@Emiology I wish my folks took the time to inform themselves about rats before they got me on when I was a kid at age 11. I only got one, so she must have been lonely (I didn’t know that they should be in pairs at least), and I couldn’t play with her as much as I wanted, because I ended up being allergic (her nails always caused my skin to break out with itchy hives). Worst of all, I didn’t even know the difference between male and female rats as a kid, so I named my female rat “Mister!” Hahaha. It wasn’t until we went to put her to sleep (poor thing got a huge cancerous tumor in her belly) that the vet asked me why did I name her ‘Mister’ when it was a female? Lol. He taught me about balls then and I felt so bad that her whole life had been a lie! She was a fun pet indeed though - but I REALLY wish my parents were more involved. I also feel bad that we didn’t put her to sleep sooner than we did (like I said; I was only a kid, so I didn’t realize she was very ill until she couldn’t even move around because the tumor got so big. : ( I balled my eyes out at the vet’s when we put her down. She made it to the typical 2.5 year mark. Good video - I hope others do take the time to educate themselves with a video like this before they get a rat!
On my first day seeing a rat is 9/2/2020 Wednesday a mice i mean a little rat it was scared so i gave it a spanish bread but i’m still afraid of may i still take care of a rat?
I actually take comfort in the sound of my rats playing at night. doesn't bug me a bit. even when its dark and im trying to sleep, I can just imagine them running around and I smile.
I had a pet female rat, Darcie. Everytime I held her she licked and licked my hand was so sweet. When she died, I could not stop crying. They arent just pets all they want is love.
I was afraid my boyfriend was allergic to our rats because his eyes kept watering next to them but it's actually because he loves them so much that it's always making him cry haha
As former rat owner, I say the first step is don't underestimate a rat's intelligence. Edit: Sorry if I labeled their intelligence as a negative, because they highly trainable and fun to have around.
I found tons of videos of them being trained to do different tricks about a year or so ago and it was really surprising to me at the time because I didn't know this was a thing. I also found a lot of articles about their intelligence and them learning things over the last, like, year. Like, scientists trained them to drive tiny cars, apparently.
My mom is letting me get rats so ive been watching a whole bunch of videos about them (update: ive had my babies for about 5 months now, they are two little girls, their names are Peaches and Cream. i love them so much)
@꧁༒ ๓iคh The ຟolf Girl 【&】 Rσxy The Pitbull༒꧂ they can be perfectly fine together I had group of males and a group of females. No problems. I they love each other's company..
@@blanca4802 damn. BTW i kept a single female rat for 5.5 years she was an awesome pet. They really can be potty trained I would leave the cage open when I came home from work and she would not go potty outside the cage. It is better to keep multiples but if you play with them and keep them company they'll be fine as a single pet. They do destroy carpet and stuff so you need to keep them.occupied and well fed. But if you are kind to them they'll be happy. You should splurge on a cage most petshops have smaller ones I went out of my way bought a huge one on amazon my girl had almost 3 yrs w me..... No regrets on my side. Now Im gonna get a pair of females this year again...
Rodents are excellent "study buddies" because of their high energy needs but easy level of care and affordability. I found that my grades improved because they kept me on my toes trying to keep them busy. They make excellent roommates because a short play session can be combined with nighttime studies, which kept me less anxious during the day at school, but anxious enough to wonder how they were doing at home. Also, cleaning chores kept me from being irresponsible or depressed.
