Thinking about getting a Pair of Rats

[Melisserz]

I've wanted a pair of rats for long time, but never felt that I'd be able to provide the space needed.

Recently, I got a birdcage for free. And I feel that, when modified, my result would be large enough to comfortably home two rats (I plan on using two old guinea pig cages and the bird cage to make a single cage /connected series of cages). The cages are all the usual sizes that you can find in a petstore.

I'm thinking males, because I've heard that they do better than females in pairs, and are more friendly in general.
Also, rescue/breeder rats are hard to come by in my area ,outside of petstores, and I don't want any surprise pregnancies.

So my questions really amount to...
-Are males really more friendly to both humans and each other in general?
-Would my modified cage(system) be big enough? (I can get the exact measurements tomorrow after work)

[Shanna66]

oh congrats!!!!! rats are great pets to have

as for males and females getting along in same sex pairs, the easiest will be neutered males, then females, and the toughest will be intact males. thats not saying much though as usually as long as intros are done right everybody should get along. its pretty rare to have a rat who will just never get along with other rats. but its good to keep a small extra cage in your home just in case.

rats love everything thats fun, other rats are fun, other animals are fun, and you are fun. after they settle in they will love you as much as each other and will crave your attention. some of my boys used to break out of their cage just to go spend time with my husband

the general rule of thumb is 2 sqft per rat and of course bigger is better. just remember that the smaller the cage the more time they need outside of the cage and the more you should change up whats in the cage to keep things new and exciting for them

also a bit of a warning with boys, they will pee on you and there is nothing you can do to stop it. boys are gross and messy and lazy, but that just adds to their charm. some people prefer boys and some people prefer girls. if you want something to take naps with you and sit in your lap all day long then boys sound great for you

[Melisserz]

Shanna66

oh congrats!!!!! rats are great pets to have

as for males and females getting along in same sex pairs, the easiest will be neutered males, then females, and the toughest will be intact males. thats not saying much though as usually as long as intros are done right everybody should get along. its pretty rare to have a rat who will just never get along with other rats. but its good to keep a small extra cage in your home just in case.

rats love everything thats fun, other rats are fun, other animals are fun, and you are fun. after they settle in they will love you as much as each other and will crave your attention. some of my boys used to break out of their cage just to go spend time with my husband

the general rule of thumb is 2 sqft per rat and of course bigger is better. just remember that the smaller the cage the more time they need outside of the cage and the more you should change up whats in the cage to keep things new and exciting for them

also a bit of a warning with boys, they will pee on you and there is nothing you can do to stop it. boys are gross and messy and lazy, but that just adds to their charm. some people prefer boys and some people prefer girls. if you want something to take naps with you and sit in your lap all day long then boys sound great for you

Sounds like I want boys if they're more "cuddly".

Do you have a ballpark estimate on what it might cost to have a male neutered?

I'm fairly certain that that the custom that I'd make would be at least 5 sq ft, if I do a "roomed" mod and don't add levels inside (which I so would).

[Shanna66]

Melisserz

Shanna66

oh congrats!!!!! rats are great pets to have

as for males and females getting along in same sex pairs, the easiest will be neutered males, then females, and the toughest will be intact males. thats not saying much though as usually as long as intros are done right everybody should get along. its pretty rare to have a rat who will just never get along with other rats. but its good to keep a small extra cage in your home just in case.

rats love everything thats fun, other rats are fun, other animals are fun, and you are fun. after they settle in they will love you as much as each other and will crave your attention. some of my boys used to break out of their cage just to go spend time with my husband

the general rule of thumb is 2 sqft per rat and of course bigger is better. just remember that the smaller the cage the more time they need outside of the cage and the more you should change up whats in the cage to keep things new and exciting for them

also a bit of a warning with boys, they will pee on you and there is nothing you can do to stop it. boys are gross and messy and lazy, but that just adds to their charm. some people prefer boys and some people prefer girls. if you want something to take naps with you and sit in your lap all day long then boys sound great for you

Sounds like I want boys if they're more "cuddly".

Do you have a ballpark estimate on what it might cost to have a male neutered?

