Why do people want rats?

[ferretgirl27]

I can't figure out why people like rats?!? My mom would never say yes to getting a rat. Plus what good are they? 

[reachthestars]

Rats are the best small animal, in my very biased opinion. They're smart, adorable, and just plain awesome. My girls are littertrained, come when I call their names and love nothing more than to give me kisses. After a hard day I look forward to going into my room, because one they hear my bedroom door open they're up hanging off the cage door. Basically their a puppy in a small animal's body. You won't find that in a hampster or gerbil.

[ferretgirl27]

Thank you for answering my question I really appreciate it thanks!

[reachthestars]

No problem, that's what we're here for

[ferretgirl27]

I really thank you for it because that changed my mind about rats. You could do that to allot of people with that answer!

[Topaz]

Rats are the best small animal, in my very biased opinion. They're smart, adorable, and just plain awesome. My girls are littertrained, come when I call their names and love nothing more than to give me kisses. After a hard day I look forward to going into my room, because one they hear my bedroom door open they're up hanging off the cage door. Basically their a puppy in a small animal's body. You won't find that in a hampster or gerbil.

Ditto!!  After having rats, I really don't think any other animal (besides a dog) could fill the void of a rat (well, ratS.)  They're so smart, sometimes they'll take your breath away.  They're beautiful, all kinds of personalities, they actually do have facial expressions (in their eyes,) and are more like humans than you'd think!  They're social, love to play outside of the cage, they can be trained to do tricks, my kids are all litter box trained, they hardly smell at all compared to many small pets, they don't shed all over the place, usually don't need baths, and if it weren't for us splurging on them (and their medical bills) they'd be pretty cheap animals to keep.  You can really tell that they appreciate what you do for them, and they know that you love them just as much as they love you.  

[ferretgirl27]

Thanks!

[love2teach]

Ditto...ditto...ditto plus they are compassionate.  I work with autistic students and some of the students do not communicate or socialize well with humans, but they will open up to the rats.  I have 7 rats in the classroom.  Each rat knows which students they can be hyper with and play with and which ones just need them to sit on their shoulder and be there with them.

I have students that have difficulty remaining on task, but if one of the rats is out on their shoulder they can complete a task.

love2teach

[lisa.j.31]

I second, third and fourth everything that has been said!!!! I love my girls so much and they are so very spoiled. Smart, goodness let me tell you rats are so very smart. My girls know the sound of  the chocolate chip package. They can be sound asleep in their cozy hammocks and as soon as I open the drawer and get the bag their little noses pop out. They always come for kisses and scritches. Each and every one of my girls has their own personality, likes and dislikes. Even the most unfriendliest of ratties will come around with some attention, love and a few chocolate chips  This is my opinion on why rats are the best pet ever!!!

[ferretgirl27]

Thanks that really does open my eyes it seems that there is so much stuff that I diden't know that I know now! ( But there is alot more to learn!) I hope I can learn alot more about them!
Thanks,
ferretgirl27

[ferretgirl27]

I am so happy I wanted to know w :angel13:hy people want rats and you guys stepped up and told me!

[anita1216]

Rats are simply little people wearing fur. I have never been as blessed with pets more loving and funny than my rat kids. I also have a dog and two cats that I love dearly. There is just something about my rat boys, such wisdom and quiet gratitude for a scritch or a much loved snack. My Fergus will lay close to the cage bars just so I can pet him when I dont have him out. He peeps softly as I walk by, as if he wants me to know he is always near. All of them look at me with such devotion and kindness. They run and jump at playtime and mouth fingers like a small child would pull a shirt to get attention.

I want rats because they are a kind, very soulful creature. When treated right and loved, they will love you back in a way that your heart never forgets.

