To think that a couple of rats

[SmileEachDay]

Would make great pets. I hear good things about them: intelligent, friendly, loyal, cheap.....
Then there are people who do this > or or even < not envy...

AIBU? Mainly for 6 year old, but I accept I’ll be the one doing the majority of the hard labour.

[WhitePhantom]

I thought this was an old post of mine when I read it first - I had exactly the same question a couple of years ago! We rehomed two girl rats, a year old, when the child's mother decided she didn't want them anymore

Then we got two more last year, babies, brown and cream, and very cute! They really are fab pets. The girls are prone to mammary tumours - rarely cancerous, but can get very big so you'd want to get them removed. One of our first girls had one - we got it removed and she made a complete recovery.

Our first two have since died - they only have a lifespan of 2 - 3 years. Sad because you get attached to them, but means it's a much shorter commitment than, e.g. a dog.

Give me a minute and I'll put up a couple of pics. (Oh yeah, I get the eeeew! thing all the time too, btw. Ignore that! People imagine that I'm keeping filthy disease-ridden savages Anyone who I've persuaded to actually get up close has been pleasantly surprised by how tame and cute they are )

[WhitePhantom]

And def get from a breeder, not a pet shop. If they don't quiz you on how you're going to look after them and what you're going to feed them, etc, then they don't care enough about them. A proper breeder will care more about them going to a good home than making a quick buck.

[WhitePhantom]

Here's the two we got as babies

[Floralnomad]

Rats make by far the best pets for small children , we’ve had a few pairs of both boys and girls and never had a massive problem with them peeing or pooing on us . We are rat free at present as we have an unsuitable dog but I’d love some more .

[CarefullyDrawnMap]

Their faces! They look so intelligent.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I've seen rats in Petshops (but never bought any) the males are sleeping in their hammocks all tails and paws tangled round .
The females are swinging about the bars like tiny rodent Gladiators (TV show )

I reckon you need to search out some that are handled and tame. Rescue rats might have issues that you are not confident to deal with as a 1st time owner (my guineas are all Rescues , some nervous some feisty but we've kept them for years so Hey , bring it on)

[Graphista]

"eg detachable tails shock

Ummm..... what??" Their tails are detachable - fact we only discovered when they "escaped" and we had to rescue before next doors cat got hold of them. It's because the main predators they have in the wild are birds who grab the tail to whisk them off to feed to their young apparently. Our poor vet had quite a task keeping a straight face when we took it in for a check as we felt awful we'd hurt it!

[theluckiest]

Oh I am a rat convert!! DS wanted rats for his birthday & I was very much like this

BUT they are adorable. We have two girls & while they can get a bit whiffy when it's time to change bedding/litter, they def don't pee everywhere.

They do like chewing DS's wallpaper though!

Very cute, clever and love having their ears scratched.

Sadly, we lost one of our original girls - she got very thin & wasted away. Apparently, this can happen. We had to get another as rats are very sociable. Our new girl is cheeky and adorable too.

I would post a pic but they're not good at posing!!

[Weedsnseeds1]

Rats tails are NOT detachable ( that's lizards). The skin can come off ( degloving), which is a defense mechanism. It is painful and an extensive degloving can cause the rat to die of shock.
Rats make great pets, very clever and friendly.

[mumonashoestring]

I miss our ratties, they were fabulous pets - especially even the one who liked to climb up your back, jump onto your shoulder, stick her whole face into your ear and go SNIFFLESNIFFLESNIFFLE

I found keeping them on good quality compressed wood cat litter helped enormously with keeping them clean and keeping the smell down, as did cleaning the metal cage itself as well as the tray at cleaning time (good thorough wipe over with a scourer and a tiny amount of antibacterial kitchen spray).

We'll get more when DDog is no longer with us but he's got enough terrier in him to make it an extremely stupid thing to do while he's alive!

[Rinoachicken]

They are the BEST small pets - go for it!

[HateTheDF]

I had so many pet rats growing up. They are so friendly (males are more slow and docile than females) and I have never been bitten by a rat - compared to hamsters who have bitten me so many times.

The only thing about rats is that you have to clean them regularly - they stink.

[HateTheDF]

When I say clean them - I mean the clean the cage out!

That being said, they do like to go in a bath with a little bit of water

I miss my rats :(

[Honkyzeke]

I had several male rats as a mid teen and I don't remember them peeing all the time, they would do nervous peeing or pooping in new situations but as far as I remember they always did it in their cage.
Rats are the best pets I've ever had, I keep thinking about getting more, DP not so keen!

[FranticallyPeaceful]

Oh God they’re disgusting but my son loved his. They were kept in the outbuilding house because I really couldn’t bare them closer. Really smell if you don’t clean them very often though, although I suppose all little rodent type things do.

Anyway they bit him a couple of times, full on never-gonna-give-loose bite, so be careful with younger kids.
They’re way smarter than you’d imagine, my sons we’re pretty amazing really (once you get over the grossness of their large fleshy tails). Definitely good pets if you’re careful

[LadyDeadpool]

Rats barely ever bite, I've rescued rats who do and they quickly drop the habit and I've never been bitten out of malice just when they've thought I'm food and it's been my own fault.
The boys scent mark on occasion but they certainly don't dribble pee constantly that's mice.
Their tails are not detachable.
They don't smell if you keep their cage clean, pet rats are actually cleaner than cats and spend absolutely ages cleaning themselves and each other.
They're easy to feed - buy nuggets instead of a muesli to stop selective eating then add in fresh fruit and vegetables.
They can be clicker trained to do tricks and are absolutely incredibly loving once they get used to you.
Do find a good breeder as pet shop rats tend to take longer to get used to you due to not handling and can be ungrateful brats!
Boys have massive testicles and it can be a little odd to get used to but each rat has his or her own distinct personality and they're wonderful pets for children as they like humans and are very unlikely to bite if handled properly.

[GinDoll]

I lived my rats in my teens. They never bit me -unlike my hamster (savage beast) and were just lovely. They are fab pets and very friendly in my experience

[mydogmymate]

I used to have rats too, gorgeous pets and very clever and affectionate. I won't have them any more though, mainly because they don't live more than about 2 years and I got so upset when they died that I can't face it again!

[ThePinkOcelot]

They’re lovely pets. DDs had them when they were much younger. DD2 used to push them around in her dolls buggy and they just sat there. Used to love getting brushed with her barbie brush as well!! They were great 👍!!
I wasn’t happy when DH brought them home one day, but I had to eat my words!!

[Clem7]

Rats are great pets and much better than hamsters, mice etc.

They do have greater needs though; need a much bigger cage and at least an hour out of their cage every day. Even the girls will leave little drops of pee at times.

Do read up thoroughly before hand and get them from a reputable breeder, not a pet store.

[Graphista]

Weedsnseeds Strawberriesaregood ladydeadpool I was talking about gerbils.

[Clem7]

One of mine did bite me once, but I probably shouldn’t have sat on her.

[Montyrage]

Rats are amazing and they are super social and friendly. Ours used to sit on the dc shoulders.

[QuestionableMouse]

The detachable tail comment was about gerbils.

I say if you can give somewhere and handle them a few times first them do. I love rats but I'm allergic to them... Luckily I found out after handling my friend's while she was on holiday and not when I got my own!