Who is the forum member who had rats? I saw "Dumbo" rats at the pet store today and while their teeth are a bit intimidating , they were otherwise cute and I'd like to know a bit about them. I love my little mousie and I'm afraid a rat in the house would upset him, so this is for future reference. I don't want to go get a rat today or anything. What would my dogs do, for example? The dogs are why I haven't given in and gotten a guinea pig, though I would love to have one. Heck, I want one of everything, really ... They can't bother my mouse and probably don't even know we have one nor does he know we have dogs, so that's okay.

I could be wrong but I am thinking it was Majj and also Tara Rose

I had rats for a while and I loved them. They are super smart and very cuddly. As with all small animals, it's best to keep the cage higher then the dog, and never allow them out together unsupervised. Depending on your dog, he may just ignore the rat completely. Also, rats are very social animals, so if you plan on getting one, it's best to get another of the same sex so they have company (they can be kept in the same cage).

Yep my boys were loverly ... 2 males went to 4 males in no time ..unfortunately they have a short life span (approx 3 yrs) but mice even shorter (iyr)..
They came out to play when the birds went to bed , no problems at all...

I know mice don't live a long time, but he's going to be very spoiled for however long it is. I've been told about a year and a half, or two if he's very healthy and you take really good care of him. But I thought I might consider a rat next. There were three in the cage at the store, and one of them was eating (that's how I got a good look at those TEETH, LOL) and the other two were in their igloo. One was curled up in a ball a-snoozing, and the other was washing his face, and when I got his attention, he looked up at me, considered whether I was worthy, decided I wasn't, and ignored me after that. Henry is so cute, though, that when he does pass on to his reward, I'll probably want another mouse. Right now he's mad at me because I took his sock, so I gave him a new sock. I only took the other one because I thought it was too crowded in there with the sock, the boot, the treehouse, the house, the wheel, and the bridge. But Henry's stuff is HENRY'S stuff, doggone it. So I gave him a shorter sock, an anklet style, and maybe he'll forgive me.

awwww he sound so cute ..I baby sat a couple of mine once and they were soooooo small I think I would be scared I wouldn`t find them if they got loose...

Here are some of my old piccys....
My boys were very spoilt too..

This cage is when I had 2 ratties Billy and Ben..





Then when I had 4 I went BIG....

ashley and Coco..














a video clip they use to come out and play and run back and forward from us to their cage...

Share some piccys of your little guy . love to see him..

I have two girls- Marigold and Geronimo- and they are the sweetest things. I got them a couple months after my beloved tiel flew away. They are very alert, quick learners, hilarious to watch and low maintenance. They were from the same litter but I didn't pick Geronimo up until a few weeks later that Marigold and as I got them from a pet store, they weren't being handled on a regular basis. She is still pretty shy, but even in her most frantic efforts to escape my cuddles she has never bitten me- it is very rare that a rat bites. Marigold is my sweet girl, she will happily ride around on my shoulder and hang out while I'm reading a book or sorting stuff out in my room.
I had them out exploring on the bathroom bench today as I got ready for work and Marigold decided she loved my deoderant bottle- a little cone shaped roll on about the same size as her- and clambered on it and sat with her arms around the neck of it and her back legs splayed over the end. I have no idea what she was hoping to achieve. She appeared to simply be giving it a hug. Then she carried it off to where they had set up camp in the corner- having already hoarded various makeup brushes, tissues, bobby pins etc. They are great company, and such little characters. I highly recommend them as pets!

Good heavens, I thought my mouse was spoiled, but look at the setup Majj had for her babies! Henry looks abused AND deprived next to that. I'd better not let him look at those pictures.

I'll get a picture of him today if he'll cooperate. He's still very skittish and while he'll let me chuck him under the chin and he'll explore my hand, I have to hold absolutely still or off he goes and hides in his house or his sock. I suppose if I were a tiny little mouse and a great hand came down into my kingdom, I'd run and hide in my sock, too.

I've got two little dumbo guys. Rats in general are the greatest pet, however I've come to find that the dumbo ones have just the sweetest, cuddliest personalities. And don't let the teeth scare you. They RARELY bite, and usually only if you're hurting them or they've been abused in the past. Rats are wonderful pets!

This is my hairless dumbo...
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And this is my harry dumbo that I rescued from HORRIBLE conditions at an animal shelter, no less.
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Well, these are pet shop rats, so they won't be used to being handled. How long will it take to accustom them to handling? Henry nibbles on me occasionally but he's not being aggressive. He just can't see very well and he's trying to figure out if I'm food. His little nibbles are just exploratory, if you will, and don't hurt at all when you're used to being attacked by a grouchy Quaker.

Also, the rats at the pet store are, well, LARGE. I mean like a six-week old kitten. Next to Henry (in my imagination, Henry wasn't with me!) they look HUGE.

I wouldn't be too worried about pet store rats. I've rescued several from gross conditions where they were only kept for snake food and obviously hadn't been handled. They MAY be a little bit skittish when you get them, but since they are dumbo's, I'd be really surprised if they were bitters. They will warm up quickly.

