Pet rats..the best pets in the world
@xKatastrophiKx (30)
August 20, 2008 6:38pm CST
I currently have two male rats, and they are completely adorable 2 year old males named Rhubarb and Custard. So adorable in fact that when I moved in with my housemate a couple of months ago she fell in love with them and now has three herself. Ond adult female named Koko and two baby females named Megatron and Pippin. We are most definitely a rat oriented household.
Not only do they make adorable pets, but they are very intelligent too. Unlike hamsters or gerbils, you can interact with rats more on the lever of a dog. If you start teaching them when they are young, they are capable of learning to come when you call their names, and learning tricks, and are always around to give you some TLC when you've had a hard day. I certainly wouldn't swap them for anything in the world, they are my little buddies=)
Anyway, I thought I would open a discussion to see if any of you out there are rat lovers, or alternatively, if any of you would like to share why you have a particular dislike for the little critters.
2 people like this
4 responses
@celticeagle (159221)
• Boise, Idaho
20 Aug 08
My daughter had several rats for pets. The baby ones are strange when first born. I think that they are intelligent. My only complaint would be the mothers are mean. I have been biten several times.
@xKatastrophiKx (30)
•
20 Aug 08
Aaw..I'm sorry to hear you've been bitten. Maybe those mothers are just feeling protective over their babies. If their babies are no longer with them and they are just generally aggressive, though, handling them a lot more will probably help. If you haven't had them since they were babies, and you haven't spent a lot of time playing with them, they may still be a little wary of human contact.
One of mine was very aggressive when I got him, but after a lot of bravery from me, he became as gentle as can be. A good tip is to put the rat on your shoulder and walk around the room or the house, so that she recognises her surroundings as alien, but you are her 'safe anchor', and she will come to associate you with feeling protected.
1 person likes this
@lindsaykaye82 (544)
• United States
27 Aug 08
if you spend a lot of time with them and show them who is boss basically they can be so sweet. I have never been bitten by a rat. Never show fear cause they can sense it!
@xKatastrophiKx (30)
•
21 Aug 08
Oooh..they are so beautiful! One of them looks just like one of my housemate's babies too!
@NonaSaile (924)
• Philippines
20 Aug 08
Hi! That's fascinating! I've known from reading, that rats are very intelligent creatures and that's how my fascination started. I also have first-hand observation that they are indeed very smart- this was a few months back where I used to live. Meanwhile, I was bitten by a rat when I was five years old, I still have the scar on my arm, but I never developed any fear or dislike of them. I love dogs, I love cats, I guess if I got to take care of a rat I would love it too! :)
@Loubeth12 (16)
• Australia
2 Apr 12
How do you train them?
My partner just got two male rats ~6-8 weeks old. Sneezey and Bandito. Guess why they got their names. :)
Anyway, Sneezey is my special favourite, he sits quietly on my lap and will only roam a short distance away when we let him out of the cage. But he panics. Poops all over the place when you pick him up and squeaks like the world is coming to an end. Bandito doesn't do this at all.
Is there any way I can teach Sneezey to climb onto my hand himself and relax when he's out of his cage? He has a great deal of fun once Bandito chases him out of his hidey holes.