@@DemezaBC They won't chew the furniture, but be careful when leaving them on sheets or blankets because they could chew through the fabric. I had a couple over seventeen years ago, one of them chewed through a blanket
I had wild bunnies I bottle fed as babies (their best got destroyed and their mom abandoned them) and I used a beany cap, cut a hole in itc ran a shoe lace through and wore it like a manpurse lol, kept them on my person for 2 weeks while I bottle fed them every 3h, hoping with a rat I can do basically the same, but without the bottle feeding lol
They are in a lot of ways, but they have a bacteria in their lungs that attacks them basically whenever they get sick, so a basic cold can turn into a respiratory emergency really fast
When you bathe a rat you wash away it's natural oils so it's body produces more which in turn creates more smell so the more you wash a rat the more they smell because their body is pretty much going I just created all this oil where did it go so it creates even more
Girls rule 5960 same aplies to hamsters. hamsters might even die from sress cuz of water bath. you should only give hamies sand bath. sry for my bad english
I've been caring for rats for about 19 years. This list is great! My biggest add on would be how tumor prone they are. I find that people aren't prepared for the cost of tumors which pop up frequently and grow quickly. Otherwise, excellent list! I am so happy to see younger people promoting RESPONSIBLE pet ownership! :)
What's the general course of action when it comes to tumors in pet rats? Are they often able to be removed or have you found that generally its just left alone until the rat naturally passes or has to be put down? I'd like to get pet rats in the near future but as a uni student, I'm not sure how many surgeries my budget could afford haha.
I recently got two rats and been bonding with them. One will even let me pick it and and I can fall asleep with it on my bed and don't have to worry about him running off. The second one I'm worried about. He doesn't like to interact with my other rat, he sleeps alone, and he is still so scared of me, gets worried, and won't accept treats from me. Any advice would be much appreciated
@@devonwesleyhahnkurkowski840 I'm in the same boat unfortunately. Need ANY help I can get. One problem is I followed the pet shops advice (there are no local breeders within a 30mile+ radius of where I live) and bought a big cage. What they didn't tell me is that it would be impossible to get to them and 2 weeks on I still haven't been able to handle them! One does come and get treats from me but unfortunately that's all so far. I'm trying but I NEED HELP. ANBODY???
Deborah Lancaster this is random but you said you’ve had lots of rats and I have a question, answer if you can, if not I understand 💘 So I have 3 rats that I’ve had for a year, I just heard about hantavirus, and other things rats and other rodents can give you, would they have given me it already if they could, or can they just not? I got them at petco and I know I should have went to a shelter or a rescue or something but still. I’m just worried I’m gonna get something, and they have a lot of poop behind there cage that I have to clean up and I’m worried that when I do it could give me something. They’re healthy and I love them, I’m just worried
YaGoonie ! We have 3 rats and it’s just like any other animal. If you keep their areas tidy and clean often, there will be no foul odors in the house. When we have new people over they are surprised to see cats because they thought they could smell a felines house. Again, as long as you do your due diligence and clean their litter, odors are non existent. Cheers!
Bro O_o i haved one free room in my house so i bought much things for rats and..... I bought 20 rats O_o so i needed to watch this because one of them died after 5 days ;-;
I work with rats at my new job and they're such sweethearts.. Basically the perfect pet in my eyes. A lot smarter than people realise, they can predict what'lI happen after they've seen it once and pick up on queues really quickly. They're also cuddly and a lot sweeter/less nippy than other rodents. I really want a group when i move into a place that allows pets.. Can't wait!
*Theresia * i had 26 at one point. Beautiful. It’s so rewarding to see them in a group, always with a friend, always at least one that wants a cuddle or to play with you. I love rats so much. My two older sons grew up with rats from a very young age.
Just be aware that rats have short lives and they can get sick very easily. My sister's rat Lily died of Pneumonia, and it was horrible watching a little bit of her die each day. She was depressed, she was having trouble breathing and she literally wouldn't eat anything. Not even peanut butter which when she wasn't sick, she would normally lick all of it off my finger. Sorry to be so depressing, but otherwise rats are adorable, soft and VERY cuddly!
I'm so confused why when I look on the shelter sites there are dozens of rats, more than any other pet, that have been abandoned. Why are people buying them without research. Smh.
