i ended up with a rat. help?

[K-TRAIN]

ok its been awhile since i posted on the boards but anyway two days ago i went out for food for my reptiles, and only one place around me has live pinky mice. (i just bought a cornsnake who was fed live so i wanted to make sure it would eat) and i wanted to get mice for my ball python. i got to the store etc, and they had no mice. so i talked to the people working there and they suggested a small rat after i gave them a estimate of my bps size. well took the rat home and it looks too big to feed to my bp, and i cant seem to bring myself to take it back or try to feed it to emily (my bp)

so i have a pet rat for now. its in a small hampster cage with a coolwhip container for water and some hampster bedding (i think its aspen not sure) and a small exercise wheel. ive been feeding it bread until i can get some decent food for it.


what am i missing? is there anything i should know about keeping rats (requirements, etc?)

and it was in a cage i assume was all feeder rats, is there any problem keeping a pet rat bred for feeding?

thanks in advance for advice.

-k-train

 

[KJE]

Rats are great pets. I would stop giving it bread, though. If you have some cherio's or another sugar free cereal around give it some of that. They can actually eat most of what we eat. Their diets are similar to ours in many ways. You could also give it some cat or dog food until you get to the store. But I'd only do that for no longer than a day. They would probably also love some of your table scraps.

 

[Snuggles]

You'll eventually need a bigger habitat and wheel, if possible. Don't forget to give it a wood chew or a mineral chew. Their teeth grow continuously (like a rabbit) and they need something to keep them growing evenly.

Yay rat!!!

 

[equuskat]

Rats are awesome pets. Quit feeding the poor thing bread, though. haha You can feed it almost anything that you eat until you get it a more balanced staple. Be sure to continue to provide variety even after you get a main diet, though. Rats can eat fruits, veggies, lean lunchmeat, cereal, granola bars (as long as they aren't too high in sugar), and other stuff. No candy or chocolate, though...

They are awesome, intellegent pets, and need to have room to explore and socialize. It's best for rats to have another rat as a friend, but if you give your rat a lot of playtime and stimulation, they are usually fine. A big cage with lots of toys and things to chew on is essential.

Good luck! I wish that I could have another rat right now. They are so cute. Eventually I'll have one again.

 

[K-TRAIN]

You'll eventually need a bigger habitat and wheel, if possible. Don't forget to give it a wood chew or a mineral chew. Their teeth grow continuously (like a rabbit) and they need something to keep them growing evenly.

Yay rat!!!

how big of a cage do they need? like is there a rule of thumb like in tarantulas for cage size?
and i have a huge wheel but its made of wood and metal mesh, (got it from a biology teacher) and it lookes like a guinie pig could run on it. is that safe or is there risk of it getting chewed through and possibly injuring the rat due to the mesh?

oh and im thinking if i need a larger cage i should go with one of my twenty gallons that were left over from other pets. would glass tanks be fine for a rat?

Rats are awesome pets. Quit feeding the poor thing bread, though. haha You can feed it almost anything that you eat until you get it a more balanced staple. Be sure to continue to provide variety even after you get a main diet, though. Rats can eat fruits, veggies, lean lunchmeat, cereal, granola bars (as long as they aren't too high in sugar), and other stuff. No candy or chocolate, though...

They are awesome, intellegent pets, and need to have room to explore and socialize. It's best for rats to have another rat as a friend, but if you give your rat a lot of playtime and stimulation, they are usually fine. A big cage with lots of toys and things to chew on is essential.

Good luck! I wish that I could have another rat right now. They are so cute. Eventually I'll have one again.

so would the second rat need to be same size? i believe i have a female right now not sure though. have to check, if its not are they territorial in any way?


oh and thanks for wishing me good luck.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Handle it! And don't give it treats and return it to the cage if it goes to the bathroom on you.

Rats are awesome....as well as fuzzy....yea they bring out my soft side lolol.

 

[ballpython2]

Before you make it a pet you should take pictures of your rat and the snake so we can see the size of both them so we can tell you if the snake can take the rat or not. and you should pre kill the rat before you give it to the snake.

