I am the owner 'mommy' of 8 female rats, and as the days go by they make me feel more and more like a mother because if you properly look after your rats they do have A LOT of needs. In my eye's I'm too young to be a mom but heck, they girls sure do make me feel like one. Just going to pick up a few things you'd think I'm looking after a child, my parents just kind of shake their heads at me now when I buy things for my rats. At first they thought I was pretty weird but they are used to it now, they call my girls my 8 kids. I'm 19-years-old and do work and school from home so I'm always here playing with all 8 of the girls. They even have a big thing of toys like a child would.

Does having rats make anyone else feel like they are playing a mommy role? Even though kids are obviously more needy, its still a working job that's for sure.

My little collection for today consisted of: a night light (one of my new girls seems to be afraid of the dark, baby wipes, Kleenex, new dishes, and their cracker treats.

  I honestly believe that between caring for my rats and dog, it's preparing me for being a parent in the future. The boys (my 6 ratties), especially the 2 new tiny babies, require a lot of care. I mix baby cereal and oatmeal with suebees twice a day for them. Wipe them down with baby wipes every now and then, when they need meds, washing their laundry, changing the stuff and buying toys in the cage. My shopping cart has baby cereals, baby cookies, oatmeal, a baby bottle cleaner (when I needed a new one), stuffed toys and baby print fleece. People told me my kid was so lucky. Only to find out that my kids have fur and a fuzzy tail. I don't think that right now, at 23, I'm ready for children (mostly financially), but at least I can enjoy mothering my current "babies". 

Funny you say that, just the otehr day I told my husband that we didn't ever need to have children, just rats. We really do feel like their parents. The idea didn't really go over too well with my husband, though, I think he still wants human kids (imagine that)!

At 26 , with my husband just starting on graduate school (it's a phd, should take 4-5 years), I'm feeling my biological clock ticking, as they say, because I don't want to be an old mom, but I don't want children when he's still in school and plus, I really don't feel even close to feeling not ready. It's still too much to think about! He's not feeling it, however; he's 4 years younger, so waiting 4 more years will make him my age when I might, possibly(sorta) will want to have kids. Sometimes I feel too much like a parent with my ratties now...

Anyway, sorry for the ramble! Yes, I know exactly what you mean!

Very much makes me feel like "mom". I am mom to an 11 year old daughter, so the parenting thing is natural to me The boys need care, supervision, fights to be broken up, treats shared fairly, blankies to not be hogged, toys to share.....yeah, welcome to motherhood LOL