Anyone else here have pet rats?

Blub2k4

As the title suggests I am interested in hearing from other Irish pet rat owners and any breeders would be especially interesting to hear from.
I am not interested in smart comments from Snake owners thanks.






That's my two there, one called Albert, the blue one and Che is the black hooded.

koneko

I used to have two but had to give them up when circumstances changed (couldn't bring them with me when I was moving)

Great little pets, might get them again someday

Blub2k4

koneko wrote:

I used to have two but had to give them up when circumstances changed (couldn't bring them with me when I was moving)

Great little pets, might get them again someday

They are great alright, where did you get them if you dont mind me asking? Do you know of any good private breeders here in Ireland with pedigrees?

Our man in Havana

Hi - Is Albert a husky rat? Does his coat get lighter as he ages?

I keep & breed rats - rats don't come with pedigrees mind you. I mainly breed dumbo eared rats now days. I have included a care sheet that I have written.

Fancy Rats
Rattus norvegicus
If I had any single thing to recommend rats as pets, it would be their intelligence. Rats were virtually the last rodent I got around to keeping as a pet, I was very wary of their size and the tail! I did loads of research before I got my first rats and am now addicted to the cute, gentle and smart creatures rats are. I was surprised at how smart they were and how social they are. Most rodents will become tame on some basis, but rats honestly seem to enjoy human company and will chase strings, come when called (sometimes), and generally play in ways I was not expecting from a rodent pet. Rats have been likened to dogs for their intelligence and love for human company. Rats are very like cats, dogs and even humans in their characters some crave human contact whilst some simply tolerate it. The most beloved of all my rats was a brown and white hooded female called Lucy. I was asked to adopt Lucy by an American family who were moving back to the States. Lucy loved to spend hours on my shoulder no matter what was going on around her. On one occasion my brother came to collect me from work and brought Lucy with him, as she would not go back into her cage. When my brother walked into my office Lucy wanted to come to me, and just as I was taking her into my arms my boss walked in! he nearly died of fright the look on his face was priceless! Even if I did have a lecture afterwards! Lucy then accompanied Shaun and me into Xtravision to pick a video! Wherever we went Lucy wanted to come too so very much like a faithful dog.
Rats are highly intelligent, social animals, and although they enjoy the companionship of humans, they thrive in - and need - the company of their own species. No amount of human company can compensate for the lack of rattie companions. Although rats will usually survive if kept as single pets, pet care is not just a matter of keeping animals alive; rats will have happier and more interesting lives when kept with other rats. Rats should never live alone, and ideally should be kept in groups of two or more of the same sex. Biting, out of fear or aggression, is unusual in pet rats.
Rats become much attached to their owners, make playful, sensitive pets, and can be taught to come by name and learn a variety of tricks. Unlike many other rodents, however, rats are a fairly high maintenance pet. They need at least an hour's playtime outside their cage every day. Because they are much more intelligent than many other small animals, rats can suffer greatly if not given enough attention, free-range time, and environmental stimulation. While rats are extremely rewarding pets and will repay any attention and affection you give them a thousand fold, they may not be suitable for everyone; if you cannot guarantee to give your rats at least an hour of quality time every day, then perhaps a lower maintenance pet would be more suitable.

Feeding

Rats should be fed a good quality rat food. I use either Supreme Pet Foods Reggie Rat or Burges Supa Feeds rat food; both are eaten readily by my ratties. You can feed additional foods which will be discussed in my Safe Foods for rodents section. Rats eat a large amount of food each day, fresh water should always be available, and a water bottle is preferable and less messy than a bowl.

Cleaning & Health Issues

The cage must be cleaned weekly all food and bedding MUST be removed. The cage must be disinfected thoroughly I use Supreme Home Help Spray, Hutch Clean or Milton Sterilizing Fluid. Once the cage is dry I use wood shavings and hay, but I always put a layer of cat litter underneath the shavings this helps stop the cage smelling too quickly. Rat urine creates ammonia fumes, so a dirty cage leads to an unhealthy build up of ammonia. Cleaning the cage is also a good time to check your pet for signs of ill health, pay attention to the droppings they should be like little pellets. Soft dropping could be diarrhoea, no dropping could be constipation. The rat’s eyes should be bright and free from discharge, the nose should be clean and dry, and ears should be held erect. Signs of illness could include: Blood in the urine, soft droppings, scratching, fur loss, lumps, scabs, shivering, sneezing, weight loss and wheezing, if your rat has any of these symptoms then you should take him or her to a Vet as soon as possible. Rats should never be housed in a cage with wire shelves, rat feet are very delicate and rats can suffer with a condition called bumble foot (ulcerative pod dermatitis). , this is a painful swelling which cause considerable pain and must be treated by a vet! I use wooden shelves or solid plastic shelves.

