Pet Rats: Having Rats as Pets

Of course, the very thought of rats usually conjures up negative images of dirty and destructive pests, contaminating food and spreading disease, and most people would generally be revolted at the idea of keeping rats as pets. However, domestic rats do make wonderful pets, and instead of being filthy and disease spreading animals, they are actually affectionate, clean, sociable, playful and sensitive. They love to interact with people and need daily handling.

The Temperament of Pet Rats

Being highly intelligent, your pet rat will often respond to its name, and can be taught tricks like ‘sit’ and ‘stay’, especially if you spend time with it. And they are quite easy to litter train. All you need to do is place a litter tray in a corner of its cage with some droppings, and soon enough you will find your pet rat using it. Your pet rat will love snuggling up to you and playing with you. Rats hardly ever bite and are friendly creatures as long as they are handled well from birth. However, children should be told not to put their fingers into the cage if they have handled food, because the rat may inadvertently bite by wanting to taste the food that it smells.

Since rats are sociable creatures, if they are on their own, they will usually get bored, hence it is better to keep at least a couple of them. In case you do decide to keep two rats, make sure to either have them neutered and spayed or keep two females or two males in order to prevent them from unwanted breeding. However, some rats can behave quite aggressively with other rats, in which case it will have to be kept by itself. Also, remember that rats love chewing things, so if you let them out to play in the room, you need to keep a watch on them.

Grooming and Caring for your Pet Rat

As has been mentioned earlier, rats are actually very clean animals, and you will find your pet spending a lot of time grooming itself, just like cats do. In fact, if you have two rats, you will find them grooming each other. However, you can give them an occasional bath now and then. But, since they really do not enjoy being bathed, and will wriggle and inadvertently scratch you in the process, it is advisable to wear protective gear on your hands and arms while bathing them. There are special shampoos available at larger sized pet shops.

Get a fairly large sized cage for your rat, something that would be more appropriate for a guinea pig, for instance, and you will find your rat quite happy and contented in it. However, since rats really like cleanliness, you should make sure to keep its cage clean. Rats become unhappy in grimy cages. There should be a daily removal of waste matter and the cage should be thoroughly cleaned with a disinfectant about every three days or so. While cleaning the cage, you can keep your rat in a small sized pet carrier.

Feeding your Pet Rat

Being scavengers in nature, rats enjoy all types of foods. You can give your pet rat tidbits of cat food, dog food, bones, meats, cooked vegetables, fruits, breads, cereals, eggs, and even table scraps. Rat food is also available in pet shops. Ensure giving your pet rat a diet that is well balanced. If they are fed too much protein they can get scabs. The protein requirement is higher for younger rats compared to older ones. Although rats love sweets and chocolate, it is better not to give them these, since they cannot digest chocolate, instead, it is better to get special treats for them that are available in pet shops. Rats have an amusing characteristic of stashing away food, to be eaten later.

On the whole, you will find yourself getting very attached to your pet rats, and their antics will provide you with hours of enjoyment. They are extremely inquisitive, loyal, and intelligent, often behaving just like a dog or cat. You can give your pet rat toys as well as other small knickknacks like little branches, toilet paper rolls, and so on to keep themselves amused. As long as they are treated well, they will express their affection towards you in their own way.