Roland was framed! (Rats)

Member Name: wicked_witch

Product:	Rats
Date:	21/04/03 (2699 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cute, smart, very tame

Disadvantages: bad reputation, can grow rather large, your cat wont be impressed- no wait, he'll be too impressed

Well I did my op on Avril, and now I’m following it up with one about rats. When you think about it, what’s the difference (sorry, didn’t mean to insult the rats!)?

Rats have often been seen as a bit of a scourge of society, and despite their popularity these days as pets, they are still seen as dirty, smelling, disease-carrying vermin. Pet rats, are, in contrast, highly intelligent, sensitive and friendly animals. They are extremely tame and gentle, they make wonderful pets, and the prejudice against them is as silly and unfounded as a fear of spiders (yeah, OK, you can get poisonous spiders, but that’s no reason to be scared of common house spiders is it-and this is coming from an arachnophobic). Rats rock, they are one of the best small pets you can keep.

A bit of history

Fancy rats are descendants of the wild brown rat (Rattus norwegicus). Brown rats originate from Asia and arrived in Europe by stowing themselves away on ships. They were first recognised over here in 1728, prior to that there were no known brown rats. They preferred damp environments, and quickly pushed aside the native rat, the black rat (Rattus rattus). In fact, pet rats are directly derived from laboratory rats used in research. This is an advantage because docility is inbred to the pet rat (isn’t it funny how some animals stay gentle when we subject them to the most hideous torture in the name of research), but a disadvantage because pet rats, who have a maximum lifespan of five to six years, often die aged around two of the cancer that is also inherited from their lab past.

Um…why would you want a rat?

Well, contrary to popular belief, rats are not dirty, smelly and disease ridden. In fact they are very clean, gentle and intelligent creatures. They have no odour more than the usual odour of small animals, a mixture of fur and sawdust, so long as you clean the cage at least once a week, dependant on size and n
umber of animals.

They make ideal pets for children, because they are more tolerant and less likely to bite than hamsters, easier to train and handle than gerbils and mice, not so scared of humans as guinea pigs, and they cant kick like rabbits.

They are harder to lose should they get loose in the house than smaller animals.

They can be tamed properly, unlike many other types of small animal, such as hamsters, which merely tolerate being handled, whereas rats love being handled.

Unlike most small pets, they love cuddles and handling once they are properly tamed.

Rats rarely bite, due to their long history of being tamed for lab purposes. They are a lot more docile than other small animals, this docility makes them easy to handle, and they will sit in your hands happily without try to escape or bite.

You can keep two rats together, whether male or female, without a problem so long as they are introduced as youngsters, or very carefully as adults. In fact, rats are happier in groups, and while a group of adult males may run into a couple of problems, you can happily keep as many females in one cage as you have room for.

They are very cute.

You can teach them simple tricks.

They come in a large variety of coat colours and types, and are in fact pretty animals.

Any reasons why you wouldn’t choose a rat?

Not really, unless someone in your household has a real fear or hatred of them. Visitors might also be put off a little by the thought of a rat.

Also, it is only fair to keep them in very large cages, the size designed for animals like ferrets and chinchilla’s, keeping a rat in a little aquarium is very cruel, and doesn’t satisfy their love of climbing. If you don’t have room for this size of cage, then don’t bother, get a smaller animal, like a hamster or mouse.

And think carefully if you have a cat, or a terrier or hound typ
e dog, although, my rats live quite happily side-by-side (not literally), with my cocker spaniel, my cat and my ferrets (although of course I had the sense not to let them too near each other, and my cocker spaniel is afraid of everything including his shadow).

Choosing a rat

My usual advice of steering clear of pet shops when you buy animals stands true here. Rats, as with other small animals, are simply wilder when they come from places like this due to lack of handling, and of course you never know where the rat came from (for example, it may have genetic problems or something along those lines). Because rats aren’t popular pets, they will often sit in pet shop cages for months before being bought, and have you seen the size of pet shop cages?

However, finding a rat breeder can be a difficult matter, and you may well end up getting a pet shop rat due to lack of choice, but if you can get a breeder, go for that option as the rat will already be half tame and the breeder can give you tips on its care.

You can decide whether you want a lively rat or a docile one, but it should have bright, clear eyes, a clean nose, feet and tail area, and no toes missing, its fur should be clean and soft, and it should take some interest in being handled.

