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.

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Domestic rats

Rodents rank as the third most popular pet among families with children, after the dog and the cat. Understanding the behaviors and the needs of this classification of pets will help you decide if a rodent is the right pet for your child.

Gerbils, hamsters, fancy or domestic mice, rats, and guinea pigs are the most popular rodents that children ask for. Many times their classroom teacher will have one or more of the little critters as the class pet. Here are some things to keep in mind about each animal.

Gerbils live 1-3 years, can be housed with gerbils of the same sex in a 2-4 square foot space, and are easy to pick up and handle on a regular basis. Hamsters live 1-3 years and are smaller than gerbils. If not handled on a regular basis both can become defensive and tend to bite. They need a fresh water source, daily food, and shavings in the cage to burrow into and to soak up the urine. These shavings need to be changed out at least once a week and more often if there is an odor. Depending on the age of the child, it may not be a task that can be done independently. Gerbils and hamsters also need an exercise ball or wheel to play with when left alone for long periods of time.

Fancy or domestic mice live nicely in a small cage that is escape proof. These little critters can be quite good at escaping if given half a chance. Their needs include fresh water, food, and clean dry bedding. Mice tend to be social and are happiest if there are two or more females housed together. Males tend to fight and a male/female pair will reproduce more often than the average pet owner needs. Mice are nocturnal so most of their entertaining antics are done in the evening hours or after dark. They do not make a good pet for young children because they are quick and can easily escape the grasp of the younger child.

Rats make very entertaining pets. They live 2-4 years, are very social, enjoy human socializing, and can be trained to do tricks. They require regular handling and more time than the other rodents listed. For a responsible teen that enjoys the challenge of taming and training a pet, the rat might be just the ticket. They require a small space that is secure, fresh water, bedding, and daily food.

Guinea pigs are the largest of the rodents here, although some professionals don't consider the guinea pig a rodent. These creatures are gentle in nature. They are larger than the other rodents making them easier to hold and handle. Guinea pigs rarely bite. They enjoy the company of a same sex cage mate, but will be content alone. The diet of the guinea pig is the more challenging of diets. It includes fresh hay or pellets, fresh veggies, and a clean water source. The bedding also will require a change out at least once a week.

Consider purchasing a rodent from a reliable pet store or breeder. This ensures the pet is healthy, free from disease, and the sex that you prefer. A good pet store owner can give you tips on how to handle the animal in a safe manner for both the pet and the child. The expense of rodent ownership includes the cage, bedding, food, self water bottles, vet costs if the animal becomes ill, and any vitamin or mineral supplements that may be recommended. It is also a good idea to have an exercise wheel or ball appropriate for the size of your rodent to keep them entertained.

Rodents can be fun to watch, easy to handle, and safe to maintain around children. A soft little rodent may be the perfect pet for your child.

Terri Forehand is a pediatric/ neonatal critical care nurse and freelance writer. She has a passion for kids of all ages, especially kids who are fighting against tough illnesses and diseases. Visit her blog and website for more information. She is currently working on fiction for kids. http://www.terriforehand.com
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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.

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Pet rats

Fancy rats make great pets for the right people. Even with the recommended minimum of play-time outside of the cage on a daily basis your pet will still spend the majority of his or her time inside of the cage called home. These animals are active pets and very intelligent creatures. Because of this, it's important to make sure that you provide a fancy rat cage that will allow your little friend to exercise physically, as well as, mentally.

The minimum floor space that is recommended for each pet rat is 24 inches by 12 inches. Please keep in mind that this is the absolute bare minimum recommendation. It is, also, recommended that if you can afford it and have the space that you get a larger cage. Vertical space can give your pet some added space. Vertical cage space isn't important and floor space but it is much better than no space at all. Fancy pet rats are very active and will utilize any space that they are given.

Ventilation is important to the health of your pet and the quality of the air you breathe. Decomposing fecal matter and urine give off ammonia gas, among other things. Many respiratory problems in rats can be traced back to ammonia gas and poor ventilation. Because of this, it is recommended that you get a wire mesh cage to use as your fancy rat cage. The open walls of these cages make ventilation a breeze when compared to aquariums or other glass tanks. You can put some litter down on the floor to help absorb the droppings. Regardless of the use of litter, you should plan on cleaning your pet's home, at least, weekly. Wire cages are, also, very handy when it comes to hanging hammocks, toys, or water bottles. Try to find a cage that does not use plastic. Rats need to chew to keep their teeth from getting too long and they will chew through a plastic cage or floor.

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Fancy rats

Compared with mice, there are relatively few color forms of the Fancy Rat. They can be divided into two groups: the basic colors and the recognized pattern markings.

Basic Colors

Rats are, certainly, among the most popular varieties with the pet owner - possibly because they appear clean! There is a Pink-eyed White, which is also known as the Albino. Young rats of this variety tend to become creamy in color as they get older. There is also a distinct Self Cream strain.

Most of the colors developed in mice are also seen in rats. The Agouti most closely resembles the ancestral Brown Rat, but the depth of brown coloration has been increased, becoming richer overall. A Silver counterpart, known as the Silver Fawn, has silver guard hairs set against a rich orange fur. The pink-eyed mutation here again exerts a diluting effect on overall body coloration. The Cinnamon mutation has an intermediate effect, creating a russet-brown shade of coat color with longer chocolate guard hairs.

Among the darker colors, Self Blacks (ideally as deep as possible) and Self Chocolate (showing no trace of white) have been developed. Other varieties corresponding to the colors seen in mice are the Champagne and the Pearl, the latter being one of the more recent innovations. A color unique to rats is the Self Mink. Ideally, these rats are coffee colored, with a bluish tint and black eyes. They are, in effect, a dilute form of the Self Chocolate.

Patterned Rats

Undoubtedly the most widely seen of the patterned varieties is the Hooded Rat. The so-called hood extends from the top of the head to the face and down to the shoulders and chin. Another colored area, the saddle, extends down the back and on to the tail. While any color is acceptable to form the hood and saddle, the remainder of the body should be white. It is not easy to produce a top exhibition specimen of this variety. A more straightforward version is the Capped, which simply lacks the saddle but retains the colored head. Another similar variety is the Variegated, which differs from the Capped in having a mixed rather than a white body color, although the belly itself must remain white.

A white belly is also characteristic of the Berkshire, which should also show white feet and a similar spot on the forehead. The remainder of the body is colored. Irish rats, by comparison, are more highly colored, with a white area forming a small equilateral triangle on the chest. White is otherwise restricted to the feet. in France, notably the Himalayan form, which was first seen around 1972. The points are darker than the body coloration, creating an attractive contrast. It does not differ significantly from the identical mutations seen in other animals, including mice and rabbits. The Himalayan itself is predominantly white in color, whereas in the Siamese the fur is pale brown. The pairing of Himalayans together should yield on average two Himalayans for every one Siamese and one Albino. Thus, a quarter of the litters should be Siamese.

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