The MLP Arena

Pony Talk => Off Topic => Topic started by: gemini_pony on November 29, 2016, 01:48:33 AM

Title: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: gemini_pony on November 29, 2016, 01:48:33 AM

I have two siamese boys right now. Pretzel who is a rex and his brother Popcorn who is standard fur :D

Feel free to share pics of your rats!

Pretzel trying to get my chips xD
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Pretz on the the left and Pop on the right
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Pretzel smooshing his brother.
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And in their hammock
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Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: cannibalism on November 29, 2016, 01:50:40 AM

i used to have rats. truly amazing pets and i really really miss having them. i had an albino named sniffles, and later i had a dumbo named Baby and a solid black(?) one named Bella. hopefully i can get rats again soon.. they truly are very very loving and affectionate pets

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: gemini_pony on November 29, 2016, 01:54:31 AM

They really are great. Just a heads up depending on your area you may have to find a breeder Petco stopped selling rats due to some kid getting rat bite fever (even though is rare and you can get sick from any animal bite).

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: cannibalism on November 29, 2016, 01:57:37 AM

oh really? : ( thats too bad. though petco doesn't take very good care of their rodents anyway, so its probably better i buy somewhere else. there are other pet stores in my area. My first rat was named sniffles because we got him from petco and he had an upper respiratory infection!

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: gemini_pony on November 29, 2016, 02:01:12 AM

Oh yeah that's super common with rats I actually just keep meds on hand (you can get the antibiotics online for birds). I am happy I went through a good breeder though.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: cannibalism on November 29, 2016, 02:02:45 AM

my dad is a pharmacist so he made meds for him. hopefully my next pair of rats wont be so sick!

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: suzy.66 on November 29, 2016, 02:46:42 AM

Your siamese rats are amazing! I wish to have some one day!

I love dumbos too they are my favorits!

I use to do breeding before so i had a lot of those beautiful furry friends :)

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: CustomsRfun on November 29, 2016, 03:19:00 AM

I have three ratties females:

Imzadi is a rex russian blue dumbo
Boshuda a regular fur hooded russian blue dumbo
Halloween is a caped micro starred regular fur US blue dumbo

And i love rats enough to have one tattooed on my shoulder blade. Does that count? LOL

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Olympus on November 29, 2016, 03:53:38 AM

If it weren't for our cat and rat terrier mix, I'd totally get a couple of rats.

Their cute faces! Those little hands! I can't take it!  :lovey: Chubby/Fat rats are also a big weakness of mine.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: CustomsRfun on November 29, 2016, 03:57:25 AM

Quote from: Olympus on November 29, 2016, 03:53:38 AM

If it weren't for our cat and rat terrier mix, I'd totally get a couple of rats.

I have 4 cats as well.. funny how they make a difference between the family rats and the ones outside.
Ours run around, they don't bat an eyelash, and when there is a rat outside they go NUTS to catch it...:)

Ours are "family" :)

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Olympus on November 29, 2016, 04:21:17 AM

Quote from: CustomsRfun on November 29, 2016, 03:57:25 AM

Quote from: Olympus on November 29, 2016, 03:53:38 AM

If it weren't for our cat and rat terrier mix, I'd totally get a couple of rats.

I have 4 cats as well.. funny how they make a difference between the family rats and the ones outside.
Ours run around, they don't bat an eyelash, and when there is a rat outside they go NUTS to catch it...:)

Ours are "family" :)

It's mostly my mom who's worried about our cat getting to them. I think our dog would be more of a danger to any potential rats than the cat.

Our cat's an older cat who mostly just likes to eat, sleep, poop on the floor and pretends that he's still a big, tough feral cat by making goat noises at the birds that come by our deck... but runs away if he sees a squirrel.  :lol:

Our dog is a huge couch potato, but will shake his toys around by the neck and shake them hard. Like, 'if he accidentally hits you with one you have a 10% chance of getting a bruise from it' hard.

She's also worried about them getting out/squeezing under my door and getting into the living room/hallway where said cat and dog usually hang out. She's worked with rats before and I think said one time that they're pretty good escape artists too. Any of that true?

