rats rats rats?

You can get good pet rats at your local pet store, but carefully look into how they are being kept. Is the bedding in the cage clean? Can you see any bugs in the bedding? Look at their water source. They should have a water bottle on the side of the cage, not an open water dish on the floor. The food in the dish should be a rat mix--you should be able to see actual grain, corn, etc. in it--not just alfalfa pellets.

Ask one of the store employees if they have a person in charge of just the rodents. A good pet store will have someone who specializes in them. Ask that person how often the rats are handled, both by the employee and by other customers. The more often they are interacted with, the better pets they will make. A frequently played-with rat will also have an easier time adjusting to the move home.

The pet store should have no problem with letting you handle the rats. It would be ideal if they allow you to approach the cage yourself, instead of having to ask them to pick up the rats for you. Most rats will be shy and try to avoid you, but this will change once you get it home and it becomes accustomed to you. Do NOT pick up a rat by the tail, and do not try to pick it up by the skin behind its neck. Both of these are very painful and uncomfortable for the rat. Scoop it up in your hand; you will probably need to use both hands to keep it from wriggling out.

Another good option is to go through a rat breeder. These are available but not common in the US; I am not sure about the UK. Rats from a breeder will always be more expensive (usually $20 USD max.), but there is a precise and deliberate breeding history for each rat, which minimizes disease and cancer risk, and helps promote positive attributes like interesting color patterns and desirable personality traits. All rats from a breeder are definitely cared for and handled well, and the breeder can probably tell you a lot about the individual personality and interests of each rat.

On a slightly unrelated topic, you will want to invest in a GOOD cage. Great cages can be had for reasonable prices at www.martinscages.com. I would strongly recommend that you get your cage powder-coated, as a galvanized cage reacts negatively with rat pee and will start to have a sharp metallic odor. The powder-coated cages are also much easier to clean. Check out the Rat Carriage House if you're going to be getting just one or two rats.

Also, make sure you NEVER use pine or cedar chips for bedding. Rats have sensitive respiratory systems and have bad reactions to pine and cedar oils. There is a product made from recycled newspaper that I use, called CareFresh or something of that nature. Good luck!

If you are looking for a pet rat, go to a breeder. You will get a more socialized rattie, and it will probably be healthier. They are not too expensive, and you will get some good tips from the breeder on what you will need for your new pet.

If you are looking to feed - get frozen, those are available at most pet stores. A live rat to feed can hurt your snake, can give the snake parasites, and I think it's just cruel.

For pets - see links below.

Good Luck!

Whether for a pet or a feeder, your local pet store should have them. However, if your using them to feed your reptile, it is recommended you feed frozen, not live. Freezing lowers the risk of parasites (yes, even domestic rats can get them), and they won't bite the snake.

To your local pet store.. I'm not sure if you are looking for them for food for a reptile/snake or for a pet but either way they should beable to help you out. They will have differen't sizes and kinds of rats or can get them.

Try a few websites that have rat breeders, that way you know where they came from, and the babies are handled more. So they are more used to humans.

How about your corner pet shop, they do sell rats there. God knows why though.

any pet store i got my rats at petsmart

If there's some squeaking and one pinning the other it's usually play. But if there's squeaking, blood, and the use o teeth then it's fight. If this happens separate them as soon as possible.

you can go to your local petco or humane society, i got my rat Cosmo at my local petco!

Petsmart, Petco...any pet shop should have them