Our family is interested in getting a rodent for family companion. My husband says a gerbil, but I think a rat would be best. I would like to take our little buddy with us places, and litter train it. I need information though, and it would be nice to hear other peoples experience. Good websites help too! Thanks!
A rat would probably be best, or better than a gerbil at least... They're more playful and such, and seem more intelligent too...
that website is great. This little guy is so adorable! Makes me want to get a rat myself....but I have too many animals already. They really do make great pets, however. I used to work in a pet store, and would send any parent looking for hamsters home with a rat instead...much more child friendly.
Get the rat most definitely. Rats are too intelligent for their own good -they can give you the bonding and love/affection that a dog/cat would. It is possible to littertrain them, but only with extreme consistency -but some get it right off the bat -my one cage of girls(6) is like that -they never had a problem being litter trained -the other cage of girls(9) -they like to poop along the walls and corner of their cage, so they just moved the litter box so they could get to the wall -And my cage of boys (4) -they have decided to use their box as a place to stack up their lab blocks. lol.. Rats are also very clean -they are constantly grooming each other and themselves -If a rat smells, its because their cage isn't being cleaned out often enough for the type of bedding that is being used **NEVER USE PINE OR CEDAR** can cause respiratory problems, very toxic to rats. Rats should be kept in pairs. They are extremely social, and even if you have your rat out of the cage the whole time you are awake, that still leaves around 8 hours that it will be by himself. Rats kept with friends are much happier and tend to get over illnesses quicker. They need their rattie companionship just as much as they need their human companionship. Rats actually want to hang out with their owners (males moreso than females) even my females, when they are all over the place at playtime, they always come back to me to check out what I am doing and then they are off again.. Ok, I could go on and on about them, so I will give you some sites to check out. I am brand new to this forum, but I run rat rescue, here in Ohio -so if you have any questions or whatever, feel free to email me. I'd be more than happy to assist you! ratfanclub.org rmca.org(also has a messageboard - i go here when even i need to know something! ) Here are 2 other fun boards that are filled with info and people that know their stuff: ratsauce.com goosemoose.com Good Luck! ~Jennifer & The Ratties de Shika
