Parents of Rats - Discussion

[Miss Stoddard]

Well, you did ask for advise. IMO, explaining about his personality quirks to a new owner doesn't change the fact that Chuck will still have to adapt to a new environment, again.

You say he doesn't have a cage mate. Is that because he fights with the other male rat? If so, then he probably doesn't need one. In general they are very social creatures, but chuck might do better without a cage mate. Some rats do.

I have to be honest, here. I'm getting the impression that because he's not affectionate and cuddly like the others, you just don't want him. That frustrates me because I've seen it happen too many times. People get unusual pets, then when they don't live up to the persons expectations, they wind up bouncing from home to home, not getting the kind of care they need and deserve, and live very sad lives. It's not fair.

Obviously, if you can't take care of him you should give him to someone who can. I would advise in the future not taking in more animals than you can realistically care for.

Good luck, I hope you find someone who will love him quirks and all.

I was looking for him a new home before hand, I was just kinda hoping that if there was a chance at him being cuddly, I could get it out of him before he went. I could care for him, but life doesn't always agree with choices and puts your through loops. That's where I'm going right now. If I really could have it my way, I'd keep him despite his quirkiness and super decorate his cage so he'd be well entertained.

He used to have several cage makes, packed into an aquarium cage that couldn't even hold five gallons - I figured his life with me thus far has been 100% better. He'd of been another snake's food. I bought him with no intention beyond just giving some rat another chance - and no, I'm not calling that rescuing - I once upon a time raised feeder rats since my dad was doing a crummy job caring for 'em.

I asked for advice - guilt as charged - again so I could hopefully figure him out well enough before I re-homed him. Trust me. If I can't find the right person, he'll never leave until he keels over from old age (or he get an unfix-able illness or tumor; that stuff puts a damper on everything).

His instability to like cuddling does kinda put me off. I'm so used to the girls who'll climb all over you and poke around your nose and mouth. This doesn't mean I don't enjoy him being around. It just means that my life right now is forcing me to at least look for a new, suitable home. Honestly, I've been poking around facebook for rat owners with good reps who'll meet me somewhere and take him.

[Miss]

I am currently a rat mother of four. One is my heart rat, Seven which is proudly featured in my avatar and signature. I've had her for a few months, and is now approximately a year old. Mary-Jane [black hooded] and Snowfluff [dumbo Himalayan] are my boyfriend's girls who are both very sweet and loving, not to mention beautiful. And then there's Chuck [double-rex], who has no cage-mate and has some flaws that we're working on. Sadly, we're looking for a new owner for him, with little luck so far.

I love all four, but as bad as it may seem, the girls are our pride. Chuck could be a wonderful pet, but we got him in a sort of bad situation. He'd spent what I'm guessing would be the majority of his life thus far in a pet store that poorly manages their rats, mice, and hamsters. A tiny glass aquarium with mixed males and females. There was one with a momma rat and her littler. We'd of taken a baby if they'd only been a couple weeks older.

Beyond that, we decided to take Chuck in hope that we'd be able to give him what he needed in a home. While he has good shelter, daily food and water, and a roomy cage, he's also very nippy and difficult to hold. He's shy, and usually dislikes being touched unless you take the time to very gently pet his back - during these times he gets sleepy, even with his head buried in the couch cushions.

Tell me about your bundles of joy!

Also, any helpful advice for Chuck from pet-rat-owner to pet-rat-owner? :/

I've owned rats in the past, but mainly focus on guinea pigs now.

Every rat definitely has their own personality. Some are affectionate and highly trainable, some stay shy/scared. I would get thick gloves and handle the rat as much as you can, giving it ample treats as a bit of a notion of friendship. His behavior might improve a little, a lot, or not at all.

Rats (and guinea pigs) are a lot of tough work! Lot's of people get them as starter pet's and end up feeding them a poor diet, getting an unsuitable cage, getting unhealthy bedding material ( ugh, ceder and pine are no-nos and they need to stop selling it to rat and guinea owners!).Aspen is the best bedding I used since paper bedding was too pricey. You have to freeze it for 48 hours prior to putting it into their cage to reduce the risk of mites, though. They also will most likely need vet attention at least once in their lives, and that's if you're lucky!

Our three girls are a different story, all having come from PetSmart in Joplin, MO. I like getting rats there because they're all vet-checked and quarantined before being put out. I've never taken any of the girls to the vet due to a health complication, and they're all curious, active, and nosy. My little Seven being the more spoiled "mommy's girl" of the bunch. :P

Not to sound preachy, but I don't think Petsmart is still the place to go for live animals. The glass containers they're in lead to ammonia build up and there's many homeless small animals in shelters. One of my ex boyfriends worked at Petsmart and they often sexed the animals wrong, leading to many baby rats that ended up getting thrown into the freezer for reptile food. He also was told to put a sick guinea pig in the freezer and ended up quitting right there.

Another thing that bothers me about petstores is that 90% of food on the shelves isn't actually good for them.

[Miss]

Well, that's why I'd explain what bit I do know. I also already plan giving up his cage with him. The fact is, he's a lonely intact male with no cage mate, and isn't let out much because of his tendencies. He usually acts like he could care less where he is as long as his cage is within his view. I'm also kinda moving out, and the girls will be more than enough for the moment. Since he's not as attached to us, I'm just going to try to re-home him. :/

Hopefully he'll find a good home! If you can't find a good home, then what kind of cage do you have since he can't be let out? As long as you check the bar spacing, there's some pretty roomy ferret cages! The one I had had large doors that opened up the cage completely to make it way more easy to clean as well.

[Miss Stoddard]

Hopefully he'll find a good home! If you can't find a good home, then what kind of cage do you have since he can't be let out? As long as you check the bar spacing, there's some pretty roomy ferret cages! The one I had had large doors that opened up the cage completely to make it way more easy to clean as well.

He lives in a nice sized bird cage. I'll be rigging more up to it, but I may give him away in his old home I just moved him from. It's an even bigger bird cage with thick bars. It's heavy, so I couldn't cay it downstairs myself. Which is why he's now in the slightly smaller cage. Either way, he doesn't seem phased. We still let him out since he still likes to run around. I just don't get to touch him while he's out haha. He's cranky.

[Miss Stoddard]

Not to sound preachy, but I don't think Petsmart is still the place to go for live animals. The glass containers they're in lead to ammonia build up and there's many homeless small animals in shelters. One of my ex boyfriends worked at Petsmart and they often sexed the animals wrong, leading to many baby rats that ended up getting thrown into the freezer for reptile food. He also was told to put a sick guinea pig in the freezer and ended up quitting right there.

Another thing that bothers me about petstores is that 90% of food on the shelves isn't actually good for them.

See, I keep hearing about that, but shockingly ours just seems to exceed this. They only get sent females from their "local breeder". And they have a real vet clinic within their building. Not to say their products are amazing, but you gotta get some of your stuff somewhere. I really have no problems with our girls though. All are healthy and happy. Besides that, none of the local shelters carry rats. :/