You may have noticed there’s a link to a rat page on the right hand side of the blog. Back in November I purchased a rat as a pet, his name is Oscar. Five days later I read that rats do much better if they have a second one to keep them company so I went and got another one, Thing Two. Sadly the pet store owner was not paying attention and did not sex it properly. I think we all know where this is going!
Four weeks later Thing Two gave birth to a litter of 12 baby rats! To say I was pissed would be an understatement, if I hadn’t got myself out of the house they might have been flushed that very night. Fortunately I got over it, and the pet store owner was scared enough of my somewhat subdued Jedi dark force anger to give me a big discount on a second cage to prevent any more babies.
So I kept the babies and made every effort to find them owners because lets face it, they will most likely become snake food at the pet store. Four weeks later I found homes for five leaving seven to face their uncertain fate. It’s been quite a turn around from that night I was going to send them to the watery abyss.
I suppose the point of this entry is to extol the virtues of rats as pets. They are the smartest and cleanest rodents I have ever had as a pet. They can and do use a litter box. While they can bite, I’ve only been bitten when I’ve startled one awake. I have never had one bite me in the regular course of handling.
I’ve found them to be much like a small dog. They’ll respond to your voice, know what the food bag sounds like, and will even groom you when they get to know you well enough. I’ve sat and watched TV and had them fall asleep on me.
I feel badly for taking the babies back. To be honest most people thought they would be disgusting and it was hard to find anyone that would consider them as a pet.
If you are bored take the time to visit:
http://www.petrats.org/index.html
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/careofrats/a/ratsaspets.htm
