I can still remember my feelings not long ago towards rats. I’ll admit that I was one of those “ewww rats” people. That was until I gave them a chance. My new hobby is research. Anytime I want to learn more about a breed or species my first place I go is the infamous search bar. This time was no different. I’d begun seeing a lot of advertisements on Craig’s List (another new “hobby” of mine) I wanted to know what the big deal was about this strange looking rodent.
Now I look back and wonder how I never saw them as the adorable unique creatures that they are. I regret the years I wasted and missed out on having these wonderful pets. I can’t even imagine my life without them now. Something that began as a mild interest quickly turned into an addiction.
We have now been owned by many of these little critters. Sadly we’ve had some leave us way too soon to the “Rainbow Bridge”. As any Rat owner knows we have a limited time to enjoy all that our furry (or not so furry) friends have to offer us. We learn to enjoy each day that we are given with these amazing animals.
Sadly they are one of the most misunderstood animals out there. Looking back I admit I was one of those people that may have thought what others still think.. When many people hear the word “RAT” they think immediately of the disgusting sewer dwelling hairy things that lurk in the shadows in horror movies. Domesticated rats are not the scary possessed demons we’re led to believe they are. No they are quite the opposite. A pet rat also known as a “Fancy Rat” is a clean loving animal. They are social beings that love their cage mates and humans. A rat is most happy if they can spend their time with both. There’s a few exceptions to the rule. Sadly we had a “rescue” rat that didn’t have a good start in life. We did not give up on him. He never learned to truly trust humans and sadly just when he finally knew the companionship of his fellow species it was for a limited time. However, he’s one of those rare cases. The rest of our “Rattie Pack” love each other and their humans. Each has their own quirks and personalities. Some get along better then others. I’m sure we could say the same about any species.
Rats are smart animals that can be trained to do tricks, come to their name, and some of the less stubborn ones even learn to use a litter box. I honestly think they groom themselves (and each other) more then cats. As someone that has owned a few different types of rodents I’d say they are definitely more friendly, clean, and probably the most social. Yes Guinea Pigs are social creatures but I believe our rats top that threefold.
Before I shared a very generalized care sheet for these amazing animals I thought I’d share a little background. When I say generalized I mean just that. There are many ways to go about raising rats. When you research the internet you’ll see tons of pages with tons of information. I recommend reading up on everything you can, talk to others with rat experience, and like any animal you raise you’ll come up with ways that work best for you. Things that I do or say in this care sheet aren’t the be all end all of rat raising. In fact I’m sure some may not agree with some of it. However, it’s what works for my rats.
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