Some people may not realize how much of a responsibility rats actually are, or they may not be able to afford vet bills, as they could've underestimated how frequently they fall ill
Same with rabbits. They release them as if they can live out in the wild smh! Makes me so fucking furious! They get them as cute little cuddle buddies for kids and then realize that they SHOULD have done research. Can't stand these morons, especially moronic parents, that get animals just to throw them outside or in a pound. I have four sweet rabbits, all rescues. I'm against breeding. Our recent two were brought to the shelter when they were around ~ 1 years old. They were sitting in that tiny pound cage for 4-5 years. Makes me so angry and sad.
Rats are so much nicer pets than hamsters or gerbils. They are so affectionate and don't bite like hamsters and gerbils. The only problem is their short life span.
I've kept rats on and off since I was 7 years old. Some of the best most loving pets I've ever had! They learn their names, tricks, etc. And if you take good care of them they bond with you VERY deeply. Edit: my mom was PISSED when my stepdad got me my first rat the year after I was traumatized by my very last hamsters. She HATED rats, but she absolutely fell in love with them! I'd often come home over the years to find one or more of my rats quite happily perched on her shoulder while she was doing dishes, laundry, etc. Those little buggers would jump up to 6 feet from her shoulder to mine when I'd walk in the door and they'd hear my voice!
I think the biggest con of owning rats is how short their life expectancy is; they can worm their way deep into your heart and then in a blink they’re old! Great and very fair list! Looking forward to more care videos x
Absolutely; my four are 1/4 of the way through their expected lifespan. I hope they exceed expectations. At least for us we have their love and memories captured on RU-vid
Rattatea I got two boys Peanut and Milo, only around 9 months Milo got a tumor that couldn't be operated on and it grew to fast and had to be put down. Peanut was so upset, after a short while I got another Raven, and they couldn't be happier together. Peanut accepted Raven like he was his brother. It's just ridiculous how short there life expectancy is, truly isn't fair.
Once my females were litter box trained, they stopped dribbling. Most males scent mark. Regardless of training. Lol I feel like females are more considerate...lol
I brought a rat into the house some years ago. My boyfriend was extremely angry and threatened to kill it or let it go when I was at work... the 2-3 days after the rat arrival, I was awoken to him playing with her. Needless to say he got severely attached to her and the rest was history! She went everywhere with us as much as possible. She was potty trained and awesome! She was also able to roam around our bed with the cage open all night. She would sleep on the pillow between us every night. I know they are supposed to be nocturnal, but when I say she knew it was our bedtime, she would make herself right at home with the pillow ( kind of like a nest bed ) and boggle the eyes and grind her teeth. Then after that, she would go right to sleep with ( on/in the pillows nest) between us all night. The only time she would move was to get in her cage to eat, drink and or use the lavatory. She was such an amazingly smart rat. Also she LOVED car rides.
Appreciate the honesty. I’m a light sleeper, I’m hypersensitive to scents and odors, and I don’t take kindly to the idea of critters chewing up and or pissing on my clothes. It’s for similar reasons I don’t have a dog. Guess it’s just houseplants for me : )
Y/N Min I just had to get use to the noises. Wish I would’ve learned about this awhile ago. But they’d probably find a way to keep me up at night anyways 😂
Instructions not clear, I have summoned the rat king from a pentagram and now its pointing a gun at me begging for cheese, My 11 month old flip flops, and a can of 1990’s Pringles
I've been in this situations before. All you need to do is grab the 1990's Pringles and subract 2 pandas from the ratatouille, whilst chewing hubba-bubba :)
#7 is super true. I have this weird trend going on with my rats where none of them like being handled until they hit 2 years old and then suddenly they're all about being held and giving kisses.
My girlfriend and I are getting rats!! We're getting them from a breeder and they were just born a few days ago and we can't wait to meet the little guys. Your videos are so easy to follow, interesting and informative. Thank you for making these! :)
@@allu8237 I'm sorry to hear that 😯 but thank you for the info . I just had my dog pass away recently and I don't think I could handle getting attached to another animal that would more than likely end up getting sick and passing
The best part for me is that actually. I work night shifts and sleep on daytime. They play with me on evenings when I wake up and a little on mornings before I go to bed. They sleep in their cage all day. They are rather nocturnal creatures, rats. So my schedule is optimal for having them.
