"Best" is relative, but I guess the most wholesome is when I once forgot to lock the cage properly and went to sleep. One of my rats went straight to the bed and proceeded to cuddle, instead of wrecking havoc. It's not that common for rat girls, but she did it anyway, my little champ. She spent all the night there. It was truly a bonding moment, especially since she was a very small ratto at a time and being a kid she's supposed to rather eat the shit out of everything in the room (since socialization is often based on making them not destroy things with teeth)
I've currently got three of them, they are named Kiara (which is the one on my profile pic), Skye and Afum. They have diametrally different characters and behaviours at large, making quite a special team of three rodents. I did, in fact, teach them a few tricks like spinning, fetching and coming over when called by name, although I had no time to dedicate to make them do tricks. I've got a friend though, and he's currently training a rat to open wallets and take money from the inside, which is frankly hilarious if you ask me.
You know, it has an upside, though. For a rat it does matter not whether they live for 2 or 10 years, it's their entire life. You know, a happy and content one. And if they unfortunately pass away, you could always give another one a chance to have a nice life too.
We started out with 3 gerbils, but for the last couple of months we're down to one (he's about 3 1/4 years old) and I think he's pretty lonely. Unfortunately he was the one of the three who most disliked human handling, and so i'm not sure he super enjoys when we take him out of his enclosure.
He's got his wheel and a huge enclosure all to himself, but he's been noticeably less active since the others passed.
I always wonder if our pets think we're eternal beings or something, I've had my dog since she was a pup and now she's old and i (from her perspective) have hardly changed.
Yes, rats are social animals. They need another rat or they'll literally die. Gerbils are likely the same. There's nothing to beat the entertainment and comfort from the other animal.
And yeah, interesting thoughts! They probably think something akin to that!
Pet/fancy rats have gone through some breeding selection to try and weed out aggressive behavior (or at least bites). With that said, a wildie can be just as friendly, but you'll want to be extra careful to try and curb negative behaviors.
You can raise a baby rat (although it doesn't need to be a baby, too) found in the wild, because they are virtually the same as domesticated ones. At least here in Europe, where I live.
The type of a rat you're looking for is a "Norwegian Rat" or "Brown Rat", which is the most common type in the wild.
Generally speaking, there's a saying that animal you rescued will try to pay that back in love.
If you're somewhere that rats are native then you should leave them be, if the choice is between killing them to protect our native species or keeping them in nice conditions until they die of old age then I'd hardly call it kidnapping!
No question, just some more appreciation! My sister had two as a kid. I don't remember much, just that they were really curious and really fun to have around.
Yay ratties!!! I had a pair growing up and the tales of my pet rats inspired my friend to get a pair of their own! Such cute and lovely animals. So smart and some of them can be very affectionate. More rat love is always a good thing in my book!
True. The way I see it, though, is it's their entire life for them. It doesn't really matter. And one rat dying is an opportunity to provide a better life for another one. It's morally correct and utilitarian, I think!
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