If you are wondering if getting a rat for a pet is a good fit for your family, you will have to seriously consider the pros and cons. The Truth About Pet Rats: The Pros & Cons will spell out some considerations to bear in mind when deciding if a rat is the right pet for you.
Rats can be affectionate
Rats enjoy interacting with humans and or other rats. They show their love by grooming, licking and nibbling. In fact, rats enjoy cuddles and playing with their human carer. Each rat has its own personality and therefore some rats are more affectionate than others.
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Rats are playful
In the wild, rats live in big groups where they learn to interact and bond with each other. They enjoy playing together. What is important is to have more than one rat as they enjoy company. A rat will enjoy playing with their owner. So you might want to obtain a variety of toys and safe objects can amuse your rat.
Rats are intelligent
Rats are very clever and confident. Because of their intelligence rats respond well to positive reinforcement training. There have been many studies conducted that prove this. They enjoy being mentally stimulated. Also, they will enjoy solving a puzzle or exploring a maze.
Rats are low maintenance pets
A cage, bedding, water and food bowls provide adequate housing. A rat cage must be cleaned once a week. As long as your rat has time out of the cage to exercise and have some mental stimulation they should be satisfied. If you leave enough food and water your rat will be fine if you need to go away for the weekend (but not longer).
Surprisingly rats are clean animals; they often groom themselves keeping their fur clean from dirt and parasites. You should provide a varied and healthy diet for your rat, including fruit and vegetables. Fortunately, there are few foods that they can’t eat.
Rats are neither too big or too small
An average adult rat weighs about 500 g. They have a firm body shape. Older children can easily handle a rat.
However, there are negatives of owning a rat. These include:
Rats chew on almost anything
Chewing is ingrained in a rat’s nature, and this behaviour cannot be suppressed. Therefore, make sure to remove items that could be toxic out of reach of your rat. You have to keep your rat from becoming bored so you need to give them items like wood or bamboo chews for them to gnaw on.
Rats sometimes urinate everywhere
Rats use urination as a way of communication. Through urination information such as identity, sexual status and territory can be conveyed. In view of this, make an area where your rat can roam freely, but not on your couch. Make sure you clean their cages so that they won’t go looking for other areas to relieve themselves.
Rats are nocturnal
Your rat’s nightly activity could disturb your sleep. On the other hand, if you have young children they might be disturbed by your rat.
Costs of owning pet rats
The cost of a rat, food and a cage can add up to be expensive. Rats should be in a big cage with space to run around and play. Cages should have ladders, bedding, tunnels and tubes for exploring.
roomy rat cages
Vet bills can be high for a rat
If your rat gets sick you might have an expensive vet bill. Rats get respiratory infections and tumors which can require an operation. Additionally, if your rat has an unusual health problem you might have to take it to a specialized vet that works with exotic animals.
Rats don’t have a long life span
On average a rat lives 2 to 3 years. This is a relatively short period. Apart from being sad for you it also upsets the balance of the rat group and the remaining rats may struggle to adjust. If there are only 2 rats it might be hard to decide whether to introduce another mate or leave the remaining mate only.
In conclusion
Owning a pet is a very rewarding part of life. A rat may not be everyone’s thought of an ideal pet. However, as shown above, rats have some very appealing qualities such as being affectionate and intelligent. So, if you think you are up to having a rat in your home why not adopt a little rodent friend.
Terms explained:
Fancy rat: the domesticated form of Rattus norvegicus, the brown rat, and the most common species of rat kept as a pet.
Be sure to check this page for in-depth information regarding varieties and health characteristics: Fancy Rats
Additional Resources:
Here is a helpful video regarding the pros and cons of owning a pet rat:
Summary of video: Pros and Cons of Owning Rats
Keeping Rats as Pets – The Pros 1-4
- Rats are social animals by nature, which means you should always have pairs or groups of rats living together. Unless you’re going to be spaying your rats, you’ll need to keep them in the same sex group so you don’t produce many pups.
- Rats are such social animals that they tend to form very strong bonds with their owners. Rats tend to become cuddly as they get older. In general, males tend to become more cuddly than females simply because the males tend to get a little lazier as they age, while females retain this energetic tendency. Rats can also groom you by lovingly gnawing or licking your fingers.
- Rats tend to be relatively low maintenance pets. Although they need to be replenished with food and water every few days and their cage needs to be cleaned every one or two weeks, along with some playtime out of the cage, they have very few additional requirements. This makes them great pets for people on a tight schedule as they don’t need to go for walks, showers, or even brush their teeth. If you are only going away for the weekend, you can leave extra food and water in the cage and your pet rat will be fine.
- Rats tend to be very playful creatures, both with each other and with humans. In particular, young rats will struggle with your hand or play with you. Rats love to chase strings just like kittens or cats, and many rats will almost become predators by pouncing on strings, pulling, and even running away if they can get a string away from you.
Keeping Rats as Pets – The Pros 5-8
- Rats tend to be very clean creatures despite the stereotype that rats are generally very dirty. If you observe a fancy rat or any rat in general, you will find that it grooms several times a day and is as easy as a normal domestic cat. They quickly clean everything from their fur.
- Rats tend to be very energetic pets and can jump several meters and balance on thin surfaces.
- Rats can be litter trained. Most rats won’t learn to pee in the box all the time. However, you can easily train a rat to poop in the alert box. To do this, simply find the corner of the cage they use the most and place the litter box there. As long as you continue to pick up poop from the outside of the box and put it in the box, your rat will soon learn to use only that place to defecate. When it comes to peeing, rats tend to mark anywhere and everywhere, so you can’t really control where they go. However, for large puddles of urine, you can put a rock in your litter box as this encourages rats to urinate in it.
- Rats are extremely intelligent and very malleable. This means you can easily teach them complicated tricks, just like you would teach a dog. Their silly antics will never disappoint you but delight and bring a smile to your face every time.
Keeping Rats as Pets – The Cons 1-3
- Rats will smell no matter how clean the cage is. Partial solutions include an air purifier and regular vacuuming around the cage. When spraying and cleaning the cage, you must be careful not to irritate the rat’s delicate respiratory system. Keep in mind that cleaning the cage too often will worsen the odor as the rats will mark violently to compensate for the lack of smell in the cage. You can leave dirty bedding in the cage after each cleaning to help reduce the need for extra marking.
- Rats can be very destructive, especially when bored. Rats usually only chew on boards, so by providing a nurturing environment and a sturdy, non-plastic cage, you can usually avoid any harm. Just remember to pack up all the cables and only wear clothes that you don’t mind piercing when you come into contact with the rat.
- Rats are cheap pets. While most rats sell for less than $20, a good rat cage usually costs a hundred dollars or more, and when you add in the vet fee, the price skyrockets. Because rats are exotic pets, they tend to be more expensive than dogs or cats when they need to see the vet, and that’s not even taking into account how hard it really is to find a good vet that specializes in exotic pets. Most rats will get sick at least once in their lives, so it’s best to have some cash ready to go to the vet if needed.
Keeping Rats as Pets – The Cons 4-5
- Rats are susceptible to a variety of health problems, including benign tumors, breathing problems, foot abscesses, and cysts. In addition, due to their fragile respiratory systems, the majority of rats will develop some type of respiratory illness that requires veterinary treatment sometime in their lives.
- The worst thing about owning rats as pets is their short lifespan. Many fancy rats live only 1.5 to 2.5 years, although some can live 3 or 4 years. Getting your rats from a experienced breeder can maximize the time you spend with them.
Here is an alternative pet to consider:
The Truth About Pet Ferrets: Pros & Cons
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