#1 do not buy rats at a pet store. Do not support rodent farms! Find a reputable breeder who is responsible about breeding. You are not "saving" them if you buy them at at pet store. You are just supporting rodent farms, where they literally breed a female to death this go's for all rodent. They are the same if not worse than a puppy mill. You can adopt from a animal shelter, but you will need patience to break any bad habits like bitting or fear.
Amen! To anyone who see's this comment, please go and watch my video titled 'Where should you get rats from' I've included photos of rodent Mills and information of why you should not get any small animal from a pet store!
another good place to get a rat is craigslist or a local website similar to that! people are more likely to post an ad about wanting to get rid of their rats they dont want, most likely at a small fee, too! im talking to a girl who is willing to let me adopt her two rats for $20! if you do choose to do this though, make sure you know why theyre getting rid of the rats, are the rats used to handling, etc etc. dont jump on an offer, do your research!
I live in Canada so driving an hour is nothing and I would gladly drive that to find a breeder, but I'm talking 14+ hours to find the closest reputable rat breeder. There are none at all in the Atlantic provinces that I know of.
I miss my ratties. Dont underestimate how energetic and intelligent they are. I had to rehome mine because I didn't have enough time to give them the attention and enrichment they needed. They're beautiful creatures and I hope to have them again one day when I have more time to focus on them.
I was thinking about getting a rat before I saw this video. Since I can't really afford a bunch of vet bills I think it's best that I don't adopt rats. Thank you so much for posting this video!
Not really a need to shovel out money for vet bills on rats. A vet is just going to tell you the things you can easily find out, and treat, online. They live 2-3 years anyway. If a rat needs anti-biotics for an infection, you can just buy Tetracycline for cheap, without a scrip. That saved one of my boys life when he had what is essentially rat pneumonia. Let the little buggers have fun. Love 'em and give them good care (i.e. everything she says in the video, aside from shoveling out for vet bills).
@@darklion53 the main thing stopping me is vet bills but i guess a good thing to take into consideration is that we have so many more resources at hand now where we can research what's wrong with them but I also would be scared to misdiagnose them or something happens that they die quickly :(((
This is awesome ( but not bc you want babies) that you are being responsible and know that right now isn't the best time for you to own rats and / or animals. So thankful that their are people like you out there.
This post was made very long ago. But I’m here to say this. Idk about you but vets near me won’t even look at a rat to diagnose it. I’ve owned a bunch of rats throughout my life(9 rats)(not all at once) and I took my first one to a vet and they wouldn’t look at her. So I went 9 rats with never seeing a vet and they all did fine. If they are in pain put it down.. that simple. I also hunt so “putting it down” is easy for me
I learnt number 11 after I got my girls, my mum was allergic and sadly we had to give them to the shelter. It was the best choice for them and they have a lovely home now! I will definitely get some ratties when I leave home, as I was not allergic!
This was extremely helpful to me. My four year old daughter really wants a couple of rats. I'm not sure after watching this video that it's such a good idea. I can see us buying them, and then not wanting to keep them after a few days of marking, shedding, noise, and smell. The only place we could keep them is in her bedroom. Thanks so much for being thoughtful about this! Big help.
Rats are a great pet for kids. Don’t let a bit of pee put you off. Unlike mice they don’t just pee on everything as they walk around, but will have some accidents here and there. I’ve had dozens of rats and never known one to walk around marking everything. We sit on a sheet on the couch, have a play, a cuddle. We had an old play pen at one point which we’d use to sit in and have alone time. Personally I don’t let mine free range because they will haul up somewhere and shred something that belongs to you, but for at the cage open play time or sitting on the couch or something (my boys used to take ours into our enclosed trampoline) they’re great. They don’t ask much, don’t cost much, are adorable, full of personality and sweet and loving.
