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Anonymous
Hey /an/, my rat died the other day. I loved her very much. She came when I called her and cuddled with me and was very affectionate. I don't have pictures of her on this computer, but here are some other snuggly rats instead. Can we have a rat thread?
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
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Rats are really fucking cute
>> Anonymous
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>> Candy Walker !!sqULEl+fly1
I have decided for certain sure that I am going to get a pair of rats from a breeder to be my friends. Should I get boys or girls? Can I have the pros and cons of each? I'd like rats that I can play with but don't have to worry too much about them attempting to escape from my home if I put them on the rug or something. What does /an/ think?
>> Moonbarker Osbourne
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The color I'd have if I kept rats
>> Moonbarker Osbourne
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*can't resist*
>> Anonymous
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>>232675
Well boy or girl, you are going to have to rat proof your room/home before you let it do some free roaming. Boys are lumpy potato things that are lazy yet charming. They have a tendency to "mark" things if they aren't neutered, but its just a couple of droplets of urine. Girls are much more energetic and love to leap from place to place. They are smaller, but they also tend to live slightly longer. Both can be very sweet with proper handling.
>> Candy Walker !!sqULEl+fly1
>>232679

Yeah, I knew I'd be doing a lot of rat-proofing. Mostly I was wondering if one gender was less likely to take off running behind my bookcases when the chance arises. It looks like boys are less likely to do that. I still don't know though. Will a female rat hang out ever or are they pretty much just running around? I know it varies by animal obviously but my boyfriend is afraid of rats and if one jumps on him it's liable to leave him screaming like a girl for a good long time.
>> Candy Walker !!sqULEl+fly1
>>232682

Also, he's horrified by the testicles. *shakes head in shame* He's such a baby. But you mentioned neutering in rats? I hadn't even thought of that? Is it considered horrible or cruel like declawing or is it more like other neutering? Where would you even look into getting something like that done? What does such a thing usually cost?
>> Anonymous
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>>232682

Female rats definitely hang out. I actually trust my female rats more than my male rats, but thats just because I handled the female one so much more. It depends on the pet and how well it trusts you. What I usually do is just leave their cage door open so they can leave and go as they please. They go back into their cage when they have to go to the bathroom. Because they know their cage door is open, they'll jump all over me when I'm on the computer and I won't lock them away. I do close it when I go to sleep though because I won't be able to watch them.

My advice is to just let your rat take off running. As long as you make sure there aren't any holes in the walls and make sure the door is closed and hide all wires, just let your rat explore til it is pooped out. This lets your rat exercize and gain more trust in you. If you really need to get the rat back, get all kinds of yummy food into its cage and make sure it sees and hears you doing it, and it should come running.
>> Anonymous
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>>232683
Neutering a rat is no more cruel than neutering any other animal. Take your rat to a vet and they'll take care of it. They'll still have their sac, they just won't be able to produce sperm anymore. It actually increases their lifespan slightly because testosterone shortens the lifespan. Also your rat will become more docile and less masculine/aggressive after being neutered.
>> Anonymous
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Also I doubt the rat will jump on your boyfriend unless he beckoned it somehow.
>> Candy Walker !!sqULEl+fly1
>>232685
nifty keen! Well, I'm heading to sleep but thanks for the advice. I'll talk to the breeder tomorrow. She doesn't let her rats breed until she estimates she has homes for an entire litter so I think she's waiting to see if I'm gonna go for it before she makes her plans. Night everyone!
>> Candy Walker !!sqULEl+fly1
>>232688

Animals love to attack him and I have no idea why.
>> Anonymous
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My girls when they were younger. :)
>> Anonymous
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One of my rats when he was younger, he's looking a lot more roly-poly these days.

(Thread needs more blue rats.)
>> Anonymous
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And his brother.
>> Anonymous
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lol, rats
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
>>232759
8/10
>> Bifrose
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I've found that my girls are more likely to be crazy energetic around the house, but when they are outside of their known territory they are more willing to be calm. This is one of my rats snoozing on a table at school.
>> Bifrose
Of course, don't take your rat anywhere with you unless you've had her for a while, and handle her often enough for her to trust you in a strange place. Otherwise, you'll just be making matters worse
>> Candy Walker !!sqULEl+fly1
>>232763

Of course. That's actually another worry I had though. I'm going to be getting two rats because I want them to be friends and play together but I worry that one might naturally feel left out when I play with the other. Should I try to always play with both? Maybe my boyfriend will get over his silly fear and play with one while I play with the other. I don't know where people's fear of rats nowadays comes from, but it's kind of silly.
>> Bifrose
In parts of chicago, babies mouthes are chewed open and mutilated by rats. Rats can carry disease, destroy crops, they are symbolic and filth and destruction. Domesticated, they are wonderful pets which bare little resemblance to the mangy, sick city rats.

