[shazamataz]

Ok so we are thinking about getting a rat.

I don't really want to spend $150 on the cages they have in town so I was looking for alternatives.
I though ooooh we have a 3ft fish tank in the shed... but then I looked online and nope, can't use that, not enough ventilation.

Then I remembered my MIL has an old bird cage in the shed, it would be perfect for a rat... but then I looked online and found that you shouldn't have only 1 rat, you need a pair, it's not big enough for 2 rats.

Then I came up with the bright idea of going to a glasier and getting ventilation holes cut in the fish tank.

Anyone know if that would be OK? And do you really NEED 2 rats or could you just have 1? It would be housed in the living room where we spend most of our time.

Also (grasping at straws) could you have a rat and a rabbit together... not LIVING together, but could I combine Dora and the rats free-run time in the house or would that be asking for trouble?

[tickle]

I have often heard that rats make good pets. There is absolutely no yuck factor involved with them, they clean are and very social. Unfortunately get a bad rap from horror movies.

Here is a website that you can read through. I think its pretty good information for someone wishing one for a pet, but, they are classed as 'exotic pets' which I think come with some handling and housing restrictions.

Yes, I think having the holes cut in that aquarium would work.

Exoticpets.about.com/cs/careofrats/a/ratsaspets.htm

[Alty]

Sorry Shazzy, I don't know much about rats.

I do know that the concern with a glass enclosure is not air holes, but heat. Glass holds in heat and doesn't ventilate well. I don't think drilling holes will help much, but that's just my opinion. ;)

Well, here goes my first post on the new skin. I hope it works. ;)

[shazamataz]

Yeah, I'm not brave enough to venture into new skin territory just yet, too early in the morning for me.

Heat won't really be a problem as a) it's the middle of winter and b) V hates any sort of heat so it's like a freezer even in summer lol
I'll try and get a wire cage though, even if it's a second hand bird one, I'll just scrub it really well.
It sucks because there used to be basically a reject shop here, but it was a couple of guys who would raid peoples trailers at the dump before it all got thrown out, then sell it super cheap. You could get an old bird cage for $2... they closed down about 6 months ago when they redeisgned the dump.

[Emily94]

I used to have a pet rat, his name was mickey. We found a rabbit cage (Just one you by at the pet shop) for $20 at a garage sale and bought it. We used.. some sort of wire (Chicken wire sort of but smaller) and zip tide it all around the cage. He lived happily in his cage and never escaped, he also lived alone. He lived for five years, after we moved he got sick.

He was a great pet, and pretty interesting. He was extremely friendly, I think I was 9-10 at the time and he never bit me or tried to get away.

If you get a reptile lid for the tank and drill the hole I wouldn't see a problem. Just check the temperature and make sure it is okay, if not I'd go with a different option.

[shazamataz]

Thanks Emily, so you never had any trouble keeping just 1 on it's own... interesting. I told V about having 2 together and his response was "oooh then we can have one each!" But I'm not sure if I'm ready for 2 of them! Heck I'm not sure I'm ready for 1! :D

[Emily94]

Nah, he was a happy little guy all by himself... plus my mom would have died with two running around. She hates mice and rats and such.. Dad thought it was pretty funny though..

[shazamataz]

Years ago my mum bought her friends son a rat for his birthday as a joke (because her friend hated rats)
Turns out he was the best pet they have ever had, they loved him.

From what I have read about males they leave urine spots around the house everywhere to mark their scent... is that true, or just one of those over exaggerated stories?
That's the only thing that turned me off getting a male, even though they are supposed to be cuddlier than females.

[Just_Another_Lemming]

Pssst, shaz...

craigslist: australia classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

Depending on where you live, might find a bargain rat or two with a cage that someone is looking to rehome. :) Or, just a cage?

[Emily94]

He never peed while out of his cage, he pooped a lot... but never peed.

[shazamataz]

Pssst, shaz......

craigslist: australia classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

depending on where you live, might find a bargain rat or two with a cage that someone is looking to rehome. :) Or, just a cage?

There's only 1 thing in my state and it's a wanted ad :rolleyes:
Thanks for the site though, I have it bookmarked so I can keep an eye on it.

[Alty]

I've heard that they're really smart animals and very easy to tame. So are mice. Actually, mice are better than hamsters. When we were getting hammies for the kids I almost decided on a mouse instead. Sadly the cages we had were hamster cages, the bars are too far apart for a mouse. :(

Shazzy, you could always build a cage. You did for Dora, and it was great. :)

I don't know a lot about rats, they're illegal pets here, so are turtles.

[shazamataz]

You can't own rats there? :eek:
Why the heck not!

It's illegal to own rabbits in Queensland because they are considered 'pests'. You can get away with pretty much anything where I live though and if you can't, you can just get a license for it.

We are still deciding... I think I'm nearly a rat expert from the amount of reading I've been doing :p
I thought about building a cage, it probably wouldn't be that hard, and it wouldn't need to be anywhere near as big as the rabbit one we made.
I might go price some wire sheets tomorrow :D

[Emily94]

Personally... I wouldn't make a cage, I'd be to scared they'd get out, but them again I can't build ANYTHING.

[shazamataz]

Hehe, I wouldn't trust myself to build anything either, but my OH is pretty handy with a welder, the indoor bunny cage was near indestructable as far as the metal goes... The lining I chose just happened to get ripped to shreds :rolleyes:

[Alty]

Yup, rats are illegal to own here. They're considered pests, and the fear of breeding, being set loose, starting a rat epidemic, is too great.

Of course there are ways around it, people you can find that have snuck a rat into the province, bred them, and sell them, but those people aren't easy to find, they can't advertise because what they're selling isn't legal.

Turtles, I'm not sure why they're illegal to own, that started a few years ago, before that it was fine. But really, what can a turtle do? It's not like it's going to run away and start a turtle breeding program. ;)

[Catsmine]

What, Cyrus isn't getting enough exercise? You realize Cresteds were brought to China by sailors to kill rats, don't you?

[tickle]

Yup, rats are illegal to own here. They're considered pests, and the fear of breeding, being set loose, starting a rat epidemic, is too great.

I am not too sure it is illegal to keep rats as pets in say Ontario or any other province. I know they are classed as exotic and they are classed that way, they can be kept. In actual fact they are a clean animal, quite intelligent and make a good pet. However, give me time to research this issue and I will get back with a qualified answer as to the legality of rats as pets. Rats live in sewers, that is a given because they are scavengers, same as a lot of animals in the wild but they also live in burrows.

Tick

[Alty]

Tick.

Alberta is the only province in Canada—as well as one of the few places in the world—that is free of Norwegian rats.[51] Since the early 1950s, the government of Alberta has operated a rat-control program, which has been so successful that only isolated instances of wild rat sightings are reported, usually of rats arriving in the province aboard trucks or by rail. In 2006, Alberta Agriculture reports zero findings of wild rats; the only rat interceptions have been domesticated rats that have been seized from their owners. It is illegal for individual Albertans to own or keep Norwegian rats of any description; the animals can be kept in the province by only zoos, universities and colleges, and recognized research institutions. In 2009, several rats were found and captured, in small pockets in Southern Alberta,[52] putting Alberta's rat-free status in jeopardy.

Found

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source...UYOSQA&cad=rja

Under the Fauna section.

[Emily94]

Hmmm, interesting. Can you have mice?