I don't want to encourage anyone to get a pet or not. But i do think rats are a better pet for adults or older kids. Even as an adult i managed to step on one of my girls. Another time i was trying to open the cage and made another rattie fall off of something really hard. They were both fine but it was traumatizing for all of us. Really terrible. If you get girls and don't fix them they can get pyometra. My favorite girl died from it even though i spent hundreds of dollars to get her surgery. I spent thousands of dollars in vet bills for my babies. They're so small and so vulnerable and usually you have to pay more because you have more than one (hopefully 3 or more) and they're "exotic." Most places won't do litter pricing like they might with puppies. So getting a girl fixed is like $350 where i live. If you wait too long then they lose a lot of the protective benefits of getting fixed (like with cancer and tumors). I had a huge cage for them but didn't want them stuck in there all the time so eventually they had free access to my whole bedroom and they damaged a lot of my stuff. I had to move a lot of stuff to other rooms. It was a constant struggle to find solutions to keep them from damaging my stuff. Even if you keep them in the cage most of the time they will escape at some point and the room has to be safe. Like i had to get coroplast to cover the walls in some places because one of my rats liked to go behind furniture and peel the top paper layer off of the drywall. One liked to pull up the carpet, fiber by fiber. I glued it back in individually (it took a couple hours and it was painstaking) and she liked the smell of the glue as well so she pulled up the patch i made. She got under a bookcase and wouldn't come out, ate a huge hole in the carpet 12" from the wall near the bedroom door. She also liked to crawl up to my arm at night when i was sleeping and bite me one time then run away before i realized what was happening. They were fantastic pets but even though i am willing to change my entire lifestyle for my pets it was kind of a shock to me how much work it was to have a good space for them and take care of them. Like I went on vacation and it cost over $300 to have someone watch them. They charge per rat, not per cage, even if they don't play with them or anything. Every little thing has dollar signs and teeth marks on it. They chewed through live electrical cords more than once. Just... They're a lot of work ETA and i know you don't have to let them free range... But if you're like me you will eventually. They're happier when they can explore. They are adapted to running around. And if a kid is in charge of them they will almost certainly get out at some point and do damage or eat something unsafe so you have to rat-proof the area whether you let them run around or not. Like i had to get rid of my desk because they could climb up the legs of it. They're smart and amazing athletes. $$$ lol
i had rats when i was 14, and i loved them so much. one of them died when he was a couple months old due to a respiratory infection, so i got a new one to keep my other one company. they both lived for close to 2 years. i am graduating this spring, and ive decided that over the summer before i start my classes ( at a nearby community college) im going to get rats again. I love having them and im so excited to have them again
My 6yo son begged for a mouse, and at first I was shocked, but after doing much research we found a breeder and had a sweet little boy mouse join our family. He ended up being an absolute darling, and I fell head over heels in love with him. So much so, that after he eventually passed (we still miss him dearly), my husband surprised me with a pair of girls of my very own 🥰. They live super spoiled lives in a big cage next to me in our bedroom, and get to keep me company when I’m working from home (even making the occasional zoom meeting appearance, haha). I love our little mice family so much, and I already know rats are now in our future. Thank you for videos like this, your channel has been a fantastic source of knowledge and inspiration! ♥️
My freind is a dog owner and had a rat problem at his house he said he tried live trapping as many as possible and taking them ridiculously far away in groups but many stopped going for the live traps, so he had to buy Electronic Kill traps and he was explaing how he felt really uneasy doing that. he also mentioned “its like killing really ugly dogs and i dont like it”.
you were more than honest in your list: I had to cut the hood off my hoodie after the girls pulled it into their cage and nested in it; turned it into a hammock for them..... don't miss the hoodie; will ALWAYS remember/miss my girls~
It's really interesting how learning the negative side of getting a rat (or any other pet) can make you take it more seriously. I haven't researched getting one yet (I planned on getting one after I move in October, so I have time) but I feel INCREDIBLY relieved to know upfront some of the things I need to take into account, especially that I need to get them in groups! It would've been horrible to adopt just one rat and not know until later that it's lonely all 'cause of me...
