rat owners..

paradisemommy wrote: is there a difference between the regular (?) rats and the hairless ones?

i've been so wanting to get a pet for taven for a long time and we've narrowed it down to either a dwarf bunny or a rat..but cary's made me want a rat

kit_kats_mom replied: I have a ton of links for rat info. They are way more hardy than bunnies and they rarely bite (so far, even with the rough handling, ours haven't bitten either of the girls). I'll email you the links when I get a chance. Woody is out of town and the girls are out of control today. I think the only difference is a hairless doesn't have hair. LOL There are different sizes of rats too

Celestrina replied: I have a couple of regular ones myself and love them. Here is a website I like: http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option...d,118/forum,rat
I go by the same name there so drop me a line!

kit_kats_mom replied: They are also smarter than bunnies and they enjoy being handled. You can actually train a rat to do tricks, walk on a leash, fetch small items, and use a specific spot for toileting. LOL A few of the sites I've found say that rats are almost as smart as dogs. You would want two of the same sex though since they are very social animals. The difference between the sexes are: males=more mellow but they tend to urine mark a bit more and they have these massive uh...nads. that are a little icky. Females=jumpier and a little less cuddly.
We have been letting ours run loose for a little while every day. I was getting worried that they wouldn't come out from under the couch but I finally just sat quietly watching TV and they both came up and sat on my shoulder after awhile. They get really excited when K comes home too.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_a...html?5day?large
http://pages.interlog.com/~audiotre/rats/
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/toys.htm
http://ratguide.com/
http://wererat.net/rathelp/
http://jamielynn2000.tripod.com/ratsrcool2000/id15.html
http://www.ratsauce.com/breeds/index.php
http://www.petplace.com/small-mammals.aspx

http://www.sylviathornhill.co.uk/Bev/Index.htm

kit_kats_mom replied: oh and if you do a search on Preschoolers and pets, most sites do not reccomend bunnies for kids under 6. Rats were reccomended most right after the guinea pig.

paradisemommy replied: thanks guys!! i did my preliminary reading and such and that is what made me want one (besides you raving about them!!)..that's exactly what dh said..well if you just want something to look at but not listen - then the bunny! ..i think i'm leaning more toward the rats but the hairless ones kinda freak me out!

so do you guys have males or females?

oh and i didn't realize that about bunnies (not rec. before 6 yrs old)

kit_kats_mom replied: We ended up with males because K wanted something she could handle. They really are cuddly little guys and we just put on old tee shirts when we are playing with them so if we get peed on, it doesn't ruin our clothes. After they get used to you, they don't mark you as much and they don't poop on you either. They do poop a lot if they are nervous or mad though. It's just the dry little raisin turds though so they aren't bad.


Yeah, bunnies are quite breakable and they bite.

kit_kats_mom replied: oh and yeah, the hairless ones would kind of give me the willies too. They do have breeders, ratteries, where you can get big eared rats (dumbos), curly haired rats, and all kinds of crazy stuff. Ours are just your basic small pet store rats for $5 each.

gr33n3y3z replied: I have a house rabbit and 6 play station controllers later and 4 lamps and 5 alarm clocks later it still lives Oh and Bose wiring oh and the 3 phone lines later I didnt kill it yet nor did it get shocked enough for him to stop
So I would say no rabbit save yourself lots of money.

Good luck with the rats

Celestrina replied: Try and get one from a rescue - that's where I got our two. go here to find one: http://www.petfinder.com/

Jackie012007 replied: having a bunny is NOT for the faint of heart, that's for sure... no matter how well you bunny proof your wiring they will always find soemthing to chew on. Most of them are pretty anti-social or one-person animals, although I got lucky witht he two I had and they were lovies. Especially with the small children, I say go with the rat... good luck!

luvbug00 replied: I just wanted to say you Gals are BRAVE! LoL! rats are scary to me.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: I had a rat that lived for-e-ver. My bunnies (3 of them) died within months. I would not recommend a bunny. They are sweet, but I loved my rat (and my mouse) And I was never bitten by either of them.

kimberley replied:
LOL i almost peed my pants laughing at your post.
i am sorry for your bunny woes.

i had a rat (regular hair pet store cheapie) that i ended up owning because the store i worked at had one for a mascot until the regional manager came to visit and the boss shoved me and the rat out the back door to save his arse
but i have to say, he really was lovable. i had hamsters and hated them. they bit and peed everywhere. Squeaky (our rat) was super affectionate (gave kisses) and looooooooved being handled. he rarely made a mess out of his cage and i had him out a lot. never bit me once. the only downside to a rat with kids is they die in about 5 yrs. well, mine did anyway. but if it's between a rat and a bunny.. go rat