The Rat Lovers Thread!

[RedLotus]

I have four girl rats, and used to foster baby rats for a rescue. I absolutely love my ratties, and feel that they are an under-appreciated and unfairly maligned animal. They have SO MUCH personality and are so affectionate and social. I didn't plan on getting them 9even though I'd always wanted some) but I had to go into a pet store to get my cats' organic food and fell in love with two little rats who were slated to be snake food. So of course, they came home with me! Then I got two more from a rescue (the one I ended up fostering for before I moved).

So, are there any other rat lovers out there? Here's some pics of my gals in their habitat (they get at least two hours a day of free range time, also).

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/redlotus13/pileboggle1.jpg
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/redlotus13/DSC05421.jpg

[1815alan]

Your rats look so contented. I have two rats (both rescue) and you are right in all you say, they are wonderful animals.

[Simply_Love]

Oh me!

I currently have four little lovelies:
My three girlies: Riley, Bella and Juno
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t248/litcazyg/April25002-2.jpg
And my boy Fuzz:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t248/litcazyg/rattiesapril076-1.jpg

They all live together(everyones spayed and neutered :) ), but I don't have a good photo of all of them together on my photo bucket. I'll upload one later and update.

I adopted the girls from the shelter in July, and then my boy in November. I'm hoping to adopt a few more this summer :)

I don't feel like going through hundreds of photos tonight, so here is an old one of them all together. It's from the begining of December before I got my CN. Gah I hated the SP Multi-level they were in. Pee rivers *shudders* haha can you tell how much I despised cleaning that cage? Hahaha anyway, picture of my three girlies with my boy:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t248/litcazyg/IMG_0463-1.jpg

It's hard to tell, but all four of them are all in there :)

[RedLotus]

1815alan - They're such wonderful little creatures, aren't they? Glad to know there are some fellow rat fans here!

Simply_Love - Your ratties are gorgeous! So cute. :) You're so lucky to have a Critter Nation! It's the Ritz of Rat cages! My gals are in a Fiesty Ferret, because it was the biggest cage I could afford for them. In the first pic, they were still in their Martins 695, but their FF is so much nicer and roomier. My friends have a Super Pet for their girls, and rivers of pee is accurate!

By the way, have I seen you on the Goosemoose Rats Rule forum? :)

[FreestylePup]

Your guys ratties are so cute! Red Lotus I have never seen a rat the color of that reddish fawn one you have.

[Simply_Love]

Simply_Love - Your ratties are gorgeous! So cute. :) You're so lucky to have a Critter Nation! It's the Ritz of Rat cages! My gals are in a Fiesty Ferret, because it was the biggest cage I could afford for them. In the first pic, they were still in their Martins 695, but their FF is so much nicer and roomier. My friends have a Super Pet for their girls, and rivers of pee is accurate!

By the way, have I seen you on the Goosemoose Rats Rule forum? :)

Ahh thank you! Your ratties are gorgeous too! :) I love my CN <3. I had planned on keeping my SP until they were too old to climb it, but then my little girl Bella learned that there was a spot on the SP were she could slip out(GAH). I have cats, so that wasn't good. I actually wanted a FF, but I'm paraniod about bar spacing now because of Bella, so I bought my self a late Christmas present(well, really for them, but the loss of the pee rivers was a huge plus for me):)

And yes you have! What's your user name on there? Mine's CaitlynRae :)

[RedLotus]

Thanks Freestylepup! That's Nova with the interesting coloring. It is actually referred to as a fawn coat! She has the cutest little white belly, too! In the original pics, the mostly white one is her littermate, Maia. Then the two dumbo hooded rexes are Basha Rae (far right in both pics) and her daughter Zoe. You can see Nova's coloring really well in this pic (she's enjoying a banana chip with Zoe!):
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/redlotus13/play8.jpg

Can you believe they were supposed to be snake food?!?! Ugh!

Simply_Love, my username on Goosemoose is Red.lotus (I'm original, eh?) Knew I recognized your ratties! :)

[animallover7249]

I adore rats! I've had rats since I was very young, and I currently have 5 girls - Maple, Bella, Chloe, Mya, and Hazel. They make such great companions, I love them so much. :smitten:

[RedLotus]

Aw, Animallover7249, you have a rat named Maia/Mya too! They are such awesome pets!

[cheekywhiskers]

I used to have rats before I went to vet school. The last one passed while I was in my second semester there. We've been way to busy lately to get anymore, but someday... I think I could train my dogs and cats to respect them. My little kitty is afraid of everything and my older dog taught my younger one to respect little kitty. Fat cat is probably the only one I really need to worry about.

