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aaaww!!!! yes, they are so smart! And i also hate peoples reactions to them too. one of my friends, i told her i got rats and she was like EEEEWWWW they are so nasty, im scared of them, u touch them?? EEEWWW-. and i was like u cant say anything until u have actually held one. it makes me really mad when she says that . and sad. Mine love dogfood- they eat that up in a heart beat.

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

those feces you claim they eat are called cecals, rabbits have two different types of feces. they eat cecals (often softer and more clumped together) because their stomaches could not digest or obtain the nutrients the first time around, they ingest them to get the nutrients they need.

the more they eat their cecals, the more it suggests that one is not providing a proper nutrient diet for them, so it has to be obtained elsewhere.

rabbits have very different digestive systems and this is only aspect as to why, it has no relation to cleanliness

Man! Rats and mice are so underrated!! I hate how people are freaked out by them, etc. I think they make much better pets than hamsters. Very intelligent also.

rats, as well as other small animals like rabbits are e to upper respiratory problems. using products like cat litter and cedar shavings aren't recommended.(you can search online to find articles and facts to prove) products like "yesterday's news" (recylced newspaper) are better for these animals and are more dust free.

also female ratties are e to having more tumors than males, especialy mammatory ones. (sorry spelling is off)
try your best to find a small animal vet in your area, as ratties get older, you will need them.

i know, many people are afraid of rats, but they are very intelligent and personable characters. enjoy your new loved ones.

Oh how awesome!! I simply love rats.

I've owned and bred various rodents, including rats for 18+ years now. Great little companions.

I currently have 2 males right now;
Toshi - 2 years, Silver Black American Irish.
Bing - 2 years, Blue Berkshire.
http://angel.pwnd.org/rat/toshibing88034.jpg
http://angel.pwnd.org/rat/toshibing88033.jpg

I wanted to say welcome to the world of rats, and some care information.
Firstly, an aquarium is really not suitable for a rat, there is poor air flow, which can lead to illness/death during hot summers. Ammonia can also build up and cause lung damage/illness.
Your better off with a regular RAT cage, and your rats will thank you for it!
I'm glad to see that you got a pair of them, as rats are sociable animals and need buddies, at LEAST a pair of rats would be minimal.

Now, here's a wealth of information for you

Rats Rule.com (Loads of information on this site and the author is an aquantance of mine. Wonderfully active forum as well.)
http://www.ratsrule.com/

The Rat Cage Calculator:
http://www.ratsrule.com/cagecalc.html

Popular Rat Cages:

http://www.ferretstore.com/

http://www.martinscages.com/

I know it!!!!! People always say how dirty rats are but they are very clean animals!!!!! they are so cute too!!

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

On monday- I finally convinced my mom to let me get some rats!!! they are sssooo adrorable, and they make such good pets! Mine is Lily- she is brown and white, and my sis's- Holly, is black and white. They are too cute!!!!!! They are so neat to watch run around in their cage (20g.tank). They are just babies. Just thought i would tell everyone about my new babies!!!

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

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I know that they make a "special kind" of feces, but I was just stating that it's gross

I certainly can't say I find it an appealing side to their behaviour either!!

wow! I have been away from here cos in october i got two rats, Heathcliff and Darcy. they are lovely and so tame and very smart. i seriously think they are the next best thing to a dog, which i can't have cos i work so much. the boys can free roam in my room whilst i study etc. they have a great time and also like to sit on my shoulder or under my jumper.

i have found peoples reactions to them really quite rude lots of Gross and how can you keep rats? and do you touch them ugh....etc..etc

mind you not many people understood the fish thing either.

it really annoys me.for example right now darcy is watching me type and knows perfectly well that when i switch off the computer he will get a treat - he waits by the door. and they have never biten me, i have heard plenty of stories about hamsters who regularly draw blood.

so rats are great off to give darcy his treat

xxxgoldfish geek

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

I LOVE RATTIES!!!!

I have 2, Annie]http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lilagluckpilz/detail?.dir=c9bc&.dnm=101f.jpg&.src=ph[/link] and [link=Zoe (their names are links. I don't think I ever changed my link color). I raised them by hand from the time they were born. They each come when called by name or snapping, whistling, etc., they know not to go potty anywhere but their cage and they love being perched up on my shoulder when i'm on the computer. People tend to be grossed out by rats but they really are wonderful pets... very intelligent and very clean too.

Congratulations and good luck with your babies

><>Dani<><

EDIT: Fixed link

Last edited by gartenzwerfe at 29-Dec-2004 22:15

We have rats as well.
Besides our girls and boys we also have 1 special rat that we adopted from the local pet store.
All the other rats were attacking her and here she was getting up onto a box to get to me
I took her home(paid no money because she "her head is crooked, we were going to feed her to the snakes anyway) and kept her separated from our other rats until we knew she was ok. A few weeks later we tried to put her in with our other girls but they attack her too so she's now our special little girl. She spends her day with us and crawls around our bed at night before we put her in her own home (bird cage).
Her only animal friend is our staffy dog who loves the rat as well.
Since we've had her she's bloomed, her head is no longer cocked, she's bright and alert and has a beautiful glossy coat. I haven't got a pic of her as yet but here's one of our other girls "Jersey", she's helping to find the mealworms for the fish


And a pic of her babies at 3 days old ...

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My daughter had a pet rat Franky, he was a doll! Smart and so clean! He ran free in her apartment and would stand waiting in the kitchen for his meals! Only bad part was he would take little thing and hide them, anything small and off he would go with it. He had his spot under the bed and you could find everything you lost all lined up all neat in a row! Poor guy got cancer and after many trips to the vet, he passed away. He was three years old. Still miss him.

Jersey is a cutie!!! really pretty too. I wish i could post pics of my girls. I will try and get a camera and take some shots of them. I got mine from the pet store.. and i am wondering if they are pregnant cause both of them were in with all boys- the pet store said that you usually have to special order for females but once in awhile they would get some females in!!!! Im so happy 2 save at least 2 ratties from being snake food. when i was in there watching the ratties a girl came in and got a pretty white male and he was gonna be snake food . it made me quite sad- but i guess snakes have to eat too . Im sorry about ur rattie blondie!! at least you gave him a wonderful life...

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

Here is something funny that my rat decided to do today - turn her food bowl into a nest.

She has had this bowl for months, so I don't know why she suddenly wants to sleep in it. It's really cute the way she crams herself in and tries to curl up, and I don't want to ruin it for her. I guess I'll have to find a new bowl for her...

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

aaawww!!! that is so cute! I have the same kinda of wheel as u do- i can see a little of it- its green. but mine is purple. Only Lily(mine) gets on the wheel, my sis's- holly- i have never seen her on it yet. so cute!!

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

It's simple! She was very bored! lol.

Man, I couldn't imagen a rat using that wheel, I had one of the super large wheels and my boys couldn't even fit in it, let alone run in it!.

Have you checked out
www.ratsrule.com

I actually got that wheel when she was a baby, and it was the largest size the had. Now she's almost full grown, but she still loves the wheel and uses it all the time. When she runs in it her tail tip almost touches her nose.

I need to get her a new one...

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Have you had any problems with bumble foot on that wire cage flooring?

Nope... The cage is two stories, and there are shavings on the bottom so she doesn't hurt her feet.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.