Any Rat Lovers Here?

[craze horse]

I have shared my life with rats, on and off, for almost 20 years. A lot of heartbreak over their short lifespans in that time. I have a tattoo on my back of my favourite black rex boy, Magic.
I hadn't had them for a while, when I found one left by the dumpster downstairs at my apartment a few months ago.
His name is Elliot.
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Wow the cat in the background? Not bothered obviously? I've got a short video of my cornsnake investigating my malamute. He didn't care lol

 

[JumpingSpiderLady]

I used to keep gerbils. Not as smart as rats, but I love thier fuzzy tails and sweet temperaments.

 

[Vanessa]

Wow the cat in the background? Not bothered obviously?

Nigel would kill him if given the chance. I am never further away than arms length from Elliot, but Nigel wouldn't try anything right in front of me. If I turned my back on them... things would go very poorly. Although a full grown male rat is a force to be reckoned with and Nigel might think twice about taking one on.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Me! Toward the end my rats life she had three tumors and a busted up foot. Such a sad time. I miss you Britney!

 

[Richard McJimsey]

yes, this is my boy Gary

 

[Coconana]

I'm back again!! Today, I picked up two new guys from the Humane Society, given that they recently got an overhaul of over a hundred rats due to a really, really big surrender from a breeder.

As of now, these guys don't have names yet (aside from the ones that they came with, which I'm not fond of), but any suggestions would be happily taken into consideration. They're both pudgy and lazy, and I'm in love!

The little guy on the left is a Black Berkshire, I think. And the guy on the right? Uh.. he looks like an Agouti Variegated Bareback Rex, but please feel free to correct me if you know what their coats are; I'm a sad little rat coat genetic noob...

 

[Crone Returns]

I'm back again!! Today, I picked up two new guys from the Humane Society, given that they recently got an overhaul of over a hundred rats due to a really, really big surrender from a breeder.

As of now, these guys don't have names yet (aside from the ones that they came with, which I'm not fond of), but any suggestions would be happily taken into consideration. They're both pudgy and lazy, and I'm in love!

The little guy on the left is a Black Berkshire, I think. And the guy on the right? Uh.. he looks like an Agouti Variegated Bareback Rex, but please feel free to correct me if you know what their coats are; I'm a sad little rat coat genetic noob...

I love your little ones. I so love rats, but I've got a terrier so that's a no go. Give them snuggles from me. They're very cute!

 

[Coconana]

I love your little ones. I so love rats, but I've got a terrier so that's a no go. Give them snuggles from me. They're very cute!

Thank you so much for your kind words! I love rats too, but I do have to work around a working-line Border Collie and an extremely prey-driven Shepherd mix who's 80Ibs, so I completely understand. I'll give all my boys all the snuggles for you!

 

[leaveittoweaver]

You are correct on the coats What cuties!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I don't have one but I love the average rats that, jumping out from the sewers, bites the hell out of everyone. I wish to see a rats invasion

 

[JumpingSpiderLady]

Midnight and Stormy

 

[Tarantula155]

I've had many rats over the years. Superb animals, shame they got a bad rep.

I haven't kept any for a couple years because it's hard losing something you get so attached to. They are just as affectionate as dogs, mine would sleep with me, follow me around, hang on my shoulder when I'd go on walks.

Each and every rat I've owned were litter trained too. I let them out 24/7 in their very own room. No droppings ever!

Here are some pics and videos of the ones I had.

This is Mikey one of my favorite ones. He was still a baby in here, he would sleep by my side when I watched TV!

Here is my favorite video of Mikey, he knew tricks!

These were my girls that I had after Mikey, my last rats.

They were ultra spoiled, out all day in their room and they had their very own sofa! Here is cocoa showing off her smarts

Miss them so much.

 

[Toxoderidae]

@Coconana name one Harambe, and the other Dat Boi

 

[dragonblade71]

I can tell you all about an experience I had a few years ago. It occurred at a house I used to live in in a suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. We got the occasional wild rat there - many of them driven out of hiding by our cats. We also had a large staghorn plant that my folks fed banana skins to. There was a pergola nearby and one day, I was up in the ladder with my head just above the pergola. Just a few meters away, also on the pergola, was a rat looking straight at me. But this rat was different to the ones I usually see around here. It did not have brown fur, like wild rats generally have. It's fur was a grey / silvery / fawn kind of colour. It also looked extremely clean - fur perfectly straight and groomed. I know that rats are pretty clean in general and spend a fair amount of time grooming etc but this one looked like it had just stepped out of a hairdressing salon. The type of fur also seemed different to the typical rats I see - short and fine.

And the behaviour was different too. Often wild rats are scurrying around with no interest in me. This one was calmly sitting down, looking straight at me. Basically eye to eye contact. We looked at each other for about 10 - 20 seconds. It was also quite plump too - probably from all the banana skins that had been given to the staghorn plant.

Unfortunately, that was the only time that I saw that particular rat. Though Ive often wondered - could it have been an escaped pet? Have others come across such instances before?

 

[SoulSpiegel12]

I love rats as well however I've never owned any.....yet. Definitely something I'd love
to own one day!

 

[viper69]

Rats make excellent dinners for boas and pythons!

 

[Crone Returns]

Rats make excellent dinners for boas and pythons!

Ok evil one don't let us get touchy/feely.
...she quickly looks around to make sure the momentos from her beloved but deceased Cal king snake aren't in view...

 

[viper69]

Ok evil one don't let us get touchy/feely.
...she quickly looks around to make sure the momentos from her beloved but deceased Cal king snake aren't in view...

Cal kings are beautiful! What type did you have?

 

[Crone Returns]

Cal kings are beautiful! What type did you have?

Cream-yellow with black. I don't know latin names, she was bought as a teeny tiny snakelet at a reptile show. Her name was Slinky and she was the coolest snake in the world. Sniff.

 

[viper69]

Cream-yellow with black. I don't know latin names, she was bought as a teeny tiny snakelet at a reptile show. Her name was Slinky and she was the coolest snake in the world. Sniff.

How long did it live? I've always been partial to the California Kings (the banded black/white you find in the wild, not the brown variant), Mexican Black Kingsnakes, and a few of the locality specific species you find up in the Mtns in Mex and Arizona. Plus some milksnakes as well.