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Talk to me about Dumbo Rats ?

4 replies

pumpkinsweetie · 18/11/2012 16:01

Hi there fellow mnetters, hoping any of you knowlegdable pet rat owners could give me an insight into Dumbo Rats in general as i'm hoping to get one very soon.

Tia x

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Ratata · 19/11/2012 13:19

Hi there. Firstly, you are best to get 2 or more rats at a time as they are social creatures and do not do so well on their own. There are situations when they have to be by themselves, like if their cagemate has died or they are too aggressive to be with other rats. But please get 2 or more.

Pets shops like Pets at Home are not a good place to get rats as they use rodent mills to buy their rats from, which are very cruel. See if you can find a good breeder in your area or have a look in a shelter.

Dumbo rats aren't different to other rats apart from their ear placement. They don't live longer/shorter lives (some misinformed pet shops tell people that they do have different life spans).

Don't use sawdust in their cage, use shredded cardboard or clothing/blankets. Get a wire bar cage, not a glass tank. Rats have very sensitive respiratory systems. Also find yourself a vet with good knowledge of rats. It's crazy how many vets there are out there who don't have good knowledge of them.

Feed them a varied diet, this is the best diet they can have: www.shunamiterats.co.uk/shunamite.shtml

A good site for food, bedding, shredded cardboard and toys: www.ratrations.com/

Any more info you need, take a look at this site, it's really good: www.fancyratsforum.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=11 If you register you can have a look at their rehoming section.

Rats need mental stimulation so get toys for them to play with. You will see toys on the Rat Rations site. They also love hammocks. I make mine out of old clothes and blankets. Male rats especially like to just hang out a lot of the time in their hammocks. Female rats tend to be a bit more lively.

Male rats sometimes urinate a little to mark things, so be aware of that. Some do and some don't. Female rats are more prone to mammary tumours which can be expensive to have operated on.

You are best to not spray aerosols in the room your rats will be in. Try to keep them in a room you are mostly likely to be in though such as the livingroom because they love company and are often very nosy.

Any other questions give me a PM because sometimes I forget to come back and check for replies in forums!

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Ratata · 19/11/2012 13:23

Also, there are some foods rats must never have. You can find lists here of foods they can have and foods they can't: www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?39486-Good-and-Bad-Food-for-Rats-amp-Ratty-Recipes

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drivinmecrazy · 19/11/2012 13:34

we (or DD1-11yo) have 2 Dumbos, They are fan-bloody-tastic. DD has them in her room because, as a pre-teen, she spends alot of time there.
They are like mini cats. DD has taught them to come to their names, to toilet in one part of their cage and do a myriad of tricks (mainly for food).
The one advise we were given by their breeder was not to over feed because they will eat and eat and eat given the choice, obviously not good for their health or longevity.
'our' rats come down and watch TV with us snuggled into our shoulders, or more often than not off exploring the curtains.
I was never a fan of getting rats but now am dreading their demise. They are 14 months now so know they are probably (unless very lucky) half way through their lives. I don't think we will ever be without rats now.
We got lucky in that we found, by word of mouth, a fantastic lady who bred them. She had handled them alot before they came to us so were really used to human contact, not like the rats at pets at home who look terrified, bored and extremely glum.
The only negative we have ever encountered is the reaction of other people. Can honestly not praise a pet rat highly enough.

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pumpkinsweetie · 19/11/2012 14:17

Thankyou very much for all the advice, its much appriecated.
I'm going to try and get them from a local breeder if possible, like you say pets at home isn't the best place for buying pets.
We have a hamster from there, all the baby hammys were all in same cage-about 20 of them and they put our one we took home in a very flimsy box, so flimsy he chewed through it and escaped, i had to run into the road to save him & he bit me. He was visious for months before we tamed him.
There was also confusion between staff on whether they had hamsters in that day, awful shop to buy pets from!

I only know off one local breeder, i'm hoping she has one left of the litter