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	<title>How To Keep And Care For Pet Rats  </title>
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	<link>http://pet-rats.co.uk</link>
	<description>Guide To The Care Of Pet Rats And Tips For Choosing And Keeping Fancy Pet Rats</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:13:21 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Transgenic Rats: How To Train Your Transgenic Rats?</title>
		<link>http://pet-rats.co.uk/transgenic-rats/transgenic-rats-how-to-train-your-transgenic-rats/</link>
		<comments>http://pet-rats.co.uk/transgenic-rats/transgenic-rats-how-to-train-your-transgenic-rats/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:13:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Trevor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Transgenic Rats]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pet-rats.co.uk/?p=26</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The trend of having transgenic rats as pet is increasing rapidly and people now prefer these new pets over traditional pets. These pets are very easy to handle and one can easily give time to them that they require. Transgenic &#8230; <a href="http://pet-rats.co.uk/transgenic-rats/transgenic-rats-how-to-train-your-transgenic-rats/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-7" title="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx" src="http://pet-rats.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/petrats.jpg" alt="" width="189" height="250" /></a>The trend of having transgenic rats as pet is increasing rapidly and people now prefer these new pets over traditional pets.</p>
<p>These pets are very easy to handle and one can easily give time to them that they require.</p>
<p>Transgenic rats are considered as great pets and the reason behind this is their obedient behavior and low cost of food.</p>
<p>People don&#8217;t have to spend heavy amount of money on their food and nor on their living area.</p>
<p>They don&#8217;t require huge amount of time from you as if you keep them in cage for the whole day till then they will be happy with you.</p>
<p> Similar is the case with transgenic mice as you are not required to put some extra efforts to keep them under you instructions.</p>
<p>Only you have to do is to give them proper food and they will remain your obedient pet forever.</p>
<p>The next thing that you have to keep in your mind is that you should provide a safe place to transgenic rats in your house.</p>
<p>You have to keep everything away from the cage of rats which can be harmful for them.</p>
<p>The next thing is you have to clean the cage of your pets on regular basis. In this regard, the cage should be designed in such a way that it would easy for you to clean it on regular basis.</p>
<p>You should place some toys in the cage of rats so that they can pass their time while playing with them.</p>
<p>Transgenic rats are considered as the intelligent and clever rats among all other rats. It&#8217;s your responsibility as a trainer to provide them all required things which they deserve. In this regard, cage of these rats comes at the first place that should be designed and decorated in a beautiful and comfortable way.</p>
<p>The first thing that you have to decide is either of which material you are going to use to build the cage for your transgenic mice or rats. After finalizing the material, you have to decide the size of cage as normally the size of cage should be 2.5&#8242; long and 1.5&#8242; high and same would be the width as well.</p>
<p>Trend of having transgenic rats as pet is increasing rapidly and people now prefer these new pets over traditional pets. These pets are very easy to handle and one can easily give time to them that they require.</p>
<p>There are many misconceptions about transgenic mice that they mostly carry diseases or they live in unclean environment but the reality is very different from these misconceptions.</p>
<p>With the passage of time, these misconceptions are growing under shadow and people now prefer to have rats and mice as their lovely pet. As per latest studies, rats are most intelligent rodent on this planet and no other rodent can compete with them in intelligence.</p>
<p>Taking care of your transgenic rats becomes easier if you know the proper ways of handling them. In this regard, a clicker is the most important tool that is being used by the majority of trainers to train these kinds of rodents.