[FreestylePup]

Thanks Freestylepup! That's Nova with the interesting coloring. It is actually referred to as a fawn coat! She has the cutest little white belly, too! In the original pics, the mostly white one is her littermate, Maia. Then the two dumbo hooded rexes are Basha Rae (far right in both pics) and her daughter Zoe. You can see Nova's coloring really well in this pic (she's enjoying a banana chip with Zoe!):
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/redlotus13/play8.jpg

Can you believe they were supposed to be snake food?!?! Ugh!

Simply_Love, my username on Goosemoose is Red.lotus (I'm original, eh?) Knew I recognized your ratties! :)

Oh that is neat. That picture really outlines Nova's coloring...I once had a rabbit that color but a little darker. Nova is adorable too!

[RedLotus]

Thanks, FreestylePup! I'm pretty fond of her. :) I get SO MANY negative reactions when people hear that I have rats as pets. I hear "Eeew!," and "Why would you want RATS as pets?" far too often. Thing is, 90% of the people who were grossed out initially LOVED my girls once they met them! It's just frustrating when people judge them unfairly without ever having even MET a domesticated rat.

But I call Nova the Rat Ambassador, since she's won so many people over. She's a licky little gal and loves people, so she's hard to resist!

[Kai Reddtail]

It's so sad they get such a terrible reputation. I was watching an Animal Planet program recently, they went through a list of animals that people find scary. the narrator always said something like "they have an undeserved reputation" for everything except the rats! It pissed me off. I love them. I've never been able to have one cause my mom is afraid. But someday I will.

[RedLotus]

It's so sad they get such a terrible reputation.

It really is. It's too bad for ANY animal to be shunned based on an unfair reputation. A few people train their pit bulls to be violent, and now all pit bulls are "dangerous." Rats "carry diseases" and are "dirty" (actually rats bathe as much as cats! Mine are fastidious!). On and on. Sigh. And I find it strange how willing some people are to outright insult the pets that I love! They say things like "Hey, my brother's got a snake, let's get them together for a playdate!" or "Hey, it's all-natural food for your cats!" It's so frustrating. I would never joke about killing someone's pet! A couple people have been appropriately chagrined when I said "You know, these are my pets and I love them the same way you love your dog/cat, and I don't find it at all funny to joke about killing them." But of course, some people just brush me off as the crazy rat lady.

Hopefully someday you'll be able to get a rat! When you do, check out the Goosemoose pet forum under Rats Rule. There's an adoption thread where you can find ratties in need of good homes. :)

[Sewwattsnew]

Aw, everyone's rats are so cute! Nova's coloring is absolutely gorgeous, and I think the name suits.

I've always wanted rats, but my mom also doesn't like them. Sometimes she says they creep her out, or some other excuse, but ever since the hamsters there has been a 'no rodent' rule. I'm pretty sure this is because she gets attached (as much as she tries not to) and their lifespans are unfortunately short.

I also got kittens a year ago, and they're still young and curious, so my house probably wouldn't be the best for rats right now. If the cats stay here when I do eventually move out, or if they ever get passed the 'hunting phase' (my old cat lost interest in hunting years ago), then I'll check out that adoption listing.

(By the way, I love your avatar, RedLotus.)

[RedLotus]

I also got kittens a year ago, and they're still young and curious, so my house probably wouldn't be the best for rats right now. If the cats stay here when I do eventually move out, or if they ever get passed the 'hunting phase' (my old cat lost interest in hunting years ago), then I'll check out that adoption listing.

Kittens are so much fun! Both of my cats are hunters by nature (no moth is safe in my apt!) but I've had no problems having rats and acts at the same time. The rats have a very large, secure cage. And when I take them out for their daily free-range time, the cats get some catnip or treats in another room with the door shut. Or I take the rats into my studio room, with lots of floor space for them to run, and shut the cats out of the room. The rats are always supervised during their free range time. :)


(By the way, I love your avatar, RedLotus.)

Thanks! That's Nova trying a strawberry for the first time. She makes that funny face when she's trying to decide if she likes a new food or not, where she sort of squints one eye shut and looks like she's concentrating really hard! It's hilarious!

[counting_hours]

I am 110% a rat person!

I currently have three big manrats, My oldest boy Gaelan who I fell in love with and pulled from a feeder tank almost two years ago,
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/DSCN0791.jpg
Eros and Gallagher my almost 1.5 year old rescue boys who are littermates.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_2199.jpg (Eros is the black one :))
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_2330.jpg


I have one female Rowan, that I completely connected with and pulled from a feeder tank a few months ago now.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_3929.jpg
She turned out to be pregnant and blessed me with fifteen babies shortly after as a thank you.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_3967.jpg
Unfortunately because she was being bred to make pinkies for snakes, she did not know how to care for her babies and five died at birth, two the next day, and then finally due to genetic problems my sweet Kenadie died at just under two weeks old(she had severe pagets).
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_3996.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_3976paintnames.jpg
I kept one female who I took from momma when she ignored her and got her to breath at birth Seanan
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_3941.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_4056.jpg
and I am holding two girls Cadhla and Kara for a great new mom who is coming from a different province just to adopt them,
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_4079.jpg
and finally I have two girls Tallie and Bri left, and I am still trying to figure out what will be best for those two little ones!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_4083.jpg
The boys Rory and Bryant found loving homes right away.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_4090.jpg

