Does anyone here have a rat?

[hollywood926]

A friend of mine just bought a pet rat - could this be a big mistake? He has two cats and he lets the rat roam free! And I say the rat will smell up his apartment. And now I am afraid to go and visit him!

What say you?

[Lisabtrucking]

1. Call the police.

[merh]

2. I dated a few over the years and they hated my cats, but the cats

didn't do anything to percipitate the hate. I think the cats will be okay with the rat, but the rat may not be okay with the cat based upon my past experience. :think:

[dolo amber]

3. I've had several as pets

They're no more smelly than any rodent, and far, far less smelly than a ferret. If they're domesticated, they'll be petrified of the cats. In my experience, anyway. :hi:

[sui generis]

4. well, that rat won't be roaming for long

and if the cats eat all of him it won't smell too bad either.

My porch cat only "eats" mice (in addition to her cat food), but she does kill rats and brings them to me. I guess she thinks that I cook them or something (a little olive oil, a little basil, dash of vinegar, pinch of salt, yum :silly: )

That rat ain't long for this world . . .

[On the Road]

5. Rats are Great, But I Really Think They Should be Kept in Cages

Not much different from hamsters or guinea pigs. But rats can get through walls. I would be worried about its reproducing and the descendents becoming feral.

[Kali]

6. have in the past

rats make fabulous pets, they are very intelegent and can be taught all sorts of things/tricks. They don't smell, they are pretty clean, but if their cages aren't cleaned regularly those sure do! Of all the "rodent" pets gerbils stink the least, as they are desert animals and don't drink much water compared to rats,mice, hampsters etc. But rats are the most intelligent and affectionate. Once they get big most cats won't mess with them, but I would be carefull if the cats are at all hunters in real life. (actually killing things)


Liberty balls are one way they can all have some fun together. These are clear plastic balls the rodent can manuever around without the cats being able to touch it.

[RagingInMiami]

7. Kick

for copycat purposes

[jdots]

8. my kids had a nice pet rat

naturally my wife was allergic to it ,so i ate it
pet rats are pretty clean and don't smell bad.

[Tripper11]

9. We have 4 rats, 2 cats, a 2 gerbils.....

We have a converted stereo cabinet I made shelves for, and it has a tube going to a 3 level cage. The rats have an awesome pad, with 3 hammocks they all bundle up together in. There is 4 levels in the stereo cabinet for them to roam and climb. The cabinet is right beside the couch and in the evening we will pop open the cage door and they will come out and cruise around. They stay on the couch with whomever is there and play little rat games. It's a lot of fun. The cats eyeball them with this look like, "naturally I should pounce like lightening and turn your lights out rat, but it seems the humans I own like you, so for now, I will stare menacingly!!"

The cats tend to want to do something, but show good resistance, like they know that they are our family like every other creature in the house.

Check it out.....Pumpkin and Fancy Rat just last night!


Edited to add : One of the kids chores is cleaning the rat cage daily..sweeping out, changing the towels we have for them...it helps a ton onf any smell.

[Placebo]

12. That photo makes me feel lightheaded.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh jebus...

I don't like rats. :scared:

[girl gone mad]

10. We had 2 pet rats.

They were excellent pets. They are very social animals, and enjoy attention from humans. I kept them in a nice multi-level cage with a tube going to an aquarium below the cage. They would run up to the top of the cage whenever they heard us come home and act really excited to see us, almost like mute puppies. They love to ride around on a human shoulder and can be taught to come when you call them.

It's a bad idea to let a rat roam the house unattended. Rats have very sharp teeth which never stop growing, so they need to chew on things. They will chew through wires (rubber is a favorite), wood, plastic - almost anything except for metal and glass. I think it may be unfair to let a rat run loose and expect the cat to behave. My cat would not be able to resist the temptation.

Rats are generally fastidious. In the wild, they would keep their living space free of waste, so as not to attract predators. My pet rats would go to the bathroom at the extreme opposite end of where their food was. Some rats are capable of being trained to use a "litter box", which makes cleaning up after them a lot easier. As long as the cage is cleaned fairly regularly, there will be no odor.

Your friend might consider getting another rat to keep his rat company. Rats who are kept isolated don't live as long and exhibit signs of depression. For this reason, lab rats are often kept in pairs these days.

[Cuban_Liberal]

11. We have a mouse.

He lives in his 'mouse house', however. They're quite clean, social and affectionate animals, really.

:)