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		<title>Pet Rats: Having A Rat As A Pet And Why I Got Rats As Pets</title>
		<link>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rats/pet-rats-having-a-rat-as-a-pet-and-why-i-got-rats-as-pets/</link>
		<comments>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rats/pet-rats-having-a-rat-as-a-pet-and-why-i-got-rats-as-pets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:09:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Trevor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pet Rats]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pet-rats.co.uk/?p=23</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pet rats are usually very clean, sometimes taking hours out of each day to groom themselves.  Their tails are another matter altogether though, because pet rats won&#8217;t always clean their tails as much as they clean the rest of their &#8230; <a href="http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rats/pet-rats-having-a-rat-as-a-pet-and-why-i-got-rats-as-pets/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-7" title="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx" src="http://pet-rats.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/petrats.jpg" alt="" width="189" height="250" /></a>Pet rats are usually very clean, sometimes taking hours out of each day to groom themselves. </p>
<p>Their tails are another matter altogether though, because pet rats won&#8217;t always clean their tails as much as they clean the rest of their bodies. </p>
<p>Pet rats usually live between 1-3 years old. </p>
<p>It is sad to see they don&#8217;t live very long so you should love and care for your pet rat as long as you can. </p>
<p>Our first pet rat lived for around two years and it was very sad to see her go. </p>
<p>It is common for pet rats to get cancer tumours, respiratory disease and bladder infections as they grow older. </p>
<p>Many people who have never had a pet rat believe that rats carry diseases and they become afraid of them. </p>
<p>Despite what you may have heard, pet rats are clean creatures. </p>
<p>In fact ours have been so clean that we kept them in the living room with us as they love company. </p>
<p>They do not like mess and can even be toilet trained by providing a special litter tray and keeping it cleaned out for them i.e. removing their droppings reasonably frequently. </p>
<p>They &#8220;enjoy&#8221; the occasional bath too &#8211; well sort of &#8211; I think they enjoy being dried off with a towel more. Incidentally, they are natural swimmers. </p>
<p>Use a shampoo from the pet store that is suitable for rats and it will help keep down any mite problems. </p>
<p>There are very few dangers of keeping pet rats, but only if those rats are domesticated and kept in cages. Rats that have ever been wild may carry a number of diseases that can be transmitted to humans. </p>
<p>When rats have never lived in the wild, the dangers of getting a disease from a rat are nearly eradicated. Even so, humans should not handle pet rats that may have a disease if there is any risk of transmission. </p>
<p>Many pet rats are extremely friendly to children and safe for kids to play with. They are more curious then many people would think. They are adventurous animals that have their own personalities. </p>
<p>Some pet rats are shy and timid while others may be mean and aggressive. If you are considering getting a pet rat for your child, examine the rats attitude and actions first. Also, find out the rat&#8217;s life history. </p>
<p>Many pet rats have been abused and neglected which leads the rat to believe they need to bite and protect themselves. It is a natural instinct for rats to try to survive so they hoard food and make rats nests. The best way to choose a safe rat is to buy it from a pet store and raise it from a young age. </p>
<p>Good toys to give your pet rats are chews and wood blocks as rats love to gnaw. Not all rats like exercise wheels and if you do get one for your rats make sure it&#8217;s a spoke-less kind so your rat&#8217;s tail doesn&#8217;t get pinched in the spokes. </p>
<p>Pet Rats love shredding things so be sure to provide them with empty cardboard toilet rolls. You can find special shredding toys at the pet shop which contain a treat in the center of cardboard layers that the rat has to shred to get to the treat. This is very entertaining for rats.
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		<title>Pet Rat Supplies: Can A Pet Rats Lifespan Be Extended?</title>
		<link>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rat-supplies/pet-rat-supplies-can-a-pet-rats-lifespan-be-extended/</link>
		<comments>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rat-supplies/pet-rat-supplies-can-a-pet-rats-lifespan-be-extended/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:04:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Trevor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pet Rat Supplies]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I used to buy a lot of the pet rat supplies found in places like PetSmart but they can sometimes be expensive and fatty which is not healthy or good for my budget. My new favourite place to find pet &#8230; <a href="http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rat-supplies/pet-rat-supplies-can-a-pet-rats-lifespan-be-extended/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-7" title="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx" src="http://pet-rats.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/petrats.jpg" alt="" width="189" height="250" /></a>I used to buy a lot of the pet rat supplies found in places like PetSmart but they can sometimes be expensive and fatty which is not healthy or good for my budget.</p>
<p>My new favourite place to find pet rat supplies is in the baby food isle and the organic food section in the grocery store.</p>
<p>In both sections you can find dried fruits and healthy snacks for your pet rats.</p>
<p>Once you have decided that rats are for you, be sure to do some advanced planning before going to your nearest pet store and buying the first rat you see.</p>
<p>Purchasing a new pet should never be an impulsive act. Research the aspects of rat ownership and be sure to have a cage, accessories, and the right pet rat supplies ready in advance.</p>
