Rats Vs. Mice as Pets
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Rat Information
- Toys for Pet Rats
Find fun games for you and your pet rat(s). - Signs of Illness in Your Rat
Make sure that you are aware of the signs of illness in your pet rat(s). - Rat Munchies
Proper treats for you pet rat(s). - Housing Pet Rats
Finding the perfect cage is a must for pet rats. Make sure you know what you're looking for in a cage and accessories - Homemade Rat Diets
Make a healthy, homemade rat diet for your favorit pet. Find out about proper nutrition. What you can and can't feed your rats. - Homemade Rat Recipes
Find out more fun and yummy recipes that you can make for your pet rat(s). - Homemade Rat Treats
Make yummy homemade treats for your beloved pet rat(s).
When debating between a mouse or a rat there are several things that you should consider before making a purchase.
CAGE:
Naturally, rats get larger than mice and require a larger cage. Larger cages are more expensive than smaller cages. And, with a larger cage, you have to have somewhere to put it. Do you have room for a medium - large sized cage?
DIET:
When it comes to diet, nothing is different. Rats and mice have the same diet. You can purchase rat/mouse food at your local petstore and feed it to either a rat or a mouse. You do want to consider the brand of food. Where Kaytee Forti-Diet maybe be great in the sense of it's for hamsters, gerbils, mice, and rats, so if you already have a hamster or a gerbil, you, technically, could purchase this and feed either a mouse or a rat, too. But, with this particular food, it is high in fat, and should not be used as a staple diet. Seeded diets are not the best for rats, as they too, are fatty. You're best best is to find a rat/mouse block
SMELL:
Personally, I feel that mice have a stronger odor than rats do.
Female rats and mice will smell less than male rats and mice, but I have three female rats in one cage, and one male mouse in another. My one, small male mouse smells worse than my three. larger female rats.
If you clean the cage out weekly, the smell will be reduced. I have to clean, or at least rinse, everything in my mouse's cage in order to reduce the smell to near nothing.
SOCIALIBILITY:
This may be the biggest concern when deciding between a rat or a mouse.
Mice will play on you and around you, but not with you. Rats will play on you, around you, and with you. Rats are friendlier than mice when it comes to people interaction.
If you're looking for a sit on the couch and watch tv pet, neither will sit for long periods of time and hang out, but a rat would be the better option of the two.
If you're interested in more than one mouse or more than one rat, both are social towards their own kind. It's best to house two females (mice or rats), versus two males. Although, it's not impossible to have two males housed together, sometimes, it can create territorial concerns. When housing two males together, you;re best bet is to bring home two males together, versus introduce one at a later time. I personally, think that you're best bet is to stick with two females of either mice or rats.
Fancy Mice
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Mice (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
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All About Your Mouse (All About Your Pets Series)
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Guide to Owning a Mouse
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The Mouse : an Owners Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet
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Fancy Rats
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Rats: Complete Care Guide
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Rats
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List Price: $7.99 |
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Fancy Rats (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
Price: $2.70
List Price: $8.99 |
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The Rat: An Owner's Guide toa Happy Healthy Pet
Price: $1.48
List Price: $12.95 |
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Comments
Tiffany, I have 3 female rats.
Aren't rats something ! My rat is gray and has a black spot on her ear .
Those are very cute rats. I'm gonna get another rat. What do you think I should name it ? If this helps she is gonna be a hooded rat. A freind is giving her to me .
I don't think that I've seen a gray rat. I've seen blue and silver ones, maybe that's what I'm thinking.
When you introduce the new rats, do so slowly. You may want to try two cages next to each other for a while and letting them play together outside the cage. Then try putting both in the bigger of the 2 cages for a little bit to see how it goes. Just a tip.
You may want to check out the new rat's personality. Does it already have a name? Some rats will respond to a name, but that doesn't mean that you can't change it.
My hooded female (in the picture above) is named Zoe, she'll come out of her house when I say Doe-Doe. her pet name started as Zo and progressed to Doe, then Doe-Doe.
No, she does'nt have a name yet. I'm going to get her on this Sunday . My other rat "Ratella" is kinda darker than the male mouse picture. Ratella is very sweet . And very tame. So put them in 2 cages for about 2weeks ? or play it by ear and see how it goes? I've gone over to see it and it is very playful.
no no no no no ! what are you saying ?!! male rats are PERFECTLY capable, if not more capable of living together with their own gender despite whether or not they are related. rats, disregarding gender, must ALWAYS, ALWAYS be kept in pairs or more.
Actually, that's not 100% true. Male rats and male mice can have territorial problems if not introduced young. They don't necessarily have to be related, when it comes to males, it's best to introduce young.
I've had male rats, unrelated, fine to start, but after a few months start bullying each other, more than normal rat wrestling and play.
That's because they're trying to take position of the alpha rat. The rough play will only last for a while until it's certain between the two which one is more dominant than the other. It's common in a lot of animals.
Not necessarily... There is a big difference in determining dominance, rough housing, and fighting... My girls rough house and have decided dominance. Males can have serious territorial concerns, especially when adding a new male to an existing male. It may work for you, but it's not suggested by most long term rat raisers and such. I will admit, though, that it's not impossible to house two or more males in the same cage.
I've housed up to eight bucks in the same cage at any one time. But usually, before and after they went, I only had 4 max together at any one time because I wanted to move onto concentrating on does (I kept bucks for about eight years). There was hardly any rough play, apart from when they were going through their hormonal stages or fighting for dominance, and the most that resulted from that was
the occasionally abscess. If bucks are seriously harming each other for long periods of time, they're probably having hormonal imbalances and need neutering.
I'm not saying it's impossible to house more than one male together, but there are cases where it just doesn't work out. Even with prolonged periods of determining dominance, it can stress out the beta of the two rats.
I'm quite sure that rats will be more stressed living alone than they would be living with a cage mate that harrasses them. I suppose the only responsible thing to resort to in a situation such as that is to get both of them neutered.
I meant to mention earlier, that I have a friend who's male rat has a heart disorder (at this moment, I forget what exactly), but he must live alone. Recommended by the vet.
Neutering is a great idea, but in many cases vets will not neuter them, not just rats, but specialty/exotic pets. One must find a vet who will see rats, and is fluent with their care, as a dog or cat vet is not the best option. So, in many cases, a vet with these requirements, may be accessible.
i h8 rats im getting some mice 2marrow
Hi Whitney- Guess we do have things in common! :-D lol Your rats are so adoreable. Love the info to! I am soo eager to write but afraid I won't have much time this weekend. =/ Sorry! =)
Thank you. And we do have things in common. I have homemade rat treats and homemade rat diet recipes as well. Here on HubPages you have all the time. Make sure that you have time to devote to a hub before you slap something together. I can't wait to read your hubs when you do have the time.
i really want to get two rats (female) but my mum wont let... instead she wants mice :S, ive told her many times over that rats smell less and are more sociable but she doesnt listen... any tips on something i could say to make her change her mind?
Because all parents are different, I'm not sure what exactlyl you could tell her. I will say rats are much more social and less likely to bit than mice are.
working
tiffany says:
6 months ago
I think people should get a pet rat because they are smarter, and they give you more effection. I have a rat named Cleoratra! she is a hooded rat.
Do you have a rat Whitney?