Rats - to be alone or not alone?

[Rochelle]

^ You must have some oddly aggressive rats then ; most rat owners I know or have talked to give insects as treats and no one has complained about it making their rats biters. Yeah, if it is actively hunting the insect at the time you might not want to stick your hands in there, but live food does not alter disposition at all.

That hasn't been our experience.
I'll never feed live treats to a nice rat again.

 

[arachyd]

Rats have an extremely good sense of smell. I think it helps make up for their very poor eyesight. If you fed live food your hands probably smelled like what the rat just did battle with. We never had a change of temperament in our rats after they ate live food. One of the rules we had was that anytime someone picked up a rat they had to wash their hands first. Another was no feeding through bars of a cage (we had a couple that actually did better in open wire cages). A rat fed through bars doesn't see your fingers it smells food and grabs and bites. This is because in the wild their instincts tell them they have 50 or so siblings ready to grab the same bit of food. Since they are trainable when you hand feed in the cage you will teach them that anything approaching the cage could be food and therefore must be grabbed and bitten as soon as possible. Believe me, the rat that does it is usually just as quick to let go when it realizes what it has done but once they learn that it is hard for them to unlearn the "grab and bite" and they do have some sharp teeth. Just make sure you keep your hands clean. If you must hand feed then always do it with a small bit of food in the middle of your open palm so there is no confusion on the rat's part. I've never known a tamed rat to intentionally mistake a finger for food or an enemy. You just have to know how they percieve the world around them (like with Ts being sensitive to movement and quick to pounce on suspected food).

 

[AneesasMuse]

I feed everyone here with mealies, roaches, waxies, etc. ...as treats, of course! ...and no one has ever bit me before, during or after the fact. I also have some ratties that do not bite through the bars, no matter how many times they've been offered a treat through them... but it still is not the rule for ALL rats and shouldn't be done, in general. Take the time to open the cage door and offer them their treat. It's a good practice all around... allows some one on one with your "baby" (or babies) and helps with their trust issues regarding hands. (I deal with rescues and rehabs, so I don't like for my "babies" to associate every single time I open their cage with taking them out to give them icky tasting meds or wound cleans, etc. ...and offering treats and "love scritches" through that same open cage door is good reassurance for the nervous kiddos.)

Keep in mind, there's an exception to every "rule" and each rattie is an individual being with its own individual experiences.

 

[T-kid's mom]

It *is* possible to keep a single rat, but it is not easy. We did it for a while since we homeschool and the rattie was able to be with someone almost all of the time. But, two rats together are definitely better.

 

[madamavicularia]

yes keep in mind that they are omnivores! not herbivores like many think, mine have definitely been tempted by my hamster before. If you want some good info check out www.ratforum.com. I had a single rat for a while, he did just fine but I couldn't always be there to pet and play with him so for Christmas I bought him a buddy. He has since been the happiest ive ever seen him. Of course he still needs time with me as does his new buddy. (by the way if you do it this way you HAVE to put the new one in quarantine they are quite prone to illness and can spread it very quickly). I highly advise checking out ratforum I joined because I had a sick-o in q-tine and needed some advice.

 

[Gesticulator]

i have my two little boys for a whole week now, and I adore them. I found the forum "Rat's Rule" to be super helpful.

They are only 6 weeks old and and are not very open to different foods yet. They do eat their lab blocks, and absolutely love vanilla yogurt.
From what I have learned, rats need a buddy unless they are sick or overly agressive.
I got the two brothers from a breeder and now I learned about all the rescues. I am amazed. I will likely add a third little boy from one of the rescues. I hope they all get along. The boys will only be 7 weeks and the newcomer, 5. If anyone wants to talk more, feel free to im or pm me.
Peek

and Boo

Terri

 

[arachyd]

They are so cute! Good luck with them. Hmm..had them a week and looking for a new one already? Sounds like an addiction. Better be careful! They tend to grow on you.

 

[Gesticulator]

They are so cute! Good luck with them. Hmm..had them a week and looking for a new one already? Sounds like an addiction. Better be careful! They tend to grow on you.

Just how it all started with the tarantulas...a gift for my daughter...then my son wanted his own...and I am the eternal caretaker.