Are rats good as Pets? if they are what do i need?

what sort of stuff do i need like Cage and food toys ect





give information like what type of cage and Size (mm, hight ect.)


and are the good pets???





i was told there like tiny dogsAre rats good as Pets? if they are what do i need?
Yes, they are like little dogs. They are very smart and love attention. They're amazing pets :)





Stuff you'll need: http://tessastarrsrats.weebly.com/respon鈥?/a>


Toys: http://tessastarrsrats.weebly.com/toys.h鈥?/a>


Choosing a rat: http://tessastarrsrats.weebly.com/choosi鈥?/a>


Treats: http://tessastarrsrats.weebly.com/forbid鈥?/a>Are rats good as Pets? if they are what do i need?
As a rat owner, I'd be the first to say that they're amazing little pets! I've had them for years, and always love them to death. If you get a rat, make sure you have somewhere to keep its cage that' out of direct sunlight, but not in the dark, either, make sure you have lots of things for them to chew on and play with! Water bottles, always full of clean, cool water is a must, (always water bottles and never bowls, because they like to overturn their bowls!)





Most pet stores will sell rat food and have particular treats. By necessity (like rabbits and many other rodents, their teeth never stop growing) I suggest flavored wood for chewing on, and wood with things inside, so they have something to earn, you can find both of those things at pet stores, easily! Colors and shapes are very good, as well, as rats are very, very intelligent. I recommend the balls they can walk around the floors on, but make -sure- you get one that's rat-sized and not one for a mouse or hamster or gerbil -- it will be -much- too small.





Insofar as similarities to dogs, rats are fully capable of leaning their names and tricks, like dogs, and they like affection, and attention. Just make sure you have time every day to play with them and you keep fresh, crisp veggies and fruits for treats and snacks, and insofar as cage size make sure your new pet has -lots- of room! Additionally, I do recommend wire cages, with dual levels if you can, rats -love- to climb! And no one likes to be cramped in. I tend to favor fancy blue rats, but have noticed very little difference in particular breed.





Absolutely get one of the little guys though! And enjoy!
rats are amazing pets they are smart, social, rarely bite, and can be litter trained. NEVER GET A CAGE WITH A WIRE FLOOR WILL BRAKE LEGS. below i will give u some sites
http://onemillionrats.com should answer most of your questions, but i'll give you little extra details myself (:





1. Rats are amazing pets. they are like little tiny dogs. they are also like cats, and people to. they play and love you like a dog. they have the balance like a cat, and the climbing ability, and they have feelings like us. they are such complicated animals (:


2. cage - for a first time owner wih a budget i suggest - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js鈥?/a> - i have this for my 2 females at the moment. it is quite large, but i want larger so im looking into cages that can hold 10+ rats. this cage is only $30 and is a perfect starter (: btw it has to be a wired cage. it cannot be an aquarium.


3. my rats dont like toys, but some do. they usually like bird toys a lot, and the little jungly cat toys. they'll sometimes play with dog toys.


4. the cage needs to be BIG. the cage needs to be 2 cubic feet per rat. i suggest looking at this - http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.sht鈥?/a> - make sure to change it to inches!





good luck!
just a small little tip, get two rats they need company!


~i'd say more but the others beat me to it n_n~
Rats are great if you like them!]





Owning rats





In my opinion rats are one of the best animals. I have 3 males as of right now and though they stink it is worth it for the most part. If you are thinking of getting rats than this could be helpful.


Lets start with supplies though cheap, rats are rather expensive. You need approximately $70 in just supplies. That doesn鈥檛 include cage! Rats need big cages, like ferret nations and such. Which can be pricey, some people make cages, and claim they鈥檙e the best. I have bought all my cages, but often have to replace them. I have been wanting to make one, but am rather building inclined. I have never even tried, I am creative but not with wood or metal or three dimensional objects. The only reason I am writing this is because when I got rats I knew nothing, since then I research almost constantly.


WITH RATS LITTLE THINGS CAN BE BIG MATTERS, BEDDING ESPECIALLY!





GOOD BEDDINGS


CAREFRESH- rather expensive, soft, absorbent, barely dusty.


ASPEN- messy, cheap, somewhat absorbent.


YESTERDAYS NEWS- can be pricey, very absorbent, contains odor well, hard pellets.





NEVER EVER USE THE FOLLOWING








PINE


CLAY CAT LITTER


CEDAR


SAWDUST





With some stinky rats you may find it necessary to get Marshal Bi-odor, you spray it in their water, and it helps stop odor, it really works. You can also get this spray at Wal-Mart called Fresh Results, you can clean the cage with it, spray it on the beddings, and it really works. Contrary to what some people say, rats are not really that clean. Sure the rats themselves groom a lot, but they will trash the cage. I used to have to clean the cage every day. That is a lot of bedding! Then I started using BI-odor and the spray. Now I clean it 1-2 times a week, I use yesterdays news.


Well, rats being intelligent need toys, to keep their mind stimulated. Parrot toys work well, climbing ropes are fun, boxes are great. WHEELS- often a waste of money, it is rare a rat will run for more than 5 minutes. Rats are smart and often won鈥檛 even waste their time. Mine found it more entertaining to go to the bathroom on it, than to run on it. Now cages can be difficult, rats need 2 square feet each, more is much, much, much better. I like cages that have large doors and easy maneuvering shelves, rats need to climb to be happy, and hammocks are a great investment.


Though I have 3 rats I recommend only two. Rats require a lot of time out of their cage, which can be hard with a lot of rats. Free ranging especially, to keep head count with more than two can be hard. Yes rats need to be able to leave their cage. You will need a room or large area to let your rats be free in. With careful supervision, rats are naturally curious and always want to get into everything. Rat proofing a room is simple


Make sure no cords are around


No holes


No low furniture


Few hiding places


Safe


No dangerous plants


Doors are sealed


SUPERVISION IS A NESSESITY





Food is an important aspect of life for a rat. It is best to get a specially formulated rat diet block. If you go to a store to get rat food and come back with seeds, you got the wrong thing. Seeds are high in fat and low in nutrients, not only should seed be treats only, you must also give fresh fruits and vegetables. Rats should have food available to them all day. Good foods are easily found online. I only know a few off the top of my head, those are carrots, peas, apple slices, corn, raw pasta, cooked meat, cooked pasta, whole grain rice, avocado with no skin, ripe bananas, water melon rinds, water melon, cantaloupe fruit only, strawberries, blueberries, and cherries with no pit. Bad food include raw meat, banana peels, raw potato, potato skins, raw sweet potato, dried corn, lettuce has no nutritional value to rats though it won鈥檛 hurt. Rats can be given the occasional dark chocolate chip. It is believed to ease breathing.


Like all pets rats need to have veterinary care also, in getting a rat you are promising to be responsible for a life. Though I completely understand if you have a rat that never gets to see a vet. My mom thinks rats are disposable pets I tried to explain that their not, but she said no vet for the rat. If it is suffering than I will pay to have it put to sleep. So I will not complain if you don鈥檛, I think of it as if you hadn鈥檛 got the rat it would be snake food. So there fore you saved the rats life once already.


No rat hater knows the bond rat owners share with their rats, if only they could see that the relationship is like family. If anyone says rats are gross to you or, they say haven鈥檛 you ever heard of the black plague. If so say have you ever heard of what really caused the plague, or do you have a dog or cat? If they say yes than say, than you should know fleas caused the plague. Not to mention black rats carried the fleas, but brown rats ended it. So who really saved us?


Rats can be taught tricks, such as kiss, beg, come, and walk on two legs. They also ca