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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Rat breeders

Young male rat pups are easy to sex, even before maturity, by the relatively long ano-genital distance. The testes should have descended into the scrotum by about three weeks of age. Hold the buck (male) in a vertical position, with its head uppermost, to be sure of spotting the testes if you are in any doubt. A rat can withdraw them back into the body but nipples are visible in does (females) about one week after birth. It is common practice to separate rats into single sex groups by the time they are seven weeks old; after this time they will be approaching sexual maturity. Does are not usually used for breeding purposes until they are about thirteen weeks old and over 200gm (7oz) in weight. By comparison, males of a similar age under 275gm (9.7oz) are not usually recommended for stud purposes.

Various mating systems can be used. One particular method is to place one or two males with up to six females. This will serve to stimulate oestrus, or pheromones in the does as they respond to the male odors. Female rats cycle about every five days. Because of this, successful matings are likely to take place soon after the introduction of a buck. The level of lighting appears important for successful breeding, since their natural proliferation declines during the darker days of a temperate winter. Ideally, provide sufficient artificial light to give a total daily exposure of about fifteen hours. The normal gestation period is three weeks, or so, but will be longer if mating has taken place almost immediately after the doe has given birth. She will be ready to mate again in this so-called 'postpartum' breeding period within two days of producing pups, but the developing embryos will not implant into her uterine wall as rapidly as normal. It is often best to remove the doe to separate quarters to give birth, especially if she normally forms part of a colony. Two does may be housed together quite successfully in this way.

A litter may consist of up to fourteen pups. These will be independent about three weeks after birth with each young rat weighing about 50gm (1.8oz) at this stage. The doe will be ready to mate again within a week of weaning being completed if she did not conceive at the 'postpartum' heat. Rats can breed almost until the end of their lives but their reproductive capability declines after a year or so. Rats generally live between two and four years under normal captive circumstances but older individuals are not uncommon.

Visit Legacy Cages for a quality rat cage and cat cages to keep your pet rat safe during play time.

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