My rats never peed or pooped out of the cage. I used to bring my little lady around town and that was 30 minutes away. She would hold it till we got home. RIP Abigail, Abbie and Amy. I have just welcomed misery to my heart. She is much more nurvous than the others but very sweet and she sure peed all over when I brought her home yesterday but not today! Yay! Slow and steady with rats and they are smart and will eventually learn to trust you.
I think it's important to know that rats are counted as "exotic pets," and as such, a lot of vets don't know how to treat them. This can mean a vet will do anything from refusing care to making you pay for their guess work. When I call around to vets I ask how much experience they've had in treating rats. Currently there's no vet in comfortable distance that can treat my rats for a suspected lung infection with certainty. About the video though, other than my last point I think it covered a lot of really great things in one easy video. I got my girls back in September 2017 and I wish I had this video back then.
Completely agree. Not every vet has an expert on 'exotics' which they are classed as. I didn't know this when I got my ratties and I learnt the hard way. What a joy my little furry babies were - they lived 2 years and are now playing together in rattie heaven 😊😊😇😇 xX
Exactly. I'd suggest that anybody call around to ask for visit prices and things like that before getting rats. If you have 3 and they all have a respiratory infection (pretty likely they'll all get it), it can be like $500. Getting 3 females fixed can be over $1000
When i had my ratties I wasn't doing very well so I really needed them. Even when I wasn't playing with them, I was sewing them hammocks or cubes to hide in
Watching this with my ferret fallen asleep on me, that being said I'm not really ever planning on getting rats but I love your videos and there's no harm in getting educated about them
It's 12 am and I was finally about to fall asleep and my two baby rats just woke up. All I can do is laugh😂 first night of owning them and I can already tell lack of sleep is coming my way.
I’m slightly allergic to rats but still own them. When they scratch me I get really itchy. It’s doesn’t stop me. My mom and dad are too but it doesn’t stop them from holding them either. Also my mom is allergic to cats but she’s owned them her whole life. We love animals too much and suffer through the allergies. 😂😂😂 (our allergies aren’t severe so don’t worry)
@@elimaheu3788 I am allergic to cats and rats. I baught a cool outdoor home made rataterium as having the 3 inside caused me laboured breathing. Now they are outside at the front door in conservitory I can handle them daily but am not too close to their cage all day, I wear a mask when cleaning it. Its all working well.
Sasha Lenka, I am wanting a rat, I currently have gerbils, and I'm going to get rats after they pass- I'll have a whole 3 years of research under my belt when that happens!
The destroying thing... Got my 3 girls a hammock for christmas, they really liked their old one and used it for a few months before they chewed it up too much.. this new one they didn't use and chewed it up in a week...
My rats lived for 3 yrs. I miss them so much. They really are cute and intelligent. They love to roam free and explore if you are considering getting them. It is heartbreaking that they don't live as long as we want them too. ❤
my friend is somewhat of a rat expert, and she has had rats for a long time, and helped me get my first rats! she recommended your channel, and this video particularly is very very helpful! thank you so much 🙏🏻
I miss the rats I had in college. Some of the most rewarding pets I've ever owned. One of the boys used to want to hold onto your finger while he ate and the other would groom your hand and nuzzle into it. I miss them both very much.
