Rat adoption

5 Things To Know Before Deciding To Keep Rats As Pets

Rats. Just the name alone makes some people cringe. It couldn't be helped though, as wild rats do have some bad reputation. Rats are thought of to be dirty, that they are thieves, they destroy things, and that they carry deadly diseases. But those are the wild ones. Kept as pets, they become these smart and agile animals wowing people with their antics. Keeping rats as pets isn't as simple as putting them in a cage though. Here are some basic things that you need to know.

1. Rats are playful by nature and as such, they need room to play. Take note of this when you go looking for cages for your rats. The rule is, the roomier, the better. The more room they have, the happier they are, and healthier too as they will be regularly exercised while playing. Wide cages offer great space for rats to run around their cage. Tall ones, when equipped with horizontal bars, create opportunities for rats to climb and explore.

2. Rats are social animals. It is important that they spend their time with other rats. If not, they might suffer from behavioral problems that will one day annoy you. So when keeping rats as pets, it is best if you initially take 2 or more to share one cage. This way, their social needs will be adequately met. It is also widely thought of that keeping rats of the same sex is better than having male and female ones in a single cage.

3. Pet rats have this tendency to spray urine over you, and on your possessions. This is called scent-marking. Scent-marking is widely practiced by lots of animals, rats included. These scent markers are likely olfactory signals having territorial implications. In some cases, they are signals of ownership of something. Rat urine however is not really that offensive when it comes to its smell. It's the idea of being urinated over by an animal that turns other people off.

4. Rats have short life spans. A rat's life can last for up to 5 years, but the average figure is a short 2 to 3 years. Compared to cats and dogs and other larger animals who live longer, your pet rats can only be there for you for a few years. Dealing with the loss of a pet can happen often.

5. Like any pet, rats need veterinarian care too, but not often. Rats are relatively healthy creatures so having a veterinary clinic close by is not that important. It would help though to have one just in case.

Choosing rats as pets can be an excellent choice because of their natural playfulness, their diminutive size, and their intelligence. They like to please too, and they love showing off what they can do.

Dean Ramilo is a webmaster, web designer, and graphics artist specializing in logo design. Check out his new websites at Rat Cages. a site for people looking for Rat Cages For Sale

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Rats types

Rats are rodents that belong to the Rattus genus of the family Muridae. These are the most dominant species on earth. There are several species of rats in the world. Most rodents are herbivorous, but some are omnivorous. In general, there are two basic types of rats. They are black or roof rats and Norway or brown rats. Both are thought to have originated in Asia and are now widely distributed throughout the world.

The brown rat, which is also known as the Norway rat, house rat, gray rat, barn rat, and wharf rat, is one of the best-known and is the larger of the two. Their scientific name is Rattus norvegicus. They are mostly grayish-brown, with a lighter colored stomach. A fully-grown brown rat is 18 to 26 cm long and weighs between 400 and 600 gm. They have a tail shorter than its body and their nose and muzzle are blunt. They prefer moist conditions and nest in deep burrows.

Roof rats (Rattus Rattus) are also called black rats and ship rats. They are usually black, slender, 16-21 cm long and weigh about 80-300 gram. Their tail is longer than the head and body and their nose and muzzle are pointed. As the name suggest, roof rats are climbers. Their paws enable them to climb and build nests in upper parts of dwellings, attics, rafters and crossbeams of buildings.

These rats breed when they are three to four months of age. They breed 1 to 13 times a year and produce 1 to 22 in a litter. Black rats and brown rats eat about the same things. Their diet typically includes seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, fruits, cereals, meats and invertebrates. They consume about one-third of their weight in food every 24 hours.

They carry lethal diseases, damage structures and contaminate food. Some of the diseases potentially fatal to man that spread through rats are Weil's disease, plague, salmonella food poisoning and toxoplasmosis.

Rats provides detailed information on Rats, Rat Terrier, Pet Rats, Rat Snake and more. Rats is affiliated with Electronic Pest Control.

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Pet rats

Anyone looking for a new pet wants a pet that is clean, socialized and well trained. Most people don't know that these are all qualities of pet rats!

There are many misconceptions about rats. People think that rats are unclean and carry disease. In fact, rats are quite clean and groom themselves several times a day. These aren't sewer rats we're talking about. These pet rats, or fancy rats as they're called, have been domesticated and bred in captivity for at least 150 years. Pet rats are quite tame after living with humans for so many generations and you'll find that they are nothing like their stereotypes.

Rats are very intelligent animals. Some consider rats to have intelligence close or equal to that of dogs. Rats are capable of learning to come when their names are called. They can even be litter trained just as easily as training a cat.

If you have any experience with other rodents such as hamsters, mice or gerbils you may be afraid of biting. Although biting is common with other rodents, it is almost unheard of with domesticated rats. Unlike their rodent cousins, rats are generally docile creatures. Most of the time rats just like to lay around, especially males. Rats can easily be trained to be good lap or shoulder pets.

In the wild, rats live together in colonies and have a complex social structure. These social instincts carry over to pet rats. Pet rats tend to develop strong bonds with humans and with their cage mates. So much so that it is common for rats to become very depressed when a cage mate passes away.

There are many apartments that won't allow dogs or cats, and it may simply not be practical to have larger pets in some houses. In those situations a pet rat is the perfect solution. Cages for pet rats usually don't consume much room at all, usually just a two foot by two foot space, which makes pet rats great for small apartments.

Rats are friendly and intelligent animals and make great first pets for children. Being clean and easy to care for makes them great companions for the elderly. Go out and get your pet rat today!

Scott McHenry and his wife have had a large number of pets of many different species. They have several years experience with rats and together run [http://www.ratanswers.com] a rat informational web site.

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