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’t always clean their tails as much as they clean the rest of their bodies.
Pet rats usually live between 1-3 years old.
It is sad to see they don’t live very long so you should love and care for your pet rat as long as you can.
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 tumours, respiratory disease and bladder infections as they grow older.
Many people who have never had a pet rat believe that rats carry diseases and they become afraid of them.
Despite what you may have heard, pet rats are clean creatures.
In fact ours have been so clean that we kept them in the living room with us as they love company.
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.
They “enjoy” the occasional bath too – well sort of – I think they enjoy being dried off with a towel more. Incidentally, they are natural swimmers.
Use a shampoo from the pet store that is suitable for rats and it will help keep down any mite problems.
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.
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.
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.
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’s life history.
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.
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’s a spoke-less kind so your rat’s tail doesn’t get pinched in the spokes.
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.
www.pet-rats.co.uk
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