miscFAQ2

How Noisy are rats?
Rats are genrally pretty quiet. They don't tend to make much noise in the way of vocalizations. Usually a small squeak is heard when they are suprized or hurt, they grind their teeth when they are happy and they make ultra-sonic noises below a human's hearing range constantly to communicate with others. If you get a bat detector recording device you can hear these odd vocalizations. Besides that rats are nocturnal and at night they can sound like a demolition derby rearranging their cages and generally causing a rucus!

Are their different species of rat?
Besides the domestic rat which are the most commonly kept as pets (rattus novicus) there are several other species of rats. Probably the closest in size and relation is rattus rattus or the black rat. Domestic rat's ansestors were brown in color (or "agouti" as we call it in fancy rats) while rattus rattus is black and a bit smaller and sleeker. Both most likely came from Asia and have now spread to the rest of the world. Besides these there is the Cane rat and the Gambian pouch rat which can be boughten captive bred and hand-fed for pets. These rats get to a whopping 20 pounds and are generally harder to care for. Besides these there are probably thousands of other species of rats not mentioned here.

How long have rats been domesticated?
Rats have been domesticated for nearly 300 years. They used to be used in dog fights where a dog would be thrown in a ring to see how many rats it could kill. However the breeders of these rats noticed when they started getting prettier colors like albino and soon started breeding special rats for color and temprament to sell to noble woman who seemed to adore them. This is the start of PET rats.

What is the difference of a pet rat from a labratory rat?
A labratory rat is just an albino rat strain that has been specially bred for different things. ALL of these rats are bred for temprament as scientists and researchers need not be bitten when dealing with them. However many have been bred to be specifically predisposed to cancer or tumors while other go through painful procedures and other things for scientific research. Many of these experiments in my honest opinion shouldn't even be carried out on animals any more as there is other means of getting the same data but many of these experimnets save human lives. It's through rats in which we will find the cure to Cancer some day and so we ALL owe ALLOT to the rodents and other creatures who unwillingly were cast to do these experiments. Most labs destroy the animals they no longer need but some are gracious enough to have an adoption program. If you come by one of these do not fear adopting from them since these rats are bred for temprament they should be sweeties and they will be thankful to you for homing them! Labratory rats are sometimes bred to be "myco free" but beware, they have WAY lower amounts of emmunity to this disease than pet rats.

What do I do about sharp nails and/or overgrown teeth? Can I trim or clip them?
I do not advise clipping rat teeth by yourself. You should visit a vet for atleast the first time to do this. It is not nessessary in most rats but some have problems with their teeth lining up properally. Just give them things to chew on and most rats will be fine. On the sharp nails question I can give you some tips. Often putting rough rocks or bricks in the cage where they will walk on it keeps their nails dull enough for me. If your rat will let you you can file down his/her toenails if need be. I don't advise actually cutting their nails unless you have some QuickStop or Styptic powder to stop the bleeding if you cut into the nerve in their nails. (yes they have a nerve in their nails just like dogs and cats)

Do rats get along with mice? birds?
DO NOT put a rat anywhere near a bird! Even the sweetest rat will kill a bird in a heartbeat! The same normally goes for mice and anything the same size, slightly bigger, or smaller than a rat. The only animal I trust my rats not to kill is my cats whom I trained as kittens to be "huntless".