I was soo tempted to take my niece's little pet rat home with me

starryeyedtiger

starryeyedtiger

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My niece Taylor has the most sweet little pet rat ever! It's name is Lacy. I got her for Taylor after her hamster of 3 yrs passed away and Taylor was just devistated over it. I swear, Lacy has to be the most sweet rat i've ever seen!! She's darling too- all tan/cream colored and she'll give you kisses. I've been watching my sister's animals all week since they're out of town till the 10th. I swear i just about took Lacy home with me tonight
I think my niece would notice her little ratty missing though
I should talk Colin into letting me adopt a rescue rat
They are such wonderful, gentle little pets.
 
clairebear

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I've had quite a few pet rats in the past. They really can steal your heart. I miss having them, the last of mine passed away a few years ago. Hopefully I'll get another in the future. They make amazing pets.
 
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lemur 6

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Rats make amazing pets. They're so intelligent and endearing once you win their trust. You can train them to use a litter box and do tons of tricks (just entice them a bit with some peanut butter). They love water so bathing them is no big deal. It's too bad they have such a short life span, my last rat was almost 4 years old when he went bye bye and that's pretty old for rats.

They also laugh if you tickle them, or give them raspberries (blowing on their bellies, not the fruit, though they like the fruit too). It's too high pitched for you to hear, sort of like a ultrasonic laugh, a research group basically got a bunch of rats and tickled them and recorded their laughs to prove that rats can laugh
 
stormy

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Rats are the sweetest little critters! My rattie Kyle gives kisses as well.
 
white cat lover

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Rats freak me out. Not like scared of them, they just feel "ewy".


The HS here had 4 of them, 8 weeks old, come in back in march. A gal drove 3 hrs to adopt out lil girl. The 3 boys were still here, so she drove down again today to get them.
 
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lemur 6

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Originally Posted by Bonnie1965

I like rats as pets, too. Ours always ended up getting tumors. Is this common?
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Oh, that's how mine ended up. I think it is pretty common, especially for the females, they get breast tumors.
 
swampwitch

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Aw, they are very nice animals. We used to have a very sweet-faced little guy living in the chicken coop when we had pet chickens. I would worry how our cats would treat a pet rat, though, inside of the house!
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by Bonnie1965

I like rats as pets, too. Ours always ended up getting tumors. Is this common?
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it's one of the leading causes of death in rats. my best friends mom used to have several of them. the vet told her that rats (even though they're small) should be spayed to help reduce their odds of reproductive cancers.
 
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Aw, yes, rattys are wonderful. I lost my first girl, Oreo, to a pituitary tumor.. it was just horrible, she went so fast. But it didn't stop me from getting the two newer kids to keep Mischief company after Oreo died. If you ever do get a rat, you really should get at least two, they're just SO much happier that way! Oreo was so sweet and loving, I didn't think it'd make that much difference, but she seemed even happier after I got Mischief, and Mischief even comforted her when she was dying.

And it's spaying a female that really helps with cancer. It reduces the risk of mammary tumors (which can be removed and usually aren't deadly in themselves unless they get too large), and pituitary tumors. I've not heard of it helping a whole lot with the boys. Most boys I hear of neutered is to help with aggression or to allow a mixed gender colony.
 
moonlights mom

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I love rats! They're so clever and intellegent and social! I wish I could have one, but my Mom is so disgusted by their tail. When I was younger, I would go to the pet store just to hold one. They're so friendly!

Ofcourse, guinea pigs would have to be my fave.
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Tonight I got Lacy out again and held her for a bit. I swear she has to be the sweetest little love!!!!
I brought her some treats too- she LOVED that
 
katiemae1277

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I love rats too, they are so awesome!! very very intelligent, my Calypso likes to play with the cats- thru the mesh top of her cage of course


and Carol, rats tend to be cleaner than mice and are also more social and friendly, not too mention the brain power issue
 
EnzoLeya

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I have a rat!!! My mom and sister fell in love with her too and so I went out and found them one. But I wouldn't ever rescue one unless it was a baby, found that one out the hard way. I found them a rat that was about 6 months old and it was a bit anti-social. They worked with it every day for over a month and that thing just kept getting meaner and meaner. I went to visit it one day and it bit a piece of skin off my toe for just standing next to it!!! Needless to say they got rid of it because it was just too mean.

So now they have a baby, I got it for them when it was about 1-2 months old, not much bigger than a mouse. It's the sweetest, kindest little thing!
 
catloverin_ks

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I havent ever had the pleasure of owning a rat. However, I have had gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits.
 
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starryeyedtiger

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CarolPetunia;1917012 said:
Are mice and rats similar as pets?[/QUOTE}

somewhat,but they are quite a bit different. I had a pet mouse when i was little named, Goliath- he was a very sweet, intelligent little guy! Mice make really good pets too!
I got him from a pet store- some guy was about to use him as a feeder mouse, so i told my mom about it and wanted to save him- so he became our little fella
/ Rats are a good deal larger, just as smart if not smarter (from some i've seen) and seem to let you handle them a bit more easily - it's easier to hold a bigger rat than a fidgety mouse, BUT my mouse would let you handle him and even bathe him with a little toothbrush on occassion. Both are good pets!


Originally Posted by EnzoLeya

I have a rat!!! My mom and sister fell in love with her too and so I went out and found them one. But I wouldn't ever rescue one unless it was a baby, found that one out the hard way. I found them a rat that was about 6 months old and it was a bit anti-social. They worked with it every day for over a month and that thing just kept getting meaner and meaner. I went to visit it one day and it bit a piece of skin off my toe for just standing next to it!!! Needless to say they got rid of it because it was just too mean.

So now they have a baby, I got it for them when it was about 1-2 months old, not much bigger than a mouse. It's the sweetest, kindest little thing!
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Maybe the one you rescued was just not very well tempered? I adopted Lacy for my niece as an adult and she could not possibly be any sweeter!!! Adult rats can be just as sweet as babies- it just depends on genetics and the individual rat
Click to expand...
 
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lemur 6

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Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Are mice and rats similar as pets?
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No, they're quite different. The size difference is apparent. Rats are much more intelligent than mice, though mice are surprisingly intelligent as well. Rats tend to be more mellow and calm, mice are more active and hyper. Rats will NOT play nice with mice (rats will actually kill mice if given the chance).

Originally Posted by CATTYBIRD

Has anyone tickled a rat's tummy to see if they actually giggle?
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Why yes! Check out this video:
 
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