I often get asked "why on earth do you want rats?"

My answer is simple............. Why not? 

Unfortunately, quite a few people still see rats as dirty and vermin, they don't understand how anyone can love one rat, let alone 20+...

That is till they meet them and get to know them. Quite a few of my friends turned up their nose and pulled faces when they first found out I had rats. Then they would come over and find themselves looking at them a little long each time and before they knew it, they would be going home with their own fur babies to love.

In my opinion, in this day and age rats make better pets then cats and dogs. Why do I think this? It's because most people these days rent or work long hours and are unable to keep or look after cats and dogs.

Rats on the other hand:

• there mess is confined to their cage,
• they don't cost much to feed or look after,
• they are able to fit in small hands,
• they have their own personality and can be taught to play games and do tricks
• and there 30min daily walk/play time can be done on your shoulder while you do the dishes.

Rats are the perfect pocket pet, and as long as you do your research on how to care for them and where you adopt them from, there is no reason as to why anyone shouldn't have them as a pet.

Like everything in life rats do have their bad points:

• they don't have long life spans,
• they can be prone to getting sick,
• they can get a bit on the nose if their cage isn't cleaned often (male's need to be cleaned more often than female's)
• and if you don't do your research and look around before adopting you may end up with a rat that doesn't like to be held or a rat that bites.

There is no right or wrong way to go with this one, it's all up to personal preference.

When you buy a rat from a pet shop you really have no idea what you are getting. As in who the breeder is and who the parents are, what genes an diseases they carry, if there are any issues in the line they come from, if they are even from a line or just a random breeding.

When you buy from a good breeder you get all that information. In saying that not all breeders are good, some shouldn't even be breeding at all!

Always check their cage conditions, make sure the cage is relatively clean, meaning looks like it has been cleaned in the last few days (to a week) depending on the number of rats in the cage. You also want to:

• Check the size of the cage they are in,
• Check what type of litter or floor covering they use and check if they have access to food and water.
• Always check their eyes and nose for any signs of porphyrin (red stuff coming from the nose and/or eyes) 
• check for Lice or any other skin issues (keep in mind that DRex and Patchwork rats can look like they have mange) 
• and hold them up to your ear so you can listen to them breathe to check for any respiratory issues (rattling, wheezing, weird noises) 

Most pet shops won't be able to answer a lot of these questions, but a good breeder should be able to. If they can't then I would probably look at another breeder. Also be careful not to fall for the to good to be true trap! A good breeder should be able to answer all these questions and then some and answer them honestly.

Any breeder who tells you they have NEVER had any issues is not being honest. It's better to hold out for happy healthy fur babies rather than the first ones you see. I strongly suggest joining Facebook groups/pages that are rat focused and getting to know the breeders that are in your area or the breeders that freight. Then asking around about the ones you are thinking about buying from.

Things to ask are:

• Who are the parents?
• Are they from a line or a random breed?
• If they are from a line are there any issues in the line?
• How far back does the line go?
• Has the rat shown any signs of being sick?
• What types of food are they fed?
• What types of litter are they used to?
• How often are they handled?
• What is their temperament?
• If you can come and look at their rattery before you buy or if it is done online if you can see pics of their rattery?

Like humans, rats have their own unique personalities, however, there are a few differences between female and male rats which you should keep this in mind when you decide the sex of your future fur babies.

Females tend to be smaller, a lot more playful, they like to explore more and tend to be less cuddly than males. Males tend to be bigger, much lazier and enjoy cuddling more than females. This is not strictly across the board as each rat is different, but it is usually the case.

Female rats can be more prone to tumours. This is due to genetics and to their hormones, so they should be checked over regularly.

Males do tend to be a bit smellier than females, but depending on the litter used, how many you have and how often you clean their cage can all play a part in this.

Females also go on heat every 3-5 days and start becoming sterile around 18 months of age, Males on the other hand are able to breed their whole lives.

Males can sometimes become aggressive when they reach around 8 months of age due to hormones, but from what I am told having them spayed (de-sexed/neutered) can help with this, just make sure you pick a vet who is up to date and confident in doing the procedure. 

Be careful of Rat "Myths". There are a lot of them out there, so I created a page dedicated to clearing some of them up for you which you can check out by - Clicking Here

My first bit of info for you is....... Rats are very social creatures and are much happier when they have another rat friend or 2 or 3 or 4, and make sure they are all the same sex, unless you want to have a thousand babies running around, or you plan on getting your rats desexed. Just make sure you go to a vet who is up to date and confident in doing the procedure.

A group of rats is called a Mischief.
 
The first thing most people new to rats say to this is "but I'm going to play with him/her all the time, so I only need to get the one".

You see the problem with only getting/having one rat is that we all have to sleep at some point or go to work/school/shops/friend's house etc, and in a few weeks your little rattie isn't going to be so easy to hide in your shirt or pocket anymore. Which will mean having to leave your rattie at home, in their cage, on their own for long periods of time. This means they will get bored, as would you if you were locked in your room on your own for 7+ hours a day and had no TV, Computer, internet, and dare I say it ...... no Phone!!!! 

Not to mention, its usually when we are asleep that our ratties are the most active. So please do your little fur baby a favour and get them a friend or friends. They will be much happier for it and 2 rats are just as easy to look after as 1, but so much more fun.