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: CustomsRfun on November 29, 2016, 04:44:39 AM

Yeah rats are good escape artists, that's true. But the cages nowadays are quite secure.
The "squeezing under your door" part, depends on the age of the rats, but once they're adults, they'd be far too chubby for that (unless there is a HUGE gap there) :)

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: SnorkMaiden on November 29, 2016, 07:01:56 AM

I think rats make very good pets; if only they lived longer! My friend had a black-and-white rat that was the apple of his eye. So intelligent and affectionate! Sadly, the rat got very ill as he grew older. It broke my friend's heart when he passed away. :(

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: josiekat on November 29, 2016, 07:09:39 AM

I love rats! I used to have three (Pokey, Munchie and Velouria). They make amazing pets. Your babies are gorgeous!

Post Merge: November 29, 2016, 07:13:46 AM

Quote from: SnorkMaiden on November 29, 2016, 07:01:56 AM

I think rats make very good pets; if only they lived longer! My friend had a black-and-white rat that was the apple of his eye. So intelligent and affectionate! Sadly, the rat got very ill as he grew older. It broke my friend's heart when he passed away. :(

^ This. My last of the three lived to be 4 which I'm told was rare. It destroyed me when I had to put her down. She stopped filing her teeth down and had CHF. The other guests at the vet laughed in the waiting room when I brought her in. When I went in to say my final goodbyes, the employees went to those people and asked them to wait outside (the building) as I was putting my baby down and didn't need their negativity. I have taken every pet I've owned since to that vet.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Leave a Whisper on November 29, 2016, 07:50:02 AM

I like pet rats. Such snuggly little  beasties. :heart:

Post Merge: November 29, 2016, 07:53:56 AM

Quote from: josiekat on November 29, 2016, 07:09:39 AM

I love rats! I used to have three (Pokey, Munchie and Velouria). They make amazing pets. Your babies are gorgeous!

Post Merge: November 29, 2016, 07:13:46 AM

Quote from: SnorkMaiden on November 29, 2016, 07:01:56 AM

I think rats make very good pets; if only they lived longer! My friend had a black-and-white rat that was the apple of his eye. So intelligent and affectionate! Sadly, the rat got very ill as he grew older. It broke my friend's heart when he passed away. :(

^ This. My last of the three lived to be 4 which I'm told was rare. It destroyed me when I had to put her down. She stopped filing her teeth down and had CHF. The other guests at the vet laughed in the waiting room when I brought her in. When I went in to say my final goodbyes, the employees went to those people and asked them to wait outside (the building) as I was putting my baby down and didn't need their negativity. I have taken every pet I've owned since to that vet.

What kind of sick person laughs at someone having to put their pet down? :angry: They wouldn't like it, if someone laughed at them if it was their dog or cat or bird.
where is peoples' sense of  sympathy and kindness these days? Good on the employees and I'm sorry.
:hug:

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: CustomsRfun on November 29, 2016, 08:20:53 AM

I've been told "come on, it's just a rat" by one of my bosses when i had to have my rat put down.
Wanted to slap him soooo hard.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: pickwick_pirate on November 29, 2016, 08:29:00 AM

Gemini_pony your boys are so handsome. I love Siamese/Californian/Himalayan markings on rat and small animals in general. It's so striking. I've never had rats of my own but I'm a big fan. We have rats at the shelter I work at and they always find new homes to quickly, they are such popular pets. I'd love to have some one day, bit as everyone else has said .. their lifespan is so short I'm not sure I could deal with it. I'll just stick to my guinea pigs for now I guess.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Olympus on November 29, 2016, 08:42:09 AM

Quote

I'll just stick to my guinea pigs for now I guess.

Guinea Pigs are also super cute! I think I saw them being called 'furry little potatoes' once.  :P

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: suzy.66 on November 29, 2016, 08:45:32 AM

Ii really struggle with people like this who doesn't even think about not hurting your feeling when they cannot think for the animal at all!

Who said a rat's life worth nothing?!

