How much do they cost? How much do the little housing areas for them cost? How much is food? How much are those little plastic balls that you put them in so they can run around? I have wanted a rat since I was eight years old. I remember back then (nine years ago already!) they were $8 and I had saved up enough to buy one rat, a small house, and some food. But then we got to the store, I had my little coinpurse stuffed with $1 bills, all ready to buy one, but my dad said no. I was so heart-broken! I know that prices have gone up a bit in nearly nine years, so how much would it be? I want to get two female rats and name them Ethel and Mabel. Thanks in advance!
I have a rat rescue and know tons about rats. First of all, rats don't do well alone, get a same sex pair. Second, the bigger cage the better. I would suggest making your own. You could make one like mine only half the size for about $75 It's worth it. I would suggest making your own food. I can email you a recipe, it's cheap healthy and easy to make. I would try to get your rats form a rescue, if not, they generally cost about $5-$10 you could also search for a breeder in your area. Males are more cuddly, but you have to keep in mind that they mark as they walk, so they will dribble pee all over, (you get used to it) sometimes males can get sexually aggressive and bite and mount the other rats, so youmay have to neuter, it cost about the same as a cat. Females are really playful, more tense and jumpy., not many are cuddly at all. I would suggest getting a book on rats and research before you get them. I know of lots of rats in the CA area that need homes, they have been posted on the message board at MSN groups Rats! Rats! Rats! which is a great place for info and to ask questions. you can email me at happyhippy9797@yahoo.com I will post a pic of my cage and I can send you directions on how to make it if you'd like. Also, rats need a lot of out of cage time, they get bored easily. Hope I was of some help.
Her is a picture of my boys cage. You could make one with two floors instead of four. It was easy to build.
Thanks, its always been my dream to have an animal sanctuary somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. I just started a little early here in my one bedroom apartment. LOL Guess I couldn't wait.
In petstores rats are usually cheap because they are considered "feeders" not pets. Alot of petstores will sell them for $5.00-$10.00. You might be able to rescue one though. some people will buy a rattie as a pet, but then realise how much time and money actually has to go into them. Rats are very misunderstood animals, they are the smartest animals under dogs and can learn various tricks and even their own names. Food is fairly cheap. Just looks for things around your house to feed your rattie. Dont feed a comerical diet like hamster or gerbil seeds because they are high in fat and can cause cancer later in life, pluse comercial foods dont have any nutrience. I feed my rattie alot of different things. dried banana, oatmeal, shreddies, cherios, raisins, nutro lite dog food, parsley, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, ect... Rats dont run in balls like a hamster does.. my rats hate them. they just sit there and pee .. rats should be let out of their cage for at least an hour aday to socialise. ratties are pretty good when it comes to staying out of trouble. mine never chew cords ect. they are smarter then that. They love to pee on everything though. I have my one male dumbo rat in a huge cage, it have three levels that are split. it cost me 30$ at a discout store.. I will post a pic below.... anyways i am sure catahoula will reply as well because i know she is an awesome rattie mommy, she got me addicted to them .
What they cost really depends on where you buy them. The pet stores here charge $5-30. The SPCA charges $10. Reputable breeders can charge anywhere from $10-100 depending on lines, markings, etc. Trust me, they can't be housed in "little housing areas." They need BIG cages, the bigger the better. My cage is 5 feet tall. I built it. I'll attach a picture below. Food is fairly inexpensive, depending on what you buy. The crap you buy in petshops is expensive and worthless junk. Feed them something you make and they will be happy. My rats eat several things -- oatmeal, soybeans, parsley, carrots, brocolli, sour cream, cottage cheese, whole wheat bread, millet, wheat germ, liver, chicken bones, dog kibble, and LOTS of other things -- alot of times they eat my leftovers. Just make sure that they get little fat, little protein, and little sugar. So not too much cheese, meat, or dried fruits and yogies. Some foods you should not feed are corn, onions, blue cheese, too much garlic, iceburg lettuce, cucumber, licorice root..males can't be fed citrus (d-limonene in the the rind can cause cancer), rats can't have too many seeds, and a alot of other things....And if you want to feed dog food, go for something high quality...no by-products, BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin, meat and bone meal...and make sure the ingredients are specific...chicken or turkey etc instead of poultry...beef instead of meat...etc. Rats HATE Those plastic balls. They are terrified of them. If my rats get put in one of those, they pee and then they scream. Make sure you remember that rats are not cheap nor easy pets to care for..they require alots of attention and money. In the past six years I've kept rats, I've probably spent over $600-700 on food, housing, medication, and surgery. Rats require more vet care than a dog or cat generally...My rats have gone in for several things...Mycoplasmosis...Tumor removal...abcess drainage...etc. They are not the healthiest or hardiest of pets. And they need time out of their cage...My rats go out for about an hour or two to spend with me...and they spend a few hours running around the bathroom. Unless you get a full-grown rat that no longer accepts other rats, you HAVE to get atleast one other rat for it..they are very social and they need a friend or they will get lonely, depressed, and more destructive..they have even been known to die from lonliness.. I reccomend going to the library and looking for a rat book by Debbie Ducommon (sp?). Here is a picture of my rat cage.. Good luck!
