| Welcome to the Rat Pros & Cons List! |
| PROS Rats are affectionate and intellagent, often bonding to their owner much like a dog. Rats are relitively easy to care for. All they need is a good home, good food, bedding and lots of TLC. Rats are relitively quiet. They don't bark or scream but they do sound like a demelition derby at night. :) Rats are very clean animals, grooming theirselves much of the time and appointing their own "toilet area". Can be litter box trained! Rats know their names and can be clicker trained to do tricks. See "Clicker Training for Rats" Rats are a relitively unique pet, not nearly as popular as the cat dog or Budgie but none-the-less they are wonderful pets! Rats have been domesticated for around 300 years making them more docile and cudley than species like the chinchilla (which also can make a good pet but they are very different and more "wild") Rats are a magnent for getting new rat-friendly friends! Rats, like dogs know when they don't like some one. So if your rat that never bites trying eating your new SO, take a good look at him/her... ;) |
| CONS Rats are very short-lived. Normal domestic rats only live for about 1-3 years. 5 years or more is uncommon but not unheard of. Rats can get sick very easily, they WILL die if they get Strep throat from you and are very prone to getting respitory diseases, tumors, and cancer. (good breeding from pedigreed lines and from an ethical clean breeder usually helps lessen the risks) Rats are VERY prolific. If you get a pregnant rat that gives birth and you don't seperate the males from the females at 5 weeks you're going to be up to you're ears in rats!! Rats are often used as lab animals, "teaching tools" (in discection classes) and as live or frozen reptile chow. This bothers many people. Rest assurred though that some labs are polite and fortunate enough to adopt out their "used" animals that would otherwise be destroyed, and some feeders and unwanted pets end up at shelters so please visit your local humane society or other rescue! Rats DO NOT get allong with animals smaller or the same size they are (I'm speaking of other species like mice, other rodents and birds) Rats are a the bottom of the food chain, keep this in mind if you have a hunting or "Ratter" dog!! Rats are considered "Exotic" thus making finding a good vet hard sometimes. |