Surprisingly to some people, domesticated rats make interesting pets. Unlike gerbils and pet mice, they show an active interest in their owners and can be trained to do tricks more easily than other members of the rodent group.
Rats' prime interest is food. They will chew at the bars of a cage, usually to indicate they want feeding, and will eat almost anything. They are partial to cornflakes, strawberries, tomatoes and potatoes and some love fries! They will take peanuts from between human fingers without biting as they develop.
Intelligent Pet Rats
Food in containers can be used as puzzles for pet rats and they will demonstrate intelligence by learning through repetition, so that they demonstrably quicken the problem-solving process when presented with the same puzzle again. They are very dextrous and good at manipulating objects quickly if motivated, so training and observing them doing tricks can be fascinating.
Pet rats are often kept one to a cage but the same sex can be kept together and will be seen to interact, though females are to be preferred as males will fight. Females emit little or no odour if kept in a cage, healthy and the cage is cleaned weekly. Males are more inclined to fight and also their urine is more pungent so they will create odours more quickly if kept indoors.
Pet rats should be handled when young so that they get used to it, which both helps domesticate and train them and means that they can be treated more easily if requiring the vet's attention.
Points Worth Noting About Pet Rats
They need larger cages than mice due to their size, and if there is more than one in the cage they need space to be able to stay separate at times.
Tubes, ladders and platforms are very much recommended, ideally of the type that allows them to be reconstructed to create more variety in their environment.
Rat food is inexpensive and worth purchasing as it will normally balance their diet. Also rat nuggets, often almost muesli-like, provides mixtures of nuts and cereal from which the rats will pull out the more interesting parts.
Exotic varieties such as the various colours of mink rats are increasing in popularity as pets but the white rat remains the most common.
The coat of the rat is the clearest visible sign of its health, normally the sleeker the better and this should be a determining factor when buying a pet rat.
Pet rats are very responsive and if cared for, they will bring years of enjoyment.