My heart hasnt been the same since my first rat, Buster, came into my life five years or so ago. His passing and the others since has taught me a great deal about love and loss. I cant imagine my home without the scurry and busybody happenings of a rat or two( in my case, seven)

[whtnyte]

I know you have pretty much already been convinced of the merits of rats as pets. However I just wanted to chime in with my own perspective. First let me state that I am handicapped. I have to wear a brace on my knee, walk with a cane and have to take high powered pain killers several times a day so I can move around and not be bed ridden. For me rats are more than just pets. They are my companions. In fact they are quite often called companion animals because of the empathy and the bond they develop with their humans. They actually need and desire our company and our time. They are very easy to please, they don't really need bathed unless they are sick or got into something really messy. They never need "walked." In between major cage cleanings it's very easy to clean out their cages and keep them tidy and not smelling. Just clean out the raisins (which are for the most part hard and not stinky again unless they are ill) and any wet litter/bedding can be scooped out and replaced with a handfull thrown in.

Beyond that though...one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life was with my beloved Mr. Speedy. I got him from a pet store when he was just a month old and he and I were best buddies until the day old age caught up with him and I had to say goodbye to my friend. Yes, it was very sad to lose such a good friend. He had touched so many lives that even my rat-phobic mother had come to love him and would come over to visit her "grand-rat" he was the only rat she would actually hold an pet and the day I had to have him put to sleep she cried also. Mr. Speedy was an adventurous gentleman and his exploits had been shared on the internet. As a resut when he passed he was honored by people all over the world. The wonderful thing about seeing a rat through to the winter of it's life though is the rewards you get when they get old. They come to depend on you to help them do things they no longer can do for themselves. They are so attached to you that you can see the appreciation, love and devotion in their tiny little faces. You get repayed 100 fold in kisses and lap sessions lol. It was such a joy holding him up in my lap propped against my belly so he could groom with both of his front paws and not have to hold himself up with one of them. Such a simple thing to us, but to your old friend it means the world and you are their world. I wouldn't trade one moment, or one memory for all the gold this world has to offer. Friendship and love and devotion between you and your elderly rat are priceless!

Okay, That's my 2 or 3 cents worth lol. I'll finish with this: Midnight is my current eldest boy. At 2 years old he's considered an elderly gentleman, you'd never convince him of this of course! He takes his alpha rat role very seriously and keeps the younger boys inline with a firm but fair paw lol. He loves his daddy with his whole heart though and gets so excited to see me sometimes that his whole body will litterally vibrate with pleasure 
Love like that is why we have rats for friends, not just pets 

Reed n the Sillies

[anita1216]

I know you have pretty much already been convinced of the merits of rats as pets. However I just wanted to chime in with my own perspective. First let me state that I am handicapped. I have to wear a brace on my knee, walk with a cane and have to take high powered pain killers several times a day so I can move around and not be bed ridden. For me rats are more than just pets. They are my companions. In fact they are quite often called companion animals because of the empathy and the bond they develop with their humans. They actually need and desire our company and our time. They are very easy to please, they don't really need bathed unless they are sick or got into something really messy. They never need "walked." In between major cage cleanings it's very easy to clean out their cages and keep them tidy and not smelling. Just clean out the raisins (which are for the most part hard and not stinky again unless they are ill) and any wet litter/bedding can be scooped out and replaced with a handfull thrown in.

Beyond that though...one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life was with my beloved Mr. Speedy. I got him from a pet store when he was just a month old and he and I were best buddies until the day old age caught up with him and I had to say goodbye to my friend. Yes, it was very sad to lose such a good friend. He had touched so many lives that even my rat-phobic mother had come to love him and would come over to visit her "grand-rat" he was the only rat she would actually hold an pet and the day I had to have him put to sleep she cried also. Mr. Speedy was an adventurous gentleman and his exploits had been shared on the internet. As a resut when he passed he was honored by people all over the world. The wonderful thing about seeing a rat through to the winter of it's life though is the rewards you get when they get old. They come to depend on you to help them do things they no longer can do for themselves. They are so attached to you that you can see the appreciation, love and devotion in their tiny little faces. You get repayed 100 fold in kisses and lap sessions lol. It was such a joy holding him up in my lap propped against my belly so he could groom with both of his front paws and not have to hold himself up with one of them. Such a simple thing to us, but to your old friend it means the world and you are their world. I wouldn't trade one moment, or one memory for all the gold this world has to offer. Friendship and love and devotion between you and your elderly rat are priceless!