I'm fairly certain that that the custom that I'd make would be at least 5 sq ft, if I do a "roomed" mod and don't add levels inside (which I so would).

when i had rats the vet i was going to at the time said he charged a bit over $300, the same price as getting a dog neutered. its not something you need to look into unless your rats arent getting along or if you decide to have a femals in with them and dont want babies.

i also suggest going ahead and finding a vet that would be able to have a look at your adorable vermin if they ever get sick. my first group were from a big chain pet store and had to meds for their entire lives. at the time i had plenty of disposable income and my dad was helping me out so i didnt care much. but if you want to save on vet bills try to find a breeder, even rats being bred as feeders will probably be healthier than what you would find at a big chain pet store

some small pet stores will get some of their small animals from private small time breeders, those can be worth looking into too

levels are great! rats love climbing. hanging hammocks around the cage will help you get some height too

[Tachycardiia]

Yay!!! I love love love rats, and I'm so glad you're thinking of getting some. They're really wonderful pets.

As far as neutering costs, it varies greatly so I would look around for any vets that will take rats, and just get a quote from them. As Shanna said you don't really need to worry about neutering unless you have aggression issues with them, but if you get them when they're young and have them living together they should get along fine (although some boys get very hormonal and aggression could be an issue, so just watch out).

[V0kinN0ed]

I heart my rats. I have both boys and girls. I started out with 4 rats... but now I have like 18 rats. Love each one of them too. I am going to say this, I love both my boys and my girls. They each have qualities that make each of them nice to have. Like being said, my boys are pretty lovey dovey. Fievil, my black hooded buck, likes to climb on my shoulder. Mickey, my Mink hooded buck, loves to steal my glasses. Out of my does I have one that likes to lick my lips and one that just really doesn't care if I am there or not. But I blame the pet store I got them from.

First off, and saying by experience, find a Breeder. Do not get your rat from the pet store, unless you know 100% for sure they are able to socialize with the rats on a daily basis. I do not believe my does are genetically skittish, but just lacks socialization. The reason I say this is because they have gotten better.

Rats are also considered an Exotic pet. So they vet bills are very expensive. And since they are prone to respiratory infections and pneumonia, you have to be careful not to use Air fresheners around them that are aerosols. And this actually includes Candles, Oil burners... anything. If it overpowers your nose, imagine how they feel. Also if you have bucks you will need to change the bedding more and have to clean shelves since they tend to urinate and mark more than does do. I have to change my boys bedding almost weekly.

Do not buy feed from the pet stores. Rats are Omnivores and need animal protein. Plus you can get veggies, fruits, seeds and oats for cheap in a store and just take a little of the meat you bought for yourself and put it aside for the rats. I have fed mine Raw chicken, beef and pork with no issues. smile

I hope all this help.

[Hilaria Fireflash]

you will not regret adopting rats! i have wanted them for several years now and finally adopted a trio of females. they are very hyper, but i feel that makes it easier to teach them how to do tricks (especially when there are treats involved). they're really smart and it's always interesting to let them out of their cage and play.

[Melisserz]

Hilaria Fireflash

you will not regret adopting rats! i have wanted them for several years now and finally adopted a trio of females. they are very hyper, but i feel that makes it easier to teach them how to do tricks (especially when there are treats involved). they're really smart and it's always interesting to let them out of their cage and play.

Tricks are (part of) what got me into rats in the first place.
The COSI (center of science and industry) in my city had a trio of rats that were trained to "play" basketball. I thought it was so cool and wanted some when I was a kid, but my mom hates mice/rats and wouldn't stand for the idea of them in her house.
I'd love to recreate the court that COSI had.

[Cena Quest]

I personally don't know much about rats, but you should check your local craigslist when you start looking for them! The majority of my pets have been from craigslist lol.

[Melisserz]

Stacee Jaxx

I personally don't know much about rats, but you should check your local craigslist when you start looking for them! The majority of my pets have been from craigslist lol.

I've been checking Craigslist for rats regularly since last year. They just don't pop up very often. And usually they ones that do are on there because they have issues that I'm not willing to deal with right off the bat. I'm willing to deal with issues as they come along, but not having to work through serious trust or health issues when I first get them is a priority for me.

But I did find a rescue in my state (RattieTattie Rescue) that does transport trains to the large city that's less that 30 minutes away from me. They seem to be legit, and they have a surplus of rats (especially young ones) because of a hoarder bust not too long ago. I'm thinking that I'll get a pair or trio from there.