Now everyone's gotten me excited and I'm hoping we're approved to get this little couple. But I guess if we're not, it'll just be one less cage to clean. Right? I don't want to get my hopes up too much!!!
Location: Royse City,Texas (35 miles East of Dallas in the country)
Posts: 1,042
Rats are AWESOME for kids..we have several
and they are freindly...don't bite...my 2yrold can carry them around. you can train them. They come in pretty colors and they only live for 1-3 yrs ...longer if your lucky. They SEEK your companionship..pretty cool!!
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Shelly
Proud Mama to
Rachel 6/96
Clay 11/99
Abigail 6/27/02
Kids with their PopPop..my Dad..wanna guess how old he is???
Location: moving to BFE with the lady and all the wees
Posts: 5,275
I agree w/ Shelly. Chinchillas are ok pets, they sure are cute but a saml cild would have to be CLOSELY supervised with one cause they are so fragile and the yare pretty shy. A RAT on the other hand is just like a dog...i really mean jsut like a dog in temprement. they love you and kiss you, they come in tons of diffferent colors, curly hair, no hair, dwarf, big round cartoon ears (dumbo), and even tailess!
Kids and rats can play prett ywell together cause rats are fairly sturdy, they can't be intentionally squeeezed but they could handle a smaller child without beign emotionally traumatized.
of course i am biased Rats are Awsome!
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“ That child is an abomination! ... Her mother deserves a punishment greater than anything in history.
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RATS?!?! Okay, I gotta admit that my first reaction is something very close to .... revulsion. I mean, I'm a member of the original "Willard" generation. But I'll be open-minded. How does a rat compare with a guinea pig? I know that the guinea pigs are sturdy enough for DD to carry around like a baby, etc. etc., but they STINK!!! What does a rat live in and how often does it have to be cleaned?
Location: Royse City,Texas (35 miles East of Dallas in the country)
Posts: 1,042
Hmm... Rats live in a Ferret cage..or you can use a
super large tank. They like to climb an are active.
If you have more than one rat then...cleaning the cage is done about every 2 days..if one then you can go way longer. Just depends on how tolerant you are. They are NOT as stinky as those little pigs!! I haven't ever met a really social G.pig. Rats are truely a perfect little pet for any age kiddo. THey REALLY like to hang out and be with you. You get them when they are about 8weeks old.
We have three right now and I have found myself attached to them. Truely..you have to look beyond there tail. You can even give them a bath.
Usually you get them in pairs..as in two males or two females. They are really social animals and smart to boot!!
Location: moving to BFE with the lady and all the wees
Posts: 5,275
rats sould be kept in same sex pairs because they are very social and really suffer if they are lone most of the time...if you get them a large wire cage you own't have to change the cage as much, since he will have more room and it'll take longer for the pee to build up. If it is jsut the tail that scares you there are tailess rats..that look alot more like...well not like rats..sort of degu like. ..very cute anyway.
oh and if you do decide to get rats..dont' use pine or cedar s their bedding. it is very harmful to their lungs. alpine, yesterdays news, the other newspaper based bedding, and ccorncobb are all superior beddings..aoem people even use rabbit food..but it gets soggy and your rats might eat to mich of it which could kill them..so i don't suggest it.
OMG! We got the chinchillas the other day and they very nearly KILLED us. Cute as they could be and we got them home and after I had been playing with them for a little while, I started to feel really .... warm. Looked in the mirror and my face was bright fluorescent pink and my ears were on fire. Gradually, my nose and throat started swelling up. Finally, DH got home and took them back, but *WOW* -- what a scare. I've never had an allergic reaction like that to an animal. Chinchillas are in the rat family, so I wonder if I'd have the same kind of reaction. It's a moot point for now, though, because we just found out that we'll have 6 more feral kittens and their mama to care for within the next few days. The chinchillas sure were cute, though! Take a look......
The white one is Bonnie and the male is Clyde. They didn't have the same effect on our daughter, thank goodness. And fortunately, she didn't get upset about having to take them back, because the neon mommy look was pretty frightening to her as well.
But I guess if we're not, it'll just be one less cage to clean. Right? I don't want to get my hopes up too much!!!
Okay, I gotta admit that my first reaction is something very close to .... revulsion. I mean, I'm a member of the original "Willard" generation. But I'll be open-minded. How does a rat compare with a guinea pig? I know that the guinea pigs are sturdy enough for DD to carry around like a baby, etc. etc., but they STINK!!! What does a rat live in and how often does it have to be cleaned?
The chinchillas sure were cute, though! Take a look......
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