Once they're in your house, they're in your heart :) (Rats)

Member Name: malteser1987

Product:	Rats
Date:	27/05/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap pets to buy and keep, intelligent loving creatures

Disadvantages: Cancer and smell

You didn't nail the skirting board in tight enough; that loose floor board will now be the bane of your life - best to flour the vicinity and follow the footprints because you're infested; and now you've probably got the plague, just to top it off.

We are talking about rats right? Yeah thought so. If you come to my house though, the floor boards and the skirting board is the least of your worries. Take a seat you'll be fine honest. No no, don't look behind you...because lining the back of my sofa is a ratty offensive - Millie, Dorcas, Hermione and Lou-lou rule the sofa shaped roost and you're about to be used as a jungle gym.

So the pro's to owning rats...hmm...well they're intelligant and loving animals. They are lots of fun, adventurous and can grow to be affectionate and trusting animals. I've previously only ever had male rats and in truth, I adored them - each with a distinctive personality they had to be close to you, always preening your hair, lying in your lap or perching on your shoulder. They are easy to feed, they're bigger than a rubbish hamster and feel less like you can squish or damage them. They can be taught to do neat tricks - our first rat Gorgeous would climb two flights of stairs and go to bed when you told her to!

The cons - the cage needs to be big and this can be pricey. Boys tend to be smellier than girls and they do tend to piddle as they walk (both genders!). Due to all the genetic engineering you can get a wonderful variety of colours and breeds, but rats notoriously develop cancerous lumps and this can be devastating. Our rats have had them in their stomachs, one had one grow very quickly by his eye socket and cracked the bone in his skull very suddenly and was incredibly sad to lose him. They have a lifespan of 2-3 years and as with any animal, you can form strong bonds which can lead to heartache. My brother never had another rat after Gorgeous passed away as he couldn't deal with the disappointment and hurt - and he's 26 now, about 15-16 at the time. The smell is fairly inescapable so they need to be cleaned out regularly and you need to keep an eye on them when they're out. Mine are pretty good at sticking around but they have a nibble here and there and the mistake of leaving a t-shirt on their cage top has led to it be stealthily dragged through the bars and holes being made that made it far too inappropriate to wear.

All in all rats make an excellent first pet - they're intelligant, amusing and more bulky than your average skittish gerbil/hamster/degu/mouse. They are a wonderful edition to the family and it's always more fun answering the front door with 4 rats adorning your shoulders. People get put off by their tails but truely, you're missing out on a remarkable little critter if this is your only hang up.

Summary: Wonderfull highly recommendeable animals, make great companions