The colour and type you choose is up to you, but remember some of the more rare types (such as dumbo rats, which have huge ears, or hairless rats-which are pretty creepy looking) need special care.

One rat or more?

It’s really cruel to keep a rat on its own unless you can provide it with plenty of time and handling. Rats are really social animals and need mates around. Keeping two or more males together, so long as they are introduced as babies, should present no major problem, and you can keep as many females together as you like.

If you keep a rat on its own, you need to give it a lot of handling. By a lot, I mean at least an hour every day.
On balance, its probably fairer on the rat and easier on you to keep at least two. Always remember never keep the opposite sexes together, because two rats can produce hundreds within a year.

Caging ratty

As I have mentioned before, my personal opinion is that a fish tank is not a suitable environment for a rat. The reason for this being A- rats like to climb and jump around, and B rats can grow very large, larger than you think, and so nothing but the biggest possible fish tank (possibly the kind designated for marine fish) is big enough, and these are more expensive than they are worth, as the rat still wont be able to climb. I also think the types of cage designed for house rabbits and guinea pigs are far too small, especially since they are usually too small even for rabbits and guinea pigs. Again, this doesn’t allow much scope for the rat to climb. In my opinion, the best type of cage for an animal like this is the type designed for ferrets, squirrels (i.e., chipmunks), and chinchillas. The drawback of these cages is that they are very, very expensive, usually upward of sixty quid, although they will probably do you for three or four rats at least. You could equally make your own cage.

My own rat cage is homemade, the backs, sides and floors are made of hardwood (anything else will get chewed out of), and the insides are pieces of colourful acrylic. This is ideal, because unvarnished wood will inevitably get stinky and soft with urine, and there are few animal safe varnishes about, also it reduces the chance of the rat gnawing its way out, because there are no grooves or lumpy bits to get hold of to start the escape process. The front of the cage is covered by wire, and the whole thing has four floors, allowing plenty of room to run around. If you are a budding DIY type, or have one in the house, this will be a fun project, but remember to make sure there is no possible escape, do not use chicken wire because it tears easily and
can cause injuries or let the rat out, and its also a good idea to seal off the corner with shaped bits of wood or plastic because this is where all the germs breed.

Whatever kind of cage you go for, I wouldn’t choose one less than 80cm by 50cm by 50cm. Multi level cages are good because they allow more space.

Cage fittings

The first thing you will need will be a food and water dish. For food dishes, the best kinds to go for are heavy earthenware or pottery bowls. Rats can chew these or drag them about, anything else, such as plastic, will get chewed to pieces. As always, its best to put water in a vertical water bottle with ball dropper, because it stops the water getting soiled, and most rats can figure out how to use these own their own. Get a fairly large one to keep the rats happy.

Also make sure the rat has at least two nest boxes to choose from, bear in mind when you get more than one that each rat will need a place to sleep, and you could get one big one, because rats will usually sleep happy tangled up in a big heap, but its best to provide two in case two rats don’t get on very well. Nest boxes can be made of wood, but again sturdy plastic is a good idea, as it wont get smelly so easily.

Toys

When it comes to toys, use you imagination! There should always be something to gnaw on, unless you want to hear the infuriating noise of rats gnawing metal bars. Blocks of wood can be provided for this purpose, or better still, a piece of natural tree branch, or you can get something from the pet shop. Make sure the tree is not poisonous to rats (fruit tree branches are good, and steer clear of yew). You can also put in empty glass jars, kitchen roll holders, plastic tubes of the kind made for ferrets, ferret hammocks, perhaps an exercise wheel of suitable size (make sure it is solid, and not made of metal rungs, otherwise the rat could break a leg or damage its tail), and tying a few thick solid r
opes or pieces of branch around is good for the rats to climb about. Mostly, if you keep two or more rats, they will keep themselves amused, but do provide them with some diversions from cage life. Placing new objects in the cage now and again will keep them very happy.

Food

Rats eat anything (and I mean anything), and this is not necessarily a good thing. The best base of a rats diet is of course the pet food you can buy in stores. If you want to take the more natural route, you can mix your own using oats and seeds, but you’ll need to make sure and take all the rats dietary needs into account, and it can be more trouble than its worth.

