Anybody have a pet rat?

[Sue]

I am (seriously) considering having a rat as a pet.

Precipitated by buying two excellent books at the hospice shop on "training your pet rat" for a mere 50p each :)

Rats seem to be both affectionate and intelligent.

Does anybody have one?

Pros and cons (apart from the gnawing aspect)?

Long ago I knew somebody who took his rat shopping in his coat pocket :))

[aquarius moon]

I would love a pet rat, but can't have one due to other commitments.

Have heard they make excellent pets as they are so super intelligent.

Go for it!

[Jeremy]

A friend of mine back at uni had two of them. She swore that they were much more intelligent that other rodents... she kept them in a cage in her bedroom, and would often get them out and let them scamper around. They never seemed to try to run away, which for me kind of disproved their supposed intelligence.

[StraferJack]

I dunno - a human "minder" and supply of food vs daily struggle against environment/people?

sounds like that rat knew what it was doing

[Jeremy]

Yeah that's basically what she said - she thought it was analogous to the relationship a dog or cat has with it's owner. Maybe they didn't mind living in a small cage for 99% of the time.

[Gingerbeer]

I once saw a woman sitting on the sidewalk with her pet mice. They were running in and out of her clothes, over her head and face... gah! It gives me the willies just thinking about that. One maybe, but I dont know about multiples.

[caz]

We had pet rats years ago.Was a little dubious at first but fell in love with them.Very intelligent,affectionate and suprisingly clean.

[steveo]

My wife used to share a house with Rat Scabies, and as well as being one, he kept them

[Sue]

I think I'm going to go for it.

Will do a bit more research first though. According to the pet shop in North Cross Road they eat a mixture of rabbit and hamster food?

Hey, maybe I could teach it to do a rat version of the Hamster Dance :)

Saw a woman with a rabbit on a lead on the tube at the weekend ..... thought that was a bit cruel as it was rather crowded.

[Pickle]

My younger sister has kept rats as pets for years now. I don't see the attraction, but she claims they are friendly, fun, easy care pets to have. She lets them out to run around the house, they have chewed holes in pretty much everything she owns!

[Sue]

Pickle Wrote:

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they

> have chewed holes in pretty much everything she

> owns!

xxxxxxx

Makes a change from moths :))

[the-e-dealer]

My dad has two loves em. Intelligant interesting personalities etc apparrently. They give me the creeps

[Bessie1974]

Even though I have heard mainly very good things about the temperament friendliness and intelligence of domesticated rats, You should be aware of the fact that they urinate little, but VERY often.

[uncleglen]

My mother had one- she doted on it. I've heard that they eat anything!

[the-e-dealer]

Yeah they eat REmote Controls!

[Annette Curtain]

Go for it Sue

Buy two & call them Sly & Reggie

(as a tribute)

[Sue]

Annette Curtain Wrote:

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> Go for it Sue

>

> Buy two & call them Sly & Reggie

>

> (as a tribute)

xxxxxxx

That would be too hideous a daily reminder of past assaults on my ears :))

[civilservant]

If I didn't have a dog, I might consider a rat or two as pets - I've heard that they make good companions. They're also pretty intelligent.

I posted on another thread about some recent research into altruism involving rats that was reported in Science and Scientific American - this involved putting trained rats in the vicinity of a couple of cages, one of which contained a stranger rat and the other contained chocolate.

The researchers found that the rats would start by releasing the imprisoned rats, then move on to release the chocolate, and finally share the chocolate with the newly released rat! (Just think how much nicer ED would be if it were populated by rats!)

[Huguenot]

:)

Another interpretation of that experiment was that the trapped rats sent out regular distress calls, and that the free rat was doing the equivalent of "WILL you SHUT the F*CK UP!!!!"

It was also noticed that females were considerably more likely to free the trapped rat than males. Genetic inheritance eh?

[Sue]

Huguenot Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> :)

>

> Another interpretation of that experiment was that

> the trapped rats sent out regular distress calls,

> and that the free rat was doing the equivalent of

> "WILL you SHUT the F*CK UP!!!!"

>

> It was also noticed that females were considerably

> more likely to free the trapped rat than males.

> Genetic inheritance eh?

xxxxxxx

:))

Was the trapped rat male or female?!

And was there then a difference depending on whether the free rat was male or female??

[Huguenot]

Well if the trapped rat was really nagging, you shall have to draw your own conclusions.

;)

*yes, I KNOW, gimme a break*

[Sue]

:))

[*Bob*]

One of my housemates had a pet rat at University (her, not the rat). She used to take it to lectures - in her bra - and do the occasional shop. Occasionally the tail would pop-out, causing much ado at the Morrisons checkout.

Actually, I think the rat went to the Polytechnic.