 

[K-TRAIN]

Before you make it a pet you should take pictures of your rat and the snake so we can see the size of both them so we can tell you if the snake can take the rat or not. and you should pre kill the rat before you give it to the snake.

my snake is about 1 1/2 foot to 2 ft long, and her thinkest part is about the size of a adult mouse.

the rat is about the size of three mice combined i guess, its pretty big. (bigger then the snakes size)

oh and i know. i stun/kill most feeders i feed my snakes.

 

[equuskat]

Yes, if you get a rat a friend, it should always be the same age/size/sex (or a neutered male and a female). You should also monitor them at first if they "meet" as adults. My rats did not live together because they had met when the older one was a year old and the younger one was 2.5 months old. They were allowed to play together, but were always monitored. Sometimes the little one would pester the big one. haha

You don't HAVE to get it a friend, though, just give it a bunch of toys (new stuff regularly). Toys don't have to be expensive and store-bought, either. You can always give toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes, blocks, etc. Make sure that you take the rat out of the cage and socialize it often. I used to let my two girls have run of the bedroom while I watched TV. They were so cute. I miss 'em.

 

[Neuroticax]

If you're going to keep it as a pet, don't use a tank. It builds up ammonia and can give them terrible health problems later on.

I really would suggest a friend, toys will only do so much. They are social animals and need the affection of another animal to cuddle and groom and bond. Rats can often get depressed if they are left alone and in some cases self mutilate due to depression and anxiety. Not a majority case, but it definitely happens.

There are a lot of restrictions on what rats can and can not have. it's not just "they can eat what we eat" There are many foods and liquids that cause horrible health problems and can lead to suffering and death.

Any info you need on diet, cages, friends, health issues you can find at http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat

If you choose to keep this little guy or gal as a pet I would suggest reading as much as you can on that site. It gives a lot of personal views and opinions, along with many resources from breeders and such about health and general care.

 

[arachyd]

There is nothing wrong with keeping a feeder rat as a pet. It will probably need a bit of socializing and may be susceptible to illness a bit more than one from a pet breeder but if you keep it properly you should be ok for the most part. Pet breeders try to screen out unhealthy stock and handle their baby rats often to socialize them. Some pet breeders sell off their surplus as feeders so it is possible your feeder was from good, healthy pet stock anyway. You'll probably have it riding around on your shoulder and nibbling at your pizza before you know it.

 

[Neuroticax]

Most of the breeders I know breed for health, and temperament and don't sell off their surplus as feeders considering they are raising these rats to be pets. I would be weary of a breeder who sells their "overstock" or what have you as feeders and would not jump the gun by saying they are healthy. There are many "breeders" who breed for feeders but put themselves off as actual breeders and healthy rats to sell to people looking for feeders or will sell to anyone without asking if they even know how to care for the rat.

Professional breeders will have you fill out an application to make sure you are going to care for these animals and not feed them to some animal.

However, I am not saying that the breeders who breed strictly for feeders are unhealthy, there are a small handful who breed healthy rats to be sold as feeders. The healthier the food the better off said animal is eating the food.

 

[LeilaNami]

Most rats bred for feeders are severely inbred. However, I've had 7 feeder rats turned pet. All but two (the first two had a chronic respiratory infection) were and are completely healthy. My rex, hairless, and common rat (the feeder) in the last group were given to a lady that needed a fresh bloodline. I had some females dumped on me now all of which are feeders turned pet. Only the dumbo feeder was insanely aggressive. Had to find him a new home because he kept biting the other rats' feet.

 

[K-TRAIN]

ok so ill need the following then?

-bigger cage perferably not glass
-rat food (and i can feed occasional others things)
-another rat if i get a big enough cage
-stuff to chew on


anything else i should know about keeping rats?

or is everything else pretty much common knowledge i can look up?

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

i never read up on any food requirements for my rats and never had any problems in that regard. remember, these are animals that live in garbage dumps and sewers so i think they're pretty tolerant about foods you give them. my vet asked me once what i fed them, and i just told her they eat everything i eat, she didn't have much to say about that. they got a little bit of every one of my meals basically. i even gave them tiny pieces of candy every now and then *gasp*

mine loved bread, i'd give them a slice at a time and they'd munch on it for the rest of the week. i'd give them a staple of "Rat blocks" you can buy them at wal-mart or whatever, and the rest is up to you. mine loved veggies, pop-corn, chips, and they went bonkers over spaghetti or any kind of noodle.

i used to get mine out and watch tv, they'd go to sleep in my hoody or curl up on my shoulder and go to sleep. very sweet animals, and wonderful pets. if only they weren't so short lived i'd still keep them.

