pet rats

[Lrptls]

i'm finally geting some mammal pets! i think i'v had scaley things so long i'm really wanting something small, furry and a bit more cuddly.

at my work, this lady brought in 2 male rats she couldn't care for any more and i couldn't help but hold and pet them. they are still at the pet store but i put a note on the cage for no one to sell them while i'm still thinking about geting them.

i dont know any thing about rat types but one is black and white and the other is brown with super soft fur, my friend at work called him a rex.? sad thing is, he's got some little scabs on his back and they said i may not be able to help that.

i can ask my friends at work about their basic care and needs because they have pet rats and raise feeder rats but are there some bad things i may run into with 2 males? or any other comments any one might have is great.

[capsicum]

I have never had any problems keeping 2 or more males together (actually once, with a bottle-raised male, double rex, that became too dominant after being with a female for a week).

Enjoy your fuzzbutts ;) Love to see some pics when you get a chance :D

TK

PS We currently live with a bunch of pet rats, and they are the sweetest critters we have ever had :)

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the scabs can be from mites, or they may have been given a food that was too high in protien (males need a lower amount, females slightly higher). I had a beautiful Siamese Rex that had a bunch of scabs when I got him - the shelter admitted that they fed them cat food :mad:

[Lrptls]

i'v had my 2 boys for almost a week now and i cannot keep them in their cage! there not escaping, i just can't stop holding them. they love just sitting on my sholders (one more than the other) the other really loves laying on one arm while i pet him.

i WISH i could put up pictures but have no way to right now. the black and white is Baxter and the brown rex is Jack. i dont think Jack has mites because wouldn't Baxter have them too? i think it has something to do with his skin mostly, he scratches ALOT. i think he may love me petting and rubbing him because it soothes his skin iritations or something.

i may take them to a vet soon for a check up and probably ask for something i can do for his skin.

i took them to a friend who clipped their nails for me and checked to make sure their teeth weren't too long, she use to have alot of rats and she thought they looked fine other than Jack's scabs.

ps: this may sound weird but can you put a small mammal harness on rats and leash train them?

[cjice]

I have heard of people harnessing rats and taking them for walks, CUTE!! I use to have an iguana that I harnessed when I took him outside and in the car. You could probably use the same type of harness on a rat. Good luck and congrats on your new friends!

[Youkai]

Most rats will be able to get themselves out of a harness with surprising ease. I've trained my girls not to leave my couch. So when I'm watching TV, I take them out and let them run around on the couch (and me).

<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/Youkai2/Rats/humper%26mom.jpg">

[D J N]

Wait you can keep them as pets? You sure bout that :p

[dia]

I've got a new feeder rat/pet named Breakfast. She's such a little dear! Someone brought her into my store because she was too big for their corn snake to eat [didn't go into background on where they got it] and I was about to put her in with the other rat pups when I noticed her eyes were open. Ears still closed but she sat up in my hand, looked at me and started rubbing her nose all super cute.

So yeah, I melted.

Fed her warm baby bird formula and human baby soy formula from a pipette until she was interested in solid food. She's about a month old now and growing so fast. All fuzzy and gives me licks.
I think the snakes are jealous.

[BoidKeeper]

I have 1.2 hairless rats that are pets mostly. Although they are in my rat room with the others I think them as pets and not feeders. I also have a rabbit that was born blind. I decided to make it a pet to instead of boa food.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Linds]

Lrptls,
Rats are awesome pets, and can be trained to do many things. I keep my pets on Carefresh (softwoods aren't ideal for pets, as the phenols can contribute to both respiratory problems as well as liver problems). It's a bit more expensive, but I can get away with cleaning once a month instead of weekly with other substrates. I feed them horse chunks, fresh and frozen veggies, grain preparations (whatever I'm having for breakfast, I usually make them some.. no preservatives or refined products), dried and fresh fruits, seeds, nuts, eggs, chicken scrap (bones cartilage, meat), and beef trimmings. I've rarely encountered a male that had any problems getting along with other rats of the same sex, females sometimes tend to be a bit more dominant. Nonetheless, if there were any problems, it would be evident already. All my rexes aren't very soft at all, but rather have crinkly, coarser coats.

Youkai,
I love those rats, they are just too cute! I love the pattern on the one on the right.

[Youkai]

I use aspen or yesterday's news as bedding. I find carefresh has a musty smell that I don't like at all (when they urinate on it).

Linds, the rat on the left is from AnnieB. The smaller one is the first rat's daughter. :)

I also have a himilayan and an albino dumbo eared one I just got. Same kind of ears as the two pictured.

<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/youkai2/Rats/PEWdumbo.jpg">

<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/youkai/rats/couchfun/kotorchip.jpg">

These girls are my dog replacements. My apartment doesn't allow dogs and cats. And quite frankly, these rats lick more, and are easier to train... ;)

[Linds]

That Himalayan is awesome. I'm working on making some Siamese rats usig a lynx-type male that has darker points, but not so dark that he classifies as any of the types that have points. I'm also working on creating fawn blazed rats. All my pets are currently patchwork hairless dumbos :p One runt, one that has a tiny eye, and a normal. They were given to me by a friend as weanlings because he freaked them out. I had to recently 'put down' a retired breeder a few months ago that I retained for a few years as a pet, he was just a black satin. I can see a few more rats in the near future though... I've recently started popping out all sorts of adorable little lilac and dove coloured babies in my colonies :p

How did you train your rats to stay in the couch?

Lrptls,
Another thing worth mentioning, handfeeding through cage bars quickly causes them to develop a bite reflex when fingers go through the cage bars... :eek:

[Youkai]

Well, I got all of them at young ages. If they went to the edge of the couch, I'd scratch the couch. The noise really bothered them, and they just seemed to 'know' it meant they were doing something wrong. Plus, they want to be wherever I am anyway. That's the only time the possum faced one will leave the couch, and she'll come right to me anyway.

Mine didn't get a bit reflex...they grab my fingers and lick...and lick...and lick.
My main problem is their unrelenting desire to give me a rat face wash, or run up my pantlegs. O.o

[dia]

This is my little cuteness. No idea what type she'd be considered. Hooded? [In advance, my appologies for all the scares my silly faces might give.]

She's about 2/3 weeks old in this one. Never sat still long enough for a good picture and my camera doesn't work very well either.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/petras/IM002064.jpg"><P>This was yesterday, so she's a bit over a month old now. Growing so fast!<BR><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/petras/problem.jpg"> <P>I have dwarf hands but here's a size reference. Still so tiny!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/petras/problem3.jpg">

[Vanan]

Looks like a black berkshire! Cute rat!

[Lrptls]

thanks every one for the answers and adorable pictures, i so wish i could put up pictures of my babies, i'll figure it out some how.

bad news- they have mites! my friend at the store gave me this bird spray that also works well on rats, she said use it twice, if they arn't gone after that i'm taking them to a vet.

i have them in a 20 gallon long aquarium and they are on carefresh which is expensive but i like it. i dont hand feed them but i have given them some foods by my hand (that was maybe 3 or 4 times) jack does nibble on my but i can bairly feel it.

[Linds]

Eep. Yeah definitely get those mites taken care of. There is nothing worse than getting eaten by mites... and if it will bite a rat it will bite you! :eek:

Handfeeding is fine, and a wonderful tool to bond with your rats, but for all the years I've kept rats, anytime I started routinely handfeeding them through the bars they would develop this grabby bite reflex. Now I just handfeed them by opening their cage or do it while they are out.

Good luck with your new little guys. They will become a new addiction for sure!