Mumsnet Talk

Any other rat owners on here, or just rat lovers?

We've (Kerriko and me) got 4 rats currently. Two albino boys called Hugo and Ralph who are rescue rats from the RSPCA. They are giant animals, and are about a year old. And we've got two tiny little girls who are about 3 months old, Clio is chocolate brown and Lillith is white with a coffee coloured stripe down her back.

There are pictures of them all on my profile

we have a hooded male called hoodie at the moment lost our other male eaelier this year but this fellows nots so friendly with others so we are holding out getting more as he is almost two so dont want to upset him to much but with us he is so affectionate they are the most wonderfull small animal we have ever had and will be getting more when he moves on

We had one male who really really didn't like others, but sadly we lost him a few months back. He didn't like people much either to be fair.

They are much more fun than any other small animal, so curious and daft. Our boys are really cuddly, while the girls are like a pair of hyper active toddlers.

Do you have any pictures?

No pics sorry. He is a real nutter loves the kids and even loves the dog but god help the cat if she gets to close to the cage he has had her a few times now and biten the tip of her tail he waits till she has settled and while she is curled up he sneeks over and grabs her tail through the cage lol you would think she would learn and stay away. We will get a few when he goes I do feel sorry for him all alone but he is out of the cage more than he is in it. I saw some lovely silver ones last week we might hold out for some like that when he goes they are so pretty. I think they are by far the best small furry to have with children they are not as delicate and no where near as spitefull as some of the furries we have had

I agree with you there, I never understand people who think rats are nasty in any way! They've obviously never held a rat.

My daughter is terrified of them but the grandchildren love them she wont hold him and keeps saying that its a sewer rat I get cross with her over it because her children love him and would love to have some of there own, she keeps snakes now theres something to be scared of lol I hate them so I guess its each to there own

Oh goodness, I used to have rats; the most I ever had was 5 at one time. I can't wait until the dc have grown up enough for me to be able to have time for rats again, they are just the best pets. Just a shame they only seem to live 2-3 years, usually.

Yep. I have 3 females. Renne white and grey, and Sparkle and Boris both white. Just under a yr old. Adorable little beasties.

I used to have one when I was doing my doctorate...he was very lovely (called Floyd) and became surprisingly large and fat! He was very clever, used to come when called and particularly loved beer so would always pop up when he heard a can being opened My parents are hugely anti-rodent, so when I moved back home after uni he 'retired' to live with a friends parents near Oxford - we used to pop in to visit occasionally - who gave him toast and marmalade every morning for breakfast and the run of the house I can't wait for my dcs to be old enough for me to use them as an excuse reason to demand pets!

I get really offended when people come round and start talking about how unclean rats are! It's a bit of cheek coming round someone's house then insulting their pets!

The one thing I'm waiting for is people asuming that we'll be getting rid of the rats once I'm pregnant. Not looking forward to those arguments.

I bet our rats would adore toast and marmalade, their favourite treat is banana chips though. One of the boys, Ralph, will climb up the side of his cage to get them, about 5ft!!

Ours love cold pasta. And those little milk drops,

Ours love pasta too, one of them, we discovered by accident, like 7up.

Our old rat, who was a giant overweight beast of a rat, managed to steal a Penguin bar which was outside his cage once. (May go someway to explain his bingo wings)

Finally succumbed to nagging and bought them one of those maize tunnels. They love it. Cleaned the cage out and put it in and they keep going in and out and pulling it around trying to find the place that is 'just right'

Heehee, aww they are so cute. We need to get one of those for our monsters. Talking of which, there is one desperately trying to get to my keyboard.. think she wants to join MN

Ooohhh cool, ratty thread! I've just today picked mine up. Two albino boys, about 12 weeks old. They are scrumptious
I've never kept rats before, had plenty other rodents and been hankering after rats for years, so am over the moon I finally got them.
Any tips for them getting to know me?
They seem very shy which is understandable in new home etc. Have had my hand in the cage a few times and they come sniff and snuffle around me but I wasn't sure about going ahead and picking them up, I don't want to frighten them if they're not totally happy yet?
I have an overwhelming urge to just pick them up and snuggle them!

Any and all ratty tips welcome here

To get to know them put them on a bed (preferably a top bunk so they can't get away) and lie there with them. You will be part of their landscape and they will get used to your smell and your breathing. They are the very best pets.

Lying on the bed is good, that's what we did with our boys. Also you can try putting an old item of clothing in with them, so they get used to your scent.

We also found holding food out to them worked, but our boys are greedy buggers.

Also pictures!!! I never get enough of photos of ratties!

Thanks both Don't have bunks but will put them on bed with me later, shall I put them with me one at a time, or both of them together?

Have tried to take some pics, wasn't easy!

Album here

They are adorable! We put both of ours on the bed at once, luckily they aren't quite daft enough to try jumping off the bed, and we dont have a bunk bed either. You may want to put an old sheet down first though, so they don't feel the need to scent mark your bed.

Thanks Kaloki, will try them later and let you know how we get on

Hello ratty people We tried the bed thing with them, they wern't interested in roaming of any sort, I think they're super shy ratties. They both found my jumper and got inside and went to sleep in there
So at least they were happy enough with me to do that, spent most of the evening walking around with baby rats in my top pmsl

Most ratties are fiends for sweetcorn - get the unsalted, unsweetened tins. Ours adored running round finding where we'd hidden it and it was great for teaching them to be handled
We had 4 girls - Millie, Paige, Honey & Muffin. We had to give them away after I had DS as we no longer had the spare time to play with them & exercise them and it wouldn't have been fair on them. Broke my bloody heart when DH took them to be rehomed just 1 week after I had DS.
Can't wait until maybe next year when I reckon DS will be old enough to appreciate them and we can get more ratties

Aha, sweetcorn, thanks
I did offer mine a chocolate button but they wouldn't take it from me, I think it's too early yet, they don't trust me 100%. I left it in cage and it soon dissapeared so it's not that they don't like it

I have two girls at the mo and DS1 (8) has a girl of his own - he carries her around in a bag round his neck - it's very cute and he adores her. I've had loads of rats since i was a kid, both bought and rescued - some in a pitiful state, have never bred though.

We had 3 up until Friday when I had to take Fudge to teh vet as he was really ill. Couldn't believe how upset I was! The other 2 boys are great big fat things. Chocolate is quite friendly - but does not like to exercise much hence his size. Brownie is very active and although he doesn't mind being handled he would rather do his own thing.
I really miss Fudge - he would sit beside me while I watched TV. At least I can put the other 2 on a stricter diet now as I was putting extra food out for him as he was getting very thin but teh other 2 would just pinch it.