What kind of rat makes the best pet

Toy rats, popular around Halloween, are usually pitch black with grimy fur and red eyes. The people that recoil in horror when I tell them I have pet rats usually change their tune after they actually meet my rats. And as more people open their eyes and their hearts to the true nature of these intelligent little animals, more are adopting them as pets. While a dog, cat, or rabbit will use the whole house as their territory, rats will only take up as much room as their cage does.

A rat will simply be happy riding around on your shoulder or sitting with you while you watch TV. Rats are incredibly social animals. In the wild, rats live in large family groups, all caring for each other and working together, and as pets they are no different. Rats need to live with other rats, as a human can not provide the same type of companionship a fellow rat can, but they will still bond with their humans just as readily.

They will groom my hands with gentle licks and nibbles, pounce on my feet, and they are very good at communicating what they want. They also know how to be gentle. Rats have very strong sharp teeth and, just like a dog or cat, can really do some damage if they want to!

But their teeth are also extremely sensitive, and they use them to explore just as much as we use our hands. I am consistently amazed at how my rats can so gently take a sesame seed out from between my fingers with their teeth, all while barely touching my skin. Behavior experiments on lab rats have proven time and time again that rats are highly intelligent animals. While not only socially intelligent, they are also great problem solvers and thinkers.

Studies have found rats to show empathy and regret, dream, reciprocate favors, strategize, and adapt quickly to new environments. As rats are highly food-motivated and love to learn new things, teaching them tricks is a great way to bond with your rats. But believe it or not, rats have been loyal friends to humans for over years! Fancy rats were even featured in shows — something that still happens today!

Have you ever seen a rat rollover on command? How about a rat that plays fetch? Rats can do both those things and more! Rats are very smart, so training them is a piece a cake. The condition of the coat, how soft and shiny it is, also depends on diet. Poor diet can make the coat greasy or dull, dry or brittle. A healthy standard rat on a good diet will have a thick, soft and glossy coat.

Rexes have curly or crinkly fur and curled up whiskers. They feel soft and wooly to the touch a lot of people nickname them sheep-rats because of the wooly feel and look. As rex rats get old they often get thinner fur or bald patches.

There are a lot of different genes that can cause rex fur around the world. When rats have two copies of a rex gene, they are called double rex. These rats have fur that is very tightly curled and is often quite sparse on the body — to the point that sometimes they look hairless. Another coat type that is very similar to double rex is patchwork. These rats have a very short patchy curly coat that sheds out and regrows in different places across the body. Satin coated rats have fur that is unusually long and fine.

They feel very soft to the touch, and the coat looks unusually shiny or even sparkly. Hairless rats have been bred to be completely bald, although they often have some short curly fur around their whiskers, which are small and curly.

The color of their skin will depend on the genes they have for fur color and markings. Pale colored hairless rats will be pink, while those with dark coloring will have black or grey areas of skin. There are some concerns about the health of hairless rats. The lack of fur makes them more susceptible to cold, and means they have to burn more of their calories to keep warm. As a result, some hairless rats have a smaller than average body size. Like double rex rats, they can be prone to eye infections, as they have few eye lashes to keep dirt out of the eye socket.

There are several different genes that create hairless rats. At least one of them causes problems for the mother in lactating. Therefore, if you want to keep hairless rats it is very important to find a good breeder who has selected carefully for health and robustness.

A self rat is one whose fur is all a single color. The belly may be a paler shade of the main color, but there will be no white markings. Marked rats have areas of white fur in their coat. There are a huge number of different markings standardised in the fancy rat world, and they can come in any coat type or ear position. Some of the most common are:. Berkshire: the rat has a white tummy socks, and often a white tail tip. If the white markings spread up the sides they are called over-marked.

Hooded: the rat has a mostly white body, with the color restricted to the head, shoulders, and a stripe down the back. Quite often the stripe is broken up in splotches or is lopsided, which is called being mismarked.

Roan: the rat starts out colored but over time their coat moults out to be much paler and eventually white. Interested in exploring other types of pets? Selecting a pet for your family has information that will help. Pets are an important part of the American household. Your pet-owning experience will be most enjoyable if you carefully consider which pet best suits your family, home, and lifestyle.

Unfulfilled expectations are a leading cause of pet relinquishment, so make an informed decision. Take time, involve your family, and give careful consideration to the following questions if you are thinking about a rodent as a pet.

There are a range of small rodent species that offer options from interesting exotics to placid, domesticated species. They usually live in an enclosed habitat like a cage, pen, or hutch, but most will enjoy spending time outside their habitat with their human family.

Their size and cage-pet status can make them seem like a less expensive or easier pet-keeping option. However, rodents still require an investment of time, attention, and resources in order to thrive and provide the best companionship for their owners. It is natural to be drawn to a cute little animal on first sight, but you need to consider which type of rodent might be a good fit for your family.

Before acquiring your new pet, make sure you understand his or her housing, social and environmental needs, activity patterns, potential odors and sounds, and any other factors that might be challenging for your household.

The most common pet hamsters are Syrian or golden hamsters, but albino white with pink eyes hamsters are also available. Hamsters housed in pairs or groups may fight, so they are usually housed alone.

Similar in size to hamsters, gerbils are more active and social. Unlike hamsters, gerbils are happier when housed as a pair or in a small group. Potential owners should be aware that purchasing and keeping gerbils may be illegal in some states.

While mice can be tame and entertaining, they are slightly more nervous than hamsters or gerbils. Female mice do well in pairs or small groups, but males will often fight with each other. Rats are social and thrive in same-sex pairs or groups. They are larger and easier to handle than some smaller rodents, rarely bite, and often become strongly bonded to their owners.

Rats come in a variety of colors and require a larger cage and more attention than smaller rodents. The largest of the rodents commonly kept as pets, their size and gentle temperament make guinea pigs popular. They are social, unlikely to bite, and do well in same sex pairs or groups. They can also be more vocal than other rodents.

Make arrangements in advance for someone to care for your rodents during a planned or unplanned absence. Because they are housed in cages, pet rodents can easily be kept in apartments, condominiums, and houses. Although rodents require less maintenance than many other pets, they still need your commitment of time and care.

You should plan to spend time interacting with your rodents every day to enrich their lives and monitor their health and well-being.

Most rodents can breed readily and prolifically, so only one sex should be kept in the household.