A good way to tell is to put your hand in the cage and see who comes up to inspect. If they cower in the corner, they might take a little longer to warm up to you. If they immediately want to come see what that hand is all about, they will probably be little love bugs. In my experience, the pet store rats seem to be more grateful and loving. I'm sure they appreciate their new, comfy home and loving owner more since they typically come from not the greatest conditions.

Also, I would recommend males for a beginner. They are much more calm than the females. Don't get me wrong, the females are loads of fun. But for a first timer, you might want to try the couch potato boys.

And yep, they are quite a bit bigger than a mouse. But I mean it when I say that once you get a pair of rats, you will be HOOKED! I have never known anyone who got a pair of rats and then when they passed away, didn't get any more. In fact, most people end up with SEVERAL at one time. They're addictive!

I dont have one now, but I had a rat when I was a kid! She was black and white and you're right, she was a love bug. Used to ride around on my shoulder all the time. When I went away on vacation, 'friends' kept my Mary for me and when I came home, they said she had 'died'. Now, years later, I think they probably either did something to her or let her go!! But at 14, what do you do? They were my mom's friends more than mine and adults so as a kid, you kinda believe them and can't do much about it.

But I still miss my little Mary. She was such a sweet little critter. Now I have birds so don't think I'll be getting another rat Besides, most landlords, if you tell them you have a rat as a pet won't let you in the door!!!! They think 'sewer rat' not sweet, loveable PET rat!

They had three last week and all three are gone. Drat. They had a very cute dwarf hamster, though. I was tempted to get him since he could share food and munchy toys with Henry and I wouldn't also have to get a bunch of new food and things, but I thought I'd think it over tonight first. I already have a Critter Trail cage all set up and ready to go that I got from someone on Freecycle when I had Mortimer, until I got it home and discovered it was wildly unsuitable for a tiny baby mouse. Then my brother gave me an aquarium, which Henry inherited, and there he stays. We tried putting him in the Critter Trail and he didn't like it AT ALL. A hamster might, though.

I love rats. Right now I just have one (Mini-Moo), as I had to have her mom (Moo) put down months ago. Mini-Moo is a cross between a fancy rat (dad) and a dumbo rat (mom). I have never been bitten by a rat in my life. They a gentle, affectionate, and smart. I would actually recommend a rat as a first pet to a child over a hamster or other rodent because of their gentle disposition. I have had many hamsters growing up and have been bitten many times by them. I have had a few that never bit me, but the ones that did would latch on and you would almost have to shake them off. Mini-Moo knows her name and will come to me when I call her. You wouldn't be disappointed with a rat.

Convenient-- you can look for a rattie while you are at the pet store picking out the fids' new fish!! It would probably be a good idea to go ahead and get two (same sex) rats so they can keep each other entertained.
This is fun

YOU are a bad influence. I'm going to tell Hubby it's all YOUR doing.

You're right- and I really shouldn't joke like that about it knowing there are so many people in the world who just go out and collect pets (and pets, and pets, and more pets) on a whim, then "get rid" of them when they tire of taking care of them all. The only reason I'm joking about it in your case is because I really don't get the impression that you're one of those people.

So. ALL joking aside.... be sure to introduce us to the new fish and ratties when they come home!!!

No, indeed. The last animal I "got rid of" was the mouse I caught in a live trap yesterday morning, whom I carried outside and turned loose, apologizing all the way that I was tossing him out of the house to fend for himself. I gave him the budgie seed that I used for bait, so he'd have something to eat, and when he came out of the trap and just sat there in the grass looking at me (even the "wild" mice in my house aren't afraid of me), I gave him a little nudge with my finger to turn him around so he wouldn't run into the street. I told this to my mom, who was horrified, and said "Don't TOUCH them, they might bite you!" Trust me, when a mouse is sitting on his little behind in the grass looking at you accusingly because you've turned him out, biting you is the last thing on his little mousie mind. I could probably have scooped him up in my bare hand and toted him right back inside and he wouldn't have minded at all.

Too cute ...I doubt I would have had the heart to toss him out ...lol..

But if you do get a rat get 2 they love company and snuggle together to sleep..

My niece is a sweet girl with a huge heart her brother bought a rat to feed the snake a boa she opened the box before we got home and the snake had to go without dinner for more night lol until my brother could get another one the next day after it died she begged me for another one so I went with her saying i won't ever touch that thing it's gross and everything else.......mmmm yea right i became aunt Tami to miss giggles i am the official babysitter and the place to go to when snake feeding time comes around LOL I love the little monstor and she is a huge cuddler

I wish they were called something besides RAT. Sounds so , I don't know SCAREY.

Remember Willard?

My daughter had two when she lived here. I could not stand them. I would sit on her bed and one would come get on me. Freaked me out. Lindsay thought it was sooo funny, but I finally warmed up to the girls, and they were really sweet. But RAT?????

I have never heard of Dumbo rats, but I have a hooded rat named Cinnamon and my daughter has 2 rats, Dot and Chocolate. I had rats when I was a child also and they got along fine with the dogs. Now I have two Golden Retrievers, My little girl Karma was great with them from the start, Bailey tried to take a bite out of her at their first meeting. He doesnt mind the rats now, but I he doesnt let them crawl on him, and I wouldnt trust him with them alone. The cat however loves the rats. My Quaker hasnt come home yet (tomorrow yay!!) but I think I will keep the bird a good distance from the rats.