I want two!

Can i have some advise including pics if possible of what cages they live in and what they eat ect....

Every time i go in to PAH i see these two lil dumbos looking for a cuddle

also if you have owned them before are they nice or nasty ! lol

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take it no one has one then.......or your just IGNORING ME! haha!

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I own rats and have done for the past 6 years. At the moment I have 5 and 1 of them is a Dumbo and such a cutie! If you are just keeping 2 rats then a lot of people buy a Jenny cage but what I suggest is that you buy the best you can afford. I have 3 of mine in a ferret cage which is massive and obviously they are much happier in it. You just have to be careful with the bar spacing if you get babies. I would also avoid buying rats from a pet store, buying from a breeder is much better and you will end up with a much more tamer and healthier rat.
Rats are extremely friendly and intelligent as long as you put the time into taming them from the start. They love human interaction so you really must be dedicated to letting them out everyday for cuddles and 'free range' time. I can walk round the house with mine on my shoulder so they really do enjoy being with you and allowed to explore. Out of all the small rodents I would recommend rats to anyone as pets, they are also much more friendly to the nose I find to keep, compared to say a hamster. Hope that helps, if you want anymore advice ask me anything you like! I dont mind....

Heres my dumbo boy......

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aww!!! he is wicked thanks for the responce. is it best to get rats in pairs? what would rats be like with cats(!)
What breed of rat would be best for first timeres ( only owned hammys before!)

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There is no difference between dumbo's and top eared rats, its just dumbos tend to be more popular because of their appearance and more expensive in rat stores which is just a rip off.A good breeder would never charge you more for one or the other. A rat should never be kept alone so pairs is best at the very least but I find a group of 3 is very good and not much more difficult to own. It also makes it easier when they get older so when you lose one, you dont have one left on its lonesome. My dogs are fine with the rats as they have been brought up round them, but I would never let them do more than give them a sniff or let the rats run lose while the dogs are about, because its far to dangerous. Cats I wouldn't know about personally, but you would never let them run free together anyway. You can normally pick up nice big cages with accessories second hand for a good price. I bought my first jenny from pets at home for an extortionate price, before I knew any better and its not worth half of what I paid. Cleaning your rats out is actually pretty fun too (sad life I lead obviously) because your always trying to find new things to put in the cage and new ways to keep them occupied...so its not too much of a chore at the end of the day

i need to find a breeder in coventry then =] thanks for the advice your a star =]

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NOTHING wrong with pet shop pets. Most of mine have been shop bought and none of them have had any problems, on the flip side the 2 that came from a breeder had resp and have given it to all 6 others.

I would agree with getting your cage second hand tho, as they're faar to expensive new for what they are.
I would suggest nothing smaller than a jenny rat cage (you can get similar sized cages online from zooplus new that are abit cheaper than in the shops).

buying 3 to stop one being alone when one dies doesn't work unless the last 2 die at the same time?? unlikely. We get past the 'lonely' bit by buying more when one pops it's clogs. Or by having 7 in a cage hee hee!!!

Cats are an unknown commodity when it comes to rats (ignore how they reacted to other rodents you might have had). we have 2 cats, both regular mousers (dead/live wild mice presents ahoy in our house), yet one cat simply enjoys watching the rats run round and is no danger to them, the other tries to eat them through the bars.

any rat breed is fine for a first timer, they're easier to look after than hammys imho as they have brains! much more fun too

good luck with your furries!

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This is not a game of 'who the fek are you'.

Not a single gram of fek shall be given today.

I think its just best to buy rats from a breeder who will have handled them and given them the best start in life with a proper diet, rather than those that come from farms and 'generally' dont have the best of health. My rats from a breeder are twice the size of my pet shop rats.Thats my opinion of course
You will always come to the issue of having 1 rat left by itself unless you always keep them. I have always introduced younger rats to my older ones so I always have a group. But starting off with 3 is a nice number, I think 3 for a first timer is very manageable.

I would agree about getting rats from a breeder that breeds for health and temperament. You can get a list of reputable breeders from the nfrs by emailing breeders@nfrs.org. These rats have been bred responsibly and any unhealthy lines are never sold on. Also these breeders will always take the rats back if needs be. The only time you will get problems with breeders regarding health etc is when you buy from a backyard breeder.
Aside from this health can never be guaranteed but I would much rather buy from a breeder than somewhere that supports the pet farming trade and who often hardly have a clue about the pets and often missex. The amount of people who hav ended up with babies after pet shop buys is ridiculous. Anyway good luck and ratties are lovely pets.
EDIT: Also forgot to mention, resues are also great places to get rats. The older rescues are usually better for more experienced owners as they can sometimes be difficult to handle/not very tame. However some rescues have babies in-one close to me has a mummy rat and 13 babies so its worth looking around.

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Christina
Owned by Freya & Gobi - My two gorgeous oriental cats
RIP Bea, Murrey, Monty, Flicks, Kitten and Blue (ratties)


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