Rat advice needed please.

[joelallie]

DS#1 wants a pet rat for christmas and we've sort of agreed in principle (an improvement on his other choices which were a snake or a gecko). We want him to be able to keep it in his room so that he can take it out and handle it. Also so that he con't be able to conveniently forget to care for it!! Mum went to a garden centre yesterday and spoke to one of the pet experts who told her that rats have to be kept in twos and need a very large cage. There is no room for a very large cage and we don't really want to keep 2.

Are there any ratty people out there who could tell me either way. It's looking as if DS's christmas pressie may be in jeopardy.

hi rats are better kept in pairs and do need a big cage as rats do get quite big they also need to be handled daily from a young age to tame them and you need to clean them out at least once a week or they smell as for gekos i used to have one they are fantastic pets the tank you would need is a lot smaller than a rats cage they dont smell and only need cleaning about once a month the only thing is they eat crickets so it depends how you feel about feed them and you need to make sure you remove and dead crickets and poo daily try a specialists reptile shop good luck!

Thanks Nuttymum - I quite like the idea of a gecko I must admit but assumed it would need a heated tank? Not an option TBH. And my mum would refuse to look after it when we went away Funnily enough the rats wouldn't bother her.

yeah gekos do need a heated tank and of you are going away they are ok to leavr for a few days or you can get a reptile shop to look afer it for you

def dont keep them separate, i had two and one died, the other died a few weeks later, i think it pined tbh i dont think you will find 2 rats much more work than 1

they do need a big cage but that doesnt necessarily mean lots of floor space, you can get them that are tall with different levels. and if he is handling them frequently they should get a fair bit of excercise running round the room. mine were very clean btw, they always went to the toilet in one bit of their cage, never had a problem with them leaving pressies on the carpet

much nicer animals than hamsters

I did wonder about a tall cage rather than a wide or long one. I've always liked rats too . Hamsters always seem to be asleep when you want to interact with them and then nip you (not surprisingly) when you try to take them out when they want to sleep.

Quite excited about getting one TBH. I think it's as much for me as for DS...

I love guinea pigs too but don't want outside animals - in the cold and wet weather it becomes too much of a chore for children to go outside and bother with them and I'd be afraid they'd get neglected.

A tall cage works quite well - they get to climb lots then. I only had one that managed to survive after its partner died, the others all went within weeks of each other. He died not long after DD was born - it seemed to be like he felt he didn't need to keep going anymore iyswim

Rats are lovely pets though.

I have eight rats. They are wonderful critters. They really must be kept in groups (I have two pairs and one foursome at the moment) as they are social animals, and will be much happier and healthier and more fun to have as pets.

Get as big a cage as you have room for and afford. Tall thin ones are great, furnish them with homemade toys and hammocks. Get the rats as kittens from a reputable breeder (NFRS.org can help, well bred kittens are generally healthier and tamer) or adults from a rescue. Use paper or cardboard for bedding and litter (wood shavings irritate their sensitive respiratory system). Have lots of fun.

A good forum for more information (and cute pictures) is (www.fancy-rats.co.uk/community)

They are seriously more interactive than a hamster. But Guinea-pigs and Rabbits can be kept indoors as house pets, either caged or free-ranging.