# Domesticated (Fancy) Rats: Who Else Keeps Them?

Category: Animal House

## Post 1 by Miss M (move over school!) on Thursday, 23-Jun-2011 8:55:55

I've seen a lot about dogs and cats, but I haven't seen much on this site about anyone here owning rats. Not lately at least. So, who out there besides me has successfully owned or owns rats?

## Post 2 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Thursday, 23-Jun-2011 17:31:42

Don't know if they were fancy ones but my nieces had several a few years back. Kept in a terrarium I think though they would take them out and let them crawl and slither around or whatever it is they do. Looked to me like something I would've fed a Bermese python with in my younger days.
Seriously though, as one who has kept birds, this part is rather silly but some apartments and insurance policies will try and make you pay as though they were exotic pets. So just check the pet deposits: doesn't make any sense to me that you should pay a bigger deposit for a .85-oz canary or a .5-lb rat than you would a 50-lb dog but ... guess it's the social expectations.
The nieces got 'em because apparently they are popular. Do you have troubles finding vets for them?
They did not bite even though the niece insisted on passing the rat around to everyone, it just sat there nosing around mostly. I'll admit it was certainly different.

## Post 3 by snowflower (Zone BBS Addict) on Thursday, 23-Jun-2011 21:24:59

They say that they make good pets. I had a teacher who had one in class every day and it sat on his shoulder during the whole class time. My daughter has sugar gliders and they are like little squirrles, they are so cute. Good luck if you get a rat.

## Post 4 by Miss M (move over school!) on Friday, 24-Jun-2011 11:06:14

They do indeed make good pets. I'm int he process of getting a batch of females from a rescue near me. My landlord doesn't mind, although they weird him out a bit. Like Leo said, they very rarely bite.

## Post 5 by kithri (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Monday, 04-Jul-2011 19:47:42

Rats are great! I've owned most everything mamals and my last rat recently died, burried her in the garden. I still don't know how you tell them apart, but my last pair of females consisted of one fancy rat and one hooded rat and years ago I used to take care of the high school giant fat rat from class. That poor thing got fed everything under the sun by the students and I think his heart finally gave out...wasn't supposed to be that fat though he was a larger sized rat, almost looked like one of the street rats but more round instead of long and sleek. Mine had an absolutely huge cage with several levels to run up/down, couple of wood and log homes to crawl in and chew on and a hammock I used originally for a ferret that they absolutely loved to climb into and sleep in hanging from the top of the cage.
Oh, never use cedar chips for bedding for any rodents of any kind as it isn't really good for them and even though the cedar smells good, it eventually reacts with rodent pee and really starts to smell and make your rodents smell too. Pine or aspin work great or there's a bedding you can get called carefresh that expands to twice its size when wet so you don't need as much of it.
I miss my ratties and will probably get more from another rescue.

## Post 6 by Miss M (move over school!) on Tuesday, 05-Jul-2011 10:07:20

I've got four rescue girls coming to me today. Cage is all set up, food is gotten, toys are being stockpiled.