About Rats

Despite the fact that rats have been kept as pets for over 100 years, and have enjoyed a high rise in popularity over the last decade, many people still seem to be surprised to hear that rats can be kept as pets.

Rats as pets? Seriously?

Yep - rats as pets. As pets, they really have a lot going for them:

Playful and entertaining;
Affectionate and loving;
When treated kindly, they often form close bonds with their owners;
Intelligent - they can be taught simple tricks and most will learn their name;
Unusual and interesting pets;
They will learn human routines so that they will tend to be most active when their owner is most active, and will sleep much of the time while their owner is away/asleep;
Day -to - day welfare relatively inexpensive (although be prepared for Vet's costs!);
Gentle animals which, contrary to popular belief, rarely bite;
Male rats tend to be very laid-back, cuddly and calm; Female rats tend to be more inquisitive and active (but less cuddly)

Nowadays, rats of many varieties can be easily puchased and more and more people are discovering what delightful pets they make. However, it is because of this ease of purchasing that it is important that anyone considering buying rats as pets thinks about the following before making that decision:

Can I have more than 1 rat?

Many people get rats under the impression that they are like hamsters - better kept alone. Others may have been wrongly advised by unscrupulous pet shops, or they may have heard that a single rat will bond better with their owner. All of these reasons are completely and utterly untrue. Rats are social animals and rats kept alone are always unhappy. They may seem happy with you but no matter how much time you spend with them, you simply cannot be another rat. You can't talk 'rat', you can't fully understand 'rat' issues and a lone rat is like a prisoner in solitary confinement in a foreign jail. Having more than one rat will not cost you much more than a single rat, it will not make them 'love you less' and the rewards far outweigh any supposed 'costs'. If you are unwilling to listen to any arguments explaining why you shouldn't have lone rats and still insist that you are right to keep a single rat for whatever reason you have, not only are you childish, arrogant and stupid but also guilty of perpetuating animal cruelty. I'm not here having a go at people who may have to isolate a rat due to aggression or illness because these are genuine reasons and the owner in these scenarios shouldn't feel guilty (and most of the time they are constantly trying to re-habilitate their pets anyway). There is a big difference between trying and being unsuccessful than there is with not trying at all.

Can I fully commit to my rats for the full length of their lives?

On average, a male rat will live 2 years and a female rat will live for 2 1/2 years. However, rats have been known to live up to four years. Will you be able to look after them for that long? Will you be able to house them, commit to them and ensure their wellbeing? While no-one can foresee the future with certainty, you need to;

a) Expect to be able to care for them their whole lives;

b) Have a contingency plan in case your situations change;

c) Remember that rats are not 'things' that can be ignored when they're old or sick. Even an old, crippled rat will adore you and will be distraught and confused if you suddenly withdraw your attention.

Can I realistically keep rats?

If you own your own home, this doesn't really apply. My question here relates to those renting their homes. Most landlords, even if they specify a 'No-Pets' policy, are generally ok with regards to caged pets. An honest approach is generally the best - I have never had a landlord refuse me rats - but be prepared to be told no. If you decide to keep things hidden, remember that Landlords do like to check up on their properties from time to time. What will you do in this situation? Also, think about what might happen if you decide to move. Will having rats cause your landlord a problem when showing your property? Will your new landlord be happy with your rats? This also applies to students. What will you do with your rats during the holidays? Will your parents let you back in the house with them?

Can I afford rats?

Rats are not expensive animals to keep, but the initial set-up can be costly, with good cages costing around £100. Visits to the vet and medical treatment can also be erratic and expensive. I have gone for months without needing to go to the vets and then, in one month, racked up £350 (£250 on just one rat!) If you aren't prepared to take your rats to the vets when they are sick then you definitely shouldn't have rats! In fact, you shouldn't have any pets if you're not prepared or able to pay for any essential treatment they might need.

For more insights into rat ownership, check out my blog here:

Rat Blog

Or go to the links page where you will see links to many other rat-blogs.

There is one more thing that you should bear in mind when deciding to purchase your first rats - it's rarely mentioned on rat websites yet is an important issue to consider when purchasing these pets specifically:

Can you handle being a rat owner?

OK, so you've ticked all the points in my above list. You've looked into the various aspects of rat ownership and you have decided that keeping rats is for you!

But is it really?

Can you handle all of the grief you're about to get simply for deciding that you would like pet rats?

I'm really not joking here (God, I wish I was!). You have to be a certain type of person to have pet rats, and I don't mean you have to be some sort of emo-punk-goth with black lips, scarlet hair and Victoriana as your accessories. You do, however, have to be prepared for people to make these assumptions about you. And more. You have to be prepared for people to cross the room to avoid you or refuse to visit your house. Oh - and once you start keeping rats, people think they are allowed to freely insult you at will. It seems that it is perfectly acceptable to accuse a rat owner of being dirty, diseased, freaky, skanky, mentally ill, disgusting - for people to show repulsion towards you. You'll be blamed for any illness suffered by pretty much anyone you know. If you have children, this can have implications that may even suggest you neglect your children - especially when they get ill. Rats and, therefore, their owners are subjected to a lot of prejudice and nearly all of it unfounded, but convincing people of the truth can at times seem an impossible task. You can be an expert on rats, having kept them for years, and most people will still be convinced that you are wrong and the half-truths, myths and downright idiotic 'urban legends' they have heard are correct!

