Do rats make good or bad pets?

1. Anything chewable! I give mine lots of shredded paper (they seem to find that more fun than any useless rubber ball you get from a pet shop) and boxes to hide in. Be creative. :P

2. Yep!

3. I prefer males, personally. They're a bit quieter.

4. I'm terrible with names! You seem to like quite unusual names (I've never heard of Nyx before, although having heard it I'm tempted to use it for for a new arrival coming soon x3 ) which I'm terrible with. I tend to call my animals names which are used for people, but are a little out of the ordinary. Erin, Maia, Logan, etc.

5. The rat mixes you get at the stores will do. :P I give mine the occasional meal worm, bits of bread, and other treats too.

6. It must be dust free! I think all of my rats have had a lung infection at some point in their life, even though they have dust free bedding. I'd go for shredded paper, myself.

7. So long as there are at least 2, it's fine. :)

As a quick bit of advice, go to a breeder or rescue centre! Breeders will sell ready tamed rats which will only have been bred from healthy, friendly stock. The suppliers for pet shops are nearly always feeder breeders, so will breed from anything which comes along, even if it's unhealthy. Breeders should also be willing to give you advice throughout the rats lifetime, and some will even offer to take them back if you can no longer care for them.

Good luck!

1. Rats love hammocks, definitely have one or more of those. Also get some hiding houses, things to chew, ladders or other bird toys work, things to climb, or tunnels if they're large enough.

2. Depends on the rat. Some will sit on your shoulder or in your pocket, but others will get bored of it quickly and want to go run around or play. Almost all rats will let you carry them on your shoulder for some amount of time, but how long is different for all rats.

3. Males are lazier and females are more energetic and playful. Males are the ones that will be more likely to fall asleep in your pocket or just want to sit on your shoulder for a while. Females prefer to play most of the time. Males are larger and maybe a bit smellier than females (shouldn't be a problem if you keep the cage clean though). Females are smaller and softer. It is a bit harder to do introductions with new rats for males since they can be more territorial. Females are quite prone to mammary tumors.

Neither gender is better than the other, everyone has their own preference on it. But they do have very different personalities.

4. Can't help you there, I have enough trouble naming my own pets.

5. Don't give seed mixes, they are terrible. They have too much fat, they are usually based on something empty like corn, and they allow the rats to pick out what they like best. Lab blocks are better. The best brand is probably harlan teklad (online bulk). It has good ingredients, the right amount of protein, and it's pretty cheap. Oxbow is good as well but some rats don't like the taste. Those are the only two I would recommend though unless you want to do a homemade diet.

6. Pine or cedar are bad. They contain phenols which give it the smell, and that can give rats respiratory infections. Aspen is okay as long as its not too dusty. Paper based bedding is usually better, or if you're looking for something cheaper you can use fleece. If you use fleece you can just put bedding in a litter box and litter train them, then the cage is much easier to clean. They can be litter trained either way, but its a little easier to train them with fleece (they're more likely to go to the bathroom in the bedding, so if the whole cage has bedding in it it's harder for them to tell the difference).

7. Definitely get at least 2 rats of the same gender. Rats that are alone need more attention than the average person can give, and they can still get bored, depressed, or start to develop behavioral issues. Rats kept in pairs will always have someone to play with and they won't get lonely. Rats are very social and they should not be kept alone without a good reason like if they have an aggression problem.

What!? Rats are the best pets in the world!!!

1. They need a new toy every week or two to entertain them, and try getting them hammocks, tie some rope on different parts of their cage, and give them some houses, chews (important), and tunnels. Personalize the cage with your own touch.

2. Yes, they do sit on your shoulder and go in your pocket, but don't expect that to happen once you get them. It will take one or so months for them to get used to you, depending on their personality.

3. Males are calm, docile, and smell a little bit more if you can bear it. Females are jumpy, active, and smell less.

4. I personally like naming after famous people or cartoon characters. Obama, Wonder Woman, Remy (from ratatouille), Artemis, Silica, Jupiter

5. I prefer seed, but the best is to combine or switch off, if you have the money.

6. Wood shavings are okay, but messier, so if your willing to clean up the mess. Carefresh, though, soaks up urine, and is also softer.

7. If you don't get them in pairs, you're pretty much a monster. So get them n pairs, because rats are extremely social and like to play all day long.

Sorry I made it so long, but there were a lot of questions. Enjoy your rats!

1. Rats are very curious about everything! They prefer tunnels, tubes, hammocks, pipes, ladders, floors, wood jungle gyms, flower pots, rolls from toilet paper and everything what is done yourself instead of bought latex animals and rattles... Better are toys from wood than plastic toys. Just be creative! They will love (and destroy) everything that you put in the cage :)

2. Yes, and that is the most awesome from everything. They love you since the day you met til the day they have to leave (very sad that they have too short lives:(). Especially males love to sleep on your shoulder for many hours in a row :)

3. If it is gonna be your first rat(s), I suggest male. I had males, they are calm, cuddle, lazy, and loving you from the deep of heart. Male can handle loneliness better than female. They are not so curious as females, it means less things destroyed in room! (my 3 males had never destroyed anything except hammocks (I had to put maybe 1 new in a month, depends..)) Females are very active, curious, cannot handle loneliness, destroying everything that is in their way (not true always, of course), not so cuddle, if they are more than 1, you are not the really best friend, but just friend of them...

