RATS!!!

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They're a PRETTY GREAT PET.

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>>2180253
These cages lasted all of a day before being utterly destroyed, by the way.

They're all in temporary indoor cages right now because of the cold weather, but I'm gonna do another big themed thing when they go back out.

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I hope nobody minds the mini-dump. I only just found this folder again.

>>2180257
That's a lot of rats. They're fucking adorable.

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>>2180262
Should have another litter in a couple of weeks, too! My line has been notorious for huge litters - That particular litter pictured was 17.

>>2180254
holy fugg that's adorable. I can't imagine doing so much work only for it to get destroyed.

they're very cute, I wish I was one of your rats o3o

Would anyone here know where to get rats in eastern idaho? There's no local pet stores and boise, the only place with local stores is 4 hours away. I know petsmart or petco can order them but I wouldn't want to give them that business.

OMG! Baby rat siblings in the store were wrestling when I walked by! 2cute4me

>>2180332
Craigslist or google to see if there's any ratteries nearby.

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These are my girls, Cosette and Èponine.

>>2180270
You breed rats? For pets?

>>2180253
I was warned against using cedar popsicle sticks, as fucking awesome as they are for building huts with glue for your rodents, I stopped using them. The upside? Aspen popsicle sticks exist and they're relatively cheap but you might have to go online for them.
The cedar is more of a worry for mice but I still would get sticks made out of different wood if you haven't.

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My friendliest rat

>>2180771
Unfixed males are very friendly.

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my litte rat. always wants to explore new stuff. what do you do to keep your rats entertained?

>>2180418
Her face somehow reminds me of my first rat, Lassie. I miss her now.

>>2180648
People advise against cedar rodent bedding because of the way it's processed (dusty) and oiled. Popsicle sticks (the ones sold to be used in human food) aren't the same.

>>2180419

Imagining you choking on my cock while your rat watches is a very appealing thought

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Had one of these in our rat's cage. she's very destructive. It's now just a shredded mass of fibers. If you put anything near the cage, she'll bite it. We had to get a glass water bottle because she chewed through the plastic one, and she also destroyed the little plastic house she was supposed to use for sleeping. AND her exercise wheel.

>>2181116
Sounds like she's bored.

what's teh monthly food bill
poorfag here

>>2182085
Depends. I pay $10 a month for 4 rats, and that is with a small bag of relatively expensive food.

The bigger the bag that you buy, the better value it is. Buy a big bulk bag to last four months for $20 instead of individual bags each month for $10.


Rat food is generally dirt cheap, anyway.

>>2182098
This.

I think I actually spend more on treats than their main food.

>>2180332
Petsmart is the lesser of two evils, I think. I've had some damn healthy rats from there. My two current ones are from petsmart and they are a little over three right now.

You can check craigslist but do beware of breeders. I got talked up by one and was impressed with one of his lines. Beautiful shiny, platinum Rex rats, he recently had two merles and some hairless. Talked very well about them, his lines, we talked breeder stuff(I'm not a breeder), etc.
I got to his house and he came out a shed to call me over. Hundreds of rats in very filthy bins. Loose rats running everywhere. Every female had babies or was heavily pregnant. Most water bottles were empty, the tops of their bins had wire and hed just throw food on top of them so they could eat through the bars. Complaining about how his hairless females were shitty mothers(you don't breed hairless females, they are known to be shitty).

I was there already so I took the two I planned for and they were dead in a year. They were fine as babies but it only took a few months for skin infections, abccesses, tumors and their teeth were constantly overgrowing at an alarmingly rate. I'd have to get them clipped every few weeks. Antibiotics did nothing, tumor removal would have been worthless since they would just come back. It was terrible.

>>2182085
Something like $2

I make Suebee's rat diet (it's on the internet) from stuff I get from the food bank and on food stamps and supplement with leftovers and veg/fruit. I just have to buy dog food which is like $5 for a small bag that lasts months.

>>2182263
that's crazy. I bought most of my rats from people who bred for snake food, but only the ones who treated them really well and kept just a few litters at a time.

>>2182270
Oh yeah but if you're spending actual money this mix costs maybe $5/month for my 4, not counting the leftovers I give them.

>>2182263
Yeah I checked rat's on Craigslist, the only ones I trusted was some poor guy found out he was allergic to rat's so he was selling them. I decided until my mice are gone no more rodents. But I'll keep petsmart in mind.

>>2182282
Petsmart and Petco stopped selling rats. I'll agree that my Petsmart rats were healthier than Petco, though.

>>2182284
They haven't stopped everywhere, but most don't sell them anymore.

>>2182263
I used to get my rats at PetSmart and never had any problems with them but all the ones near me stopped carrying rats because of some lawsuit PetCo lost involving a rat they sold

>>2182085
>>2182098
>>2182270
>>2182272

What do rats actually eat? Is there a 'rat chow' or do you make your own food?

How much does it cost to get a cage? What sort of dimensions/types of cages should you go for if you want to get 2-3 rats?

What should you put in the cage?

How should you handle or care for rats?

How much is a vet bill? What sort of shots or things should you get for them?

If I work a full time job should I get rats?

All newbie question bullshit here.

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>>2182585
>What do rats actually eat? Is there a 'rat chow' or do you make your own food?
Lab blocks are the most nutrionally balanced and should be fed as the staple food. I'm a poorfag so I make my own rat food. It includes cereal, mealworms, dog food, dried fruits, among other things. The staple food should be supplemented with leftovers, fruits and veggies. They can eat almost anything you can, but make sure the people food they get is low in fat, salt, and sugar.

>How much does it cost to get a cage? What sort of dimensions/types of cages should you go for if you want to get 2-3 rats?
http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/rat/ has excellent cages. Personally, I buy used ferret cages off of Craigslist which averages $50. You want at least 2 cubic feet per rat. They like to climb, so make sure there are levels.

>What should you put in the cage?
Hammocks, fleece, hiding spots, toys, litter box.

>How should you handle or care for rats?
That would take forever to answer. You should only buy healthy, social rats. You should not grab them roughly or from above. If possible, you should rat-proof a room so they can explore and play for a few hours each day.

>How much is a vet bill? What sort of shots or things should you get for them?
Many people don't take them to the vet since they have such short lives and cost so little. They don't need any shots. Respiratory infections and tumors in females are common. I treat respiratory infections at home, so I'm not sure how much that costs. The vast majority of tumors are benign and won't hurt the rat. Getting them fixed can be pricey, but helps cut down on potential health problems. The price of vet care varies widely since not all vets are comfortable operating on such tiny critters.

>>2182641
Oh, and here's lots of caresheets and ideas!

http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm

>>2182585
The best thing you can ever feed a rat is a 'rat block' - Kind of beige coloured pellets. Rats have been used for science for so long that we know exactly what they need to be healthiest!
Fresh stuff is good for treats.

I can't speak for prices in other countries, but the absolute minimum size is much smaller than /an/ will tell you.
Something I suggest to new owners is to buy a 130-160L plastic storage tub, cut out most of the roof and one side, attach a wire mesh to them. Bam - Easy cage. Cheap and easy to clean.

Females are more active than males, who will pile together and sleep all day in one corner of even the biggest cage. Females: Playful. Males: Cuddly.

A paper cat litter for bedding alongside various bits 'n pieces as toys is fine - Toilet paper rolls, empty food boxes, paper candy wrappers. They don't really care how fancy it is!

For handling/caring, just grab them out whenever and plonk them on your lap or shoulder. Maybe lay an old blanket/towel down on a bed and let them run around. Make sure they're always fed, watered and clean.
>Don't put up with an aggressive rat. An aggressive rat is just badly bred and will always be a shit, it isn't your fault.
>You shouldn't have to be afraid of your own pet, or take weeks to 'let them adjust' and bond to you. If you can't just pick it up and handle it comfortably, don't buy it.

Vet bills vary depending on the vet. They don't need shots or anything like that - Be aware that all rats have myco. If it flares up and becomes a respiratory infection you can try antibiotics, but it's 50/50.

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>>2182585
>Character limit.

Be aware that once they get to a certain age, almost all rats will develop tumors. So long as it isn't large enough to impair their movement, such of cleaning themselves or eating, it isn't going to hurt them.

Rats are fine to be left alone for large periods of time so long as they have a cagemate (or more.)
A lack of handling should not cause a rat to become aggressive or skittish.

>You can be a goober like me and spend hours hand-making cool toys and decorations for your rats, but prepare to be devastated when they're immediately destroyed.

>>2182644

Wait so they sleep in cat liter or use liter to poop?

Also- how can I be sure if rats are aggressive or not easy to handle before buying them or adopting them from someone else.

>>2182748
You can use the newspaper litter as bedding. They also like paper scraps, fabric, and other stuff to use as part of their nest. If you litter train them, use something different for their box.

Rats are very rarely aggressive- rats that bite almost always are just scared. If they act interested in you instead of trying to bite you or run and hide, they are probably friendly.

>>2182752

So rats should have an enclosed nest box, hammocks, and so on?

How about rats personality? Are they generally nice and fun, or are they like furry lizards and want to be left alone?

>>2182770
If you get rats that have been handled from a young age they're awesome. Some pet stores abuse their rats so they're afraid of people and it takes more work to get them to want to socialize with you.

I have 4 girls and they all have different personalities- I'd be able to tell them apart even if they had the same markings! I have a sweet one, a bitchy one, a spaz, and an obsessive chewer. Rats have tons of personality- as much as dogs IMO. Generally, males are calmer and females are more hyper. A happy, social rat will always want your attention.

Rats seem a lot like chihuahuas to me.

>>2183342
I think you mean the other way around.

>>2182647
>once they get to a certain age, almost all rats will develop tumors.
Isn't this mostly girls? I know males can also get tumors, but I've had 15 as of now, and not a single one of them has had a tumor.

Maybe I'm just lucky.

>>2182770
>How about rats personality?
All rats are different, some are shy or don't like cuddling, but they're usually very friendly and social - kind of like small dogs. The smartest and easiest to tame rodent no doubt. Mine won't leave me alone when I have them out, keep crawling into my shirt or up on my head. They also like to play tag, I tickle them, they jump away and come running back for more. When I come home they all run up to the cage bars to get my attention.

>>2182748
When you buy rats, make sure you interact with them first. If you're getting them in a pet-store, try to take notice of which rats run from your hand when you put it in their cage and which ones seek it out. A curious rats is a happy rat. That's how I've chosen all of mine and I've never picked any that turned aggressive or didn't like human interaction. It's usual they panic a bit when lifted up in the start, but some are very calm from the get.go.

Of course, if you get them from a breeder, they will normally be hand-tamed and used to human interaction.

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>>2180248
What are your thoughts on The Rat Guru?

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Goodbye Po. You were a great friend. I'll miss you...

Ideas of toys i can build out of plastic bottles, cardboard, shoebox, and that kind of stuff ?
I already made : ropes, labyrinths (currently making a bigger one, now that they start to understand how to win food from this), slalom, and a few other little games

Also, since they're pretty young still (12 weeks i think), they're not allowed to go freely on my house and have a restricted area. What could i put in there for them to play with without my supervision ?

One of my sister's new rats sneezes a lot whenever she's active, but has no other symptoms and in every other way seems healthy. This has been going on for almost a couple weeks since we got them.

How concerned should I be?

>>2185312
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>>2182284
>>2182310
PetSmart fag here. In Texas, we sell Fancy and Dumbo.

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Found these statements on Yahoo Answers. Do you agree with them?

>My hamster who only cost me like 7 bucks was in and out of the vets for 3 weeks! The bill was over $300 but I would do it over again in a heartbeat! Once you adopt an animal you take responsibility for their life, they are living and breathing creatures and they deserve to be medically treated when sick.

>I had a $400 surgery done to remove a tumor from a $4 feeder rat. The value of an animal's life is not measured by the price tag. If you adopt an animal, you take on the responsibility to ensure that animal has the best life possible.

>>2187260
I would pay for my rat's surgery, but vet advices against it, saying it's too close to throat and will likely not help for long.

>>2187260
I think you have to take into account the age and lifespan of an animal too... small rodents only live for what, 3-4 years? And I'd assume they were both knocking on in years by the time the surgery was done. To scale it up, it's like expecting to pay for life-saving surgery on a 50-60-year-old, but it will cost far more money than has actually been spent feeding/raising them to that age, so probably a few hundred thousand. In that scenario I'd reluctantly suggest they'd had a good innings, but I'm not paying for that shit.

So yeah I don't really agree... but if someone has that sort of cash lying around unspent, then let them go for it (the animal will probably only live another uneventful year before dying of old age anyway).

>>2187039
Could be the bedding or something else bugging her nose.

>>2187260
Nope. I'm a poorfag, so I either treat my ladies at home or just hope for the best. I have several 4 year olds with gigantic tumors and they're running around happily still.

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>>2187260
>The value of an animal's life is not measured by the price tag. If you adopt an animal, you take on the responsibility to ensure that animal has the best life possible.
I've never had rats for a pet, but I think this is a good blanket statement for all animals.
I honestly want to agree with it, but I think there are circumstances for exceptions.

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All the talk of tumors in this thread reminded me of the craziest rat-related shit that ever happened to me. Tl;dr my rat Skipper "operated" on himself. It was about 9 years ago so I don't have any photos but he looked like pic related.

>Skipper, 2yo, has a belly tumor the size of a grape
>vet advises against operating
>no choice but to sit and wait
>find blood and torn flesh in the cage one morning
>Skipper is just chilling
>what the fuck
>pick him up and discover that tumor is gone
>nothing but a small hole on his stomach
>he must have made the opening then pulled out all the shit inside
>treat wound with antiseptics
>crazy motherfucker lived for a year after that
>best rat I ever had

May Skipper's soul feast in Valhalla forever.

>>2181833
agreed, get her a girl friend

>>2187371
It is possible that it was a big abscess, happened to one of my rats.

>>2187348
Yeah, like with cats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3i6VRraFUA

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am i welcome here? lets just pretend its a rat with a coat on

>>2189285
A very fancy coat.

>>2182098
My sister and I feed her rats hamster food. They don't eat anything else really. Aside from leftovers from dinner of course.

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hey guys this is my rat's best friend, Noodle

>>2189739
quit posting your snake on all the threads.
and your snake probably can't eat a rat.

>>2187371
Tough rattie

>tell mum I want pet rats once I move out
>she starts whining

How do we get past the stigma of pet rats?

>>2190328
You don't. Stop giving a fuck what your old lady thinks about your pets.

Is it possible to have both rats and cats?
My cat is pretty chill as far as smaller animals go but I was wondering.

>>2187270
>I think you have to take into account the age and lifespan of an animal too
This. I'd pay to fix up my ~6 month old rats if they developed a serious medical problem, but beyond the year-and-a-half mark it's just time to let nature take it's course. I have a friend who paid to have a large mammary tumor removed from her 2-year-old female (who ended up dying under anesthesia anyway) and I thought the whole affair was bonkers, but I get it - people get attached.

>>2190328
I volunteer at a local humane society and often socialize the rats when my shift with the cats is done. A lot of people think they're disgusting in theory because when they picture rats, they're thinking about giant filthy fucking sewer rats, which are about as different from fancy rats as domestic bunnies are from the wild rabbits munching your garden. Many visitors warm up quickly and are willing to hold them once they see a sweet buck sitting contentedly on my shoulder or snuggling into the crook of my arm.

>>2190390
Yes, but depending on the cat you may need to be very careful. My old girls didn't give a shit about the rats I owned years ago, but now I have much younger cats that would snap them up in a heartbeat given the chance. I keep their cage on top of a 5-6 foot fall bookcase, with the lower shelves all blocked off, and they only get to free-roam behind closed doors.

>>2183551
You are correct, it is females only, because it is related to female hormones. In germany and hungary it is treated with a chip in the neck that releases hormones, dulls the hormonal spikes and prevents tumors 100%. Same is used in ferrets.

I really wanted to get a rat since they're so intelligent and fun, but the very short lifespans put me off.

>>2190328
My mother absolutely hated the idea of me having pet rats and tried to talk me out of. Then I realised I'm an independent adult with my own house, and if I want to fill it with rats/dogs/llamas I fucking can.

Do be put off anon, if you want rats, you get them.

>Been keeping rats in two seperate cages
>Order brand new cage so they can all live together
>Super exicted and start buying accessories
>Cage arrives
>It's way too fucking big
>I can literally sit in cage and have room to turn around
>Need to send it back
>Back to square 1 for finding a cage
>fml

>>2187260
I agree. I bond with my rats a lot, I can't just let them die or go sick knowing I could have helped them, even though I don't really have that kind of money. I don't necessarily think you're a bad owner if you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on prolonging a small rodent's life though.

>>2190900
You learn to deal with it by buying new rats.

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>>2190328
Show her some videos of rats doing tricks on youtube or something like that. I showed my family members who are suspicious of my rats cute pictures and films of them doing tricks, it usually makes people warm up to them as pets because they see they really are intelligent and non-aggressive.

Hi- non rat owner here. Was wondering if you rodent fans could explain why you keep rats as I've never understood it. Like, rats in general. More of a bird person myself.

>>2191096
>Intelligent
>Very social
>Not likely to bite or be aggressive
>Easy to train
>Easy to keep
>Clean for a rodent
>Fun to watch and play with

Rats are good pets for people who want something with the intelligence and affection level of a dog, but don't have the space, money or time. They're also great fun to watch because they live in packs and seeing them build a hierarchy and fight for dominance is like having your own private Animal Planet show.

>>2191090
Do you mean that it's too large for your living space? There's no such thing as too large of a cage for rats.

>>2189301
hamster food is not good for rats.. very fatty and not nutritionally balanced.

>>2191090
like ferret cage sized? sounds perfect.

I had a pet rat 14 years ago that i named Mike after the "rapper" from linkin park.
He was just your usual brown rat.

>>2191331
>>2191334
Both, My current cage is technically big enough for 4 rats, but it would be a bit cramped, so I wanted something bigger so they'd have more space. In theory this cage was perfect, in reality it's absolutely fucking huge. I could keep an entire swarm of rats in there, it's too big for the room, plus a nightmare to clean.

Problem is I wanted a cage with a door on the top for access (using a Ferplast jenny atm, it's great), but barely any cages have that. Any suggestions for a tall cage with easy access to the top?

>>2191411
my cage does.. it's a kaytee ferret cage. I hate it tho.

check out martin's cages, it's a website. great cages!

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Always a bit sad to see their little dead faces when I feed my snake.

I wouldn't own a rat though, my friend had one once and it was a defecation machine. Also, i don't want to get attached to something intelligent that dies within 2 years.

>>2191421
I took care of rabbits once- that was a nightmare. Those dudes pooped a mountain.

>>2191421
Hnnnng. That's cute-ass snake, anon.

So, last week, one of my two beautiful girls died. Had to be nearing the two year mark. I'm still not sure what it was, these two are the first rats I've ever had.
She had suddenly become really ill and I had tried to get an appointment at a local vet, but in the time it took for them to get back in touch with me, it seemed she was turning around for the better. A week passes with some sniffles and sneezing, but otherwise fairly normal behavior, and one morning I found her stone dead. Broke my heart in half.

Her sister, though, I'm concerned about. She was always the smaller, more timid of the two, and was almost always snuggling the shit out of the bigger one. Now, she is alone, and I've been doing the best I can to give her tons and tons of extra attention, but I don't know if that'll be good enough when I start back at college soon. Me and my roommated wanted to see what boy rats are like next, but also don't want to leave her alone.

So, do we just try and give her the best life until she kicks the bucket so we can get boys, or get some new female cagemates and live with them for their lifespans?

>>2191450
Well rat's only live 2-3 years anon. But unless your gonna sleep with the girl and be there most of the day I would rehome her if you could. They need at least one other rat around.

Males are cool just lazy as shit and not as playful as females.

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maus rat

>>2190367

I meant in general actually. Rats are stigmatized as pets a lot. How do we make them more socially acceptable?

>>2191582
Well by showing them to people

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>>2191529
Looks like Dewey from Malcom in the middle. Here's stella on of our new rat's, the other one cannot sit still. They both had mites like crazy when we bought them but they're doing better.

whhats the cheapest cage i can get for two small rats?

>>2191420
Britfag here, sadly Martin's cages are no good for me due to being a US store. Shame, I hear nothing but good about them.

>>2191450
This is what happened with my first rats anon. The confident one died and the timid one practically shut down. She'd rarely come out without her big sis to lead the way, and was so utterly miserable it was heartbreaking.

The thing that made her better? Adopting two more rats. As soon as we put their cage next to hers she ran out of her nest, grabbed the bars and just stared at them. We did the introduction the next day and it was as if she were a completely different rat. She was grooming, cuddling and just so happy to have company again. The change was amazing.

You might be able to give her a lot of attention anon, but at the end of the day you're not a rat. Maybe check your local rescues, see if they have older females you could adopt?

Anyone see the video of the wild rat going up an escalator? It was so cute!

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>>2187260
extending the life of your rat is a luxury.

If a pet rat for sale isn't bought, I imagine in most cases it won't live as long had it been bought, so don't feel bad.

you could radically change a human beings life with the amount a rat surgery costs

My mice' running wheel was squeaky so I lubricated the axle with vegetable oil. I must've put on too much because now my mice have some patches of oily fur. Should I wash my mice in warm soapy water or is it better to let them wash themselves?

>>2192841
Let them groom themselves

Are rats naturally so short lived or is there a way breeders can extend their lives, even by a year or two? Are we just breeding them wrong?

>>2193266
Yes, we're breeding them wrong. Rats don't need to live a long time to end up as snake food and there aren't that many breeders, especially not ones who actually care. The longest lived rat stuck around for over 7 years, so obv there's room for improvement.

>>2191447
Thanks! A little rat snake intergrade

I'm always worried my boys are bored but I put in all kinds of fun toys like those wooden balls with jingly bells inside them, hanging wooden toys and they just totally ignore them. It seems their favorite thing to do is interior decoration and sleeping in the new piles of fabric they make by moving stuff around. (seriously it's amazing how they manage to pull tons of fabric in and out of their igloo and up their levels) How do I know if they're really bored?

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>>2180248

Rat people are pretty cool. You look past the historical stigma of a highly evolved animal and appreciate their remarkable intelligence, which is the foundation of many personalities and social awareness. Dare I suggest, even love?

>>2182506
It literally bit someone in store because they were a dumbass and squeezed it, they proceeded to not disinfect the would do at all and let it fester, and claimed rat bite fever and sued them

>>2194652
Like parrots and people, when rats get bored they get self-destructive. If they're fighting lots, barbering (gnawing their fur off) or start getting behavioural issues, they're bored.

I had a rat like yours who loved decorating, so I'd scatter fluffy bedding all over the cage, and she'd spend ages collecting it all. Try and do activities/toys that appeal to what they like to do. Maybe hide bedding in tubes so they have to work at it?

>>2194690
i know its fucking stupid as shit and sucks for every rat owner

>>2187808
yeah i had this happen to a rat of mine. in the span of 2 weeks went from normal to having a grape sized lump to a grape sized hole to perfectly healed.

>>2195290
idk.. it's good because it's a lot harder to live feed now, and less people are being introduced to rats that have been abused by employees.

on the other hand, less kids are going to see one and want one. I got my first rats because I was promised a hamster and Petco was out.

>>2195318
Local pet stores still sell them, which is a crap shoot with how well they treat their animals, but still better then petco. I bought some from a local breeder, they were hand tamed well but infested with tropical rat mites. So now we're treating them with ivermectin, with daily spray treatments. The fucking things are in my bed and are eating up my wife and me.

>>2187260
I don't have money for that shit and I've euthanized 45 rats this week.

>>2195352
???

>>2195341
at least when the mites are gone you'll have good rats. the ivermectin should take care of it.. maybe try diatemoceous earth in the bedroom?

>>2195359
Yeah, the mites are slowly going away, the one that was reacting harshly is finally growing hair back. We bought some spray for the house and are deep cleaning heavy tomorrow. So that should take care of it. They're wonderful rat's though, it's just that I doubt the breeder ever treated any of his rat's, and they were living in a garage, not in the actual house.

>>2195363
That's terrible. If they have a rattery you should leave a forum post somewhere in case anyone tries googling them. Ivermectin is so damn cheap there's no excuse not to medicate them..

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>>2193278
>friendly, intelligent, affectionate, cheap and easy to take care of
>in an alternate universe, rats are man's best friend instead of dogs
>we could've had ratties twice their size that live up to 15 or more years by now

Wake me up.

>>2195992
I doubt that's true, the size of the species is roughly positively correlated with lifespan, but within that species the larger members tend to live shorter lives and the smaller ones longer lives. Compare horses (20-30 year lifespan) to dogs (8-12 year lifespan), then compare great danes (7-year lifespan) to pomeranians (can live 15 years oftentimes) to get my point.

It's easy to get jumbo- or mini- breeds with a little selective breeding, who all conform to certain size standards, but they still exhibit the latter pattern, not the former. If we'd taken wild ratties and bred them to be dog-sized within a short time frame (like a few hundred/thousand years, a blink of the eye in evolutionary terms), they would probably live for three months and have the same host of terrible diseases that plague larger breeds of dog, horse, etc (more joint and hip issues, arthritis, etc).

Though, we could have bred them tinier and may they'd live longer. Thimble-sized ratters that live for 10 years... sign me up.

I wish more rat documentaries existed. Actually, I wish more rat anything existed. They're so cute but everyone hates rats.

>>2195992
Don't worry. Rats will have their time. They'll probably evolve and take over sooner or later.

>>2196002
Rats can evolve really quickly because of their high reproductive rates. They also do about as well in as many different ecosystems as we do.

Given a hundred years, you could have some monster ratties.

>>2196010
Yeah, just thank shitty breeders that inbred the fuck out of their rat's. Wild rat's and mice can live longer than their captive relatives.

>>2191093
This is how i got my wife on board with it. Now she'll even reluctantly pretty then add long as their tails don't touch her.

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How easy is it to care for rats? I'm looking for a low budget companion and a friend recc'd me rats but I figure I ask you lads first.

>>2197288
I'd say fairly easy. Change out their litter once a week and feed and water them; find some toys to keep them entertained. I always let them run around outside of their cage for an hour or so a day, too. I have had some rats that just refuse to come out of their cage though and are perfectly content staying in but it's more of a male rat thing.

>>2197288
Pretty easy just need to have more than one and you have to play with them everyday or they get depressed.

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>>2197292
>>2197293
Thank you for the information.
Now by play what do you mean? Does play fighting/ wrestling them with your hands not bother them and help stimulate them?

>>2197288
They're the best low budget pet! I make my own food and toys for them. Just clean the cage every few days and let them out daily.
All rats are different. Some love tickles and playing chase with your hands. Some love sitting on your shoulder and grooming you. Mostly they love to explore, so rat proof an area for them so they can run around.

>>2197316
thanks famalamadingdong you guys are the best.

>>2197288
Make sure you get two, almost every single rat becomes depressed when not around other rats.

>>2197363
This. It's also not like 2-3 rats require any more care or cost more than 1 rat, other than the initial purchase.

>tfw baytril is like $7 bucks but a bottle of doxycycline is almost $40

Guys I have a rat right now and he's getting old and not breathing well at all. Doesn't really eat a whole lot either. I think it's getting to be time to put him down. What's the most humane way to do it? Any tips?

>>2197861
Vet. Call around, sometimes they'll do it for as low as $5.

http://www.ratfanclub.org/euth.html

If you do it at home, prep everything beforehand and plan it out carefully so you cause less stress to your rat.

>>2197863
At what point should I do it? He sleeps most of the day now, his breathing is pretty labored, and he eats a lot less but I can't tell if that's just because he's getting old. I feel like he still has some good days ahead of him. How can you tell when it's time?

>>2197875
There's no real way to say when it's time. Generally, when they stop eating and drinking. Keep in mind it may not be easy for you to tell if he's in pain.

Have you considered treating his respiratory infection first? How old is he?

My rat wont let me touch him and i think he was abused. (He was a petco rat so no surprises there) He bit my girlfriends finger to the bone a week ago and I'm not sure what to do with him. I dont want to give him back to petco because theyre fucking horrible. I shouldnt have bought him from there in the first place, im not a 1st time rat owner but ive never had a rat like this. I kinda want to feed him to my dog because it would be a better fate than giving him to the pet store. I also dont think he'll ever get better. So i guess Ill just feed him until he dies in about 8 months because i got him from petco. Dont buy animals from petco by the way. Or petsmart. Or pet stores in general.

>>2197917
...please just go put him down, don't neglect him till he dies in 2-3 years.

It sounds like you only have one. He's alone and terrified. Do your research and get another or take him back.

>>2197924
If I take him back to the store I'm telling them that he's aggressive before they or someone else finds out and really does hurt him. And you think he'll live 2-3 years?? The most life I've ever seen anyone get out of a small animal from the pet store is one year. And they said he was alone in his terarium for 3 months before I came along. Anyone besides me that would have bought him would buy him to feed their snake. So you should really think before speaking. He was obviously treated poorly. He's terrified of hands and he's agrresive. Youre probably right though Im just gonna take him back where he will go and be put in the back room with the other rejected animals until one of the snakes gets hungry. Good thinking anon. I can really count on you always.

>>2197926
I have had probably 10 rats that came from Petco or Petsmart, including my 4 right now that range between 2 and 4 years. It seems likely that the rats that made it to 1 year never got medical treatment.

Being fed to a snake would give him a quick death. That's preferable to being kept away from others of his own species until he wastes away of loneliness.

>>2197927
It's settled then. Thanks for deciding for me.

>>2197927
Im making sure they know that he bites and isn't safe to be sold as a pet and should go to quarantine.

>>2197929
He bit because he's terrified. Rats shouldn't be kept alone. There's likely nothing wrong with him that time and a friend can't fix.

>>2197931
I've been trying. I really have been for over a month now. I feed him treats by hand i talk in a reassuring voice. But whenever i go to pet him he whips his head around like hes ready to bite. When he bit my girlfriend he didnt let go. She had to use her other hand to push him away. Her hand was bleeding everywhere and she had 3 solid chomp marks one was so deep I could see her bone. Something bad happened to him because Ive never seen a rat who was this afraid of hands. I knew after My first couple that petco rats are iffy. And should he avoided at all costs. Always buy from breeders or rescue. The reason I wanted him was because he looked so lonely. Now I see why.

>>2197931
Rats dont always need other rats thats fucking bullshit. If youve never raised a rat by itself then you should keep your mouth shut about it. The last rat I had she was alone too. She was never depressed because I was there for her. But this rat is much different than what Im used to.

>>2194690
To be fair rat bite fever is a thing. My cousin adopted some rats that had it. I don't know how they get it or how common it is for petstore rats to have it(I assume higher than usual) and I had to hold her hand while we jumped through vets that would treat her infected rats. It's treatable but most wanted the trio put down because it was contagious to humans, and my cousin who can be a good owner was afraid of them, but also not willing to put them down. They were treated and infection free now.

It is rare but unfortunately one really bad case fucks it up for everyone. I've only been bitten by a rodent MAYBE five times in my entire life. I had no idea that was a thing most of my years handling and owning rodents, even wild ones. Its obviously devastating for a child but there was even a kid who died from an infection from a fish tank. By all means clean shit and go to the fucking doctor but it gets far too blown up.

>>2197934
Jeez. He acted okay when you held him in the pet store though? I wasn't trying to be an asshole- you understably aren't going to want to give him the attention he needs. You'll probably eventually give up on cleaning his cage because you don't want to get bit. What would you do with a neurotic, aggressive dog? You'd put it down. At least if a snake gets him it'll save another rats life.

>>2197937
I've owned 30+ rats and can't imagine keeping one alone. There's no reason to unless you have a neurotic oddball.

>>2197950
That sucks! Luckily rat bite fever is very rare in the US.

>>2197304
Honestly they just want to be around you out of the cage. We just put a sheet down on our bed and put toys/treats all over it. Make sure they cant get between a bed and a wall and youre set. They have poor vision and most rats will only jump if they are 100% sure they can make it so they arent very likely to jump off a bed but they do try to climb onto my end tables.

>>2193266
Speaking of longevity, I saw some dog treats at work. Ingredients: oat flour, pumpkin, charcoal

I was concerned about the charcoal. Has anyone heard about if this is good for rats? I read a study that said charcoal actually increased the rats life expectancy, but I have found NO other sources saying yes it's ok or no it's toxic.

Any help please? I bought them anyway, but if the rats can't have them, I'll give them to the dog.

Does anyone know where I can get shelves/ramps for a cage? The clips on my shelves broke and I'm worried that if one of my rats jumps on the shelf hard enough it will fall and the rats might injure themselves. The fabric on the ramps are getting torn so I want some of those since I'm looking for new shelves anyway

Open to diy ideas too, but I want to avoid wood.

>>2198574
Charcoal is perfectly edible. I'm not sure that it would increase their life expectancy though.

>>2198593
Here's some ideas: http://www.goosemoose.com/rfc/index.php?topic=4102613.0

>>2198596
Fast response! Thanks for the link. Have plenty of ideas now.

I love the brand of dog treats they are. Not at home right now, but I think it's called "Bocces". Their favorite is the blueberry. Oat flour, blueberries, honey and peanut butter.

>>2198666
nice evil trips!

those treats sound delicious, I bet they love them.

>>2198685
The "apple cobbler" smells good enough to eat. Oat flour, apples, honey and cinnamon. And they have bacon and cheese.

The charcoal is for Halloween. I think there was a s'mores flavor but I can't remember the ingredients.

My co-workers think it's crazy to buy dog treats for rats, but all the "rat treats" are too sugary, imo.

>>2198574
Chromium can extend a rat's live expectancy by 20%
http://www.ratfanclub.org/chromium.html

>>2197937
It's simply not humane to keep such highly social animals in isolation without a very good reason. A human cannot replace the company of a fellow rat, and you weren't there 24/7.

I have two rats. What do I do when the older one (3.5y) passes?

Another question. Can I get mites medicine over the counter?

>>2196210
Are you a fucking idiot? Most wild rats never even reach their 1st birthday.

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>>2199422
Depends on whether you want more rats or not. You can either introduce a new rat, rehome yours, or wait till she passes too. A lot of people just wait and see how their rat reacts to being alone. I prefer to keep groups of 3+ for this reason though.

Look for Ivermectin, they have it at every feed supply store. Look up the dosage online.

>>2199635
Are you ? Wild rat's and mice have the potential to live much longer than their domesticated relatives. They usually get killed before that of course, but that's a bit different.

>>2197937
Bullshit anon. Why would you keep the rat alone? For what reason would you deprive it of being able to carry out its natural behavior and be 100% more content? If she was antisocial and did not want to interact with other rats, it would be understandable, but that does not seem to be the case.

The rats can seem fine and 'happy', it can't tell you what it needs. but it's your own goddamn responsibility as a pet owner to make sure the environment for your pet is correct. Keeping a rat alone for no good reason is wrong and you shouldn't promote it.

A human owner can never replace a friend of their own species who will always be there to cuddle with them and play.

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Few questions about rats:

1. Do they smell?

2. Will they chill out with you while you're on the computer? Do they like human company?

3. Will they piss all over you?

>>2200441
Yes, but only if you let their cage get dirty
Yes
Yes but they won't shit on you.

>>2197937
Frankly you're the one who should keep your mouth shut. Seems like you kept that rat alone out of pure selfishness because it somehow pleased you to be its only friend. I don't see why else you wouldn't get it a cage-mate, and for some reason you're doing the same with your current rat, all while wondering why it's terrified and antisocial.

Maybe your previous rat wasn't terribly bothered or depressed by being kept alone, but no rat is the same, and assuming every rat will be fine with not having any cage mates because your last one seemingly was, is straight up retarded.

>>2200441

I think rats smell like prunes. Whether this is a good smell or a bad smell depends on whether you like prunes or not, I guess.

That's the rat themselves. Their poo smells like poo and their urine smells like urine. If you clean out the cage every week or so, these smells won't really build up much.

As far as chilling with you I think that depends on the temperament of the individual rat.

And yes they will pee on you...rodents urinate frequently. But they don't really make much pee at one time, it's usually just a few drops...a rat has a small bladder. It's not like a cat pee.

>>2200895
I think girls smell like grape soda. Boys smell a little musky.

rats reek of rat piss because they're almost always pissing

>>2200938
Not really. Big males are often musky, not a very pleasant smell if you stick your nose straight into their fur. Otherwise the rats themselves just smell sort of sweet to me, like cinnamon or sweet curry.

But it's true they always leave droplets of piss where they walk and if you don't clean the cage properly it will reek of urine.

I caught a wild rat in the park the other day. It tried to hide under a bridge, but forgot to hide its tail. Dumb rat.

>>2180958
OP?

>>2191110
you forgot

>cute af

Are rats good starting pets? i'm trying to deal with crippling depression but I also want to make sure I'll be able to handle the animal.

>>2202661
Not really because they're so easy to neglect. If one bites you you might become scared of it and inclined to not change its litter or give it food. You also need to clean their cage every ~3 days.

>>2180248
>rodentfags
disgusting

clean your fucking house, it smells like piss

>no actually rats are quite clean XD
No they're not. You smell like piss even if you don't realize it, and your rats are pissing all over themselves as we speak and walking around an inch away from their own piss and shit. Kill yourself.

>>2202698
A bit rude tbqh

>>2202698
why are you on this board if you don't like animals?

>>2197282
I wonder why is it women are scared when seeing a rat's tail.

>>2203064
Plenty of women own rats. Please don't generalize, it's rude.

>>2197658
I use fishmox first and if that doesn't work, doxycycline for birds. I only have two rats and buy the smallest bottle, but I know the doxy cost me half that much.

>>2202661
I wouldn't start with rats. Just because they're small doesn't mean they're easy. I have outside dogs, house cats, and rats. Out of those I'd say the rats require the most attentive care.

>>2180771
Cool, what's the breed?

>>2180771
I'm not him, but it looks like a dumbo rat.

>>2203315
>>2203132
meant to reply to this post

>>2203132
Rattus norvegicus

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I found a wild rat in my house.

Do I give it back to my cat or no?
Give me one reason not to merk this cocksucker

>>2204472
Kill it yourself. You don't know what kind of diseases or parasites it could be could be carrying and give to your cat. Plus, a cornered rat can really do some damage with its teeth.

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Rose (3.5 y) and Sookie (2.5 y) are very ill. They're not responding to antibiotics that used to work. There is one more antibiotic we could try, but it's very expensive and I'm also responsible for a dog.

I'm so emotionally exhausted. I don't want my rats to die wheezing and unable to breathe. I also don't want to bring them to their death, but at least it will be a peaceful one.

Here's a photo of Rose.

>>2204659
What antibiotics have you tried?

>>2204668
enrofloxacin, doxycycline.

>>2204675
Has the vet tried those in combination?

>>2204691
Yeah they've been on both at the same time

>>2204692
Lame. Well, I don't know how much Dexamethasone costs but that's a good one for stubborn cases. You could try oxytetracycline for cheap if you have a Tractor Supply Co nearby.

It might just be time to euthanize them though :( they've had long lives!

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Sookie enjoying the heating pad. It's on low and she's mobile enough to get away if she wishes.