<p>Pet Rat Supplies and Accessories:  Rats need a water bottle, a food dish for fresh and dry foods. </p>
<p>Most rats will use a litter box if it is placed in the corner they choose for a toilet and they are properly taught how to use it.</p>
<p>A concrete block, bird pedicure perch or similar toys in the cage will help keep their toenails short. </p>
<p>Rats also need sleeping quarters and enjoy hammocks, small rat houses, igloos and small cardboard boxes.</p>
<p>It’s important to keep the cage clean since the ammonia formed from urine aggravates respiratory disease, the leading cause of death in rats. </p>
<p>Avoid pine and cedar shavings as they contain compounds that damage the respiratory tract and toxins that damage the liver and other organs, often causing severe and permanent damage or death. </p>
<p>There are many good alternatives including aspen shavings, recycled newspaper pellets, and even rabbit food (alfalfa pellets) can be used as pet rat supplies for bedding.</p>
<p>As transgenic mice and rats are rodents so you should place things in their cage to gnaw. By doing all these things, you have made sure that your pet would remain happy at their home and they aren&#8217;t going to face any kind of difficulty while living there.</p>
<p>The last thing about which you have to take special care is to feed them regularly with different kinds of food. Don&#8217;t feed them with same pet rat supplies on daily basis as they don&#8217;t like same thing to eat on regular basis.</p>
<p>You can buy a great number of toys for the rats, but I enjoy making my own for them as well. Most toys I make consist of some sort of rat food or pet rat supplies made inaccessible, and then allow them to work out how to get to it.</p>
<p>Start simple my wrapping a small treat inside lots of pieces of paper, rather like a pass the parcel. You&#8217;ll soon have the rats tearing through the paper!</p>
<p>Other challenges for them include suspending a carrot from the top of the cage and letting them work out how to get it, rope ladders to climb to get to the dinner bowl, and large boxes full of packing chips and a couple of rat treats (beware they will throw out all the packing chips looking for the food and pet rat supplies).
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		<title>Pet Rat: How To Take Care Of Your Own Pet Rat</title>
		<link>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rat/pet-rat-how-to-take-care-of-your-own-pet-rat/</link>
		<comments>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rat/pet-rat-how-to-take-care-of-your-own-pet-rat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:00:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Trevor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pet Rat]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pet-rats.co.uk/?p=19</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Choosing a rat as a pet may at first seem a little bizarre, after all there are plenty of other animals out there that make more &#8216;typical&#8217; pets.  However for me I decided to have pet rat for a number &#8230; <a href="http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rat/pet-rat-how-to-take-care-of-your-own-pet-rat/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-7" title="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx" src="http://pet-rats.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/petrats.jpg" alt="" width="189" height="250" /></a>Choosing a rat as a pet may at first seem a little bizarre, after all there are plenty of other animals out there that make more &#8216;typical&#8217; pets. </p>
<p>However for me I decided to have pet rat for a number of reasons. </p>
<p>Other than diseases, the dangers of keeping a pet rat are is similar to those of keeping other pets. </p>
<p>Rats can bite or scratch and can be aggressive if handled or raised improperly. </p>
<p>Most rats are relatively small, meaning that the capacity of a rat to injure a human is likely less than that of a dog. </p>
<p>Even so, rat bites can be painful and can get seriously infected, so it is not a good idea to touch or handle a rat unless it is familiar. </p>
<p>The Pet Rat Assistance &amp; Teaching Society has established these standards of excellence for providing customers with the best quality pet rat and mice possible. </p>
<p>The practice of selling rats and mice from the same breeding stock for both pets and feeders either violates the human/animal bond, or means that they are not the highest quality pets. </p>
<p>The highest quality pet rats and mice trust humans absolutely and are personable and loving like dogs. </p>
<p>Most people have never met the ideal pet rat or mouse because most rats and mice are not produced according to these standards. </p>
<p>A single Pet rat usually live between 1-3 years old. It is sad to see they don&#8217;t live very long so you should love and care for your pet rat as long as you can. </p>
<p>Our first pet rat lived for around two years and it was very sad to see her go. It is common for pet rats to get cancer tumors, respiratory disease and bladder infections as they grow older. </p>
<p>Many people who have never had a pet rat believes that rats carry diseases and they become afraid of them. </p>
<p>If you are considering getting a pet rat for your child, examine the rats attitude and actions first. Also, find out the rat&#8217;s life history.</p>
<p>Many a pet rat has been abused and neglected which leads the rat to believe they need to bite and protect themselves. </p>
<p>It is a natural instinct for rats to try to survive so they hoard food and make rats nests. The best way to choose a safe rat is to buy it from a pet store and raise it from a young age. </p>
<p>You can easily litter train your pet rats. This can be done by providing them with a litter box (corner litter boxes sold at most pet shops are ideal for this) and waiting for them to do their business, then pick up the droppings and put them in the litter box.</p>
<p>Show the rat the litter box with the droppings and in no time they&#8217;ll learn to use their litter box on their own. </p>
<p>Many apartments won&#8217;t allow dogs or cats, and it may simply be impractical to have larger pets in some houses. In those situations a pet rat is perfect. </p>
<p>Cages for your pet rat usually don&#8217;t take up much room at all which makes pet rats great for small apartments.
