Continuing with the theme of talking about something other than cats and dogs, so far this week we’ve covered guinea pigs, potbellied pigs, and today we are all about rats. After reading a recent news story in which residents in one Oregon town learned that a neighbor was hoarding over 800 rats and that the city was officially labeling it as a health nuisance, I thought it might be a good idea to go over what to expect from having a rat as a pet.
Like most things the guys over at About.com are all over this one and gave a few startling facts about rat ownership:
- Rats typically live 3 yrs and grow to be about 11 inches long
- Believe it or not they are easily tamed and very easy to care for
- Rats prefer not to be alone but if you do decide to purchase two make sure they are of the same gender. A female rat goes into heat every 4 days and what was once two will very quickly become a whole pack if you’re not careful
When people think of rats they tend to go one of two directions: Direction A) they are dirty filthy germ covered vermin that nearly ended Europe with the spread of the Black Plaque or direction B) I love how they hop in toy cars when nobody is looking and drive around the neighborhood ala Stuart Little (who technically was a mouse). Actually rats are closer to the second image than the first and many of those who have rats as pets consider them more faithful than most dogs. The trick is to be very picky when deciding which rat you want. Make sure it’s fine with being handled by people, that it doesn’t have any sores or obvious health problems, and it isn’t aggressive. If you are patient and take the time to find the right one, rats can be very fun and playful pets perfect for those that desire a companion that will love them unconditionally.