Me too. I would eat popcorn while studying and they would crawl up my legs get a piece then runoff to the middle of the room and eat it and come back for more
It's amazing that you felt the need to make a video since you motivated so many people to buy rats. You are awesome! It is true that people buy pets without thinking, just because they see something cute on the internet. I myself did the same thing and even though I regretted buying my pets in the beginning, I learned how to compromise, take good care of them and give them everything they need. Now I love them to death :)
3:46 I also would like to add "if you dont want to have to buy new bedding for them constantly or just wanna make it easier so you dont have to do as much just use cloth (preferably fleece)
My sister had a two girl rats and when she went to school to different city, she left them at home. Her room was on second floor while we kept rats on 1st. One day rats somehow managed to get free and we were searching for them till I somehow thinked to go to 2nd floor and I found them in my sister bed sleeping 😂 so cute and smart plus our stairs on 2nd floor is not usual ones, they are harder to climb.
I did not know about the porphyrin! I'm so happy I watched this video because I was freaking out and about to take my boys to the vet. It's not excessive but there was a tiny bit of orange splatters where they sleep and I thought it was blood. Thank you for sharing your 20 things you should know. I had 2 males when I was a teen and our family just got four males and a critter nation enclosure. We love all our ratties. :)
It is a sign of stress though, so you should keep an eye out as to what may be causing the stress! A stressed rat is a sick rat, generally speaking. Any significant reduction in their immune system (e.g. stress or fighting off disease caused by a poorly ventilated cage) can result in a mycoplasmic infection, which can be quite fatal. All rats have it (except for a very small few that are essentially kept in a glass cage in a lab for their entire lives), it's just usually kept in check by the immune system.
Leslie Buenrostro mine is a male as well and i was wondering how to tell their age ik mine is at least a couple mouths i got him when he is was super tiny
I thought they until I begged mine heheh now I have two Rattie boys you will get them soon don’t worry it took my mum months to actually allow me them :)
Super helpful!!! Got a stash of money waiting now and vet on speed dial 😂. Just got 4 rats and looked for this video because someone reccomended your channel, this is to helpful for anymore words haha
I've owned rats and everything you've touched on is 100% accurate. My little guy had run of my living room a couple times a day and luckily never destroyed anything lol but the female was a hyper destructive nightmare! I lucked into a fixed male rescue and he was amazing, I miss him so much.
I’m really glad you made this video and mentioned the viral ones - a lot of people get pets on a whim and don’t realize that the popular videos are only a piece of the puzzle and that owning a pet requires more responsibility than some people think. Love the info you brought to the table!
@@dmullz100 well I can't exactly say yes or no because they're life span is getting longer, but in my rats case I would say it was. I had many of them to this date and non of them lived that long. But I would say that with a good care and health they can live longer than expected 😊
I had rats for six years, and am now not getting any more for awhile, because they are such emotional rollar coasters, and have a lot of experience with them, dont know why im here. Good advice though!
@@mrjingles4311 Sounds like you got the wrong cage. That's your fault. And your response was fucking evil, man. Let alone your lack of remorse. Seek professional help.
I hade 3 albino rats before (all boys and both from same litter) , and I didn’t really know them much because I was aboutish 8, and at that age I didn’t have the knowledge of owning any pet, but now 4 years later, I am planning on becoming a proper rat owner again, great knowledge!
I had a crazy rat named Grace and she lived to be 5 years old. Her death was so sad cause it felt like she lived forever and I find it astonishing she did live that long.
Thank you for this! My Daughter recently became interested in a pet rat and this helped her understand the responsibility involved. She's rethinking the idea 😅🐀🤯💖
This has definitely helped me with knowing more about them. I was looking up about rats, and this video came up. I'm glad I watched it has made me want them more. I plan on getting rats when I move in with my boyfriend.
"It means that they're happy" OMG THANK YOU MINE KEPT DOING IT WHILE LOOKING AT ME and she's been very sick (still hasn't recovered she's on second treatment now doing inhalation, finger crossed) and I thought she had something more going on. I've been so scared of being a bad dad (I don't have much money to buy toys that keep getting destroyed (THEY FCKING EAT PLASTIC NO ECLIPSE STOP YOU'RE GONNA DIE) and they don't play with the rest of the stuff) and my cage isn't exceptional. It's supposed to be a rabbit cage it's long not high and the bars are 3 times too wide but for some reason they never leave it it's literaly opened 24/7 apparently it means they like it here so I'm happy to see that she's actually happy.