I have 9 rats, and I love them all, but I'm not going to act shocked and awed that many people still harbour a centuries old suspecion and fear of rats.
>> Candy Walker !!sqULEl+fly1
>>232848

Ha, I think it's just the plague thing with him. I doubt he knows about the other stuff. He's also got that stupid squichy reaction to their feet. But I'm not letting that change my mind. I haven't had a pet in a long time and never a rodent. My last pet was a dog when I was eight. ha. But from what I've heard rats aren't that hard and I'm pretty careful. I've done a lot of pet-sitting but now that I've got my own place, I want a few little cuties to hang out with. A breeder's my best bet, right? There's only one in the area and it's likely to be a month or two at least before I can actually get one from them. The wait is saddening but I want to make sure my pet's well-socialized.
>> Anonymous
Candy Walker, remember that the differences between male and female rats do not come about until they're full grown (around 8 months to a year). Meaning, if you want really lazy boys, you'd be better off adopting a pair of older male rats. Baby rats are baby rats. The males and females act the same for the first few months of life-- they're both hyper, crazy, playful runners. Young male rats are just as crazy and hyper as their female counterparts.

Mine are around 3 months old (males) and they're still a little jumpy and crazy. You will have to rat proof the house (block off areas they can sneak into) whether you have females or males.

Also, I highly recommend this cage:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753352

It's a set up big enough for up to 4 rats, but I like to keep my pair in there and let them have plenty of room to run around. It's also a good cage because the bar spacing is only 1/2", meaning even very young baby rats cannot squeeze through. Most cages that are big enough for rats to play in are, in fact, ferret cages and have bar spacing that is too wide.

Anyway, I've rambled, look up lots of info before buying your rats and I hope you enjoy them!

Things to look up online:

-Suebee's rat diet
-the rat cage calculator
>> Candy Walker !!sqULEl+fly1
>>232951

Thank you. I'll look that stuff up. Mostly my gender questions were because the breeder seemed pretty into the idea of me getting boys. I was wondering if it was just because boys are harder to find homes for.
>> Anonymous
>>232951
i believe that wheel is no good for rats. they can break their tails/limbs on them.
>> Anonymous
>>232960
Those wheels are extremely easy to remove so taking it out wouldn't be an issue. They just hang on the bars.

That being said, back when I first had rats, most of our cages came with wire wheels and my rats never had any problems. That's just my personal experience, of course.
>> Anonymous
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Candy, actually your best bet would be a shelter near you or something. There are plenty of well socialized rats there that need a good home ;) But yeah your breeder knows that finding homes for boys are harder since they can have some smell and aggression issues. But this can be taken care of with a simple neutering. Personally, I find that my boys want my love more while the girls can be just as happy running around and being energetic. Both make very rewarding pets though.

>>232968

With wheels it would still be better to be safe than sorry. From my personal experience, my rats don't even like wheels. They prefer more difficult forms of mental stimulation, and they get plenty of exercise running around my room.
>> Anonymous
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Man.... bookshelves. Modified cheap bookshelves are where it's at. Found this sweet set-up. Ratty paradise!!!
>> Anonymous
>>233024
cant they chew through that?
>> Anonymous
COME BACK TO /x/!!!
>> Anonymous
>>233024

They suck compared to a traditional cage with the same toys. Get pissed up in no time, whether the wood is covered in plastic or not, and ventilation isn't the greatest. Cute, but not effective.
>> Candy Walker !!sqULEl+fly1
>>233184

lol.... no!
>> Anonymous
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41L x 25.5W x 57H

I has this for mah 3 ratties.
>> Anonymous
>>233259
your rats must be huge.
>> Anonymous
>>233262

No I just spoil them greatly. The bigger the space the better. They use every square inch of it. Plus I'll probably get more rats in the future.
>> Anonymous
>>233265
i meant that it looked like they could squeeze right through those bars.
i spoil my rats too.. my two females got a cage thats taller than me and filled with all sorts of fun things for them.

you have males or females in that cage?
>> Anonymous
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Toejam on the right and Earl on the left.

Earl died from a respiratory illness. Toejam survives to this day but he is a lazy bastard who poops on absolutely everything when I let him out so he mostly stays in his cage, even when I leave the door open. He likes to climb on top of it but is quick to rush back to the sanctuary of the cage if anything at all happens.
>> Anonymous
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Rats are made of massive amounts of win.

I have one male. He's one of those super-rare cases of rats too aggressive to be with other rats, but he's a doll with me. He lives on a very large shelf with PVC pipes for running around (read: sleeping in), a hammock, an igloo, and a bowl of water that gets changed once a day. He's too old (3 1/2) to climb up anything, so he only gets one floor, but he gets free reign of the hallway of my dorms 'bout twice a week. No wires and plenty of awesome places to hide. He comes when I call him...usually. He sleeps a LOT. Old male rats are a lot like old tomcats.
>> Anonymous
>>232959

Boys are much harder to find homes for. I always see boys available. Mostly because people have issues with their balls and such... @_@ But male rats are infinitely healthier than unspayed females, who are prone to mammary tumors.

Good luck, whatever happens.
>> Anonymous
Do people with rats as pets have trouble with long term relationships?
>> Anonymous
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>>233266

I have two neutured males and a female in that cage. Its close enough together so that they can't squeeze through, thankfully.

>>233323

You mean with people? From a personal perspective, not really. It sucks reallyyyy fucking bad that they only live for like 3 years, but that doesn't mean I don't want longevity in my relationships. Its short relationships that I have a problem with.