Humans are often full of themselves....

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: pickwick_pirate on November 29, 2016, 09:22:11 AM

Quote from: Olympus on November 29, 2016, 08:42:09 AM

Quote

I'll just stick to my guinea pigs for now I guess.

Guinea Pigs are also super cute! I think I saw them being called 'furry little potatoes' once.  :P

Lol I'm always calling them potatoes with faces :D they are super cute and sweet. But I do love how clever rats are :)

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: CloudyGlow on November 29, 2016, 09:23:45 AM

Your ratties are adorable! I don't have any rats right now, but I did a few years ago. I love them and miss them.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: DazzleKitty on November 29, 2016, 09:24:06 AM

I love rats. I live at home with my parents and like most people, they don't have a high opinion of them. :(  Which is a shame. If only they held a really sweet, affectionate rat, they would feel differently. Because I live at home (and really am in no rush to move out), I can't have any. And truth be told, I think a dog is enough for me. I am lucky to have a dog. Maybe I will find a partner someday who equally loves animals as much as I, and we can work together to have our own little petting zoo at home. XD

I have had experiences with rats though. They are fun, sweet, and just overall adorable.

And I can't believe the people in the vet's office laughed. The words that would have came out of my mouth would have been absolutely vile. It's not " just a rat". It's someone's loved pet. You can get attached to a dog, a cat, a rat. Some people even get attached to their fish.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: shelvesofwhimsy on November 29, 2016, 10:31:09 AM

Oh my gosh what cuties!! I used to have Rats! Growing up I got my first in HS, and named her Pixie. Then came Topi, a dark brown rat to keep her company.
And then how these things go you keep getting rats to replace the ones who pass away. In total I've had 5 :)
Pixie, Topi, Faerie, Ari and Ellie.
Unfortunately if you've had rats you know how easy it is for them to get sick :( Ari was only with me for about a month since she had a respiratory illness from the pet store. Pixie had a similar condition.

Faerie my Dumbo rat was my favorite! She was the only rat I was able to get from a breeder.
They are amazing pets and I do miss them!

Enjoy a bit of Rat photo spam :D

Spoiler

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My Dumbo Rat Faerie playing Monopoly

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Topi mostly liked eating things  :lol:

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Topi and Faerie in their cage we made

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Baby Ellie when we found her at the pet store :D

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The three girls together :)

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Leave a Whisper on November 29, 2016, 10:47:39 AM

Quote from: shelvesofwhimsy on November 29, 2016, 10:31:09 AM

Oh my gosh what cuties!! I used to have Rats! Growing up I got my first in HS, and named her Pixie. Then came Topi, a dark brown rat to keep her company.
And then how these things go you keep getting rats to replace the ones who pass away. In total I've had 5 :)
Pixie, Topi, Faerie, Ari and Ellie.
Unfortunately if you've had rats you know how easy it is for them to get sick :( Ari was only with me for about a month since she had a respiratory illness from the pet store. Pixie had a similar condition.

Faerie my Dumbo rat was my favorite! She was the only rat I was able to get from a breeder.
They are amazing pets and I do miss them!

Enjoy a bit of Rat photo spam :D

Spoiler

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My Dumbo Rat Faerie playing Monopoly

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Topi mostly liked eating things  :lol:

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Topi and Faerie in their cage we made

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Baby Ellie when we found her at the pet store :D

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The three girls together :)

I just want to pick them up and cuddle them! Ha ha! I love the Monopoly pictures!  ^.^

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Olympus on November 29, 2016, 10:57:53 AM

Quote from: shelvesofwhimsy on November 29, 2016, 10:31:09 AM

Oh my gosh what cuties!! I used to have Rats! Growing up I got my first in HS, and named her Pixie. Then came Topi, a dark brown rat to keep her company.
And then how these things go you keep getting rats to replace the ones who pass away. In total I've had 5 :)
Pixie, Topi, Faerie, Ari and Ellie.
Unfortunately if you've had rats you know how easy it is for them to get sick :( Ari was only with me for about a month since she had a respiratory illness from the pet store. Pixie had a similar condition.