Rats need the occasional animal protein supplement; this can be given in the form of dry dog and cat food, or tinned food or cooked chicken and beef. Be careful with the latter, as they go off quickly and smell bad in the cage. Once a week is more than enough for their protein needs.

Also, provide the rat with the occasional vegetable treat- like apples, pears, bananas and lettuce. Rats are also fond of bread and yoghurt, and perhaps slices of hard-boiled egg, but of course steer clear of very salty or sugary food. You could also provide them with a little milk, but it’s a good idea to do this outside the cage, as it will make the cage stink if it gets into the bedding- if the rat is very tame it might lick it off your finger.

Taming rats

Pet rats usually come into your home tamer than most small animals, this shouldn’t be too difficult. First allow the rat to get used to your hand in the cage, rearranging things, putting in new food etc. If the rat sniffs your hand, don’t jerk it away; it won’t bite you, it’s just having a look. Rub your hands in some clean sawdust to get rid of the human smell, which small creatures are conditioned to be wary of.

To pick the rat up, don’t chase it around the cage with your hand. Wait til i
t’s sitting quietly, take a firm but gentle hold of the root of its tail, and pick up with the other hand, just behind the shoulders. Do not pick up by the tail as you can with mice, because rats are too heavy. When it’s sitting on your hand, keep a hold of the root of its tail for the first few weeks or until its tame. You have to do little else, except maybe offer a bit of food by hand as a bribe, it will tame quickly if you are gentle with it.

When it’s tame, a rat will need to be handled every day for at least ten minutes. If you keep a rat on its own, it will need to be handled for at least an hour every day.

Caring for rats-

Rats don’t really need a lot of grooming. If you are gentle they may enjoy grooming with a very soft brush, and if the coat becomes a little dishevelled, letting them burrow in a box of hay will sort this out.

If your rat happens to need a bath, then use a neutral pH shampoo and make sure they are thoroughly dry before putting them back in the cage. You may need to clip the rats claws occasionally, but its best to get a vet to do this, otherwise, just take the sharp tip off so your sure not to cut the rats quick.

Clean the cage out thoroughly every week, although the time may be adjusted according to the number of rats and the size of the cage. If the rats choose a toilet area then clean this out every few days, and once a month strip the cage, disinfect it, and replace any overly dirty toys that cant be cleaned properly.

Types and colours

Rats come in a wide variety of colours. The most common pet is probably the white rat, which may have either black or pink eyes. They are usually very pretty because breeders can afford to take notice of features and body shape because the colour is pretty much always perfect. Agouti, that is, wild coloured rats are fairly common, you can get black, brown, blue, lilac, amber, chocolate, champagne (pinkish) and cream
rats.

There are several types of colour marked rats. Siamese rats are, as you might expect, coloured like Siamese cats, with cream bodies and coloured paws, noses, ears and tails, and always with pink eyes. Himalayans are the same, only with white bodies. Irish rats are coloured with white triangles on their chests, and white feet. Berkshire rats have white bellies, and Japanese rats (probably the most popular marked rats) have coloured hoods over their head and shoulders and a coloured stripe, which stretches to the tail, blacks, and creams are the most common colours.

There are some less common, newer types of rats. Capped rats are like Japanese ones, only they have the coloured hood but no stripe. Masked rats simply have a small coloured patch on the face around the eyes; the rest of the body is white. You can also get husky rats, which have white bellies and a little white on the sides, and a white blaze on the face, like husky dogs.

Spotted and patched rats are common pets, show animals are meant to be evenly marked, but it doesn’t matter in pets.

You can also get different types of rat. They are all the same genus, but have variations- you can get satin rats, which have shiny and silky coats, rex- coated rats (that is, curly haired), Manx and bobtail rats (which, like the cats, have either no tail or tiny tails, however this type may be deformed in legs and back), hairless rats which look, in my opinion, freaky, and dumbo rats, which are gorgeous, and are the same as normal rats, only with big cute ears.

Well, I guess that’s everything there is to know about pet rats. If your looking for a nice pet for a child, you could do no better than a rat, they are inquisitive, intelligent, gentle and friendly creatures, once you get past their rather unsavoury reputation. If you’re looking for a nice small pet, you can do no better.

Summary: