PariahPoet - 2010-01-29 @Gitali Regarding baths, I find my girls do best when I run about an inch of water in the tub and stand in there with them(bending down to wash them). The water should be very warm so they don't get chilled. A good thing about most tubs is that they are angled so the water is deeper by the drain, and shallow on the other end. That way your rats can get out of the water if they want, so it isn't so scary for them. I used to try and put them in the tub while I kneeled outside of it and reached over to wash them, but it was a nightmare. They flipped out and kept climbing up my arms and sitting wet on my shoulder. Then one day I discovered that all they wanted was for me to be in there with them! :) Once they're clean, have a big soft towel that they can burrow in until they're dry. One of my girls actually liked me to dry her off with the blowdryer (set on low power, and warm, not hot!). But it may scare your rats, so just figure out what they prefer. ^^
Gitali - 2010-01-10 Hi, I have a pair of white rats - Cheenu and Meenu. Now Meenu has given birth to her babies. I want to know what type of care she needs. Please help coz these r the cold winter days and I don't want any of the babies to suffer due to this..
Cady - 2009-12-07 I was so begging & begging & begging my dad for this rat, and it finally worked! Thank goodness. No training needed because she's perfectly tame already, eats popcorn out of my hand, and lays on my shoulder. Hooded rats are the best! btw, her name is Tinsle. She's Great! Anybody who wants a pet, look no further than the Rat!
Sara Henricksen - 2009-10-04 Well, my first litter dropped today. I didn't realize that Juniper (my little fancy hooded rat) was even pregnant until the day before yesterday. What a surprise! We have 13 little babies- they're so CUTE! We had one pass away though, and I'm heart-broken about that. But still, I'm super excited!
Amanda - 2009-09-19 I have a white albino rat called Percy. I got him for my son 2 years ago and I fell in love with him. He's still going strong and has never bitten me.He's only just starting to like a cuddle, where as before he was to busy exploring :) The day he goes will be a very sad day indeed. I am now a rat fan cause they are just amazing pets <3
Sara Garcia - 2009-06-25 I have 21 pets. Needless to say I've got a bit of a full plate and my parents aren't allowing me to get anymore but that's alright. I had two black hooded rats: Sapphire and Meadow. Then Sapphire got an intestinal tumor and we, unfortunately, had to put her to sleep. Meadow started lying at the bottom of her cage and was clearly depressed which made me upset. So recently I decided to get her a friend. So I ordered a baby hooded rat for her and when I got to the petshop to pick her up there was one baby but there was also a baby feeder rat in the same cage. The owner of the pet shop looked at me and said, "She's free if you want her. I'd rather see her go to you then be sold as food. It makes me sick." So I took them both. The albino/feeder rat I named Cupcake and the grey hooded rat, who has remarkably huge ears for such a little rat, I named Willow but Willow's sick. She's sneezing and coughing and a little lethargic. I have antibiotics that I'm supposed to give to her 2x's a day which I started doing when I got her (today) so hopefully she'll get better again. The odd thing about Willow is that her ears are HUGE! They're like a Dumbo rat's ears! Which is strange because she's a regular fancy rat. Anyway, although rats don't live very long, I think they make the best pets. Because of their personalities and their mischievous and playful nature. I love my lil girls. :)
Sara Garcia - 2009-06-25 Dani- There are several pet stores in NY to go to that are reliable...at least there are if you live on LI. If you live out by the Hamptons then there's Reptile Robs, where I get all of my pets from in East Quogue. They're cheap (money wise) and will order anything for you without asking. Also there's Petco in Riverhead, Hampton Bays and probably more up the Island.
Colleen - 2009-04-14 My son and I went to the pet store a few weeks ago, he loves to go and visit all the different animals. I happened to notice the rats, and asked about them. We ended up bringing one home. We named her Beatrice, or "B" for short. She is hilarious! She will take popcorn and pumpkin seeds right out of my hand to snack on... We love her and are taking excellent care of her. I would recmmend getting a fancy rat to anyone who knows they can trust children with them (not to squeeze them etc.) as they are very domesticated, and not what you imagine a "rat" to be like. Very loving.
chris - 2009-03-08 I have a question regarding different species of rats co-habitating with each other. I already have two female rats and was wanting to know if placing a third, but hairless variety (also to be female). Would this be okay?
Active and smart little animals, rats can make great pets especially for children!
@Gitali
Regarding baths, I find my girls do best when I run about an inch of water in the tub and stand in there with them(bending down to wash them). The water should be very warm so they don't get chilled. A good thing about most tubs is that they are angled so the water is deeper by the drain, and shallow on the other end. That way your rats can get out of the water if they want, so it isn't so scary for them.
I used to try and put them in the tub while I kneeled outside of it and reached over to wash them, but it was a nightmare. They flipped out and kept climbing up my arms and sitting wet on my shoulder. Then one day I discovered that all they wanted was for me to be in there with them! :)
Once they're clean, have a big soft towel that they can burrow in until they're dry. One of my girls actually liked me to dry her off with the blowdryer (set on low power, and warm, not hot!). But it may scare your rats, so just figure out what they prefer. ^^
Hi, I have a pair of white rats - Cheenu and Meenu. Now Meenu has given birth to her babies. I want to know what type of care she needs. Please help coz these r the cold winter days and I don't want any of the babies to suffer due to this..
I was so begging & begging & begging my dad for this rat, and it finally worked! Thank goodness. No training needed because she's perfectly tame already, eats popcorn out of my hand, and lays on my shoulder. Hooded rats are the best! btw, her name is Tinsle. She's Great! Anybody who wants a pet, look no further than the Rat!
Well, my first litter dropped today. I didn't realize that Juniper (my little fancy hooded rat) was even pregnant until the day before yesterday. What a surprise! We have 13 little babies- they're so CUTE! We had one pass away though, and I'm heart-broken about that. But still, I'm super excited!
I have a white albino rat called Percy. I got him for my son 2 years ago and I fell in love with him. He's still going strong and has never bitten me.He's only just starting to like a cuddle, where as before he was to busy exploring :) The day he goes will be a very sad day indeed. I am now a rat fan cause they are just amazing pets <3
I have 21 pets. Needless to say I've got a bit of a full plate and my parents aren't allowing me to get anymore but that's alright. I had two black hooded rats: Sapphire and Meadow. Then Sapphire got an intestinal tumor and we, unfortunately, had to put her to sleep. Meadow started lying at the bottom of her cage and was clearly depressed which made me upset. So recently I decided to get her a friend. So I ordered a baby hooded rat for her and when I got to the petshop to pick her up there was one baby but there was also a baby feeder rat in the same cage. The owner of the pet shop looked at me and said, "She's free if you want her. I'd rather see her go to you then be sold as food. It makes me sick." So I took them both. The albino/feeder rat I named Cupcake and the grey hooded rat, who has remarkably huge ears for such a little rat, I named Willow but Willow's sick. She's sneezing and coughing and a little lethargic. I have antibiotics that I'm supposed to give to her 2x's a day which I started doing when I got her (today) so hopefully she'll get better again.
The odd thing about Willow is that her ears are HUGE! They're like a Dumbo rat's ears! Which is strange because she's a regular fancy rat. Anyway, although rats don't live very long, I think they make the best pets. Because of their personalities and their mischievous and playful nature. I love my lil girls. :)
Dani-
There are several pet stores in NY to go to that are reliable...at least there are if you live on LI. If you live out by the Hamptons then there's Reptile Robs, where I get all of my pets from in East Quogue. They're cheap (money wise) and will order anything for you without asking. Also there's Petco in Riverhead, Hampton Bays and probably more up the Island.
My rat, Grapes, has major fleas. I didn't notice til now. This website helped so much!!!
My son and I went to the pet store a few weeks ago, he loves to go and visit all the different animals. I happened to notice the rats, and asked about them. We ended up bringing one home. We named her Beatrice, or "B" for short. She is hilarious! She will take popcorn and pumpkin seeds right out of my hand to snack on... We love her and are taking excellent care of her. I would recmmend getting a fancy rat to anyone who knows they can trust children with them (not to squeeze them etc.) as they are very domesticated, and not what you imagine a "rat" to be like. Very loving.
I have a question regarding different species of rats co-habitating with each other. I already have two female rats and was wanting to know if placing a third, but hairless variety (also to be female). Would this be okay?