4. Be creative! My life is music... So I gave them names of my favorite band's singers (Bono /Vox/ Ozzy /Osbourne/) and then, after watching a movie Ratatouille my totally first rat was Remy (also because of Rémi Gaillard) - the movie was the reason why I had rats. So, use names of singers, bands, brands (Quicksilver is awesome :D), products, characters, whatever!

5. You have to try what are your rats gonna prefer or like more... I tried like 7 kinds of feed and did not find any, so I mixed food by my own according to the internet instructions (important because of dosage).

6. I really do not like wood shavings, because rats are prone to have serious breathing problems, and shavings are not good. I prefer shredded paper, pieces of polystyrene or litter for cats (but it occasionally dries the feet), or screened shavings without the horrible dust.

7. Definitely... Ordinary person does not have enough time for his rat friend, and it means that he is bored all day til you come from work or school and it can even make his life shorter!!! Get at least 2 in same sex and definitely same AGE!

1. Almost anything. Small rodent toys, bird toys, ferret toys, plastic cat balls, hammocks, tissue boxes, etc.

2. Yes. Males are more likely to. Females are very active and don't sit still often.

3. I prefer males. They are bigger and cuddlier. Females are always on the go and get into more trouble. Both genders are nice, just very different.

4. Whatever you want to name them. If you want to teach them to come when called, name them one or two syllable names. I named mine after movie/tv characters: Raja, Bagheera, Westley, and Sprocket

5. Neither. Those are like junk food for rats. You want a high quality lab block like Harlan Teklad, Oxbow, or Mazuri. You may not be able to find them in your pet store, but it is important you feed your rats a good diet. Mainely Rat Rescue sells Harlan Teklad online and they have flat rate shipping so it is easy to get like 10lbs at once.

6. No cedar or pine. Aspen is okay. Carefresh tends to be too dusty. Unscented Yesterday's News cat litter is very absorbent and virtually dust-free, so it is the litter I prefer. You can also use fleece liners as flooring. They can be washed and reused, but generally work better with rats who are litter trained.

7. Yes. Rats are colony animals and do not do well alone. You should never buy just a single rat.

1) Wheel, hammocks, tunnels, wooden chew toys, anything cardboard that they can tear up - try to swap toys on a regular basis. They also enjoy playing on the larger "bird playground" toys (well, mine did!)

2) If you train them to, yes. Though they won't really fit into pants pockets. One of my girls liked to ride on my shoulders (we would even go to Petco and Petsmart on occasion) and the other liked sleeping in my hoodie pocket.

3) Males smell more, but may be more docile and calm. Females are more energetic.

4) Up to you. All of my rodents have/had names that go together. My rats had Japanese names, my one pair of gerbils have spice names, my other pair have "A" names.

5) Supposedly the pellet/block stuff gives them more nutrition because they can't pick the yummy junk food (seeds) out of it but my girls did fine on the seed stuff. I just left the "nutritious" stuff in there and didn't refill the bowl until it was gone. They learned to eat it.

6) Aspen, yes. Pine or cedar no. Wood shavings may not soak up urine as well. You may want to try a combo of beddings.

7) Absolutely. Rats are very social animals. If you can't get two or three, don't get any.

I had rats through college and they where the best rodent pet i ever had. A lot like little dogs, and very trainable. Very social and loved keeping my company while i was studying or doing homework. They even trained themselves to go back to their cage to potty!

Now i live at home (moving soon though - will be getting rats again) and can only have small rodents - gerbils are my next rodent choice. Mice where okay, but not as playful or trainable, and never met a hamster that liked me. Guinea pig was fun when i was younger but now i would probably be bored with them (they prefer roaming to handling in my experience).

1. You probably won't ever have to buy toys. Cardboard boxes and tubes, natural fiber robe, untreated wood and other easily available household items can be used as toys. I've knit hammocks for mine, built ladders, etc. Get creative! Don't offer everything plastic; they will chew threw it, and it can definitely make them sick.

2. Some of them do! All rats are different, but the ones I've raised from babies are almost all good shoulder riders! Babies will definitely hang out in pockets, but an adult rat probably wouldn't fit.

3. Depends on what you want. Definitely stick with one gender! Males tend to be a little less rambunctious than females and also get slightly larger. Other than that, personality varies more from rat to rat than it does by gender.

4. All of my rats have human names, like Alice, Frank, and Lydia. I like Millie and Nyx though!

5. You're going to get a lot of different opinions on this one. I mix my own food with mixed grains, dried veggies and fruits, and dog food. I prefer mixes; just makes sure you've got lots of variety. You should also feed lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Just avoid really acidic produce, like pineapples, and raw onions and garlic, which aren't good for them. Grapes and raisins, as well as the pits of any pitted fruit, should also be avoided.

6. I prefer recycled cardboard. Lots of rats are allergic or get sick from the dust. It also doesn't control smell as well. If you decide to go with wood, avoid cedar and pine AT ALL COSTS. These are toxic and should never be used with any animals.

7. YES! Never get a single rat. The loneliness causes stress, which leads to all sorts of illnesses and behavioral problems. Get at least two.

Hello! First, get females if you are worried about the smell. Males always have a mild smell, while females do not. If you choose to get males, be sure to clean their cage out 2 to 3 times a week. For females, once a week would be sufficient. Twice a week, be sure to change the litter, if there is a litter box. Every day, pick up uneaten fruits and veggies at the end of the day. Also, if your rats pee or poop in an unusual area such as soiling their sleeping area, be sure to clean that up immediately. Hope this helps.