i can't think of anyone else i'd want with me ..

I have just got new Rat and we named her SuSu and I put her in the cage with our other rat that we had (Ling-ling (a girl). Well I had thought that they would get along and at first Ling-ling started to smell her and then i walked a way and she started to pick on her. I put Ling-ling in her ball to give SuSu time to get to know her new place. I got on this site and read about they habbits. thank you so much. without you i would not have known what to do and expect.

thank you, this information helped me alot!

hi, i had a comment earlier, just wanna say this is the best site for animal info i have EVER heard of. i tell other friends in need of info about this site. thanks, and keep it up!

Hey guys! I have a rat named gilda and she is soo cool! I am at this site to get lots of info on rats and you guys have lots. thanks for the info! and i think vanilla is a little too plump!

Rats are dogs in a smaller package! If anyone out there has their kid wanting a dog, but it's too expensive or you don't have time or space for it, rats would be the perfect replacement! They are absolutly affordable(I spent $150 canadian for my three), they take up very little room, and they don't need very much attention as long as they have another rat to acompany them. They are incredibly intellegent and can even learn tricks! They can intertain children for hours! They make great first pets too, seeing as how they are easy to handle and take care of. They really are the perfect pet!

This is my second post, and I still have Riddy Rat and she's gotten quite large. When it comes to cage linging, reycled paper product is far safer than pine shavings, as they have been associated with all manner of lung maladies in rats. Ample water is important, and as far as staple ratfood goes, you may have difficulty finding one. Fret not, as you can cheaply make one with "Ferret Treat" (I use two, Peanut butter flavor and fruit/ veggie with yogurt), small animal food (dehydrated vegetable and seed mix with pellets, marketed for guinea pigs and rabbits), guinea pig yogurt drops, shelled sunflower seeds, and a small amount of cheap kitten chow. She loves it, and it addresses her need for protein, fat, and carbohydrates. I still supplement her diet with fresh things--strawberries and blueberries, fresh cauliflower, and carrots. Riddy enjoys meat, and rats have a predatory streak in the wild. Feeding them chicken and allowing them to gnaw chicken bones won't spoil their lovely personalities or make them more aggressive. An exercise ball fastened so that it is stationary makes a fantastic retreat for your rat inside their cage or aquarium. Ensure that the lid on their home allows ample air flow--condensation build up on aquarium walls is an indicator that you have poor airflow concerns.

I have a rescued albino Norwegian lab rat named Riddy who is exploring my lap as I write this. She has lived with me almost a year. To those who would own a rat, yes, they are relatively easy to keep and the experience is rewarding, but remember to freshen their cage regularly (she is now on the keyboard) and check to make sure what you can and can't feed your rat (you'll be surprised at what they can eat--if in small quantities, and NO chocolate isn't toxic to them, just don't go overboard). Yes, they can understand some voice commands, particularly their name--and a single rat is prone to become a tad neurotic and get "clingy" to one person and prefer them over all others. Probably whoever spends the most time with them.