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		<title>Pet Rats Care Guide: Choosing And Obtaining A Pet Rat Cage</title>
		<link>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rat-cage/pet-rats-care-guide-choosing-and-obtaining-a-pet-rat-cage/</link>
		<comments>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rat-cage/pet-rats-care-guide-choosing-and-obtaining-a-pet-rat-cage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:55:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Trevor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pet Rat Cage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pet-rats.co.uk/?p=16</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The relationship between people and rats goes back in history a lot farther than wire mesh pet rat cage and clicker training. Rats were worshiped by ancient Egyptians and they are thought to be a symbol of wealth in Japan. &#8230; <a href="http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rat-cage/pet-rats-care-guide-choosing-and-obtaining-a-pet-rat-cage/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-7" title="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx" src="http://pet-rats.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/petrats.jpg" alt="" width="189" height="250" /></a>The relationship between people and rats goes back in history a lot farther than wire mesh pet rat cage and clicker training.</p>
<p>Rats were worshiped by ancient Egyptians and they are thought to be a symbol of wealth in Japan.</p>
<p>People in China, consider rats a symbol of prosperity and there is a temple dedicated to them in India.</p>
<p>There are records of rats being kept as pets by people in England during the 1800s and the first rat club was established in 1976.</p>
<p>Getting a pet rat cage doesn’t have to be difficult at all. There are several different types of cages available and each have advantages and disadvantages of their own.</p>
<p>Buy the largest suitable pet rat cage you can afford. By &#8220;suitable&#8221; I mean a cage designed with rats in mind.</p>
<p>Rats can suffer from something called &#8220;bumble foot&#8221; which can be rather unpleasant for them. The right kind of cage can help to prevent this. We purchased a &#8220;Jenny Cage&#8221;.</p>
<p>Cages with wire bases are definitely not suitable. Similarly wheels that they run around in should not be wire ones. Inside the pet rat cage, make sure they have plenty of things to do.</p>
<p>Provide tubes, ladders, climbing ropes, etc., so they can have fun whilst they are part of your family. Rats do not live very long &#8211; around three years is good.</p>
<p>Before obtaining a pet rat think about your own lifestyle. Make sure that you have the time to interact on a daily basis with your rat.</p>
<p>Keep in mind you will need to thoroughly clean the pet rat cage on, at least, a weekly basis. If you travel be sure that you can either take your rat, or provide them with an adequate sitter.</p>
<p>Think about whether or not you have a veterinarian that will see your pet and keep in mind that there will be medical expenses at some-time or another in your new pet&#8217;s life.</p>
<p>If anyone would want a rat as a pet they would have to go to a pet store and buy one. You could not take one of the streets because they could carry nasty diseases. Rats are very cheap to keep and require little care. Rats take up little room.</p>
<p>They only need a special pet rat cage. Rats are ideal for people who are living in small houses or apartments. Rats are suitable pets for children but the children need supervision by an adult to care for them. Rats are very sociable and love the company of another rat.</p>
<p>You can buy a great number of toys for the rats, but I enjoy making my own for them as well. Most toys I make consist of some sort of rat food or treat made inaccessible, and then allow them to work out how to get to it.</p>
<p>Start simple my wrapping a small treat inside lots of pieces of paper, rather like a pass the parcel.</p>
<p>You&#8217;ll soon have the rats tearing through the paper! Other challenges for them include suspending a carrot from the top of the Pet Rat cage and letting them work out how to get it, rope ladders to climb to get to the dinner bowl, and large boxes full of packing chips and a couple of rat treats (beware they WILL throw out all the packing chips looking for the food).
