13 replies to this topic

[Tater]

Sooo I've been doing a bit of research, and I'm thinking maybe in a year or so (or longer lol, I doubt my parents will go for this 1 bit) I might get rats or mice. Now ik rats need to be kept in pairs of the same sex. And female mice should be kept in groups, while a male mouse won't need to be.

I already know a few pros and cons for each, but I'm not going to list them all rn. But I want to hear what y'all thing are the pros and cons for each ones as pets.

I'm not asking for care information, just pros and cons (which may include some care info).


IF I get one of these, I will most obviously have more than one rat, or I'll look for a male mouse so I don't have more than one. (I'm not getting both, just clarifying, I would only get rats, or a male mouse.)

Soo yep!! Obviously I have lots of more research to do on these and I'm not planning on getting either anytime soon. But this has been a dream of mine for a while!



(Also I wasn't sure where to post this XD since it includes Mice and Rats)


Edit: Most likely I will get mice! I feel I would be able to better provide for them rather than rats! Thanks to everyone for all the info!

Edited by Tater, 17 October 2020 - 11:25 AM.

[lil BIG dwarf]

Rats-

 

May need to spay/nueter

Best to have at least 3 if possible

The cage could be 100-200 USD for a good one

They pee... a lot... and smell... a decent amount (depends on the individual)

Food can be $$, depending on which brand you choose

They need a LOT of enrichment-2+ hours of playtime, different hammocks and toys, etc.

They can eat most things-aside from soda, caffine, and chocolate

There smart-and if bored, they will destroy things

Vet found should be at least 300 USD for two-recomended 450+ for 3 

Females are smaller and more energetic

Rats from pet stores often need a vet very soon from bad care-get them from a breeder/adopt ALWAYS

 

Mice-

 

Not as social with humans as rats (so Ive heard from people who own both)

Generally cheaper in the long run

 

 

Thats all I have. If you need help, you can ask me about rats!

[Remy]

Rats and mice have very different care requirements. Rats need large cages (CritterNations, or other large wire cages) while mice can do fine in cages people would consider too small for hamsters (20 gallon longs, for example). Rats tend to bond with you much like a dog would, while mice don’t form as deep of bonds, but are still very fun to watch and interact with. If you’re going to go with a male mouse, just know that they need a lot of interaction, and they are stinky. Since males can’t be with other mice (unless neutered and kept with females, which is a very risky procedure on such a small animal. I’ve also heard that since mice in the UK have been domesticated longer some of them are calmer and males can sometimes be housed together, this shouldn’t be attempted in the US though) they get very lonely, so you’re going to have to give them a lot to play with, and a lot of interaction. They also tend to be stinkier than female mice.

It really just depends on how much space you have for a cage, the amount of money you’re willing to spend, and what kind of bond you want with your pet(s).

[Tater]

 

 

 

 

Ahh the two people I knew/was hoping would respond XD

 

Thanks!

 

I'm currently leaning a bit towards mice just because they are ok in smaller enclosures, and my parents would probably be more willing to let me have a mouse (or mice, if I decide females, I'm not positive yet) that doesn't take up as much room. 

 

I was leaning more towards rat for the bond

 

But mice I would probably be able to provide with better care. (So most likely, I'll go for mice, but not decided yet!)

[Remy]

Haha, you know me too well. Mice do sound like a better fit for you (at least in the near future). The decision between male and female mice is really how much time you have to provide and what sort of bond you want have. Like I said before males need extra interaction. Some people say that males form a better bond with you because you’re their only friend. I’m not sure if this is true or not as it has been years since I last had a male mouse. Good luck in convincing your parents!

[Poppythehammy]

If you come down to deciding between 2-3 female mice or 1 male it is relevant to note that many say 1 male smells worse than a group of females. I've never owned mice so I'm not sure but if smell is an issue females could be better.

[MushuTheHamster]

Hello!
I am not all that knowledgeable on either rats or mice. I had rats for a very short amount of time, as I decided to re-home them for a friend. I did not do enough research before taking them in, so it was a very stressful experience. I have not done a lot of research on mice either, although I think it would be cool to have them sometime in the very far future.

So, from my experience, rats are very friendly (pro)! They love to come out of their cage an explore. My rats really enjoyed being handled, and all that fun stuff. From what I’ve learned, rats diets are quite easy to maintain (pro). They love climbing. They do require quite huge cages (con) and can take up a lot of space (con). Their cages need to be cleaned out quite frequently (con). Spot cleaning should be done daily, fleeces should be cleaned every three days, and full cage cleans should be done weekly (con. Also, I got that info from lil BIG dwarf. I did not clean out their cages this way, so my rats became very stinky.) If that cleaning schedule is not closely followed, then they can become really stinky (con). At the time of when I had the rats, I only cleaned the cage every week and a half. It was almost unbearable to walk into the room they were in. It is very important to keep up with cage cleanings!!!!! And vet bills can also be expensive (con). Other than that, rats can be super sweet (pro) and are super lovable (pro)! If cage cleans are maintained, then rats can make great pets!!
Since I haven’t had any experience with mice, take everything I say with a grain of salt. Mice can live in smaller cages (compared to hamsters) with little stress (pro). This I have only heard, and I have no idea if it is true or not. Mice are a lot like hamsters (if you like hamsters, pro). A lot of the care is the same. Mice really like climbing (like rats). They enjoy burrowing (like hamsters). I don’t know much about a mouse’s diet, but I heard that it varies from a hamster. Proper care on mice has not been really researched on by professionals, so a lot of guessing has to be done (con). You kinda have to combine knowledge from hamsters, rats, and mice to get a full understanding on how mice should live. I’m not sure about vet bills, but I would assume they would be about the same as a hamster. I don’t think mice are all that stinky (pro).

