rats as pets

[grannieannie]

I don't think any 3 - 4 yr old child should have a small delicate pet.....they don't understand (in my opinion) how to be gentle enough with the animals. They tend to "squish" things.....

 

[The_Dreaded_Pets]

agreed with grannie i have a 2yr old daughter and my 4ft jungle is great with her as is my 1yr old tom cat ect ect she also plays rats while i clean the tubs out she can be a little rough at times due to being over excited during those times i just make her watch however i think hardier animals are better suited to 3/4yr old kids like cats and dogs they can handle the much rougher playtime easier and let the kid know when they have had enough with just a growl or hiss before walking away,
rats and mice on the otehr hand dont have any such choice lol

 

[maxPOWERS]

anyone in sydney wanna sell me a pair for pets and breeding.
im in sydney
ive got evrything i need except the rats lol
actually have had lots of trouble gettin any.
dont wanna treck to far.

 

[GeckoJosh]

Pm sent

 

[Tikanderoga]

We keep rats for pets - 2 male rats, Ben and Sam. They father all the little offspring for my snakes.

 

[-Katana-]

One of my females gave birth to her first litter last night. It really makes the morning when you can go out and see a brand new litter and a healthy mum.

 

[dale1988]

just wondering if anyone is selling any in ipswich i have gone looking and am having trouble finding any mice or snakes at pet shops

 

[Mace699]

Hey Dale,

Mate im in the southside of brisbane and have a few juvenile rats available if you wanted one. PM for Details

 

[dale1988]

anyone else with live rats or knows of someone would be a great help to me cheers

 

[maxPOWERS]

lol me too but in sydney..
have looked around heeps.
if anyone can spare a pair from the snakes in sydney for pickup around the 12th of april that would be auwsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SYNeR]

I'm thinking about getting a couple of rats to keep as pets. My question is, would it be suitable for a cage to be kept in a garden shed?
In addition, whilst I only have two snakes (a Stimson Python and Jungle Python), would the extra overhead be worth it to breed them?

I was thinking of housing two females together, and two males in another cage.. Introduce them to breed them.

 

[maxPOWERS]

from what ive heard u can keep the together except when the female is pregnant and looking after young.
otherwise game on.
and from what ive heard its dead easy to get rates to mate
but im sure dimming the lights and puttin some barry white on wont hurt.

 

[Grogshla]

aww these photos are cute. Wish i could have a pet rat. Are they similar to mice in that males should be housed on their own and tend to smell a bit as they spray? and that females are best in pairs or trios?

 

[KaotikJezta]

aww these photos are cute. Wish i could have a pet rat. Are they similar to mice in that males should be housed on their own and tend to smell a bit as they spray? and that females are best in pairs or trios?

I got a male and a female together and the female tried to kill the male, haha, so $100 odd dollars later on another cage. Now the male has free range and uses his cage for eating and sometimes sleeping, and the female lives in a palace with a lounge (jewellery box from the reject shop) and everything. I think if they are introduced young males are ok together and females are usually good together.

 

[Grogshla]

thanks for the info

 

[Serpentess]

Here's a couple of rats I've had. These particular ratties grew old. They were euth'd to end their suffering.
That's the worst thing about having rats as pets... they don't live for long.

 

[KaotikJezta]

Here's a couple of rats I've had. These particular ratties grew old and were euth'd.
That's the worst thing about having rats as pets... they don't live for long.

I agree, I'm going to be cut when mine die.

 

[Grogshla]

really? how long do they live for?? are mice worse??

 

[KaotikJezta]

3-5 years, mice 1-2 years

 

[Indysmum]

3-5 years, mice 1-2 years

Not to correct, but from my experiences your lucky if your rat lives to 3yo. It would be exceptional to live beyond this age. I would say average 2-3years if no health problems. Mice and rats, totally different. Unlike mice, rats do not smell as much. Ofcourse any animals poop will smell if you dont clean cages. The rat themself doesnt have much smell and they are forever cleaning themselves, so aslong as you keep cage cleaned and use something like breeders choice litter there would be very little aroma.
My kids have been around rats from young age, I would say they are the best small animal pet HOWEVER any young child should be supervised for the poor animals sake. Even with my kids being used to ratties I had an incident with my son stripping one the male rats tail (BIG ouchies!!) It can happen even under watchful eyes. Kids can be evil with animals, they are just plush toys to their tiny brains.
*forget whos pic was posted, just wanted recommend to cover the wire base, or remove it and just use the plastic as base. The wire bases arent good for their feet. Plus easier to clean that yuckies stuck in wire lol