4 replies to this topic

[Iceypotato]

Hello!! I am currently doing a TONE of research on rats. Right now I’m on holiday and at night I just sit on my phone looking at facts about rats and taking screenshots and adding them to my rat info album. I have a hamster that is getting old and I love him so so so so much. But I keep seeing these posts on YouTube of rats doing tricks. So I started to research a lot about their species. And they are actually amazing rodents and as hard as it is to admit it, I think I prefer them over hamsters. I know it’s bad but I love animals that you can interact with and I know you can do that with a hamster but with a rat it’s a different connection you can get from them, for example, with hamster (well my hamster) they never stop moving in your hands but with rats they are quite content with just sleeping on your lap whilst you watch YouTube. This isn’t the only reason I want rats there countless reasons why I want them. But with every animal comes bad things. Like how rats are prone to illnesses but if you are responsible enough this shouldn’t be a BIG problem because you would know to save up your money for vet funds which is what I’m committed to do. So anyway, I want to convince my parents to get a rat I’m near enough a rat expert! My mum loves animals she even said to me if she had it her way she would have loads of animals!! But unfortunately my dad isn’t to keen about animals, he loves dogs! We might be getting one next year! But my dad wasn’t to keen on me getting a hamster! But now he love love loves him! He always comes in my room asking if buddy (my hamster) is awake! And as he is old he is always sleeping! So I say no. But with rats, they may not be awake when he comes in but if they are in their hammock you would be able to see them snuggled up together which would be super cute! I just want advice on asking for a rat, I haven’t mentioned it to my dad but I keep leaving hints like leaving my phone lying around with rat pictures on it, I mention facts to my mum about rats (she mainly has no problem with rats) I just want to know if my dad will let me get one I will even say you don’t even have to bother with it but I need your permission as I live in your house! If anyone has any advice please tell me as I will pay every single penny for the rats I’m very responsible for a rat and I know how to care for them and I would give them the best life I could possible give them! PS: IF I SAID ‘RAT’ I MEAN RATS (I know they have to live in pairs or groups or else they can get stressed and depressed and lonely) I will accept no as an answer as that shows I’m responsible enough, please reply!!

[MerryBB]

 

 

First off, welcome to the forum!

 

I can totally understand preferring rats at least a little. Of course not every rat is going to be cuddly / calm, they all have their individual personalities, but they are naturally very social animals that have been domesticated for a lot longer than hamsters and with arguably a lot more success. So many of them are basically tiny puppies once they get used to you.

 

 

That said, a rat pair/pack is a lot of responsibility. Here are some of the tougher points you will have to address:

 

- You will need a rat-experienced exotics vet. Your experience with these rats may vary between 'never spent more than £100' and 'spent over £800 on one rat in less than a year'. I would consider saving up a bare minimum of £150 - £200 per rat, but honestly having more like £500 each available is a lot safer; even if you are lucky enough to never have to actually use it.

 

(This is most likely something you will have to ask for help from your parents about, and it is definitely something you will have to have a serious discussion over.)

 

- You need to budget for supplies every month, every other month, etc.. depending on your plans. That means figuring out how much dry food two rats will go through in a month; how much supplemental food alongside that (fresh and dry); how much bedding / what type of bedding (keeping in mind that rats need cage cleans much more frequently than hamsters); etc.

 

This can be tricky to research. I would round up your estimates for things like food/bedding, just to be safe. Otherwise it can be pretty easy to cut corners with the costs of the initial enclosure and toys/accessories (there are so many options for DIY/budget cages, provided you have the space for them, and all kinds of things can be re-purposed for enrichment. )

 

- The rats need a safe, secure room for their enclosure and free-roam time. You can't bank on them being friendly with any of your other pets. If you have a secure aquarium or some other fully rat-proof enclosure in your chosen room, that should be fine. But having dogs/cats come in and out can be stressful, and any smaller pets housed improperly will be at risk.

 

- There should be a plan for times when you aren't around to care for the rats. Any petsitters you have should be rat-friendly and be prepared to deal with daily care, weekly care (if necessary), and interacting with the rats at least enough to let them free roam in a secure space. This is another thing that your family needs to be 100% on board with.

 

 

All in all, for financial concerns: I would highly recommend starting a spreadsheet to use as a budget plan showing about how much you will be spending on these rats per year. (Expecting a lifespan of 1-3 years, depending on how old they are when you get them.) It's probably going to be some pretty intensive and frustrating research on that front, so get ready.

 

(It would be a very good idea to join an active rat-specific forum [or a few rat specific forums] so that you can get input from current rat owners [preferably some with experience owning rats in your country] on what they have experienced budget-wise and care-wise; what they think about your plans as you work on them; what they would recommend for your situation; etc.)

 

As for things like how you will approach veterinary care, having people take care of the rats while you are unable to, finding space for them in your house and daily schedule, etc.. You will need to have extended conversations about that with your family prior to getting rats. Those just aren't things you can plan for on your own if you aren't fully independent yet.

 

 

It sounds like you're definitely in the right headspace and on the right track when it comes to looking into owning rats!

 

They are definitely not low maintenance or low cost pets, and a lot of people just aren't in the right situation for them (much to my dismay- I am currently one of those people). But they can also be incredibly rewarding and fun to have around if you can commit to ~all that~ so I wish you the absolute best of luck in your research. And if you find out that they just aren't it for right now; who knows, they may just end up being something to look forward to later in life.

 

(Like me. I swear, 99% of the reason I've made my peace with eventually hunting for a job is because I will need the funds for my future rats. )

[LaughyTaffy42]

 

Welcome to the rat lover cult. If you still need help: here ya go!
 

On convincing your parents: what i did was I wrote up all the info on a google doc (30+ pages), linked some articles on pros AND CONS of owning rats, and gave it to my parents on a thumb drive. I saved up about $300 dollars before asking. Generally, just mention rats as much as possible and acknowledge the cons of owning them. Also, NO SHORTCUTS!

 

On money: I save $300, bought everything myself and.... it WAS NOT enough money. I was struggling to make sure i had everything i needed, and eventually i did, but it took another month of saving. I haven't been able to save up for any big purchases since i got my rats, as their care costs a ton! 

A great cost saver is to use fleece as bedding, cuz it lasts like at least 6 months. I used aspen for a month or two and it was a HUGE hassle. fleece = 10/10

 

On vet costs:

JEEZ it's expensive! I live in CA, so everything is more expensive, but JEEZ it's still expensive. 

It cost $200 a rat for neutering, $50 a checkup (per rat, and usually you need both rats checked) and like $16 a night for boarding. You really need to be able to afford the vet. So, as a result, before getting my rats- I made a deal with my mom: $20 a month (to her) for vet insurance, that way I don't need to worry about costs when it comes to their health.

Another option to make sure you can manage vet costs is there is this one avian & exotic pet insurance, by Nationwide. Not sure what it covers, and i'm not totally sure about costs (someone mentioned $10 once.....) so yah

 

Any questions? I'd love to answer any you've got!

 

On Vets:

[Iceypotato]

hey guys! i’m back!! and i got rats!!!

[lil BIG dwarf]

hey guys! i’m back!! and i got rats!!!

Congrats! How many, gender, names, etc?