Why Rats As Pets

                Why rats as pets? That’s an easy one: Pet rats are simply one of the best pets you can have! They are incredibly sweet, very docile, almost never aggressive (Any animal can pose a risk of being aggressive, with it usually being linked to past ancestors and breeding), spectacularly intelligent, and fun to watch!

                Of course, rats need plenty of attention. It is recommended to give your rat at least 1 hour of play time per day. If you have a lone rat, it is better to play with him or her for at least 3 hours a day, to ward off depression and loneliness.

                Rats are great with young children, and will usually get along with other species, such as cats and dogs, very well. Yes! Rats and CATS can make the best of friends! That is, if your cat has been raised not to attack them as prey. I have two cats, both were descendents of stray hunters, who have grown to love and appreciate the rats I’ve raised. One is particularly close, defending her “children” (anything from a 2 week old kit, to a fully grown well fed male) from every other animal in store. It is such a blissful sight to see all of your animals playing together and lounging together in perfect harmony- especially in cases where they would normally be enemies, or consider the other a part of his or her dinner.

                With their superior intelligence, rats can learn and take action on many different stimuli. This can be voice commands, tricks, trained habits or courses, daily routines, and more. They are capable of more than one may think. Every moment they spend getting into things and exploring, they are taking “memory videos”. These mental videos will give them a lifelong memory of all areas they have explored, how to navigate them, and where all of the food and hiding areas are.

                With a properly raised pet rat, you can expect them to be very well attached to you, much like a dog or cat. They will also become attached to other animals, whether it be a “favorite cage mate” or the family dog. Watching your rat play and explore can be very fun, especially when they become slightly mischievous. They may decide to annoy the dog, play monkey bars in their cage, or dig in your purse for that left over candy bar.

                All of us love our pets dearly, so don’t forget to join the MPMETM community, located at www.facebook.com/mpmetm.