For many people rats are the stuff of nightmares, straight out of a horror movie. They are seen as dirty devious and dangerous. No other small animal provokes such feeelings of revulsion in humans, but where did it all come from?
Rats have been named as the cause of the Black Death (Bubonic Plague) The plaugue however was never carried by rats, it was in fact transmitted by fleas that were carried on their fur (people can also carry fleas!) The plaugue could also have been spread by lack of plumbing or hygiene amongst the human population as there are now just as many rats in the wild as there were in the sixth and seventh centuries, the only difference is we no longer have The Bubonic Plague!
All rats, pet ones and their wild cousins are very sociable animals. In the wild they live in groups and when there are young ones (kittens) around, the whole group (including the males!) will help to look after them which allows the mothers to go and look for food. Wild rats will only breed when there is enough food around to feed the whole group so when there are large rises in the wild rat population it is normally caused by humans leaving food around where the rats are able to get to it!
Pet rats (fancy rats) were developed from captive bred wild rats. The original breeder being Jack Black, Queen Victoria's Royal Rat-catcher. Jack Black plied his trade in the 1840's and 1850's and as well as destroying pests, he bred natural mutations such as Blacks and Albino's which he sold to young ladies as pets
If you own pet rats you will find that they are very clean animals who will choose an area of their cage to use as a toilet and will only go there. They will only tend to make a mess in their bed if they are ill so if your rat does this they might be in need of a visit to the vet
Rats make the ideal pet for someone who would like a dog but lacks the time or money required to care for a dog as they have similar characteristics to dogs. They are quite intelligent and once they get to know and trust you it is possible to teach them small tricks (the girls tend to be better at this) If you want a more laid back companion who will sit on you lap and be fussed over you are better off with a boy. If you watch a movie and there are rats in it, if they are running around, they are girls, but for scenes where they are sitting still, they will be the much calmer boys. This calmness makes the boys a better choice for a first time rat owner. Either way you are better to keep a pair of same sex rats as they are such sociable animals who just love company! They enjoy company so much they will treat their humans as part of their group and will enjoy sitting on your shoulder "grooming" your hair or with men their beards!
It is a good idea to get your rats used to being called by their names as they will respond to them. Once when Pinky got out of her cage, i spotted her on the floor and when i called her name she came over to me
Pet rats need to be fed a nutritionally balanced diet so it is a good idea to feed them specialist rat foods such as rat nuggets or rat muesli. They can be given special rat treats from the pet shop (which they love so you have to remember not to give them too many or they will get too chubby) It is best however to avoid feeding them anything containing either nuts or seeds which are very rich in protein and can cause skin problems in rats. Boy rats are naturally bigger and chubbier than the girls so if your boy is looking a bit on the big side it doesn't always mean that they are overweight
For more information on keeping pet rats it is a good idea to get a book on the subject. If you don't want to buy one you could always borrow one from your local library. Either way it is best to read up on the subject before you purchase your pet(s) Once you have decided to purchase a pet rat it is also a good idea to buy your cage etc first and have it set up before you collect your rat so that when you take them home you can get them settled in as soon as possible. It is a good idea to disturb them as little as posible in the first couple of days to allow them time to get used to their new surroundings
To achieve the mood of a warrior is not a simple matter. It is a revolution. To regard the lion and the rats and our fellow men as equals is a magnificent act of a warrior's spirit. It takes power to do that
~Carlos Castaneda~