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		<title>Fancy Rats: How To Make A Fancy Rat Feel At Home</title>
		<link>http://pet-rats.co.uk/fancy-rats/fancy-rats-how-to-make-a-fancy-rat-feel-at-home/</link>
		<comments>http://pet-rats.co.uk/fancy-rats/fancy-rats-how-to-make-a-fancy-rat-feel-at-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:48:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Trevor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fancy Rats]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[If you haven&#8217;t already bought your pet rats (sometimes referred to as &#8220;fancy rats&#8221;), then here is a bonus tip:  Only buy female fancy rats (check they&#8217;re not pregnant first!).  The reason?  Simple. They don&#8217;t smell. Male ones do &#8211; &#8230; <a href="http://pet-rats.co.uk/fancy-rats/fancy-rats-how-to-make-a-fancy-rat-feel-at-home/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx"></a><a href="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-7" title="http://tgd4.co.uk/petratcare.aspx" src="http://pet-rats.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/petrats.jpg" alt="" width="189" height="250" /></a>If you haven&#8217;t already bought your pet rats (sometimes referred to as &#8220;fancy rats&#8221;), then here is a bonus tip: </p>
<p>Only buy female fancy rats (check they&#8217;re not pregnant first!). </p>
<p>The reason? </p>
<p>Simple. They don&#8217;t smell. Male ones do &#8211; sorry guys. </p>
<p>This makes it a lot easier to care for them in terms of keeping the cage all fresh and wonderful. </p>
<p>People own fancy rats for a variety of reasons as they are pets that can be good companions just like any kind of animal. </p>
<p>Pets have been known  to have qualities that stretch to health benefits such as stress  relief.</p>
<p>Rats have a bad reputation, but people should not right them off based simply on their reputation in the wild (and on television).  If they do they could be missing out on a friendly and reliable companion.</p>
<p>Most people start off with just a single rat or a pair of fancy rats. But it doesn&#8217;t take long for some people to fall under their spell and run right back to the petstore for just &#8220;one more.&#8221; </p>
<p>And too often the &#8220;just one more&#8221; turns into 5 or 10 more rats. In the fancy there is even an acronym for this type of behavior. It is GGMR, and it means &#8220;Gotta Get More Rats.&#8221; </p>
<p>So be sure to take it slow and not overwhelm yourself with more fancy rats than you can care for. </p>
<p>Get your vet to show you how to clip a fancy rats nails &#8211; generally only the back claws need to be clipped and then you only need to clip the very tip of the nail. Once you have been shown how to do it you can carry on the nail-clipping routine at home using small scissors. </p>
<p>Care must be taken not to clip too close to the base of the nail where the nerve is as this will cause your rat pain and the cut will bleed (sometimes quite profusely, which can be dangerous for your rat). </p>
<p>You can add rocks or bricks (clean) to your rats cage for climbing on as these helps to keep the claws short and blunt, and letting your rats run on carpet and shelving also helps. </p>
<p>Fancy rats are great pets for apartments and large homes. They travel well and thrive on attention. Rats are very adaptable animals are will easily learn to live in most households. </p>
<p>As long as rats are given space, care, and safety, most fancy rats can adapt to almost any environment. </p>
<p>Common Health Problems: On average, fancy rats live only two to three years. Proper nutrition, exercise, and veterinary care can help keep your rat healthy and can often prevent many problems from occurring in the first place.  </p>
<p>The most common health problem in rats is upper or lower respiratory infections.  Avoid choosing a rat that frequently sneezes or makes noise when breathing.  If your rat has these symptoms, consult a rat knowledgeable vet for advice and treatment options.  </p>
<p>If you have any experience with other rodents such as hamsters, mice or gerbils you may be afraid of biting. This is almost unheard of with domesticated rats. </p>
<p>Unlike their rodent cousins, rats are generally docile creatures. Most of the time rats just like to lie around, especially males. Fancy rats can easily be trained to be good lap pets.