@@dainah105 Rockingham Western Australia. Pet shops aren't allowed to sell pet rats here probably because there's wild rats in the suburbs here. I know u can't keep pet rabbits in Queensland but I didn't know about ferrets in NT.
I got my two female rats about a week ago, they're pretty scared of me right now, but we're making progress. I just got them a 4 story rat mansion cage. They're adorable, but I did notice the smell right away. I'm hoping once they learn to use litter trays, it'll be much much easier to clean and manage the smell. I just really don't want my guests or family to think I don't care enough to take care of the smell. Plus my boyfriend will be watching them for me while I visit my grandmother and I'm worried the smell will be a problem. I'll just have to see, I've wanted rats since 8 years old, I'm 18 now, and very happy with my pals
I was at the pet shop in my town and the work came up to me when i was looking at dogs and started talking about rats. I didnt even consider getting a rat but she convinced me by telling me a lot of cool things about them. Now im educating myself more so i can get some. She did tell me about the pairs.
You’ve inspired me to get rats, but I have done a lot of research. I’ve had them for a couple years and now I only have one left. For my 11th b day (next month) I’m going to get some more! I’m so excited! I love your channel and again, I have done loads of research and have read a rat cafe book over and over! Love your channel! 😊
I got a rat for the first time while in the service because I couldn't have a dog at my friend's house on base. She was an amazing first rat! She was super social, she knew her name, came to a certain noise and went everywhere with me riding in her fanny pack at my waist (hey don't judge it was the late 80's early 90's 😂) Many nights she slept under my chin and loved baths, used her litter box 90% of the time, and was surprisingly clean. She lived a long, long rat life, a little over 7 years. Toby was the best!
I had a female back about 8 years ago she was vary lazy and cuddly she didnt want to learn anything didnt like to play she just liked to hang out in the top corner of her 3 level cage or in my lap. Also idk if this is normal but I knew that I needed 2 of them and I wanted to get 2 males the pet store had no idea how to tell the gender of the rat so they ended up giving me a male and a female and she killed the male one night then a few weeks later my friends told me she was a female
+Emily Wallhead so sorry for your loss 😞 When one of my boys died unexpectedly we moved the other boys cage into the room to be with us all of the time and gave him extra attention however we got him some new friends ASAP and he's no longer depressed 😊
I had rats when I was a teenager but I haven’t had them in a long time and I will be adopting 3 from a shelter soon so I wanted to watch some updated info. Thanks for taking the time to make this video!
This is fantastic! I've known that I wanted rats since about the 6th grade, when somebody brought theirs to a Halloween party and she snuggled into the wig I was wearing. Talk about love at first sight!!! I'm in a dorm currently so no rats yet, but as soon as I finish college I plan on adopting two girls. I knew a fair amount of the things you mentioned, but I'm SO thankful you talked about the vet bills and porphyrin. I'll definitely be saving a good chunk of money for the vet before I buy them and watching out for illnesses very carefully. I only wish they lived longer :(
Me and my sister are planning on getting rats (one each), and I have been spending days researching them, so I can be as prepared as possible. Pity about the short life-span and health problems, because they seem pretty smart.
rats are exceptionally smart. If you keep their cage clean, and provide a proper diet, and keep them from getting stressed, they should easily make 2 years, probably closer to 2.5, which seems to be a healthy average lifespan from my experiences. It's rare to see them make 3.
We have three full grown rats now (one for each child of our family), and we love them so much! They're all sisters but my rat (Pichu) is really buff for some reason. I honestly don't know why, but she's healthy so it's all good.