Faerie my Dumbo rat was my favorite! She was the only rat I was able to get from a breeder.
They are amazing pets and I do miss them!

Enjoy a bit of Rat photo spam :D

Spoiler

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My Dumbo Rat Faerie playing Monopoly

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Topi mostly liked eating things  :lol:

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Topi and Faerie in their cage we made

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Baby Ellie when we found her at the pet store :D

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The three girls together :)

Important question: did Faerie win the game?

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: shelvesofwhimsy on November 29, 2016, 11:38:35 AM

Quote from: Olympus on November 29, 2016, 10:57:53 AM

Quote from: shelvesofwhimsy on November 29, 2016, 10:31:09 AM

Oh my gosh what cuties!! I used to have Rats! Growing up I got my first in HS, and named her Pixie. Then came Topi, a dark brown rat to keep her company.
And then how these things go you keep getting rats to replace the ones who pass away. In total I've had 5 :)
Pixie, Topi, Faerie, Ari and Ellie.
Unfortunately if you've had rats you know how easy it is for them to get sick :( Ari was only with me for about a month since she had a respiratory illness from the pet store. Pixie had a similar condition.

Faerie my Dumbo rat was my favorite! She was the only rat I was able to get from a breeder.
They are amazing pets and I do miss them!

Enjoy a bit of Rat photo spam :D

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

My Dumbo Rat Faerie playing Monopoly

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Topi mostly liked eating things  :lol:

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Topi and Faerie in their cage we made

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Baby Ellie when we found her at the pet store :D

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The three girls together :)

Important question: did Faerie win the game?

Hahahahahah you know I think she (I) did! Although Topi ended up trying to eat some of the playing pieces so how can we be sure  :lol: :lol:

@leave a whisper

awww thank you!!

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Miniature Sheep on November 29, 2016, 11:39:29 AM

*yay, adorable ratties!*
I used to have rats a few years ago but due to my current digs basically being a step above the average shoebox, there's nowhere to keep a decent sized cage. Also due to the total absence of insulation in this place, I'm concerned about how cold it gets in Winter - even with loads of bedding, I'd be worried about them getting cold! Still, when I find somewhere more spacious (and generally better!) to live, I'd love to keep rats again. They're so friendly and cuddly! ^.^

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Noxxbunny on November 29, 2016, 01:47:08 PM

Quote from: DazzleKitty on November 29, 2016, 09:24:06 AM

Some people even get attached to their fish.

As a fish and a rat person, gotta say, getting attached to fish isn't hard. :lol: Most people brush fish off simply because you can't pet them...They may not be as intelligent as a rat, but they certainly aren't dumb like a lot of people think they are! Sometimes I would compare them to a mouse. Betta fish, for example, can learn individual human faces. They absolutely will bond to their owner in their own way. Love that about them. I love any pet that can show they're happy to see me. :P

I switched to fish because they have a little bit of a longer lifespan than rats do...I just couldn't take the heartbreak. Maybe I'll get more one day. I loved the three boys I had. Probably couldn't turn one down if the rescue I got the others from came offering me more though... :lookround:

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: DazzleKitty on November 29, 2016, 06:53:35 PM

Noxxbunny, I was thinking of bettafish when I had that in mind. They are very, very intelligent fish with a lot of personality. I want to get another one someday. My last one met.....an unfortunate demise when I was cleaning out his tank. :( 

But they are super intelligent. And I heard some bettas will actually let you stroke them. At least, that's the rumor. And I have heard about the face recognition. I would believe it with mine. He would swim up to the edge of the tank every time I visited and got all lively and "happy".

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Honeycomb on November 29, 2016, 09:28:17 PM

Meeeee!!!!
Your guys are adorable beyond words!
Sadly, mine all have passed away, and since I don't live a stable life these years, I cannot take on the responsibility for a pet.
Rats are my far my favorite animals. It's incredible how much love they give us, and how many memories and imprints they leave in our hearts for ever.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: gemini_pony on November 30, 2016, 01:19:50 AM

Ahhh it's so nice to see so many rat lovers <3
 
I just love my little ratatoes .