If if were me, I would probably choose mice over rats over previous experiences. Rats tend to be more social towards humans then mice, which is something I really like. I just wasn’t able to keep up with cage cleanings, and I don’t think I would ever be able to.

So yeah! That’s about it!! I hope this helps some!!

Also, I apologize if there is any spelling mistakes and such. I am tired and do not feel like editing anything. Okay, goodnight!

Edited by MushuTheHamster47, 17 October 2020 - 11:22 AM.

[lil BIG dwarf]

Hello!

 Their cages need to be cleaned out quite frequently (con). Spot cleaning should be done daily, fleeces should be cleaned every three days, and full cage cleans should be done weekly (con.

 

 

As far as I know, full cage cleans are just as stressful for rats as for hamsters. Can I ask where you learned this?

[Remy]

As far as I know, full cage cleans are just as stressful for rats as for hamsters. Can I ask where you learned this?

I was just watching one of Emiology‘s videos about cleaning her rat’s cage. She said that she washes her hammocks about once a week, and does a full cage clean (rearranging everything, cleaning the climbing ropes, etc) about once monthly, but that it should be done more often with a smaller cage as her’s is rather large. I’m not sure what exactly Mushu meant, but that’s what I know.

[berryy]

Sooo I've been doing a bit of research, and I'm thinking maybe in a year or so (or longer lol, I doubt my parents will go for this 1 bit) I might get rats or mice. Now ik rats need to be kept in pairs of the same sex. And female mice should be kept in groups, while a male mouse won't need to be.

I already know a few pros and cons for each, but I'm not going to list them all rn. But I want to hear what y'all thing are the pros and cons for each ones as pets.

I'm not asking for care information, just pros and cons (which may include some care info).


IF I get one of these, I will most obviously have more than one rat, or I'll look for a male mouse so I don't have more than one. (I'm not getting both, just clarifying, I would only get rats, or a male mouse.)

Soo yep!! Obviously I have lots of more research to do on these and I'm not planning on getting either anytime soon. But this has been a dream of mine for a while!



(Also I wasn't sure where to post this XD since it includes Mice and Rats)


Edit: Most likely I will get mice! I feel I would be able to better provide for them rather than rats! Thanks to everyone for all the info!

Hi! (Sorry I'm late to this btw)
I myself have a male mouse, so since you are considering owning one I will tell you some of the cons! (I think other members have covered pros  )

-Mice, unlike hamsters, cannot control where they go to the bathroom, so having a barred cage with one is quite a pain as they will pee and poo all over the bars.

-Male mice can have quite a strong odor, so I recommend doing a full, or half clean once every one to two weeks depending on cage size. (I clean my prevue 528 every two weeks since it is quite large.)

-**this con goes along with the first one** Like I said mice go to the bathroom on literally everything (ex. hides, wooden items, bars, water bottles, you, and ect..) which is very annoying to have to constantly clean. 

-Mice are quite timid, and lots of them (mine included) would not enjoy being handled. They would much rather run around in their cage or a safe play area.

I hope that this could help you!!  

[Robin~]

As far as I know, full cage cleans are just as stressful for rats as for hamsters. Can I ask where you learned this?

Generally speaking, hamsters are actually exceptions when it comes to cage cleans—most rats and mice love having their cage reorganized; they love having new things to explore and don’t get super caught up over scent. Then again, this is hearsay, and tbh most hamsters look happy to explore a new set up, too, so I can’t say for certain.

[Tater]

Gahhhh I reached my quota of likes, but thanks everyone so much!! This really helped a lot!

[MushuTheHamster]

As far as I know, full cage cleans are just as stressful for rats as for hamsters. Can I ask where you learned this?

 

I was just watching one of Emiology‘s videos about cleaning her rat’s cage. She said that she washes her hammocks about once a week, and does a full cage clean (rearranging everything, cleaning the climbing ropes, etc) about once monthly, but that it should be done more often with a smaller cage as her’s is rather large. I’m not sure what exactly Mushu meant, but that’s what I know.

Gah, sorry. I just saw all of this. I had no idea that full cage cleans were stressful towards rats too! I assumed they would be, but I thought I heard somewhere that they were fine. I guess I must of read something wrong. Sorry!

Edited by MushuTheHamster47, 23 October 2020 - 10:41 AM.

[Remy]

Gah, sorry. I just saw all of this. I had no idea that full cage cleans were stressful towards rats too! I assumed they would be, but I thought I heard somewhere that they were fine. I guess I must of read something wrong. Sorry!

I think Robin’s response above explains it nicely: Rats and mice just don’t seemed to get stressed (or at least as stressed) as hamsters from cage cleanings. I don’t think you were entirely wrong.

Edited by Remy, 19 October 2020 - 07:03 AM.