Do your ratties go with you?

[Wendy]

I would really like to take my "boys" with  me to work but not have to have them in a cage all the time.  How do you take your babies out?  Do you have a carrier pouch?
Thanks!
Wendy

[Nellybird]

.I know alot of people take their ratties out, and a few excursions can be good for them. What I'm planning on doing is getting harnesses for my 3 ratties-to-be, and then lining an old purse/bag with cloth and putting them in there. However, my girls may end up being a little too hyper for that, but your boys should be fine being their lazy selves  

[~Lilly's mama~]

Kristen, that is a great idea!  I'm gonna hafta do that now, lol!

[Rat-love]

I try to take them on a car ride/shopping trip every day (to the store or park, etc.) and am pretty bohemian about it--I have a little travel cage that stays in the car, and then I wear an underlayer of some sort with either a hooded sweatshirt/jacket or high-collared fleece over it.  Then they sleep on the back of my neck (or peer out at everything, disconcerting some people).

I've also seen: a fleece-lined pouch for ferrets that hangs around your neck and has a mesh window at the bottom; I also once saw a picture of someone's rat sleeping happily in a butt-pack, which seems ideal to keep weight off one's neck or shoulders.  They also have that soft over-the-shoulder cat carriers, but that's kind of like a cage.  Like Kristen, I would actually like to find an old backpack that I can line with fleece or something so I can take them for walks!

[emmamay]

i would loove to take my boys places but my mum wont let me, i dont think the shops would like us ( the rats and me for taking them along!)
so all i can do is take them outside in our garden.
where does every 1 take their rats?

[Nellybird]

On the last day of school I want to take my calmest rattie with me..it's only a half day after all. Ideally, my mom wouldn't EVER have the ratties out of their cage...EVER   lol she's such a spaz sometimes. I'd like to take my ratties EVERYWHERE with me, perched on my shoulder, but that can't happen.

[emmamay]

well, my mum works at my skool, not as bad as u think, and she works as a teacher aid in x-block, which is for student who are blind and slower , and with some other problems, and she wants to take my boys in for like a week or something( but bring them back at night) and im okay with it, i think its a great idea, cause one of them wants to get rats, their parents would let him but he'd loose intrest with them in like a month and probably not be able to look after them properly(hes not blind) so this way they can have a new experiance but mum and the other teachers/aids will supervise....the only thing is moley has lost alot of weight and he is under the weight thing (the vet siad) so we are waiting till he is all better(puts on more weight) , i just thought i would say that

if you can understand what im going on bout!!!:P:)

[Atari]

Ohhhh dear. I'm new to this board but I thought I should chime in.  

I take my rats EVERYWHERE with me. They come to school with me everyday. During the classes that don't allow rats, I drop them off in the Digital Art lab, which has become a rattie daycare of sorts. My teacher LOVES ratties and takes care of them until I come back 6th period to hang out with them and take them home.

I bought little ferret harnesses/leashes for them ($4 at Petco).. they're fully adjustable and even fit small rats. I take them to the mall with me, to fast food drive-thrus, bookstores.. just about everywhere. They love the attention and the exercise, although they haven't gotten completely used to the leashes yet. We're taking things slow.

They love car rides too. They sit atop the headrest and stare out the window.

[Tara]

I haven't taken my current rats anywhere with me yet, but I took one of my rainbo bridge rats to the bank with me once.   When they asked if I had a hamster, I said no I have a rat.   The response was "Ew!   ...I want to see him."    Turns out she really thought he was neat!    I carried him in an old tote bag with a zipper.  

[Idarat]

I highly endorse the hood as a mode of rat transport (and I thought hoods were only for holding on to toddlers by )  Last night I took Fenway to the video store and the grocery store tucjed in my hood.  He peered out on the walk there, then settled down for some serious bruxing and by the time we got there he was napping.  He is somewhat timid, so all he did was stick the tip of his nose out now and then once we got in the store.  Nobody asked, which was dissapointing because I wanted to try the Long-tailed Norwegian Hamster line.

[Krystal]

I'm terrified of taking my rats outside!!  I'm so afraid something will startle them and they'll run off, never to be found.

since I was in a car accident a few months ago, I'm also afraid of trips to the vet.  I'm planning on holding them on my lap in their travel cage with the seatbelt around me AND the cage (josh will be driving).

Isn't anyone else afraid of their rats running off outside?  Or am I just a paranoid parent?

[Atari]

My ratties love to explore outside on the greenbelt and I've never had a problem letting them frolic.

In new surroundings like that, ratties are not inclined to take off running because they don't know what's out there. They'd much rather stay with you and check things out slowly. And if you're that worried, go to Petco and get a couple of ferret leashes ($4). They're fully adjustable and even fit my littlest rattie.

[Ali]

Isn't anyone else afraid of their rats running off outside?  Or am I just a paranoid parent?

Definitely not. I read these posts with envy cos I'd love to take my boys outside but I'm terrified they'd run off too and I just don't dare.  

[Rat-love]

Atari!  Your avatar and your picture aren't showing up!  (But I saw them on your website.  What incredibly cute little guys!)

I took Sapphy and Petzl to the park a few days ago, and Sapphy might as well have been "Born Free".... or maybe "BOING free!"  More than once, she went boinging off through the grass toward a high chain-link fence, and I had to run beside her and head her off before she got there.

[Atari]

Grrr I know.. no clue why they're not showing up. My avatar worked last night.. I'm gonna find a new host for the images and then they should be all set.

When I first took dagmar onto the grass, she didn't want to leave my side. I walked around a bit and she stayed right next to me. I started to run a little bit and she started CHASING me and when she finally caught me, she ran up my pant leg and into the pocket on my sweatshirt. She'd never try to run away. Unfortunately I had to give her up.. but my new ratties are gonna get to play on the grass for the first time soon.

[Atari]

Ha. It works. *glee*

[Raven Paw]

When I get my ratties I'm going to take them everywhere I can, I can't wait!  I can't believe some of you take them into malls and stores, isn't that against the rules?  I'd be afraid I'd get yelled at and kicked out.  I'd love to take them to Petsmart, where they let you bring your animals in with you, but I'd be worried about my babies catching something from the rats there.

I'm not afraid to take them outside, but I'd always have them on a leash, just in case.

[Bonnie]

Well...I work in a Petstore so it's not bad for me to take my rats to work-teehee...

however I did take Templeton to meet Jeremy's coworkers one time, because his coworkers wanted to meet him. Of course, hearing that I definatly took a rat over. Jeremy works in a furnature store, in the warehousing part, so I always go to the back door when i visit him at work, and thats the way I went with Templeton.

After all the guys in back got to meet him, Jeremy headed for the girls at the front desk. Mind you, this is a nice furnature store- all the sales people wear nice dresses and suits... I tagged along behind whispering "Can you do that?" I was really worried his managers would get mad at him for bringing a rat on the salesfloor. Well I was wrong. All the girls at the front desk loved him and even the managers thought he was great. I've been instructed to bring him by more often. Heehee.

Anyways...In the car the rats stay in a travel cage. I'd hate to think what they'd do in my car... When they are out with me (At my work, or Jeremy's work) they stay on my shoulder.

I wish I could take them out in the grass, but the apartments I live in has probably 6-7 stray cats, and I just would not want to chance that.

Hopefully when I get my house all lined up there aren't too many strays so they can run in the grass...