Rats!

tnokie · #1 09/23/07, 09:00 PM

Added a new member to my rodent herd this weekend. Traded for a pair of rats. I now have mice and rabbits and rats. They are out of hooded rats but the female is almost all blue-gray and the male is solid white.After getting over them being rats I really enjoy them. Anyone have any special tips or advise on raising them.

trappmountain · #2 09/25/07, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnokie

Added a new member to my rodent herd this weekend. Traded for a pair of rats. I now have mice and rabbits and rats. They are out of hooded rats but the female is almost all blue-gray and the male is solid white.After getting over them being rats I really enjoy them. Anyone have any special tips or advise on raising them.

They make really great pets. Handle them a lot. if they get out(they will find a way) they will come to you. Mice, hampsters, gerbils usually just take off, but a rat is more like a dog, they like to be with you!

Keep their area clean, give them things to climb on and chew and you are good to go. You already have rodents so you shouldn't have any problems. They just need more ppl time.

Wanted to add.... Males are usually lazy so do watch a males weight. Males make great lap dogs when you are watching tv or reading. Females are very active and love to run around.

TheBiscuitQueen · #3 09/25/07, 10:25 AM

Use shredded paper, and they like a nest like a fleece hammock or cube, but you will need to wash it weekly.

Corgitails · #4 09/25/07, 11:57 AM

If you don't have a lot of homes lined up, please don't breed. If you're planning to breed them for feeders though, I honestly wouldn't handle the babies. Rats are tons of fun and have a lot of personality for a small pet, and IMO, it's really not right to treat a feeder as a pet just to feed it to something else.

TedH71 · #5 09/25/07, 12:59 PM

Corgitails,

Yes, I did treat my mice/rats as pets and still fed them to the snakes. I found out that the albinos were declining in fertility and had what was probably the world's first gay mouse! He had 5 females who were continually flirting with him and he was more interested in eating. He got fed to the snake. Mean mice get fed first. I ended up buying colored mice. Made all the difference in the world. I fed the babies to the corn snakes (they were small at the time) and kept the ones with interesting markings. Mice really don't have much personalities but some are friendlier than others. Rats..I didn't keep them long. They were food for the ball pythons. What every animal got was excellent variety of foods before being fed to the snakes. I no longer have snakes but hope to in the future.

goat^farmer · #6 09/25/07, 01:14 PM

IMO if you go to breed rats I wish you lots of luck. A friend of mine has rats n tried to breed them n they wouldn't so they got thrown to snakes for feed n went to mice. but yea rats can make great pets alsos remember keep cage clean or they will get sick.

Corgitails · #7 09/25/07, 01:52 PM

Ted, I raise mice and do cull the less nice, unthrifty, or mismarks as feeders, but rats are significantly friendlier, and it just seems unkind to raise them as pets and then feed them to something.

kitaye · #8 09/25/07, 03:27 PM

Boil up brown rice and black soybeans as a treat for them. My boys used to go nuts when it was treat time

. The black soybeans were their favorite. Ours only lived a couple of years and I still miss them terribly. One day, we'll get a couple more.

TheBiscuitQueen · #9 09/25/07, 05:14 PM

Seems like treating rats like pets then feeding them to the snakes is really no different than having chickens or goats as pets then eating them. The animal really does not think at the end of his life...dang human...I feel so shafted....he should have just ignored me then I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up

That said, I don't think I could ever feed my boyos to a snake, or myself for that matter.

puglady · #10 10/22/07, 10:50 AM

I fed my rat pack everything we ate -- they loved leftover veggies or pizza or pasta...pretty much everything except onions and chocolate. Although, they all have individual tastes -- my favorite, a hairless male named Harry, wouldn't touch raisins for the world, but everyone else loved them. They will learn their names if you interact with them enough, and can learn tricks just like a dog. Harry would come, go to his bed on command, and knew the word "No" although he would stamp his front two feet at me just like a two-year old having a tantrum if he didn't want to obey.

I had a cage of them in my classroom and everyone loved them after the initial shrieking. Females are quicker to snap at you, though, especially with babies around. I still have scars from Mabel -- the wickedest one of all of mine. Harry was just a fat old lazy baby.