Yes.. rather badly unless you don't mind the ferret smell..And they should b out of their cage more than in it.
If I ever get some they will have to have their own room.
Let us know when you get your rat, Mal.
Rats or Hamsters?
- Thread starter Angie_xx_Angie
- Start date
Yes.. rather badly unless you don't mind the ferret smell..And they should b out of their cage more than in it.
If I ever get some they will have to have their own room.
Let us know when you get your rat, Mal.
My elementary school teacher had rats as a class pet. Never bit or hurt anyone, were always friendly, never tried to escape. We used to take them out all the time and play with them. The only problem I had was that their claws tickled me, but a well trained rat will let you trim its claws if you must, and nobody else had a problem with the claws.
PS ferrets are illegal in CA.
We can't have ferrets or hedgehogs
. It's upsetting.
PS ferrets are illegal in CA.
We can't have ferrets or hedgehogs
. It's upsetting.
I've had a few rats, and they make really great pets. They are very social and they love attention. They have no trouble with perching on your shoulder all day or snuggling in your shirt. Your rat will probably NEVER bite you except if you abuse it.
I have found that females smell much less than males and they hardly smell at all if you keep their cage clean and feed them healthy commercial rodent food.
I have found that females smell much less than males and they hardly smell at all if you keep their cage clean and feed them healthy commercial rodent food.
Tifftastic
"With your powers combined . . ."
I have had rats, hamsters, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs and a squirrel. Out of all of these the most loveable and easy to care for was the rats. My rat was very social she never bit anyone or even tried, I could also leave her out of the cage and let her run around the house she would even run into her cage to urinate. The nice thing about the rats is that you can carry them around and they enjoy it. Mine would sit on my shoulder while I read and did homework. Also the females smell much less than the males.
Hamsters bite really hard and are easily startled due to not so good vision. The ones that I have had can only tolerate being out of their cage for about 20 minutes before they go on sensory overload, and cant handle it anymore. They also don't seem to adapt to daytime handling as easily as the rats do.
Just my opinions.
Hamsters bite really hard and are easily startled due to not so good vision. The ones that I have had can only tolerate being out of their cage for about 20 minutes before they go on sensory overload, and cant handle it anymore. They also don't seem to adapt to daytime handling as easily as the rats do.
Just my opinions.
Ive also owned rats for many years and always recommend them over any other rodent. They are clean, can be potty trained, they are lovable...I've never been bitten.
The only thing I didnt care for was that they do have a shorter lafespane; I was lucky enough to have all my rats live over the age of 4 years old. Another thing I dont care for is the cost of a vet, but this is expensive for any animal.
How can you resist this face?
My old rat, Silent Bob
The only thing I didnt care for was that they do have a shorter lafespane; I was lucky enough to have all my rats live over the age of 4 years old. Another thing I dont care for is the cost of a vet, but this is expensive for any animal.
How can you resist this face?
My old rat, Silent Bob
I have six rats, four girls, two boys. At one stage I had 37, as all three my females had 11 babies each, but one didn't like motherhood, so one the others got 22.
Yes, males smell more than females, but well handled or docile males will sit for hours with their owners, females not so much.
Also, you must have more than one, as rats are social creatures.
On the biting part, I can honestly say I've only been seriously bitten three times, once on the finger while I was feeding one of them thickened cream (she was a bit greedy) & the other two times on the nose when a feeding mother jumped at me (my fault really). The other two dozen times were by five teething baby rats which used my hand & fingers as a chew toy, gave their mums a break though.
Rats are a good pet of choice, for obvious reasons, cute, smart, loving, not easily spooked, etc... But they are also quite daring, sometimes to a dangerous degree, e.g I have one rat that chases the birds (tries to) & walks up to the cats when they are sleeping & bites their toes/paws, until they either hit him or run off. Just something to keep in mind.
As for the teeth being trimmed, not needed, providing you feed them on hard pellet foods which wear the teeth down, keeping in mind they still need variety, so raw veggies, like carrot, potatoes, lettuce, etc, & even dry dog/cat food is enjoyed. Cereals, grains, seeds (sunflowers, yummy
) are also good, even as a treat or energy boost. Fruit too, all rats like fruit, apples, pears, peaches, & so on.
However, do not feed them tomatoes, cabbage, garlic onions or highly acidic foods, as these can cause upset stomachs & even kill the rats.
Cheese isn't very good for them (surprise), due to its fat content, may cause health issues. Meat can be given occassionally, but may cause some to chew the ears, tail or feet off others. Boiled egg is better.
They do live on average 3 to 4 years, but they often live beyond that if taken care of. Also, rats that breed often or start at a young age will have shorter lives, but they can live longer if not bred with &/or given a long time to get back into shape.
One of my friends just lost a rat at nearly six years old.
Not very pricey, but the cages can cost a bit. Larger the cage, the better, but small cages are okay, providing the rats will be allowed out for excerise.
Careful not to get mice cages, as those are too small for two rats.
That about covers it all, one last thing. Rats are like little dogs, they will learn their names & tricks, but can also be quite loyal. My rat Rico is a good example, he'll choose me over everyone else. They can learn bad habbits though, so you must curb those asap.
Pretty sure I've covered most of it. Pm me if you have a Q.
Also, Darkngorgeous, he looks so cute, he a hooded?
Yes, males smell more than females, but well handled or docile males will sit for hours with their owners, females not so much.
Also, you must have more than one, as rats are social creatures.
On the biting part, I can honestly say I've only been seriously bitten three times, once on the finger while I was feeding one of them thickened cream (she was a bit greedy) & the other two times on the nose when a feeding mother jumped at me (my fault really). The other two dozen times were by five teething baby rats which used my hand & fingers as a chew toy, gave their mums a break though.
Rats are a good pet of choice, for obvious reasons, cute, smart, loving, not easily spooked, etc... But they are also quite daring, sometimes to a dangerous degree, e.g I have one rat that chases the birds (tries to) & walks up to the cats when they are sleeping & bites their toes/paws, until they either hit him or run off. Just something to keep in mind.
As for the teeth being trimmed, not needed, providing you feed them on hard pellet foods which wear the teeth down, keeping in mind they still need variety, so raw veggies, like carrot, potatoes, lettuce, etc, & even dry dog/cat food is enjoyed. Cereals, grains, seeds (sunflowers, yummy
) are also good, even as a treat or energy boost. Fruit too, all rats like fruit, apples, pears, peaches, & so on.However, do not feed them tomatoes, cabbage, garlic onions or highly acidic foods, as these can cause upset stomachs & even kill the rats.
Cheese isn't very good for them (surprise), due to its fat content, may cause health issues. Meat can be given occassionally, but may cause some to chew the ears, tail or feet off others. Boiled egg is better.
They do live on average 3 to 4 years, but they often live beyond that if taken care of. Also, rats that breed often or start at a young age will have shorter lives, but they can live longer if not bred with &/or given a long time to get back into shape.
One of my friends just lost a rat at nearly six years old.
Not very pricey, but the cages can cost a bit. Larger the cage, the better, but small cages are okay, providing the rats will be allowed out for excerise.
Careful not to get mice cages, as those are too small for two rats.
That about covers it all, one last thing. Rats are like little dogs, they will learn their names & tricks, but can also be quite loyal. My rat Rico is a good example, he'll choose me over everyone else. They can learn bad habbits though, so you must curb those asap.
Pretty sure I've covered most of it. Pm me if you have a Q.
Also, Darkngorgeous, he looks so cute, he a hooded?
Hows about a chihuahua try to get a hamster or a rat to wear this outfit and they look like big rats anyways
Or a
Just some thought
Luis:thm:
