my rats have all passed on and i miss them, but i dont want to

http://newatlas.com/diet-buckyballs-extending-lifespan/22245/
http://stemcellassays.com/2015/08/msc-extend-life-span/
http://articles.latimes.com/1992-10-20/news/mn-637_1_chromium-picolinate

Lots of similar research on extending lifespan, mostly in mice, but about all you can do reasonably is calorie restriction and chromium supplementation. Maybe resveratrol.

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>>2430692

Short answer: no.

The problem is picture related, rats have ridiculously extensive mammary tissue, which essentially makes them tumour factories.

Four is pretty awesome for a rat. I was in the same boat as you OP- and wind up getting a dog once I was ready instead.

>>2430704
Tumors in males seem relatively uncommon compared to females. I've never had a male rat with a mammary tumor and in two decades of owning rats I've only had one male rat who developed any tumors. Unfortunately the tumor he developed so embedded into his chest that it was growing on the outside and inside and as soon as they opened him up it was deemed inoperable, and most likely malignant. Didn't do any tests on the tumor itself but the vet said it didn't look or feel like the mammary tumors she had dealt with. Very stiff and firm.

My oldest was five.
I think eventually you could get 5-6 years with improved breeding but wild ones don't live very longer either. I've read from people who have kept wild rats and wild rat mixes that putting them in their lines did not improve anything, and in fact made them more vulnerable to disease and tumors and that wild rats were built to 'live fast and die' compared to domesticated rats who grow 'slower'.


I've also read that a protein restricted diet can help extend their life and I believe it. When I first had rats in the beginning the internet wasn't really a thing yet and any commercial rat food was pretty shitty, as well as I fed them table scraps often. I noticed the males I had who got more developed skin problems(itchy skin, greasy fur) and grew bigger and faster, and developed issues earlier. Once I realized it was the food I cut back and they went back to normal. I remember reading something about this a few years ago but I can't find much on it.

I get a pair of rats every few years if I see some that really need homes but my heart hasn't been in it for years to put as much as I used to in it. I have dogs too but rats brought something extra to the table.

Why not just get a degu?? I dont know why we never talk about them i have 3 females and they are some of the most interesting pets i have ever kept, and the good news? They can live up to 15 years.

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>>2430692
Not really, no.

If you want an animal that lives a long time get a tortoise, a parrot, or a lobster.

>>2431344
But sea snippers are always angry

>>2430700
Thanks

>>2430704
OP back again. I had a group of four lady rats and none of them got tumors so I guess I was lucky. they all died of complications from respiratory illness. My oldest Rose was on antibiotics for the last year of her life and she was put down just after her 4th bday because her quality of life was declining.

I have been thinking that I will have rats again after I do research on nutrition and can afford a excellent air purifier. I also want to go to a breeder, since all my rats were petco adoptions.

If you want a long lived rodent just get a Degu, they can live longer than most dogs.

>>2432220
what is their behavior like? i loved how my rats had such personality compared to hamsters and mice.