What are the secrets for giving rats a long, healthy life?

[lizardminion]

Rats are probably the perfect pet rodent. Personable, adorable, intelligent, and the variety is amazing- from albinos to dumbos to fur-less. But with every rat comes the all too soon sad ending with rats expiring at about 2 to 3 years of age. I have heard rumors, stories, and the not-so-tall tales of rats living much longer though. One quite impressive story stated that a man's rat lived a healthy 6 years because of blueberries in its diet. Another, an experiment, caused a rat to almost reach its fourth year with water restriction before it succumbed to an eye infection.
However, I am interested what really works. I have always had a passion with small mammals as I carry years of experience working with them. (Surprise! I've kept many rodents before over the years, mostly hamsters, but I have also dealt with gerbils and mice.) With chinchillas and rats competing to be my next rodent as I resume that hobby, one being long lived and soft, but expensive and often less available, with the other being more available and price-considerate, but dying so young, I am thinking of working with rats for a while before taking on the more fragile chinchillas. However, I know I will most definitely bond with them and would feel the need to postpone the day the precious animal leaves the Earth.
That all said, what, in your experience and knowledge, would benefit the lifespan of the rat to stretch it to its longest?

P.S. There is support that blueberries have something in them that helps combat cancer cells, which may have indeed something to do with the rat's longer lifespan.

 

[donniedark0]

rats have always been known for their incredible short life spans. They are my most favorable animal ever also. You grow a very close and strong bond with them, just like you would a dog.

Thats the problem though, I was a complete wreck, I was absolutely devastated and it just tore me up with how they died and how they suffer from countless ailments. Its so heartbreaking and I really cant go through that again, at least for a long time.

From what I understand, the various cancers and illness's, are usually from bad breeding practices. In breeding , breeding crappy genetics, carrying on the week gene's just for the sake of breeding large numbers.

Bottom line is, it is very very sad, given the innocence of their existence and short life they only have. They are incredible creatures that deserve alot more then what they are used for.

 

[SilverTycho]

I used to work with rat rescues. I've had rescue rats flown on airlines from anywhere from NJ to MI to my state (not cheap haha!). Most only lived two years. I had one live four years, and she came from a horrible mass breeding emergency in IN. So, it all depends. Now, spaying females does reduce the risk of tumors, and it's very safe if you have a good exotics vet. I had a rat with an immune disorder live for around three years. He was at the vet very often but he was rather happy and lived a good life. I no longer have rats, though. When the ex and I broke up and I moved to my parents' town, I didn't get more once they died. My best advice is making sure you have a good vet in case they get sick. I had a tumor the size of half the rat removed, and that rat did great. But, there really are no secrets to getting them to live over three years. Some do, some don't.

 

[catfishrod69]

Rats indeed are amazing pets. Ive had many, but like you said they only live a couple years, then go downhill quickly. I had one that i got free from a pet store because there was something wrong with him. He suffered until it got to the point where i couldnt watch him suffer anymore, so i took him outside and ended his suffering. Shortly after, i realized he had a inner ear infection, im pretty sure. One time i bought 4 rat siblings that were only about the size of a full grown mouse. I kept them together that night, and the next day i found 3 of them shredded to peices. The one that did the deed turned into the most amazing rat i ever kept. Ive mostly quit keeping rodent/mammal pets, but i do miss rats, chinchillas, and ferrets.

 

[Tarac]

I read somewhere that mice kept on a near starving diet through their lives will average twice the life span as a mouse that is fed a normal diet. I know it's not a rat but physiology is quite similar. I will try to find that reference for you. Rats do make very good. Back in grad school my roommate had a rat (one of those lucky ones that is left after the snake refuses food, you know how that goes). She named it Cricket, it was very smart and personable. It would even come running over for a treat when you called it.

 

[Shell]

Rats are great pets, and quite honestly worth the short life span in my opinion. Yes, it sucks to watch them go downhill and to lose them after only a couple years, but they are so worth it for the time you do have them. I had 2 girls that my son "saved" as babies from becoming snake food, he named them Templeton and Stewie lol (he didn't care that they were females). Templeton we had for just over 2 years before she passed away (seemingly peacefully in her sleep, with no known health conditions), and Stewie I had my old boss euthanize when she was around 3 due to a tumor. I was honestly quite surprised she lived to 3,especially after Templeton passed as they were very bonded. They were extremely friendly, responded to their names, and used to chase the cats around. They figured out very fast that the cats were terrified of them (2 indoor cats with no clue what hunting is), and it was hilarious to watch them boss them around.

 

[mmfh]

Keep them very clean and feed them a restricted diet. I feed my adult rats 6 mazuri pellets in a twenty four hour period. many of my rats have lived to be near the three year mark.

 

[skar]

I read somewhere that mice kept on a near starving diet through their lives will average twice the life span as a mouse that is fed a normal diet. I know it's not a rat but physiology is quite similar. I will try to find that reference for you. Rats do make very good. Back in grad school my roommate had a rat (one of those lucky ones that is left after the snake refuses food, you know how that goes). She named it Cricket, it was very smart and personable. It would even come running over for a treat when you called it.

