File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Hey guys.
I've been thinking about getting a rat, and I have some questions.
*I have three cats living with me, is it a good idea bringing in a rodent?
*How much would it cost to keep one, in general, as my budget is pretty stretched.
*How are they in terms of training?
>> Anonymous
*excellent idea
*they are basically no-maintenance, exept for the initial investment
*delicious
>> Flisan
*Make sure to keep the cats away from the rat as long as it's a baby. Also, try to get them to know eachother under supervision. And don't leave them alone in a room if the rat is out!
*Rats are cheap. I've got three, and I've figured out that the cost for three rats/one month is less then $10, as long as they don't need to see the vet and you get economy size packs of everything.
BUT you really should get atleast two since they are pack-animals and becomes healtier and happier if they have a same speices-companion.
*Rats are very smart, and you can teach them tons of stuff. To come when you call is a good thing to teach them. But you can teach them all kinds of stuff, and they love agility (just like dog-agility but with much smaller stuff). Some country even has bomb-rats instead of bomb-dogs at the airport (I don't remember wich, I think it's indonesia or somewhere around there).

Also, think about wich sex you want. Females are more active while males generally becomes calmer and cuddlier when they grow up. But on the other hand, male rats have balls hueg liek x-box, so it's an estetic question as well.
>> Anonymous
Get an assorted pair: free cat food everyonce in a while!
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
I had a rat for 2 years, awesome little beasts, he died 2 weeks ago. RIP SpaceGhost.
Easy to keep and fun to play with, handle them regularly.
My rat knew no fear of my mums cats but i would keep them apart just in case.
>> kitsune
     File :-(, x)
My rats go berserk with fear at the scent of cat; they won't leave their nest even to eat or drink.
Rats are very trainable. Mine can climb a rope, pull a basket up by a string, jump through a hoop, come to their individual names when called, and walk a tightrope.
They're pretty cheap, but they need a lot of intellectual stimulation. Buy at least two and let then out of their cages for at least an hour a day.
>> Anonymous
* My cat was a huge hunter and she was scared of my rats. I had two huge male rats, which might have had something to do with it. If you have cats that have lived indoors most of their life, they should be fine; otherwise, just be careful and keep them out of the room when the rats are loose.

* The only thing really expensive about rats is their vet bills...and even that is not that big compared to vet bills for cats or dogs. My first generation of rats had a chronic respiratory thing, but it ended up just being a $15 bottle of medicine every few months when one of them started sneezing. The initial cost of a cage is the other big thing -- you'll want a large cage for them -- but you can find them cheap on ebay or make your own.

* They can be trained to do a surprising amount of stuff. I don't really train mine to do anything, but they sort of figured out their names on their own and will respond to them. Supposedly they can be litterbox trained and all sorts of stuff. Get more than one and give them lots of shit to play with in their cage, though.