 

[LeilaNami]

i never read up on any food requirements for my rats and never had any problems in that regard. remember, these are animals that live in garbage dumps and sewers so i think they're pretty tolerant about foods you give them. my vet asked me once what i fed them, and i just told her they eat everything i eat, she didn't have much to say about that. they got a little bit of every one of my meals basically. i even gave them tiny pieces of candy every now and then *gasp*

mine loved bread, i'd give them a slice at a time and they'd munch on it for the rest of the week. i'd give them a staple of "Rat blocks" you can buy them at wal-mart or whatever, and the rest is up to you. mine loved veggies, pop-corn, chips, and they went bonkers over spaghetti or any kind of noodle.

i used to get mine out and watch tv, they'd go to sleep in my hoody or curl up on my shoulder and go to sleep. very sweet animals, and wonderful pets. if only they weren't so short lived i'd still keep them.

Stop right there. The rat he has is captive born and raised in captivity. It is NOT a rat living in dumpsters and garbage cans. They can diarrhea easily from sugary fruits and artificial sugars are bad for you, so why are you giving it to the rat? Mazuri makes a really good pellet diet for ratties otherwise, the Kaytee brand Pet Block is available. (what you are referring to as Rat Block I think) I combine the pellet diet with a small handful of seeds from a fortified seed diet. Also, fresh fruits and veggies are a recommended. Otherwise, you seem to have it right. The stuff to chew on can be either wood sticks, mineral stones, or salt licks sold in pet stores.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Stop right there. The rat he has is captive born and raised in captivity. It is NOT a rat living in dumpsters and garbage cans. They can diarrhea easily from sugary fruits and artificial sugars are bad for you, so why are you giving it to the rat? Mazuri makes a really good pellet diet for ratties otherwise, the Kaytee brand Pet Block is available. (what you are referring to as Rat Block I think) I combine the pellet diet with a small handful of seeds from a fortified seed diet. Also, fresh fruits and veggies are a recommended. Otherwise, you seem to have it right. The stuff to chew on can be either wood sticks, mineral stones, or salt licks sold in pet stores.

Now YOU stop right there. Kaytee's Rat Blocks should NEVER be used. They have like ash or something that can cause tumors or cancer in rats. Stick with Mazuri or anything that ISN'T Kaytee.

 

[arachyd]

Mine ate literally everything and never had a hint of diarrhea. Of course we limited amounts of things like chocolate and sugar but they did have them on occasion with no trouble. There were no rat blocks at the time and if there were I wouldn't have limited my rats to them. They enjoy eating too much. One thing I would never let them have is anything with artificial sweetener in it. That stuff is bad even for humans.

 

[halfwaynowhere]

rats are great. When I kept them, my mom, who absolutely hates rodents, would come into my room every morning to wake me up, and would bring a little bit of something for them to eat with her... And when I'd bring them out of my room, she'd hunt around the kitchen for a snack for them. They'll eat pretty much anything, so stick to healthy stuff. I fed mine a homemade diet found on ratsrule.com, called the suebee's diet, with some variations, and some fresh fruits and veggies.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

rats are great. When I kept them, my mom, who absolutely hates rodents, would come into my room every morning to wake me up, and would bring a little bit of something for them to eat with her... And when I'd bring them out of my room, she'd hunt around the kitchen for a snack for them. They'll eat pretty much anything, so stick to healthy stuff. I fed mine a homemade diet found on ratsrule.com, called the suebee's diet, with some variations, and some fresh fruits and veggies.

I remember when my mom fell in love with my rat. When I first got her, my mom hated her and didn't want to deal with her. We kept her in the basement, and everytime my mom went down to exercise, my rat would pop out of her den to say hello. She eventually found it cute and now takes her out all the time and cuddles her and gives her treats.

I miss my rat now. My mom won't even let me take her to college anymore!