Rats and mice are VERY different, they only look similar .

Love Rats !!! Kept rats on and off since I was about 6 y/o (long time). They are way more rewarding than chinchillas .
I currently have 3 girls . They are very intelligent - can be taught tricks kind of like small dogs. They can be litter box trained (tho I have not done this).
I feed mine dog food and cereal and whatever else is out - Dumbos are much more laid back and if your lazy they are a great match . Mine chills out on my shoulder
or what have you while I play video games or tv/movie and eats popcorn with me .
If you have one you've picked one out and it doesn't bite - it won't bite - period .
Any who Just saying they're awesome pets, I haven't had one make it past three but I'll feed em blue berries and let you know .
(can eat anything u do - not chocolate or appleseeds).

 

[Thistles]

My first rat lived to be 4, and I kept him like a member of the family. He didn't have any rat companions, and I felt very guilty about it. He spent every hour I was at home with me and ate whatever garbage I ate. I didn't spend as much time with the next 4, but they had each other for company. Out of the next 4, 3 all died around 2 years of age, and the 4th lived to be around 4 as well. She had a tumor, but after having it removed she lived another good year. The first was a regular "feeder" rat, the 3 that died young were dumbos and the one that developed a tumor was a hairless dumbo with no bones in her tail. I don't really think there is a "secret," to keeping them healthy beyond feeding a proper diet and winning the genetic lottery. Cancer is rampant in rats.

 

[Niffarious]

I've had many rats. A few were rescues, some came from the best of the best breeders, and everything in between.

I had one rat live to be almost 5 years old. It was supposed to be a snack for an acquaintance's pet ball python. I can say of all the rats I ever had, that one was the most laid back and the most affectionate, and seemed to take life at a slower pace in general. After she passed, I couldn't get any more as I developed severe allergies. And, as others have mentioned, it's hard to have such a strong bond with a critter that lives so briefly.

Anyway, my point is that you can't tell, and there is no secret formula. My long lived rat was from feeder stock from a crappy pet store.

 

[pouchedrat]

I've been keeping rats for 18 years now, they're one of my favorite pets by far, second only to african pouched rats, and prairie dogs come in a close third behind them. I used to help transport for various rat rescues on the east coast, whenever a train was needed. After I had my sons, I couldn't just get up and drive for hours on end anymore and most of the rescues I helped are gone now. I've had rescues and some from feeder stock live as long as 3 1/2, and then rats from well known breeders live only 2 years.

There is some weird rumor about soy products shortening a rat's lifespan, and someone testing that theory with their breeders. I honestly don't know. I've had two rescue moms in my life who outlived their offspring by almost a year. That is always heartbreaking....... the momma rat outliving her daughters and sons.

I have two girls now, both were from reptile shows. I keep saying I'm tired of their short lifespan and am through with rats, but sadly the little baby rat that bops around and plays tag with my fingers, and licks my fingertips in that feeder bin at the reptile show, kills me and I HAVE to bring it home, lol. How can you say no to that??? When it's being so cute and loving right from the start?

 

[gottarantulas]

I don't truly think there's a secret. Diet might be influential like every other living organism by and large. Other factors of course come into play such as genetics. Is the rat a result of mass breeding, inbreeding,etc.? Currently, I have one male rat. In the past I've had a few that I've used as therapeutic rats and companions with kids in my line of work (e.g.: counselor/social worker). By and large they've made it to 3 years. In my opinion, minimize their stress by keeping a clean cage and allowing them to exercise or at the very least venture outside of the cage from time to time (it's their natural instinct to do so). Vary their diet by feeding them a good quality rat formula (e.g.: lab blocks are considered to be one of the most nutritious sources of staple or base diet to feed your rat, along with veggies, fruits, some nuts, and a few choice table scraps. A good brand of lab blocks that are specifically made for a rat’s nutritional needs are made by Harlan Teklad, and can be purchased in bulk at http://www.harlan.com. Another good block food that meets a rat’s nutritional requirements is made by Mazui , and which can also be purchased in bulk at the Mazuri website: http://mazuri.com). Cancer and tumors are fairly prevalent among rat and is largely attributed to dry corn found in most rat food on shelves in pet stores. Dried corn can not only contain fungus, but also creates nitrosamines in the stomach, which can lead to cancer. Add to that the preservatives many pet foods contain (namely Ethoxyquin, which is NOT approved for human consumption), buying commercial mixes is just not the best. I feed my rat a mix of quality, seeds, vegetables and fruit. Every now and again he is treated to peanut butter or cheese. Within the next week or so, after having done some research on the matter, I'm going to add dry organic dog food to his diet. The best I've found is at Trader Joe's. I had a female rat that had 16 babies and when I added the aforementioned dry dog food to their diet during the period of time she nursed them, their growth rate was incredible compared other people I knew that were breeding rats.

 

[Tarac]

Rats and mice are VERY different, they only look similar.