Okay, That's my 2 or 3 cents worth lol. I'll finish with this: Midnight is my current eldest boy. At 2 years old he's considered an elderly gentleman, you'd never convince him of this of course! He takes his alpha rat role very seriously and keeps the younger boys inline with a firm but fair paw lol. He loves his daddy with his whole heart though and gets so excited to see me sometimes that his whole body will litterally vibrate with pleasure 
Love like that is why we have rats for friends, not just pets 

Reed n the Sillies

Thats just lovely..beautiful and sweet.

[wonderrodent]

Ferretgirl27, I think it's great you are asking this question and that you are interested in what people have to say. A lot of people don't even want to listen. For them rats are ugly, disgusting, dirty pests.
I assume you are a ferret lover? I used to help out in a ferret shelter (unfortunately, I became allergic) and in some ways, ferrets actually remind me of rats in their behavior. I love both rats and ferrets!

Whtnyte, thank you for sharing your story!

[aphoeniceus]

Over the years, I have had several different types of rodents as pets.  Hamsters, gerbils, and mice are a couple.  I thought my hamsters were cute, but they BITE, hard!  They are grumpy when you wake them up in the middle of the day, and they aren't very social.  Its hard to keep more than one hamster together in one cage (I had one eat the other overnight - they even were littermates).  Rats are completely opposite.  They are extremely social (you do get one loner here and there though), and they very rarely bite.  No matter what time of day it is, if I approach the cage, they all wake up and come running to greet me.  Honestly, I don't know why parents get their kids hamsters as pets, they are horrible for children IMO!

Gerbils are another extremely cute rodent.  Very fun to watch.  Not real big biters.  They are cute, but they don't have the bond with humans that rats tend to get.  And they are destroyers.  You cant keep anything in their cages no matter what it is.  They will chew it until nothing is left.  But I do like gerbils, just not to the same degree as rats.

Mice.  Mice are super cute, and can be very friendly.  But once again, the bond between human is not as strong as with a rat.  And they STINK!  Thats the major reason why I no longer have mice.  Didn't matter if I had males or females, I would clean the cage and the next day the smell would be unbearable.  Rats definitely do not have this odor.  If you tidy the cage up every three days or so, no one can even tell you have rats in the house.

I have also had ferrets (not rodents but thought I would add them in, hehe).  Love those little guys, so full of personality!  Unfortunately, I am very allergic to them.  Otherwise I know I would probably have two running around my apartment as well!

This is all my my own observations and experiences.  Certainly others have different experiences with different rodents.  I had all these rodents before rats.  When I got rats I was hooked.  Once you go rat, you never go back

[Nelly]

I used to think 'why on earth would people have rats as pets?' Even when my friend, who'd had several, showed me hers I just said 'aww cute' but thought 'don't put that near me.'  Only a couple of weeks after this happened I was walking back home from the gym when I saw a beautiful animal on the pavement.  I realised it was still alive but it couldn't get up. I couldn't leave it there for someone to stamp on or kick into the road so I picked it up in a towel from my gym bag and took it home.  We put her in a box with some seed and water, then into an old plastic fish tank but sadly she died over night.  I buried her in the garden and said to my then OH that I wanted to get a rat. I researched, discovered you should have at least 2 and 7 weeks after finding that pretty little wild girl I got chosen by my first rat Mitts, who chose her sister Perdy to come home with her.  They changed my life for the better.

I think I was 39 when I first got rats - what a lot of wasted years.  My relationship wasn't good when I got Perdy and Mitts and they brought into my life love that was missing.  Just to see those 2 beautiful little faces every day, pleased to see me, full of love, well, it made everything a lot better.

Rats are affectionate, loving, intelligent, funny, naughty, cheeky. They know when you're down and what to do to make it better, whether that's playing the fool or bruxing and giving kisses.  It's heartbreaking when they leave after such a short time on this earth, but they give so much - every day with a rat is like a special gift.  There are rats who are your best buddy from the second they come to live with you and others who you have to make lots of effort with to win over.  All of them are special and all of them bring something wonderful to our lives.

