20 Fun Facts About Pet Rats | (20k Subscriber Special) 

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Moms with children are the reason I keep coming here

The Puppet Master 7! That's more then twice as much as an average rat lives to!

+springcreature298 That's so wonderful to hear!!

:(

I am sorry they are so much fun

At least you know that you aren't able to accommodate rats. Some people get pet rats anyway, and the rats don't have a great life. :)

Midnight Ember I’m so glad you don’t get them to just abandon them, that’s the mature thing to do. Hopefully you can get a few in the future

Ellen Oosterveld I can give some tips. I made a power point about them and the general cost. And also make sure you have LOTS of research

Laura Harbaugh Its not bad at all :) as long as the rats get along they shouldn't have a problem

Jess Arts no, you only need to play with them 1-2 hours a day

Naomi Clements My girls do that almost every night but then by grooming each other they say sorry. Its normal for rats to fight. Its like fighting with your siblings if they are biting and trying to "kill" each other I would separate them from each other. If not I would just let then work it out on their own just make sure nothing serious happens.

I keep my boys in two different cages. I have tried putting them together but they fight and never makeup for it. My younger rat has been hurt many times and I just don't know what to do.

Happylittlerat I every time they are together and the start to fight it always ends with blood. I have let them fight before to establish dominance but it will always end in blood.

Naomi Clements okay so I did research on what could it be phycially its probably hormones or a thyroid issue. Is one of your boys triggering it if so maybe get him nuetiered (sorry for my spelling) but I wouldn't do that if it wasn't very serious also maybe they aren't getting enough iodine. If it still happens I would keep them apart for a day to a week and then reintroduce them to each other and see if that works :)

Ninna 148 Thank you soooooo much! I hope my sweet boys will soon get along. 😁

The Puppet Master I'll check it out thanks

999tinygamer Moo! Ima cow Congrats!

I have a two tier cage, its two modified cages really. Any who, I clean their cage daily as in put their poop in the poop tray and if its full I empty it in the toilet, any stuck on poop well I clean that once or twice a week depending on smell. I also have face cloths etc for them and I change those out every 4 days so as to not have that material marinate.

No use in saying it now but it’s clear you didn’t do research since your only got one 😅

i was feeding him oxbow rat feed and seeds and nuts... and paper pulp bedding...i know every thing i was doing was fine..

Well do rats bleed when their starving? He was eating lettace and spinach while he was sick but he didnt really drink.

He could have had an upper respiratory infection. They seem to have 'bloody tears' but its actually just a big amount of porphyrin.

Probably should take him to the vet.

Annabelle Jackson if it's treated (like from a DIY shop) then yes, but if it's just a block of line from a tree then I wouldn't.

Gustaw Wytykowski THERE ALL THE WAY go to the breeder pet stores can have very sick rats they are shipped in small boxes and Can get sick and will die sooner or worse hurt you in some way so please don't get them from some place

Hillary Clinton thanks

My best advice in this case is to show them how VERY different they are from their wild counterparts. You basically need to get them to seem as far from rat-like as you can, and distance them from the idea that they would be paying to keep alive the very same animals they're trying to get rid of. Compare it to the idea that they are as different from their ancestors as a dog is from a wolf. But definitely be respectful of where they're coming from, of course. If they're telling you to back off, wait a while before bringing it up again. Show them pictures of what domestic rats look like, particularly rats with crazy coat colors, different ear types, and fur textures! Drop little facts here and there about their behavior, their intelligence, and what kinds of tricks they can learn. Compare them to other animals as much as you possibly can, and distance them from the image of their pesty counterparts. (Also make sure that they know that having pet-rats doesn't attract wild ones at all. Bringing domestic rats into your home wouldn't end up undoing all the work you've been doing to get rid of pests.) Stress the fact that they don't carry diseases, and are even cleaner than cats and dogs when it comes to personal hygiene, and physical health in general. Going off of things in this video would be really helpful as well, since there's a lot of really cool trivia to go from. (Did you know that rats have complex thought-process, and feel emotions connected to the subject of their thoughts? Rats can feel anxiety when thinking about traps and predators, or anticipation when thinking about going out and exploring or doing something that they know will be fun. Rats will often stop and contemplate things that were recently relevant, or think about what they're going to do next. Rats even dream about things they did earlier in the day! Rats can feel jealousy and annoyance, as well). If possible, show them pictures of clean, well setup rat cages. A big turn-away most people face is that when they think "rat", they picture beady-eyed pest living amongst waist and other filth, and the idea of bringing that into someone's home doesn't sit well at all with most people. But show them what an ideal cage looks like: spacious, but not in a way that takes up too much room; lots of hammocks; clean, soft bedding; cute toys and treats; bars for climbing, etc. Even tell them that they can be litter trained! Maybe add that you would spot-clean daily and do full cleaning every week. Explain that they would stay in one room, and reassure them that they wouldn't chew a hole through the wall or destroy your furnishings. (That's what the chew toys are for, after all!) If it would help, I'd say maybe agreeing to pay for most (if not all) of their supplies, if you can. That may make them more willing to let you have some if they're not the ones paying. But also explain to them how easy it is to live on a budget with rats. Aside from possible vet care, they can be very inexpensive pets to pay for if you know the right tricks. There are plenty of things that you can acquire for very little cost, and a lot of stuff you can even make yourself from stuff you already have. Even cages can be found cheaply in thrift stores and on sites like craigslist. Food bowls can be reused dishes, thrift store finds, or things you pick up in a clearance-isle. Or, you could go without a bowl entirely; scatter-feeding is a good way to keep your rats busy and engaged! Most of my hammocks are just washcloths and towels that I put holes through and string up, and cardboard boxes are always a favorite for my rats. There's so many neat ideas and tutorials shared online as well, by people who have found life hacks and budget-tricks when it comes to keeping rats. Really, the biggest thing is to try and show them how different they are. They are literally just dogs in smaller bodies, and aren't ANYTHING like their pesty relatives. They're insanely intelligent animals who can form immense bonds with their owners; they feel strong emotions and really connect with each other and with you. I really hope that you can end up getting some rats someday. Good luck!

Wow, couldn't imagine such great help in such quick response. Thank you!

It was my pleasure! I wish you luck! c:

Linsey's Pets what are your rats names

Fuzzy crew they're all girls and their names are phoebe ,beastie ,katniss ,Diamond ,Hershey thunder ,and ,Casper. 🐭

I do believe so! Just in smaller proportions because they're smaller!

Emma Walker ok, thanks!

J Playz mine does it to :) I don't think it's anything to worry about

@Georgina Lilley im aware LOL my comment was made 3 years ago

Molly it depends I hand raised my boys from birth so they are trained better then the adult girls I got

RehQwQ so pretty much you can have a white furred rat with pink eyes & it isn't necessarily albino but all albinos have pink eyes & white fur

my boys: meatball, cloudy and humbug. my girls: winter, tequila, pumpkin, gizmo, shilo, velvet, Cindy Lou who, and caydnce

Fuzzy crew remmy and hamilton

My boys are called Dibs and Pixie (:

my rats names are: Pickle, Pumpkin, and Alfredo

My boys are Ghost and Wicket and my little girl is Teacup

Ash L Like on a leash outside or what?

Ninna 148 ya

I wouldnt the leash can sometimes be to tight and it can hurt the rat. Honestly I wouldn't their are just a lot if things that could happen and I wouldnt.

Ninna 148 ok thank you! Thats what i figured but i was just checking:)

Ash L okay well glad to help 😀