Rats as pets

[Chris]

I love rats. We kept up to 30 rats at a time in large bird aviaries when I was in my teens. After seven years my Dad developed an allergy to their urine and we had to stop keeping them.

 

[N a t]

I've never owned one, but I've held one before and my sister owned one. I love them. I've always loved rodents, and most all animals. But rats are cutie patooties. From their lil hands to their scaley tails! I would own one, but I already have cats and guinea pigs.

 

[shrekluvsme]

I think they're really cute ^^! I went to a party recently where one of the residents of the townhouse it was in had pet rats. They were really cute one of them loved licking fingers~

 

[Biyaya]

Rodents as pets are adorable, especially with long tails, like mice, rats and gerbils.

The only issue I can think of presently with getting a rodent as a pet for a kid is that they can be cannibalistic in certain situations. My friend had three pet rats, and I believe one of them got sick, so the other two ate him. This friend seemed extremely disturbed, and his little brother probably was/would have been too if he saw that. But yeah. I've never experienced this with my pets nor anyone else who I knew had rodents for pets.

 

[AnimalCrossingPerson]

Historians are now starting to accept as a fact that rats did not cause or carry the plague as far as it went; people did.

Out of the two things I learned in History, one being that rats carried the black plague and the other being that World War II ended in 1945, you want me to believe one of those is false? Then I'll be a complete nobody in terms of historical knowledge. :/

 

[mermaidshelf]

I love rats! I had two rats in middle school. My science teacher's rats had babies and she gave them away. They were really smart and adorable. I regret not taking better care of them or buying them a bigger cage. I had no business owning them. I didn't do the proper research and my mom was even more clueless than I about how to handle them. The smarter of my two rats figured out how to open the cage door and escaped one day. I felt badly for his brother because he was stuck without a playmate. Instead of feeding them rat feed, we gave them cheese and fruits and vegetables. Like I said, I had no business owning them. If I could do it over again, I would treat them better .

 

[forestyne]

Out of the two things I learned in History, one being that rats carried the black plague and the other being that World War II ended in 1945, you want me to believe one of those is false? Then I'll be a complete nobody in terms of historical knowledge. :/

Think about it - there were so many people in Europe and no qarantines were set in place for people who did have the disease because it was, y'know, the 1300s. Especially in London.

Brown rats were not introduced into Europe until the 1800s and black rats, the rat commonly blamed for the plague, was so rare in Europe tha they were only normally found in Norway. In fact, you are more likely to catch the plague from prairie dogs, degus and dead squirrels. One of the most recend bubonic plague cases was from a cat bite.

- - - Post Merge - - -

Rodents as pets are adorable, especially with long tails, like mice, rats and gerbils.

The only issue I can think of presently with getting a rodent as a pet for a kid is that they can be cannibalistic in certain situations. My friend had three pet rats, and I believe one of them got sick, so the other two ate him. This friend seemed extremely disturbed, and his little brother probably was/would have been too if he saw that. But yeah. I've never experienced this with my pets nor anyone else who I knew had rodents for pets.

I had a group of eight girls. They caught some sort of internal parasite. Came back on my birthday to three very chubby ladies and carcasses. Cannibalism in rats and other rodents is very natural. When a rat has died, its mates 'dispose' of the body to increase their chances of survival by not attracting predators.

But I agree, that situation can be very disturbing, especially for a young child. I remember I was distraught, I was only 13.

 

[Buttonsy]

I think they are really charming and good!! I don't have one but they have always seemed much more cute than scary!

 

[angiepie]

I think they?re fine. My boyfriend has had one before and possibly wants another one. I wouldn?t mind one.

 

[Flare]

Would prefer a Mouse as a pet but a Rat would be nice to have too. They seem pretty friendly from what I've heard too.

 

[namiieco]

They are cute but
I'd rather have another pet

 

[Cheshire]

I love rats - but I've read several times now that people caught rat-bite fever from their pet rats and died subsequently. That's why I'm not to keen on owning one, personally.

 

[primandimproper]

I love rats. They're so smart and adirable, and their cages are fun to decorate. The US military even uses trained rats to find land mines in warzones.

 

[dedenne]

Ugh rats bye

 

[CharlaineC]

I love my ratties I have a few. They are wonderful.

 

[i love to sin]

i like rats, but prefer my cats.

 

[mitfy]

my science teacher from last year always has pet rats. she had marjory for a good amount of time, but she sadly passed away and then she got two new rats that she named watson and crick. they were sisters and they were so cute. one was very nibbly and one would lick. they ran around a lot (since they were young and more active than marjory) and would climb on the inside of the cage and stuff. i loved them lmao i miss seeing them. for most of the year my seat was the one closest to the cage.
marjory actually chewed my fingernail once, like, almost all the way off but i caught her before she got that far. couldn't believe it lmao.

but i love them! i don't think i'd get a rodent myself because of taking care of the cage and such but they are wonderful animals.

 

[Nightstar]

I don't personally like rats and wouldn't want one but if other people like them, more power to them

 

[hallatt]

I personally can?t stand rats but I lived in student accommodation which had house mice. Living with actual vermin gave me somewhat of a fear of both rats and mice. My cousin has pet rats and loves them, they are like her children. IMO you should do what makes you happy and if you want rats as pets, why not?

 

[N e s s]

ew...i'm fine with other people having them as pets if its their thing, but no ty i don't need a rat in my house. its kind of the same situation with tarantulas as pets.

i'm a cat person either way so i don't think a rat would last much more than a week in my house