I've been a cat person from when my baby eyes could first focus on anything, but now I can't imagine being without rats, just the way I can't be without a cat or two in the house.

[Carolyn]

Over the years, I have had several different types of rodents as pets.  Hamsters, gerbils, and mice are a couple.  I thought my hamsters were cute, but they BITE, hard!  They are grumpy when you wake them up in the middle of the day, and they aren't very social.  Its hard to keep more than one hamster together in one cage (I had one eat the other overnight - they even were littermates).  Rats are completely opposite.  They are extremely social (you do get one loner here and there though), and they very rarely bite.  No matter what time of day it is, if I approach the cage, they all wake up and come running to greet me.  Honestly, I don't know why parents get their kids hamsters as pets, they are horrible for children IMO!

Gerbils are another extremely cute rodent.  Very fun to watch.  Not real big biters.  They are cute, but they don't have the bond with humans that rats tend to get.  And they are destroyers.  You cant keep anything in their cages no matter what it is.  They will chew it until nothing is left.  But I do like gerbils, just not to the same degree as rats.

Mice.  Mice are super cute, and can be very friendly.  But once again, the bond between human is not as strong as with a rat.  And they STINK!  Thats the major reason why I no longer have mice.  Didn't matter if I had males or females, I would clean the cage and the next day the smell would be unbearable.  Rats definitely do not have this odor.  If you tidy the cage up every three days or so, no one can even tell you have rats in the house.

I have also had ferrets (not rodents but thought I would add them in, hehe).  Love those little guys, so full of personality!  Unfortunately, I am very allergic to them.  Otherwise I know I would probably have two running around my apartment as well!

This is all my my own observations and experiences.  Certainly others have different experiences with different rodents.  I had all these rodents before rats.  When I got rats I was hooked.  Once you go rat, you never go back

I agree completely I always had hamsters growing up.   I had a very strong bond with my first-Chewy- but the others have all been somewhat of a disappointment... even now I have two "foster" hamsters that I care for while their owners attend college.  They are tame but are nothing like rats...its almost like they tolerate my presence while rats crave it. 

That said, rats are one of three of my favorite small animals (the other two being hedgehogs and ferrets).  And since neither of the other two are rodents, its safe to say they are my favorite rodent.

[liza]

I have always wanted rats. Always. The culture I grew up in though (European) does not see rats as pets. My Italian parents always said I was crazy and would have never allowed me to have rodents as pets. When I stood on my own feet (married with a stable income), rats finally entered my life - and they completely changed my life. I am so much richer now (inside, not our bank account)! Rats are like magic. They are full of love and just so very clean (if you keep up with cleaning their cages, of course).
We are also owned by Syrian hamsters and I must say, they get to us, our hamsters! They have their own personalities, they let us know what they want (and very clearly!), they are very funny when they get to come outside for playtime - a lot like rats. Our two hamsters don't like to cuddle, but some of our rats don't either. The hamsters do smell a lot more than the rats though. We once had a mouse too, Holly. Yes, she was so tiny, but boy, you could smell her in the entire appartment!

We cannot live without rats. My husband and I are addicted to them: they join us together, they make us laugh, and they make us mourn (but that's part of life), but most of all, they make us whole. We are a family. As overboard as it sounds, they are our children.

They do cost a lot of money though. Besides the obvious (large cage, cagemates, high quality food...), they need medical attention at some point in their lives, so if you don't have a stable income or enough money aside to take them to the vet when needed, I would strongly recommend NOT getting rats.

It is very nice of you to ask and listen to us why we chose rats.

[LastEchoes]

Rats are like small dogs that don't need to be walked. They WANT your attention and scratches and treats. They will come when called (if you train them), much smarter than people give them credit for and are just adorable. It always makes me smile when I see my girls popcorning all over the room and wrestling with each other or when they run up to me just to lick my hand. And all rats, just like people and other animals, have very different personalities....
When I first got rats, I never realized just how bonded they get with people and how bonded I will get with them. I love all their different personalities (even the trouble makers!) and I know they love me.