Handling
A rat should be 8 – 10 weeks old when you buy it, they should have been handled so that they are not too scared of humans. When you get home you should allow your new rat time to adjust to its new home, speaking to it softly will help it to get used to you. After a few hours approach the cage slowly speaking softly so the rat knows you are there (rats do not have very good eye sight and may think you are a predator) place your hand inside the cage and let your rat sniff you then gently lift up your new pet by either placing your hand over the rat or you may cup both hands together and lift your rat.

Young rats are very fast and can jump very quickly; it is advisable to lift the rat just a few inches at first. Gently stroke your rat whilst speaking softly, it should soon get used to be handled and will want to come out often. Make sure your hands are clean and freshly washed before handling your rat. As I said before rats do not see very well but have an excellent sense of smell, the rat will smell any sweets etc and may try to bite your fingers hoping for a taste.

Breeding

Rats are born after 21-28 days gestation, although the normal term is 22-23 days. Rats have poor eyesight but their senses of hearing and smell are many times more sensitive than ours. Baby rat’s eyes open when they are between 13-16 days old, although they can hear and smell a few days after birth. They often start to nibble solid food as soon as their eyes open, but they still need their mother's milk until they are at least four weeks old. As with all mammals, mother's milk is the best food for young rats - they should not be weaned from the mother, or fed milk substitutes/animal formula, without good reason. Their bodies are designed to thrive on rat milk, not cat formula! There is no need to offer soft weaning foods; unlike human babies, young rats have teeth and can gnaw from the moment they start to eat solids. They do not need purees.
Rats normally leave their litter at 6 weeks of age; they are fully weaned from their mother at 4-5 weeks, but benefit greatly from staying with their breeder and being socialised until 8 weeks, since the period from 2-6 weeks of age is a crucial stage in the rat's mental and social development. It is important that rats are allowed to stay with their litter until this age, and the UK's National Fancy Rat Society (NFRS) does not allow baby rats to be sold through its shows or register before they are six weeks old.
A rat usually become fertile between 5-12 weeks of age, but does have been known to get pregnant as young as 3 1/2 weeks. This is only an issue if young does are introduced to older males who can mate with them; their litter brothers will not become fertile until after 5 weeks of age. If litters are not separated by sex at 6 weeks old, some does are likely to be pregnant. We are aware that most rat books say that does do not become fertile until 8 weeks old, but unfortunately, many baby female rats have not read the books, and get pregnant a lot younger than this! Such early pregnancy places a great strain upon the mother and her babies; please don't take the risk.
Rats grow rapidly until they reach 12-14 weeks. After this, the growth slows down but they continue to fill out until they reach six months of age. Adult bucks usually weigh 400-700g, does around 200-500g. As long as a rat has been handled as a youngster, it will bond to you no matter how old it is when you first get it. Rats usually live for around two years, although some make it to three and beyond. A big cage, other rats for company, a healthy diet, and lots of exercise is the best way of making sure that your rats have a long, happy life.
Written by Faye Pleydell-Stedman

Stark

Awww, they're so cute. Rats are very misunderstood creatures, any time anyone hears mention of "pet rats" they immediately think of sewer rats or something and start mouthing off about how disgusting they are

We have 2 hamsters at the moment, you couldn't call them "social" like the way Bond-007 describes his rats. One doesn't come out of the cage at all, one will come out when you open the cage but it's purely a break for freedom. He'll tolerate being held in your hands as in he won't react fearfully like the other one, but at the same time he won't be willing to stay put.

Blub2k4

Hi Bond, it would indeed appear that Albert is a husky rat, we had noticed that he was getting lighter as he got older but we did not know the terminology for the colouration.

Our man in Havana

There is a possibility that Albert was bred by myself - I don't breed them anymore as I love the dumbos more but husky's are lovely - where did you get him?

Blub2k4

I got him in city pets in Dublin on Talbot St.
His temperament is fantastic, he is so friendly and loyal like a puppy.

tovalee

I have 2 boys. they're not pedigree or anything( one hooded and one albino) but they're the sweetest things. I love them, they're so smart and friendly.But im having a hard time keeping them at healthy weight as they get a little older. I try not to feed them too much, but they keep wearing me down. Stupid cute rats!

Blub2k4

Tovalee I have recently got the Burgess Supa-rat as I found that I was feeding them too much or at least didn't really know the amounts to be feeding them until I got the proper food, now they get 35g of this stuff a day between them and very little apart from that.

tovalee

blub, do you give them any treats? i usually give them one or two blocks of the rat food twice a day, then i give them some sort of fresh veggie ,lettuce,spinach or frozen peas(they REALLY like frozen peas!). But they know where i keep the sunflower seeds and if im letting them run around ,they go right to the drawer where i keep them and sniff around and look so cute its hard to resist giving in. I think its the sunflower seeds making them fat

Blub2k4

It probably is the sunflower seeds alright, mine love them too. I have them on this supa-rat a week now approximately and I notice weight loss in Albert already, he was becoming a bit of a porker as I was free feeding them. I give them maybe one or two things called rollis which are a food supplement for gnawing animals and I split a yoghurt drop between them daily so that is all they get apart from their proper feed, they dont get many treats at all. lol they are cute innit.