Thankfully, more and more people are showing broad minds towards rats as they become more common. But the prejudices are still there. Here is a list of things people have actually said to rat owners,from the daft to the aggressively insulting, as compiled for me by the members of the fancy-rat.co.uk forum:

'They all ought to be burnt or binned."

"Do you have to get regular blood tests for the plague?"

"I've never seen a gerbil that colour before!"

"Can you touch them without gloves?"

"I expected you to be a goth when I heard you had rats."

"Wow - so they don't ever try and eat each other?"

"Don't they bite you?"

"Do you feed them on table scraps and rubbish?"

"EW! they're disgusting, they have scaly tails!"

"You haven't named them though have you?"

"Have they bred guinea pigs with tails now then?"

" You look so normal so why keep rats? "

"OMG you have a worm on your shoulder"

"Dont they spread germs?"

"You really let your kids play with them?"

"They give ya infections, mate."

"Rats? Did you catch them in the sewers like?"

"But they're not your pets though right?"

"Why are you spending so much on vets bills, surely its cheaper to have them put down??"

"How can you tell them apart?"

"How do you know they what sex they are?"

"And you actually touch them With your hands "

"You have to have injections if you keep rats".

"I can't handle your rat. He will wee on me. Its because they have no bladders you know."

"They'll run up your body and rip your throat out."

"Are you sure its safe to sleep in the same room as them - don't they carry airborne diseases?"

"You'll be over run with the horrid things before long."

"Your rats should meet my cat/dog/snake! They'd love to play together!"'I'd be fine with them if it wasn't for the tails'"

'Don't they breed a lot?'

'Oh you've got rats, I know just how to sort that out...*making gestures like hitting with a spade with a big grin at how funny they think they are*

"You pay for them to have SURGERY? You should just let them die." "You take them to the vet? *looks to random person next to her* She takes her rats to the vet!"

And the classic, "They get as big as cats don't they!"

"My father in law takes great delight in describing what his Jack Russell Terrorist would do to my rats."

"I was told by my half-brothers ex girlfriend, who I hated anyway, that if one of my rats ever bit me I'd have to have a tetinus and said rat would have to be put down because it would have a 'taste for blood'"

"There was an amusingly petrified telephone engineer who was convinced that "killer rats" would rip his throat out if we went near him: when we first mentioned (politely) that there were rats in the room he went white as a sheet and stammered, "What, you mean on the loose?""

"When I told someone once that I rescued rats he asked me to come and help him because he had a wild rat in his house he couldn't get rid of!! He said to me "You rescue rats, don't you?" To which I said yes and he said, "Oh can you come and get one from my house? He won't go away" and I looked at him a bit confused until I realised he meant a WILD rat!!"

At the vet, a nice old lady comes and sits next to me, talking about my ratties. Old Lady: "Oooh, is that a brother and sister?!" Me: "Er...no...if it were, then I'd have a lot more rats on my hands...!"

Them -"Wait, you have a jack russel??"
Me- "Yep"
Them - "But you have rats! Won't she kill them?"
Me- "Nope she loves them she thinks they are her babies."
Them - "Never! OMG just let her kill them!"
Me- "Eh no!"

Policeman at my door:
Police man: "Hello miss, is your dad home?"
Me: "No, he's left for work - is it about the break-in down the road?"
Policeman: "Yes...erm your guinea pig's on the floor... "
Me- "Oh that's Desiel, he's a rat."
The police man then runs backwards, almost falling over himself to get out the gate, and there's me stood there making Desiel wave to the nice police man

"Awwww, look at the mouse! Isn't it cute! Can I stroke it?"
"Actually, it's a baby rat."
"Ew! Rat! I don't want to touch it, they're gross!"
"Yet a minute ago you said he was cute."
"Yeah, but I didn't know it was a rat."

(Passer by in bus station, looks in carrier) Them: "Is that a puppy?"
Me: "No"
Them: "A kitten?"
Me: "Yes, but no - it's a rat"
Them: "No it's not, rats are little things, that's not a rat"
Me: "Yes it is." (move to get on bus)
Them: (Wandering off talking to their friend) "That wasn't a rat, it was a puppy."

And some cute comments!

When being introduced to my rats for the first time my friend's 3 year old daughter, as soon as a little head poked out of the nest box she squealed 'Hedgehog!'. It was adorable.

Another friend who loves animals and wants to be friends with my lot, but is a bit nervous of their speed and agility, once said while one was sniffing his hand 'It's licking my eyeballs!' I laughed.

'So what do you feed them then, just cheese?'

I took a wee hairless boy into the vet, as i was a little worried about his skin (not having had a hairless boy before).
Vet: "Oh yes i can see the problem...he should have fur by now shouldn't he?"
Me: (silence) "It's a hairless rat... "
Vet: "Oh...really?! "
She still charged me for the consultation...

To be honest, I don't know anyone who has been put off keeping rats by the attitudes of other people and there are many broad-minded people, as I've already mentioned, who are interested and wish to know more, or at least show willing even if they don't want Scabbers sitting on their shoulders. Young children and old ladies seem to be the most willing to learn about rats (old men seem to be the hardest, usually teling you stories about the time they were in the allotment/city/prisoner of war camp/ sewer/rubbish dump and they saw a rat the size of a Border Collie). But you should consider these attitudes before buying your first rats and join a good rat-keeping forum so you can have a moan with people who know only too well how upsetting it can be when your colleagues think that asking you if you have the plague is sport of the day.