Natal/ASF rats as pets?

[Inna]

Hi everyone!

This is my first time posting here, so hi, my name's Melissa   I'm not sure if I should post here or on the pocket pets board, so please forgive me but I'm posting in both.  I'm looking for a classroom pet for next school year (which I promise will be well taken care of by me, I'm a responsible pet owner with a small zoo of my own).  I've been going back and forth between mice and gerbils, but I found someone selling natal/African soft furred rats.  Does anyone here have any experience with these?  I'm seeing quite a bit of conflicting information on the internet.  Some people say they make good pets, some people say they're vicious.  I'm looking for more of a "watching" type pet, rather than an interactive one, as the kids are young and I'd be nervous about them handling a small animal anyway.  So it wouldn't have to be the friendliest animal in the world.  But I do want the kids to help with caregiving, so I can't have anything that's territorial or vicious, either.  I would personally like to be able to handle them, though, and the breeder says he can sell them to me as soon as they're weaned so that they can get used to being handled.  So, if anybody has any experience, good or bad, please let me know.

Since I'm on the rats board, I'll just add that I REALLY want rats, both for the classroom and just personally, but right now I don't have the time or the space to properly care for them.  But reading all the things you guys post, and looking at your pictures, makes it very hard to stay away!  Plus I saw two very adorable girls at a petstore yesterday (even though it's a store that I hate, and vowed to NEVER buy an animal from again) and if I weren't about to go out of town on vacation, I feel sure they would have come home with me!

Thanks!
Melissa

[sawyer_gota_gun]

You're on Hamster Hideout aren't you? lol, small world.

From my personal experience all small pets still need attention. Whether it be a African soft furred rat, mouse, gerbil, hamster, or fancy rat.
So I really don't think its a good idea to have a classroom pet as they won't get the attention they desserve. I know lots of class rooms have pets but it just generally isnt a good idea unless the teacher takes them home everyday.

Plus if you get a nocturnal animal and the kids are loud lik most kindergarten classrooms the animal won't get much sleep.

[Heather]

Mice are pretty much like fish without the water aspect. They can be social but they are not a lovey, cuddly pet. They are fun to watch and require not much care like a rat does. I've heard females can live in groups of 2 or more as long as the cage size is big enough (like 2-3 in a 20 gal long).

[LastEchoes]

If you want a watching type pet without having a lot of room and not being afraid of being bitten than out of those female mice are the best option.

[nevadamoon]

There's a big thread over in the pocket pets forum about them.

I have 3 boys.  They're fairly easy for me to handle, but I wouldn't think them very good for kids.  Plus, they are mostly nocturnal, so I don't even see them out until about 10 at night. 

If you had to have something besides fish, mice may be a good option.  I've never been bit by natal rats or mice, and mice are kind of like smaller, less flighty natal rats.  (Come in more of a color variety, though.)

[Troter]

awww, I learned a great lesson about pet care when i was in grade one. We had class room... guniea pigs, I believe, and we all got to take turns taking them home every night (with parents permission slips signed)...

now that I think about it, probably not the best idea, but I loved it.

[RatStars]

I used to teach at a daycare and I had a pair af female mice for our room. Even though the children were quite young (toddlers) and of course I was the one actually getting them out from time to time, I had no fear of the children getting bitten by accident because if you handle mice regularly they can be quite nice. They are not really very interactive, but I didn't need them to be. It was a great tool to teach them about being gentle and when I had a mouse on my shoulder it was easy to help the children learn what shoulders were! And mice do came in many different colors and varieties.

[sawyer_gota_gun]

I still say that all animals should get attention. I've had mice before and I played with them. They were very sweet.
They ARENT like fish because fish you can't handle. I'm sure a mouse would like to get out of its small cage and have some fun at least once every couple days. They do have feelings ya knoow.

I think its cruel to have animals if they're not going to be getting attention. And its stupid to have any animal in a classroom of 5 yr olds because what if you're out for a few minutes and one of the kids decides 'hey lets play with the mice/rats/hamsters!' they're going to end up getting hurt and lost most likely.

We had animals in our 6th grade science class but the teacher brought the cat & hamster home every day. The hamster had a great big cage and the cat roamed the classroom. Therefore they weren't sitting in a classroom from 3pm - 8am everyday.