Ive also fostered two boys who found great homes :)


Of course I can not have a thread without mentioning my beautiful past rats, Keiran(littermate to Eros and Gallagher) who died of CHF not long ago,
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_2347.jpg
Lochlan my heart rat who it still brings tears to my eyes to think about,
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/DSC_0496.jpg
and McTavish the boy who started it all.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/breakthenight/IMG_1533.jpg

All in all, I love rats :D

[RedLotus]

Oh, I followed along with Lochlan's story on Goosemoose! He seemed like SUCH a sweet boy, and he was SO lucky to have you to love him and care for him. You have such lovely ratties! I adore the pic of Seanan licking you! *squee!*

[cheekywhiskers]

When you do, check out the Goosemoose pet forum under Rats Rule. There's an adoption thread where you can find ratties in need of good homes. :)

I so did not need to read that. I just don't have time to devote to even more animals right now. I will not get any pets that were intentionally bred (except if they were surrendered or strays who now need homes), I can't even get the one put up for adoption. I have to get the true rejects of society.

One of my girls was also a rat ambassador. She was a mismarked, she was mostly white with grey marks across her face and black eyes, and very licky as well. She didn't look like a wild rat or a pew. When people ask about diseases I compare pet rats to wild rats like dogs are to wolves. I did have one person ask if my rat had rabies, if I had thought quicker (too stunned by such a stupid question), I would have said that I like carrying rabid animals around on my shoulder.

[RedLotus]

I did have one person ask if my rat had rabies, if I had thought quicker (too stunned by such a stupid question), I would have said that I like carrying rabid animals around on my shoulder.

HAHA! Rabies? Oh, people never cease to astound me. I had a co-worker once who found out I had rats. The conversation went like this:

ME: Yeah, I've got rats.
HER: Like, on purpose?
ME: Uh... Yeah. They're my pets.
HER: Don't they, like get into your pantry and stuff?
ME: Nooo.... They have a cage. Plus, they have me well trained. I just bring the stuff from the pantry upstairs to them.
Her: *blank stare*

I don't think she got the joke! It was hilarious, if a bit sad! :)

[counting_hours]

Oh, I followed along with Lochlan's story on Goosemoose! He seemed like SUCH a sweet boy, and he was SO lucky to have you to love him and care for him. You have such lovely ratties! I adore the pic of Seanan licking you! *squee!*

Aw, I always love it when someone remembers my sweet boy, he was one of a kind, for sure.
And yes, arn't they just the sweetest little ones?Seanan is definately a sweet little girlie :D

[Kaleigh]

I have four ratties now, all male dumbo rats (we had to drive to another state to get them because no one in the state of MD had them at the time) named Albus, Splinter, Berger, and Snow. Before that our roomate had three rats, one who was a dumbo named Dumbo, lol (the other two were Sprite and Socks). Dumbo is why my boyfriend and I got more rats after the others passed away. It's so sad that they dont live very long though. But they are so cute!

I remember telling a professor that I was really uset b/c my rat just died, and he gave me a really weird look. *shakes head*

Everyone else has such beautiful ratties! I love looking at all the different pictures :) Does anyone else make their own food for their babbies, or do you all buy food for them? I make food for my guys, but my roomate fed her rats already made food and they seemed fine, so I do nt know which one is "better", lol.

[RedLotus]

Everyone else has such beautiful ratties! I love looking at all the different pictures Does anyone else make their own food for their babbies, or do you all buy food for them? I make food for my guys, but my roomate fed her rats already made food and they seemed fine, so I do nt know which one is "better", lol.

Thanks! :)

I suppose I sort of do a blend of my own food and lab blocks. I feed my girls Harlan Teklad blocks, which are supposed to be nutritionally complete. So they have that a their staple. But they get some sort of fresh veggie or fruit (mostly veggies!) once a day, and twice a week they get "rat pudding." :) I make rat pudding by mixing some organic whole-grain baby cereal with a little warm water, some mashed banana, a bit of nutritional yeast, and a few drops of olive oil (great for their skin and coats!). Sometimes I put in something other than banana, but the basic recipe is the same. They LOVE it!

[rosiem]

I have three rats.

Two four month old brothers, Darth Yoda, the black hooded dumbo, and Nikola Tesla, the blue agouti hooded.

And a two year old beige berkshire, Blackberry Briar, who is sadly fighting losing his battle against mammary tumours... :-/

I make my rat food, too. (Debbie Ducommun diet)

[Moonlily]

I absolutely adore my ratties! I have 5 little sweethearts, 3 boys and 2 girls. I will post pics in a bit. All your rats are so cute!