Rats

[Reply #10 on:]

with a month off of school, i should work on that some.

[Reply #11 on:]

Yay .

[Reply #12 on:]

I agree with Risu, make sure they are the proper sexes first. The two most common problems with pet store rats are illness and unwanted pregnancies from poor sexing practices on the staff's part. It's really not hard to sex a rat. By five weeks of age (the age they should be when separated from mom) you can pretty much bet you'll know if it's a boy haha.

You should quarantine the second rat you got before introducing her to Baloo and make sure that the cage is large enough for a pair. Also, what food did you acquire for the rat? Most pet store rat foods are actually very poor quality. I really hope you can convince your mother that rats aren't anything worthy of hate. My parents (particularly mom) were very much against rats as pets before I educated them on them. A lot of people still have that view of rats as dirty and disease ridden.

I don't currently have rats but I did at one time have four females all living together and I've been very active in researching rat care since shortly before I got them. I really hope to own rats again at some point

Oh, just as a precaution, what kind of bedding is she on? Are you aware of the dangers of pine and cedar beddings?

Also, I have some websites linked on my website that might help you choose a name for the newcomer: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratinfopacket.html#names

Good luck :3

Both rats came from the same store, about one week apart, from the same "bin"/ cage, and at the moment all they sell (aparently) are females. I'm feeding them lab blocks mixed with a little of the seed stuff (not much), and fresh fruits and veggies of course. They get some meat scraps too. And I know all about pine and cedar, I've had other rodents. The girls have carefresh bedding in their home.

Thanks for your concerns I've done a ton of research already, and I have knowledge from previous pets. Animals are, literally, my life.

Oh, and I've been working on my mom about the rat thing since I was ten... I'm now seventeen, and she still stands on her distaste for rats. Hah.

[Reply #13 on:]

my mom is urked about the idea of rats too. actually, she refuses to hold my hermit crabs!

[Reply #14 on:]

Both rats came from the same store, about one week apart, from the same "bin"/ cage, and at the moment all they sell (aparently) are females. I'm feeding them lab blocks mixed with a little of the seed stuff (not much), and fresh fruits and veggies of course. They get some meat scraps too. And I know all about pine and cedar, I've had other rodents. The girls have carefresh bedding in their home.

Thanks for your concerns I've done a ton of research already, and I have knowledge from previous pets. Animals are, literally, my life.

Oh, and I've been working on my mom about the rat thing since I was ten... I'm now seventeen, and she still stands on her distaste for rats. Hah.

It's such a shame your mom is so stubborn about it D:. If there hasn't been any other rats brought into the store you in that period of time I suppose you could probably waive quarantine. The only potential problem I see might be their diet. The seed stuff isn't really necessary and I'm not sure what brands you're feeding. There is honestly only one brand of commercial rat food I'd ever even recommend and that's Oxbow's Regal Rat. The rest are full of poor quality ingredients, dyes, and preservatives. Then there's also Harlan Teklad lab blocks (though you'd have to order those specially online), and if you can't get either of those you can make a homemade diet called Suebee's mix. Good on the supplementing their staple diet with fresh foods though. So many people totally overlook that (not just for rats even).

[Reply #15 on:]

It's really hard to find good rat food around here. I live in a little redneck town that is just starting to see rats as pets. What I have is the best I could do.

[Reply #16 on:]

Well, you could look on Oxbow's website and use their store locator to see if any stores near you carry Regal Rat: http://www.oxbowhay.com/index.sp

If you're interested in feeding Harlan Teklad lab blocks I could point you to where to order them online. If neither of those are options you can easily make a homemade diet called Suebee's mix: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratfeeding.html#homemade

There are options if you look for them .

[Reply #17 on:]

I looked everywhere, and can't find anything good. I can't order online, so I'm gonna try the Suebee's mix.

Thanks!

[Reply #18 on:]

No problem! Good luck with everything  :3.

[Reply #19 on:]

I don't know what I would do if I couldn't order anything online.