Not a pet, a friend (Rats)

Member Name: dextermummy

Product:	Rats
Date:	16/11/08 (99 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: friendly, loving and adorable

Disadvantages: they die

Rats make fantastic pets. I dont understand people who don't like them, or even are scared of them. Especially people who have no problems with a hamster or gerbil.

So let's dispel a few myths. Rats are dirty and disease ridden. Sure wild rats have been know to carry diseases, (plague, anyone?), they're wild animals so they're bound to have fleas and tics, and invariably rats (wild and domestic) go where the food is. That means that in towns and cities they'll wallow in dumpsters, they'll head for the tips and they'll scavange through your bins.

But I'm not suggesting you have a wild rat as a pet, I'm talking about domesticated rats. They too might have fleas or tics, but only if they've picked them up from somewhere, just like cats and dogs. De-flea them and they'll be fine, at least til next time Fido wanders too close.

Now I'm assuming your house doesn't have piles of food waste lying around, coz if it does then Ratty will head straight for it, and if you then want to call them dirty for it then fine, but they're not the only ones. Otherwise rats are perfectly clean animals. They'll spend ages grooming themselves musch like a cat. They usually will designate certain areas in their cages as toilets to avoid too much sleeping in their own waste. Yes their wee and poo smells but in my opinion no worse than a hamsters. If you clean them out regularly and thoroughly they shouldn't cause anymore than the faintest pong.

Now another common issue is that of biting. Rats have teeth, they can bite you, same as any animal. Some rats have a tendency towards it, same as any animal. If a rat bites you I'd imagine it'd bloody hurt, same as any animal. I've never been bitten by a rat but I have by a hamster and I'd imagine it's worse. The one consoling factor in being bitten by a rat is that in relative terms it's quite a minor incident. You handle a rat, you're a little nervous it might bite you, it does, very painful. Contrast with that this scenario, you handle a doberman, your a little nervous it might bite you (you can probably see where I'm going here), it does, flashing blue lights and a trip in a nee-naa if your very lucky. Not that I'm trying to put anyone off having a dog, nor that I subscribe to the viscious breed theory.

So now I've hopefully convinced you that rats smell like roses and are about as nippy as a pickled beetroot. So now comes the question of where to house this little bundle of love. I would like to point out that I have only owned one rat before, although I have known others, and that any advice I give is solely based on my experience. Anyone thinking of owning one should buy a book or seek advice from an expert (ie vet, breeder, responsible and informed pet shop owner -which they aren't all, etc).


They need space to play, preferably room to climb and plenty of toys. They are intelligent creatures and bore easily. My Scooby's (I didn't name him, he came to me like it) house was a big old bird cage which had been modified using bamboo cane to create platforms going all around the inside for him to climb and jump on. He had a bell and a mirror suspended from the top (poor boy probably thought he was a parrot) and a wooden ball thing with gaps in where you could hide food for him to dig out. He also had a wheel but never used it, not sure if that's a rat thing or he was just plain lazy. They need to be excercised regularly so make sure you have an area of your house you can shut off with nowhere for them to escape too (I used to let Scoobs run up and down the hallway with all the doors shut), this preferably wants doing every day. Be warned they may wee and poo on your carpet.

Things to chew that will keep their teeth down are very important, you can buy wooden blocks and toys or use nuts still in their shells or dog biscuits. You will still need to keep an eye on the length of their teeth and may need to have them cut if they seem too long. A vet can do this, it is quick and painless and doesn't cost alot. Do not leave this to chance as if they grow too long a rats teeth can cause him alot of pain and discomfort.

Foodwise you can buy big bags of rat food form good petshops or Wilkinsons, or if you cant get hold of it rabbit food is fine. They enjoy things such as those treat sticks with seeds and nuts in them, and you can get chocolate drops and yoghurt drops designed for rodents which Scoobs loved. Obviously treat them with healthy bits too, slices of apple, cucumber, and grapes were all popular too. But to be honest rats will eat anything. They'll finish your tea off or help you out with a takeaway. Scooby's absolute favourite things in the world were pasta and maltesers.

Make sure you budget for vets bills, on top of teeth trimming rats also have a tendency toward cancer. Thats what got my boy in the end. He had one tumour removed from his head and was fine for ages after before developing more along his spine. The operation was not hugely expensive, not hundreds of pounds or anything, I think probably about 60 pounds but I can't remember exactly, but that is something to take in to account. Rats can live as long as seven or eight years but four is more average.

To leave the most important to last, the most convincing reason to have a rat. How affectionate they are. A well loved rat will climb up on your lap like a cat and sit patiently while you stroke him. He will climb up onto your shoulder and nuzzle at your neck and ears with his tickly whiskers. They are extremely sociable, are most happy when their cages are in a busy family part of the house and when people are around will be out chattering (and they really do) and trying to get attention rather than hiding away in their houses like hamsters.

Get a rat and all the time and love you give them will be rewarded tenfold.

Avaliable from pet shops, but try to go to a reputable one that can give you advice too.

In memory of Scooby - 2002-2005

Summary: the very best pet you could ever get