Could you have a Rat as a pet?

[El Presidente]

My daughter Beck introduced Di to her pet rats. I think these are the "twins"  dasher and bashful.  She has 5 that she got from "Rat Rescue".  Yes....there is indeed a "Rat Rescue" 

She treats them as if they are her dogs and they reciprocate. 

Di was right at home with them. I was a tad less ........enthralled 

Does this photo make you go " how cute!" or "cringe" 

 

 

[Cold Smoke]

Major cringe!

[Stump89]

Hard pass on the rats.

[PrairieSmoke]

Those are pretty good looking rats! ?

[CigarScentedBeard]

African pouched rat. Size of a cat and detect landmines. I will take one pretty please.

[lovethehaze]

My wife is Russian and as a child claims to have had “domestic “ rats as pets. But it’s not for me 

[Chef]

My kid just got a guinea pig.  I'm not even really down with that.  Rats?  Uh uh, no way.

[StalinisBallinn]

I have a hedgehog so it might as well be a rat lmao

[Islandboy]

As much as I love animals....um, no. But I give both Beck and Di credit for making it look enjoyable.

Can rats be spayed/neutered?

 

 

[prodigy]

Don't they leave a constant trail of feces everywhere they go? That's the part that gets me to cringe.

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[Corylax18]

Not a chance in H#ll. This coming from someone who kept both Bark Scorpions and a Mojave Rattlesnake as pets at one point. Rats are pests, or food for other animals. 

"Fancy Longtail" Rats are a big thing though. I just don't get it. You've gotta give Di credit thought. She is a good sport!

[LLC]

Not even if you paid me.


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[Ken Gargett]

21 minutes ago, Corylax18 said:

Not a chance in H#ll. This coming from someone who kept both Bark Scorpions and a Mojave Rattlesnake as pets at one point. Rats are pests, or food for other animals. 

"Fancy Longtail" Rats are a big thing though. I just don't get it. You've gotta give Di credit thought. She is a good sport!

i've also kept scorpions and snakes but i'd happily keep rats. the one thing that would give me pause is that where i am now, i suspect, doing so might entice pythons and, much worse, browns into the house seeking them. 

[IanMcLean68]

I used to have two pets rats about 7 or 8 years ago. Great pets, intelligent and affectionate - and not dirty if you keep their environment clean. The problem for me is they only live for about 3 years - its rather heart breaking to lose pets after only such a short period of time.

[Cazador]

I had a pet rat for a few years. Came when he was called, only pooped in his cage, and was very affectionate. Great pet.

[BoliDan]

Rodents are pretty smart and can be affectionate. Had pet mice as kid. Mother said no to rats. Wanted them though.

[MoeFOH]

Rats are awesome! Clever little buggers. A mate in Toowoomba used to have them as pets. At one point he also had a snake. That was problematical.

Downside: they don't live long. (especially around snake)

[MD Puffer]

Now- at this age?  No.  I'll pass.  Give me a dog any day of the week.  Or three (my current census).

As an army brat, I lived in Berlin- about a 15 minute walk from Zehlendorf.  I was 12-13. 

In those quarters with two boys and a father obsessed with cleanliness a dog was out of the question.

So when my hamster died, I got the green light from Mom for another. 

I walked downtown to the pet store.

Rather than sell me a hamster, the owner decided to give me an albino rat (with cage, water bottle, food, etc) that I suppose someone had put up for "adoption".

I lug this thing all the way back home only to be told in no uncertain terms that I could not have a rat.

Embarrassingly, I had to haul this setup all the way back.  

Never did replace that hamster.

[jay8354]

Background context: I am Asian and have heard many, many tales from my Father about the time (World War 2) my grandmother with my dad and aunts and uncles (7 kids) had to flee to Hong Kong. 

So I will say the same thing  I told my daughter when my father gave her a rabbit -  "Mmm, that will look good on a BBQ"

[mtd057]

 

@El Presidente I, like you, have a daughter who thinks rats are great pets.  She can do whatever she wants at her house! 

[TBird55]

Not no, but HELL NO...

[Drguano]

Before Agnes retired from teaching, her classroom always had rodents for pets. It started with hamsters but she switched to rats after the episode of the $1000 hamster that escaped in the car.

[ElJavi76]

Little known fact about me...

As a child in Cuba, we're talking 2.5 / 3 years old. I used to live in an annex with my immediate family, behind my maternal grandparents house. There were 5 of us living in this shack right so, sleeping with Grandpa was a treat. One night, while staying at Grandpa's, I fall asleep and left me arm hanging off the bed. Guess who came to snack on my hand... Mr Rat! From the pain I scratched my arm near my face. They thought I had an ear infection and my ear was bleeding. Nah... It was my left wrist that had been gnawed at. The story goes that I had to have a series of rabies shots including some in my spine. It was Cuba and it was the late 70s. 

Needless to say... It's a hard no for me on the rats and hence why I'm a bit apprehensive around things with teeth and fur.

[GasGuy82]

Not a snowball’s chance in hell...

[MD Puffer]

1 minute ago, GasGuy82 said:

Not a snowball’s chance in hell...

Snowball is a great name for an albino rat...