marenne - 2013-01-18 my rat needs to be put down and we cant afford a vet a fellow rat lover said give them deadly food but are there any foods that can kill a rat without makeing it suffer
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Jeremy Roche - 2013-01-18 If you can't here's a very humane way (which is arguably more humane than the euthanasia shot)
Its called a CO2 (carbon dioxide) chamber. take a small, airtight box or bowl, a small cup with a good bit of baking soda and another cup of vinegar. say goodbye to your rat, and put him in the box. put the cup in as well, and pour in the vinegar. shut the box tightly, and leave it alone for 20-30 minutes. then remove the lid and bury your rat
Luca - 2012-06-12 I love rats. They are so adorable! Rats have many different personalities(ex: my rats hazel is very active and likes to explore but gravity is more shy and will just cuddle up with you). Just wanna say that rats make adorable pets and I highly recommend them as pets.
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Michael - 2012-11-25 Are rats really good pets? Everyone says they are just disgusting little smelly things, is it true? I mean I am kinda scared of them, but some are kinda cute though. But the ones that i think are really disgusting and gross and that i have a HUGE fear of is the sewer rats, or those wild rats that have rabies!! They scare me!!
Steph - 2012-11-30 Rats are great pets. Wild rats are different then pet rats. Just like a wild cat is a lot different then a pet cat. Pet rats are definitely not disgusting animals. They clean themselves and are very intelligent. I love rats as pets, you'll also come to realize each have their own individual personality.
brian sigmon - 2012-12-06 I am wanting a pet rat.. If you could call me with places to get one I would be extremly happy! My number is 828-302-5691
S.Holder - 2012-11-28 Rats do make fine pets. I have had several thoughout the years. I am almost 50 and will have rats till the day I have to say goodbye to all. They are fun, they are affectionate, they are smart, they can be litter box trained....any more questions?
Anonymous - 2012-04-03 I have 2 female rats, Covey and Ella. Covey is 9 months old and Ella is 6 weeks old. I would recommend a pet rat to anyone. Covey is friendly and energetic whilst Ella loves to explore. They are very clean creatures and do not smell like my pet mouse I owned earlier.
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boo - 2012-04-25 My rat smells really bad. Does that mean theres something wrong with him ?
Anonymous - 2012-04-28 It may be that you don't clean his cage enough. I would recommend cleaning it every week. It could also be the bedding I would recomend hardwood shavings as they are warm and don't smell like some beddings such as hay or newspaper, but if it continues get some advice from a vet or qualified breeder although one of my rats urinates a lot in her cage and smells a bit so I have to wipe the cage down every day if this is the case it is nothing to worry about.
Tessa - 2012-04-29 I just bought two pet rats last night from Petsmart, Tre and Reese. When we first picked up Tre, at the pet store, he was sneezing and then he stopped. When we got Reese out to put him inside his box he did the same thing. Last night and still this morning they are sneezing, is this bad or is it normal? Thanks.
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Charlie Roche - 2012-04-29 Could be allergic to the bedding. I would try that first.
Anonymous - 2012-04-30 It could be the bedding (don't ever give them pine or cedar shavings), if you see them sneezing out red or pink liquid it would be them reacting to the new cold weather or it could be a respiratory tract Infection but get some advice from a vet if it carries on.
Anonymous - 2012-06-12 Same thing happened to my rats. After a few weeks they stopped because the bedding at the store was pine or cedar but we put different bedding in. (I would recommend carefresh or boxo)
Wackadoodle - 2012-09-17 That happened with me too, we got different bedding but a day later one of them died, it had only been 3 days after we got her, this may be unlikely though so don't listen to me only
Christian - 2012-10-24 Take them to a vet. its seroius mine died and got my other rat sick.
Daria - 2012-09-18 Does anyone know if you can domesticate the rattus rattus version or are they always high strung-you know, like the difference between parakeets and canaries-look but don't touch! I have been able to catch them with my bare hands and stroke them in a cage but that's about all.
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Clarice Brough - 2012-09-19 The rat species 'Black Rat, Rattus rattus' is a larger and more aggressive species than the Brown Rat (shown here) which has become more common and domesticated. Although I've never reared this wild rat, I have reared wild mice and the biggest difference between them and domestic mice is they are always more nervous and jumpy. Even though they are handled and socialized from infancy, they never outgrow this tendency. I would bet it is similar for the Black Rat.
Andrea Sosio - 2012-10-11 R. rattus is actually smaller (not larger) than R. norvegicus. I wouldn't equate the black rat to 'wild rats' as in fact most wild rats are brown (norvegics) rats. There is not much evidence of people domesticating black rats, but it is difficult to say if this is because black rats are harder to domesticate or, more simply, because they are rare. Rat domestication / rat fancy has started in the XIX Century, when the R. norvegicus had already largely replaced the black rat all over Europe, so breeders didn't have much chance to breed the black ones.
Clarice Brough - 2012-10-13 Great info about the background on these two species. But I did find myself questioning the size so did a bit more research just to make sure. What I've found is that the Black Rat, Rattus rattus, is in fact larger. It has a body length between almost 13 inches (32.4 cm) up to 25 inches (46.4 cm). The Brown Rat, Rattus norvegicus, on the other hand can only reach up to 10 inches (25 cm) in length.
Lee Fairclough - 2012-10-22 Speaking as someone who has kept both, they both adapt superbly to captivity. They are both placid, highly tamable and live happily in soicial groups. While I wouldn't say either was more tamable than the other, I have never been bitten by a black while I have had the occasional nip from a brown (although I've ket more browns). Re: the sizes, the brown rat is considerably bigger. While the black rat may get slightly longer including tail-length, the blacks have a proportionately much longer tail. Additionally, brown rats are much more heavily built and are getting on for twice the adult weight on average as the blacks. In terms of build and appearance blacks are much more like very large mice, with larger ears and more delicate features. I suspect the principle reason you don't see many black rats in captivity is that the brown rat has become an ubiquitous laboratory animal and is bred in large numbers for this and as a food animal for reptiles. I suspect that there is also a stronger stigmatism still attached to the black rat still as harbinger of the plague. Finally, in the UK at least wild black rats were virtually driven to extinction by browns. While black rats aren't encountered in pet shops, many zoological parks and attractions still have colonies on display. As you can imagine with a large mix-sexed colony of rodents, they often have an abundance of surplus animals which end up euthenised as food for other exhibits, but a chat with the appropriate keeper can often secure some in return for beer money. This is how I got mine. One word about blacks for anyone deciding to keep them, tho', they are a lot more fragile than browns and their tails are much more easily damaged, also they can lose toe-nails if you're not careful picking them up from a substrate they don't want to let go of so you need to be gentle with them.
pes11 - 2012-10-22 I have a black and norway rat that live happily in the same cage. My black rat, Lars, is actually much more tame than my norway rat though i think that might just be their personalities. Lars is much smaller than my norway though he is the dominant rat. He also seems to pick up on verbal cues better. He learns tricks faster and is more motivated by human attention than food.
Dovey - 2012-09-21 Rats need extremely LOW levels of protein in their diets and do best on a high quality lab block containing only 14 to 18 percent protein, along with fresh fruits and veg, whole grains, and OCCASIONAL protein-based treats like tuna or chicken bones to gnaw on. High protein diets have been linked to higher rates of lymphoma, mycoplasmosis, bumblefoot, kidney failure, and pituitary tumors, among other health problems. Rats shouldn't eat the same higher-protein lab block that gerbils and hamsters prefer. For long life and good health, only baby rats and nursing mothers should eat higher protein diets.
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Clarice Brough - 2012-09-23 Great info on more specifics about the rat diet, thanks for sharing it!
Anonymous - 2012-05-05 I decided to introduce my 3 rats 3, 8 and 9 months old. They got along except for my 8 and 3 month old rats, my 8 month old rat kept pinning the 3 month old rat down on the ground and vice versa and both were struggling when they were pinned down they were also wrestling and tumbling around.
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Anonymous - 2012-07-22 This is completely normal my 3 rats do that all the time but if you start to notice injuries then you must seperate as soon as possible
Active and smart little animals, rats can make great pets especially for children!
my rat needs to be put down and we cant afford a vet a fellow rat lover said give them deadly food but are there any foods that can kill a rat without makeing it suffer
If you can't here's a very humane way (which is arguably more humane than the euthanasia shot)
Its called a CO2 (carbon dioxide) chamber. take a small, airtight box or bowl, a small cup with a good bit of baking soda and another cup of vinegar. say goodbye to your rat, and put him in the box. put the cup in as well, and pour in the vinegar. shut the box tightly, and leave it alone for 20-30 minutes. then remove the lid and bury your rat
I love rats. They are so adorable! Rats have many different personalities(ex: my rats hazel is very active and likes to explore but gravity is more shy and will just cuddle up with you). Just wanna say that rats make adorable pets and I highly recommend them as pets.
Are rats really good pets? Everyone says they are just disgusting little smelly things, is it true? I mean I am kinda scared of them, but some are kinda cute though. But the ones that i think are really disgusting and gross and that i have a HUGE fear of is the sewer rats, or those wild rats that have rabies!! They scare me!!
Rats are great pets. Wild rats are different then pet rats. Just like a wild cat is a lot different then a pet cat. Pet rats are definitely not disgusting animals. They clean themselves and are very intelligent. I love rats as pets, you'll also come to realize each have their own individual personality.
I am wanting a pet rat.. If you could call me with places to get one I would be extremly happy! My number is 828-302-5691
Rats do make fine pets. I have had several thoughout the years. I am almost 50 and will have rats till the day I have to say goodbye to all. They are fun, they are affectionate, they are smart, they can be litter box trained....any more questions?
i love pet rats...
I have 2 female rats, Covey and Ella.
Covey is 9 months old and Ella is 6 weeks old.
I would recommend a pet rat to anyone.
Covey is friendly and energetic whilst Ella loves to explore.
They are very clean creatures and do not smell like my pet mouse I owned earlier.
My rat smells really bad. Does that mean theres something wrong with him ?
It may be that you don't clean his cage enough. I would recommend cleaning it every week. It could also be the bedding I would recomend hardwood shavings as they are warm and don't smell like some beddings such as hay or newspaper, but if it continues get some advice from a vet or qualified breeder although one of my rats urinates a lot in her cage and smells a bit so I have to wipe the cage down every day if this is the case it is nothing to worry about.
I just bought two pet rats last night from Petsmart, Tre and Reese. When we first picked up Tre, at the pet store, he was sneezing and then he stopped. When we got Reese out to put him inside his box he did the same thing. Last night and still this morning they are sneezing, is this bad or is it normal? Thanks.
Could be allergic to the bedding. I would try that first.
It could be the bedding (don't ever give them pine or cedar shavings), if you see them sneezing out red or pink liquid it would be them reacting to the new cold weather or it could be a respiratory tract Infection but get some advice from a vet if it carries on.
Same thing happened to my rats. After a few weeks they stopped because the bedding at the store was pine or cedar but we put different bedding in. (I would recommend carefresh or boxo)
That happened with me too, we got different bedding but a day later one of them died, it had only been 3 days after we got her, this may be unlikely though so don't listen to me only
Take them to a vet. its seroius mine died and got my other rat sick.
Does anyone know if you can domesticate the rattus rattus version or are they always high strung-you know, like the difference between parakeets and canaries-look but don't touch! I have been able to catch them with my bare hands and stroke them in a cage but that's about all.
The rat species 'Black Rat, Rattus rattus' is a larger and more aggressive species than the Brown Rat (shown here) which has become more common and domesticated. Although I've never reared this wild rat, I have reared wild mice and the biggest difference between them and domestic mice is they are always more nervous and jumpy. Even though they are handled and socialized from infancy, they never outgrow this tendency. I would bet it is similar for the Black Rat.
R. rattus is actually smaller (not larger) than R. norvegicus. I wouldn't equate the black rat to 'wild rats' as in fact most wild rats are brown (norvegics) rats. There is not much evidence of people domesticating black rats, but it is difficult to say if this is because black rats are harder to domesticate or, more simply, because they are rare. Rat domestication / rat fancy has started in the XIX Century, when the R. norvegicus had already largely replaced the black rat all over Europe, so breeders didn't have much chance to breed the black ones.
Great info about the background on these two species. But I did find myself questioning the size so did a bit more research just to make sure. What I've found is that the Black Rat, Rattus rattus, is in fact larger. It has a body length between almost 13 inches (32.4 cm) up to 25 inches (46.4 cm). The Brown Rat, Rattus norvegicus, on the other hand can only reach up to 10 inches (25 cm) in length.
Speaking as someone who has kept both, they both adapt superbly to captivity. They are both placid, highly tamable and live happily in soicial groups. While I wouldn't say either was more tamable than the other, I have never been bitten by a black while I have had the occasional nip from a brown (although I've ket more browns). Re: the sizes, the brown rat is considerably bigger. While the black rat may get slightly longer including tail-length, the blacks have a proportionately much longer tail. Additionally, brown rats are much more heavily built and are getting on for twice the adult weight on average as the blacks. In terms of build and appearance blacks are much more like very large mice, with larger ears and more delicate features. I suspect the principle reason you don't see many black rats in captivity is that the brown rat has become an ubiquitous laboratory animal and is bred in large numbers for this and as a food animal for reptiles. I suspect that there is also a stronger stigmatism still attached to the black rat still as harbinger of the plague. Finally, in the UK at least wild black rats were virtually driven to extinction by browns. While black rats aren't encountered in pet shops, many zoological parks and attractions still have colonies on display. As you can imagine with a large mix-sexed colony of rodents, they often have an abundance of surplus animals which end up euthenised as food for other exhibits, but a chat with the appropriate keeper can often secure some in return for beer money. This is how I got mine. One word about blacks for anyone deciding to keep them, tho', they are a lot more fragile than browns and their tails are much more easily damaged, also they can lose toe-nails if you're not careful picking them up from a substrate they don't want to let go of so you need to be gentle with them.
I have a black and norway rat that live happily in the same cage. My black rat, Lars, is actually much more tame than my norway rat though i think that might just be their personalities. Lars is much smaller than my norway though he is the dominant rat. He also seems to pick up on verbal cues better. He learns tricks faster and is more motivated by human attention than food.
Rats need extremely LOW levels of protein in their diets and do best on a high quality lab block containing only 14 to 18 percent protein, along with fresh fruits and veg, whole grains, and OCCASIONAL protein-based treats like tuna or chicken bones to gnaw on. High protein diets have been linked to higher rates of lymphoma, mycoplasmosis, bumblefoot, kidney failure, and pituitary tumors, among other health problems. Rats shouldn't eat the same higher-protein lab block that gerbils and hamsters prefer. For long life and good health, only baby rats and nursing mothers should eat higher protein diets.
Great info on more specifics about the rat diet, thanks for sharing it!
My rat looks the same so fluffy and adorable
I decided to introduce my 3 rats 3, 8 and 9 months old.
They got along except for my 8 and 3 month old rats, my 8 month old rat kept pinning the 3 month old rat down on the ground and vice versa and both were struggling when they were pinned down they were also wrestling and tumbling around.
This is completely normal my 3 rats do that all the time but if you start to notice injuries then you must seperate as soon as possible