In behavior, not in physiology. I'm not sure how you came up with that idea. And let's be honest, even in behavior they are not that dissimilar- they are "VERY" closely allied genera after all and "different" is relative. I can't imagine calling them "VERY" different except as a pets. All mammals are not that different on the relative scale of orders of life, mammalian genetics are highly conserved in general. What makes them "VERY" different is that mice are horrible little things while rats can be fairly good companion animals

Here is an article about the starvation diet, introduction included below- look how many forms of life this applies to:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15885745

"It has been known for some 70 years that restricting the food intake of laboratory rats extends their mean and maximum life span. In addition, such life extension has been observed over the years in many other species, including mice, hamsters, dogs, fish, invertebrate animals, and yeast. Since this life-extending action appears to be due to a restricted intake of energy, this dietary manipulation is referred to as caloric restriction (CR). CR extends life by slowing and/or delaying the ageing processes."

 

[skar]

In behavior, not in physiology. I'm not sure how you came up with that idea. And let's be honest, even in behavior they are not that dissimilar- they are "VERY" closely allied genera after all and "different" is relative. I can't imagine calling them "VERY" different except as a pets. All mammals are not that different on the relative scale of orders of life, mammalian genetics are highly conserved in general. What makes them "VERY" different is that mice are horrible little things while rats can be fairly good companion animals

Here is an article about the starvation diet, introduction included below- look how many forms of life this applies to:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15885745

"It has been known for some 70 years that restricting the food intake of laboratory rats extends their mean and maximum life span. In addition, such life extension has been observed over the years in many other species, including mice, hamsters, dogs, fish, invertebrate animals, and yeast. Since this life-extending action appears to be due to a restricted intake of energy, this dietary manipulation is referred to as caloric restriction (CR). CR extends life by slowing and/or delaying the ageing processes."

Because I read alot .
DNA of rats are very close to our own about 98% which is why rats are used for
testing more than mice or etc . .. I believe closer than chimps as well (to our genetic makeup).
And as I said they only look similar - yes they are both rodents and both omnivores But
they are very different .
I agree on the pet differences.

 

[Tarac]

Because I read alot .
DNA of rats are very close to our own about 98% which is why rats are used for
testing more than mice or etc . .. I believe closer than chimps as well (to our genetic makeup).
And as I said they only look similar - yes they are both rodents and both omnivores But
they are very different .
I agree on the pet differences.

Absolutely not, I urge you to inspect the credentials of your literary sources.

Rats and mice are both very regularly used for testing... and I'm assuming you for medical research applications since you make the comparison with humans (and this happens to be my profession, btw) because almost all heritable human diseases are highly conserved through all mammals. Rats and mice are far closer to one another than they are to humans. Chimps and humans are closer to each other than humans are to mice or rats. They not only look similar but they are practically identical if you are talking about genetics, as are all mammals. Not so much different between any of us and certainly almost nothing out of the billions of base pairs that are different between rats and mice. Words like 'more, almost, very, most' are relative and relatively mice and rats have the vast majority of genes in common with one another:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC524408/

http://www.genome.gov/11511308

Quantifying exactly how related we are is a complicated thing because there is a range within a single species anyway and then you are comparing across species plus complete genomes are not generally readily available as they contain hundreds of billions of base pairs. But I can assure you that it is in no way close to 98% and that chimps are by far closer to us than rats. Rats and mice are simply used as models because all mammals are fairly close in the grand scheme and rats and mice are small and easy to care for in large numbers in a laboratory setting. For this reason, your first statement "rats are used more often for testing" is also incorrect. Mice are more frequently used in testing, in the USA and globally. They are smaller and they are better characterized, more available, easily manipulated, reproduce faster, etc. etc.:

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/the-use-of-animal-models-in-studying-855

The only way they are really different is in their quality as a pet, which is an artificial distinction as far as what we are discussing goes. They are different, but not so different as you imply and certainly more different than non-human primates and humans are to one another. Again, if you get your info "because you read" then check where you are reading this from. Reading critically is very important.

 

[lizardminion]

In behavior, not in physiology. I'm not sure how you came up with that idea. And let's be honest, even in behavior they are not that dissimilar- they are "VERY" closely allied genera after all and "different" is relative. I can't imagine calling them "VERY" different except as a pets. All mammals are not that different on the relative scale of orders of life, mammalian genetics are highly conserved in general. What makes them "VERY" different is that mice are horrible little things while rats can be fairly good companion animals

Here is an article about the starvation diet, introduction included below- look how many forms of life this applies to:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15885745

"It has been known for some 70 years that restricting the food intake of laboratory rats extends their mean and maximum life span. In addition, such life extension has been observed over the years in many other species, including mice, hamsters, dogs, fish, invertebrate animals, and yeast. Since this life-extending action appears to be due to a restricted intake of energy, this dietary manipulation is referred to as caloric restriction (CR). CR extends life by slowing and/or delaying the ageing processes."

This seems to be what I was looking for. It appears this may be the opposite to power feeding tarantulas. (In turn, by raising their metabolism, aside from growing faster, they died faster.)
A slow metabolism may be the secret to a long lived life in any animalia organism...
After all, slow growth, slow developments of aging, slow wait to death, yes?

 

[Tarac]

There is also a genetic component in some animals- humans for sure. Google the "superintendent gene."