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		<title>How To Care For Pet Rats: Why Rats Make Better Pets Than Cats and Dogs</title>
		<link>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rats/how-to-care-for-pet-rats-why-rats-make-better-pets-than-cats-and-dogs/</link>
		<comments>http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rats/how-to-care-for-pet-rats-why-rats-make-better-pets-than-cats-and-dogs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Trevor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pet Rats]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[While pet rats make fantastic pets, there is not much information on how to care for them.  One way to fix this is to look into getting a well written pet rat guide. Let&#8217;s start with the pet rats themselves. &#8230; <a href="http://pet-rats.co.uk/pet-rats/how-to-care-for-pet-rats-why-rats-make-better-pets-than-cats-and-dogs/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_7" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 199px"><a href="http://spikezak1.jaenterpr.hop.clickbank.net"><img class="size-full wp-image-7 " title="http://spikezak1.jaenterpr.hop.clickbank.net" src="http://pet-rats.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/petrats.jpg" alt="" width="189" height="250" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">While pet rats make fantastic pets, there is not much information on how to care for them. One way to fix this is to look into getting a well written pet rat guide.</p></div>
<p>While pet rats make fantastic pets, there is not much information on how to care for them. </p>
<p>One way to fix this is to look into getting a well written pet rat guide.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s start with the pet rats themselves.</p>
<p>First of all in a way, they are like little humans &#8212; they thrive on love and affection, cuddles, being taken out of the cage and even being taken with you when you go out anywhere, though you might get some odd reactions!</p>
<p>They are very sociable animals.</p>
<p>Fancy pet rats have a decreased sensitivity to light and sound.</p>
<p>They are, also, more comfortable around people and other animals than their wild counterparts. These are positive difference. On the negative side, fancy rats can contract the pneumococcal infection from humans.</p>
<p>This prevents a significant health risk for these pets. While they may be more susceptible to some illnesses, their average lifespan is almost 2 years longer.</p>
<p>This is mostly due to the cleaner living conditions that they enjoy, as well as, the higher quality of food and owners attention to their health.</p>
<p>Feeding pet rats is not difficult, but it is important to use a diet specifically designed for pet rats for the bulk of the diet. </p>
<p>There are some homemade diets recommended by experts, but you must stick to these very well and make sure your rats get a variety of fresh supplements, or else the diet can end up imbalanced. </p>
<p>However, some commercial diets meant for rats can end up being imbalanced too, if the rat is able to pick and choose their favourite parts and leave the rest. </p>
<p>For most owners, a combination of a good rat block and some fresh treats as supplements is the easiest and best way to provide a balanced diet.</p>
<p>Despite the popularity of pet rats, many people are disgusted by even the sight of a rat, yet adore &#8220;cuter&#8221; animals like hamsters and rabbits. </p>
<p>This attitude towards rats likely stems from their reputation as a pest and carrier of disease.  Indeed, throughout history, rats have infested grain supplies, homes, and even supplied plagues, leading to their demonization. </p>
<p>However, the domestic rat is not deserving of this adversity, since it is bred for its social nature and of course domestic rats very rarely harbour diseases that affect humans.</p>
<p>Contrary to popular belief pet rats are not pets that you can just keep in a cage and forget about. They are highly intelligent, active, fun and very cute little critters.</p>
<p>They need plenty of things to keep them occupied when you are not around. They enjoy playing with toys with you and on their own.</p>
<p>It is also very important to have more than one rat, so that they can keep each other company during the day.</p>
<p>A great guide for caring for pet rats is Colin Patterson&#8217;s guide. </p>
<p>His guide will not only teach you the basics like house breaking, habitat building, and feeding, but will also teach you neat tricks that will astound your friends and help create a loving relationship between you and your Pet Rats.
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