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Tulips on November 30, 2016, 08:21:00 PM

Oh gosh I shouldn't have read this thread, too many cute ratties! *dies*
In the past I've owned a total of 8 rats, whenever they passed and there was a lone rat I'd get two more to keep the older company (plus the pet store only allowed social animals to be bought in pairs *nods*).

Theirs names were: Bella & Kawaii, Plasmo & Tammy, Poppi & Cupcake, Roomba & Templeton.
(I don't have any photos on hand atm)

Cupcake was my last girl to pass, their lives are too short!  :cry:
Then I got my Mini Foxie who is bred to kill rodents with a single blow, so no more rats for me, and now I live with cats, so unfortunately rats are still a few years away.
I really want a Dalmatian rat some day, or a dumbo. ^.^

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: NovelNerd on November 30, 2016, 08:25:22 PM

Well last year pretty much all of my 14 died because they were old. I'm too lazy to upload pictures but I still have one 3 year old boy that is a BEW variegated and my buddy.

I have two four month old BEW variegated brothers Ash and Bruce
An Russian blue boy and Russian dove Albus and Lupin
Three blue brothers two powder blue and one American blue- Nublet, Kreacher and Moony

Also three girls one beige and two Siamese- Luna, Lilly and Tonks

You could say I've had a rat obsession for a long time. I travel all over for them and also rescue them now as well when I have room. Like the girls are rescues since I normally just have boys. :lol:

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: gemini_pony on December 01, 2016, 01:56:36 AM

Quote from: Tulips on November 30, 2016, 08:21:00 PM

Oh gosh I shouldn't have read this thread, too many cute ratties! *dies*
In the past I've owned a total of 8 rats, whenever they passed and there was a lone rat I'd get two more to keep the older company (plus the pet store only allowed social animals to be bought in pairs *nods*).

Theirs names were: Bella & Kawaii, Plasmo & Tammy, Poppi & Cupcake, Roomba & Templeton.
(I don't have any photos on hand atm)

Cupcake was my last girl to pass, their lives are too short!  :cry:
Then I got my Mini Foxie who is bred to kill rodents with a single blow, so no more rats for me, and now I live with cats, so unfortunately rats are still a few years away.
I really want a Dalmatian rat some day, or a dumbo. ^.^

I have always had rats and cats at the same time. My cats learned real quick not to poke their face against the rat cage xD.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Mkia on December 01, 2016, 08:51:38 AM

We've had several ratites over the years. Right now we have three rats who are all pretty old.

Having rats is such fun. They're really quite smart and fun to play with! Enjoy your babies!

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Kanchii on December 01, 2016, 07:03:58 PM

I always had rats growing up, because my parent's wouldn't let me have a dog. They were the best! They would run around our house, come when called, and just wanted to snuggle and give kisses all the time. I miss them a lot, but just don't have time what with my job, and that I already have a cat and dog and snakes.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: NovelNerd on December 01, 2016, 07:57:55 PM

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Ash hanging out with me chilly night

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Rat pile



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My old guy Riki who will be three in 12 days




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Rat pile 1


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A little guy Nublet on the way home with me




Post Merge: December 01, 2016, 08:00:13 PM

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Also older girls I took in. They are social but had the same home since they were babies and are now two and have tumors. My home is more of a place to relax and pass sadly since their owner could no longer keep them.

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: Cassie85 on December 02, 2016, 01:50:34 AM

All together over the last 15 years I have had 20 pet rats (not at the same time, though lol).  They make such wonderful pets. I have had dogs, cats, and ferrets, but pet rats will always be my favorite.

One a side note, I do have an etsy store for pwt rat hammocks:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TinyDreamerzzzBedzzz?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: tikibirds on December 02, 2016, 08:01:16 PM

No rats, but I do have a Chinchilla...

Title: Re: Any Rat fellow rat lovers here?
Post by: gemini_pony on December 03, 2016, 01:57:29 AM

Maddie your babies are adorable!!!