Rats - A Fun Family Pet

Rats seem like an unlikely family pet, often considered vermin. However, when well kept, rats are friendly, social animals that are clean, intelligent, and affectionate.

Rats are social animals and do better when kept with another rat. It is suggested that you keep rats of different genders apart to keep from unwanted breeding, or fighting. Female rats are very active and playful, and tend to smell less than their male counterparts. Their social nature makes them easy to tame and train, and most rats are very friendly and eager to please. Because of their need for social interaction, they make great pets for kids. You can teach them to fetch and do other tricks, and they will learn their own names.

Before you bring your pet rats home, you'll need a home for them. Pet stores will have several options for you to choose from. Giving them lots of room to climb and move is best, and they love to climb on the sides of wire cages. They also love to play with toys, so get them a few dolls, shiny things, chew toys, or bells to play with in their new home. For the comfort of the animal, try and find a cage with solid floors. Avoid using wood shavings as bedding in your rat's new home, as they can cause respiratory infections. I suggest using a recycled paper litter that can be found in your pet store. It's also good to give them a covered house area where they can go to sleep.

When choosing a pet rat, there are several things to keep in mind. There are rat breeders that try to achieve certain coat markings and pedigrees. As with any instance where you're buying an animal from an individual who breeds for cash, make sure you get to see where the rat lives. You don't want to purchase from a place with the mentality of a puppy mill. You can also purchase from local pet stores. I suggest calling around to make sure that they have the gender rat that you'd like to purchase in advance. Many pet stores will only carry males, or only females, to help ensure no unwanted breeding. Be careful not to purchase a rat that has been bred for the purpose of feeding. I had an albino feeder rat who only lived eight months. She never became social, she would eat out of my hand but you couldn't handle her for long periods of time without her being very frightened. You want to make sure that the rat you choose has been handled often.

When you handle the rat in the store, she should be curious, and move a lot. She should be clean, and not smell. If the rat is anxious, or uncomfortable being handled, she will tremble or leave a lot of droppings. As with choosing any animal, make sure that the animal looks healthy. She should not be sneezing or wheezy, should not have fleas or sores.

Rats like to eat a variety of foods. My rats wont eat the food pellets that came in the bag of mixed rat food I bought them, picking out all of the nuts and dried fruits. Now I buy them a mix of large bird food with dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. I give them cuttings from fresh vegetables leftover from my cooking, handfuls of cereal, or bits of cat food.