Rats get bad press
or
they really are nice pets.
My boyz were born in early March 2003. I don't know the exact date, because I bought them at Petco, rather than from a breeder. They were about three months old when I got them. They can leave Mom earlier than that, though.
They've been healthy and (I hope) happy ever since. I did get them, ah, fixed almost immediately. As with cats, it stops them from spraying, and from being obsessed with sex. (Well, not entirely, there's the underwear thing.) Rats also have very large balz, which are weird looking.
Unlike cats and many other small animals, they aren't at all smelly. Even their cage doesn't smell, though they have their own ideas about appropriate decoration. They're cheap to feed, though their natural dietary inclinations are so healthy they put me to shame. The DO at least like pizza crusts as a treat. Contrary to urban legend, they're not especially fond of cheese.
They're intelligent and affectionate, with each other and with their people. If you decide to get one for your daughter, consider getting two. They're extremely social animals, and apparently studies have shown that they live longer if they have a companion. I decided to get two rather than one at the last minute, and in retrospect I'm very glad I did.
It's usually said that they live for about two years, but from what I've read that's now the low end of the longevity scale. Many used to die young from mycosomething, a nasty respiratory disease, but it seems that breeders are now much more careful about that, and it's becoming rarer. I'm reading about more and more rats who live to three and even four years. I think the longest-lived domestic rat on record lived to be seven.
They really are a lot of fun, and NOT a lot of work. |