I feed a mixture of puffed wheat, puffed rice, wheat flakes, any good cereal like that, tri colored pasta, oatmeal, granola (homemade), raisins, dried split peas, songbird mix with sunflower seeds, a few peanuts and dried cherries, dog food, and lab blocks. They get fresh kale and carrots daily, plus a little apple. Plus, some of whatever I eat. As a treat once in awhile I give them each an M&M.
I actually caught one outside, though it was abandoned in a dumpster at my apartment, I had to chase it down and grab it. She's the sweetest PEW ever.
Thank you everyone! That was all really helpful advice. I won't be getting one for a while, though. My dad absolutely hates rats (bad experience), so I can't have one at home. And at the college I'm going to, pets aren't allowed. It won't be for a couple more years. Anywho, I do plan on getting two rats. Both girls, because even though I love rats, I don't want 10 or more of them all at once. I'm going to name them Ethel and Mabel. Ah, sounds like they eat what I eat (minus meat)! Bread n' veggies. I generally make my own bread from scratch, so when I get my "ratties" (lol that sounds cute!) I'll just make an extra loaf for them. How do they do with cereals like Smart Start? Aww now I can't wait to have ratties! P.S. HappyHippy--That rat mansion is awesome! I bet your "children" love you!
Rats love cereal! I don't know what's in SmartStart...Sounds like it might be healthy lol. Just make sure it doesn't have alot of sugar in it. For cereal, I give my rats oatmeal, shredded wheat, cream of wheat, Presidents Choice Organic Ancient Grains (AWESOME cereal -- no sugar and totally organic! Tastes good for you too ^^), puffed wheat, bran, and sometimes I'll give them a couple of cheerios. Also make sure the food has no corn or BHA/BHT. For some reason the pic of my cage never showed up. Here it is again! It's 5 feet tall, and I built it myself. My rats love it!
BTW -- I recommend a glass water bottle. I switched from that plastic one in the pic to a glass one...The plastic ones leach toxins and chemicals into the water. My rat breeder told me that after she switched to glass bottles, the number of cancer outbreaks went down by atleast half. Make sure you do tons of research on health problems in rats. There are TONS of them and they aren't pretty. My first rat had to be put down because he has a tumor in his urinary tract. My second rat had to be put down a month after he had a tumor removed -- the tumor came back very aggressivly and stemmed from his colon where it could not be removed. The rats I have now have luckily only had a small case of myco, but they are young still. It's very unfortunate the problems rats have due to irresponsible breeding...
Just dont leave a rat near a air conditioning vent or a fan they have really weak lungs.. My last roommate killed 5 of them,I have had rats 3 times and they cuddled with me at night
happyhippy, are you sure that wasnt a ferral rat out dumster diving that you found? rats are illigal to own where I live, as alberta is rat free. Alberta actually has a rat patrol that goes up and down the boarders surching for and killing rat infestations
im considering buying one of my mates rats that his mummy rat has just given birth to,there about two months old ish . i was wondering what is a good age to seperate the brothers and sisters? i dont want to drag him/her away from there siblings to a lonely depressing existance. what effect does this have on a rat?
The rats should have been seperated weeks ago, if they are 2 months old. Chances are, the female babies are already pregnant and the mother is pregnant again. Tell you friend to be prepared for emergency vet care, as females shouldn't get pregnant so soon after having babies, and females shouldn't be bred before 4 months because their pelvic bones have opened yet. The males should always be removed from the mother and rest of the litter at 5 weeks. A rat that is alone is very depressed...They are very social and thrive on the companionship of other rats. Human companionship just doesn't do it for them because that human can't sleep with the rat to keep him warm, or groom him. In the wild, rats live in huge groups, called mischiefs -- mischiefs can easily reach up to 30 or 50 rats. Keeping atleast 3 rats together is always best because if something happens to one, then you don't have to go through the process of looking for another rat, quarantine for two weeks, etc, meanwhile the rat is terribly lonely and may not even accept the new rat. Some rats gave even been known to die from depression when left alone.
The cutest thing is giving them a piece of lettuce cuz they'll sit up on their hind legs and hold onto it with both hands to eat it. It looks so much like a how a person would eat it, and their hands even look pretty close too, with tiny fingers... rats are cute.
She wasn't a feral rat. She is a PEW and she was an adult, I don't think she would have lasted that long in the wild, plus she wasn't that afraid of me. She is sweet as can be now.
