# How big do they get?



## Holly (Dec 31, 2006)

When I hear "city folk" who don't know about Pet Rats talking about the kind of rats that inhabit their city sewers, they make these wild guys out to be REALLY big. "Cat-sized," they say.

Well, Gus is a fairly large young adult (8 mo.) and he weighs 1 pound, 1 ounce. (17 ounces.) Even though he has some growing to do, I don't expect he will ever be much more than 2 pounds.

I know that Pet Rats and their wild cousins are all Rattus Norwegicus (sp?) and come from the same family of rats. How large can this kind of rat get?

Are wild rats generally larger than Pet Rats? Why?


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## renay (May 30, 2007)

Pet rats were bred down from the brown rat, which is rattus norvegicus, the brown rat in the wild can actually be quite aggressive and isn't as big as the equally as common roof rat, (brown rats are normally between a foot and a foot and a half long, where as roof rats are 1.2 feet long to a foot and a half long) Also, pet rats were selectively bred from their wild counterparts to be smaller, and more friendly... Selective breeding was used then, which is exactly why it should be used now.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Perhaps the sewers have Gambian Pouched Rats?


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## HollynRats (Aug 5, 2007)

I seriously doubt that!  I looked into getting a Pouched rat but am still trying to figure how to get one over to the US! 

Maybe there is something in the sewer that makes them bigger... like toxins, chemicals, or something?


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

HollynRats said:


> I seriously doubt that!  I looked into getting a Pouched rat but am still trying to figure how to get one over to the US!


Considering they're illegal over here, I wouldn't toy with that...


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## renay (May 30, 2007)

HollynRats said:


> I seriously doubt that!  I looked into getting a Pouched rat but am still trying to figure how to get one over to the US!
> 
> Maybe there is something in the sewer that makes them bigger... like toxins, chemicals, or something?


No I think the city people just over exagerate (sp?) out in the country we have real big animals... like deer, moose, lynx so on and so forth, the biggest animals they have that live in the city are... what raccoons? Plus more often than not when you see a rat in the wild you only catch a quick glimpse of it, they're very shy animals.


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## Holly (Dec 31, 2006)

This is very informative, and very fun.

I, too, live in a mostly-country area, and when I talk about a big animal, I mean BIG!


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## HollynRats (Aug 5, 2007)

Forensic said:


> HollynRats said:
> 
> 
> > I seriously doubt that!  I looked into getting a Pouched rat but am still trying to figure how to get one over to the US!
> ...


I was being sarcarstic thats why i laughed at the end!  


Yea we live way out in the country and someone says big we mean like a cougar! :lol: But yea i dont know when they would see them, i mean since when is everyone hanging around in the sewers? :lol: :roll:


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## renay (May 30, 2007)

HollynRats said:


> Forensic said:
> 
> 
> > HollynRats said:
> ...


A sewer rat is hardly confined to the dwellings of a sewer, there isn't even such a thing as a sewer rat as far as i know.. its just a term used to describe most rats that live in the city, because of the huge dumpsters that are often kept outside restaurants and in alley ways, rats generally thrive in the city, as do most other omnivorous creatures that are small enough to live there. Since rats are nocturnal, I highly doubt the people who claim that they are 3 feet long or whatever got a very good look at them.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

renay said:


> A sewer rat is hardly confined to the dwellings of a sewer, there isn't even such a thing as a sewer rat as far as i know.. its just a term used to describe most rats that live in the city, because of the huge dumpsters that are often kept outside restaurants and in alley ways, rats generally thrive in the city, as do most other omnivorous creatures that are small enough to live there. Since rats are nocturnal, I highly doubt the people who claim that they are 3 feet long or whatever got a very good look at them.


Considering the looks of some city cats, I wouldn't doubt what they saw actually _was_ a cat. :lol:


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## renay (May 30, 2007)

You have a point there.


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## Krickette (Aug 5, 2007)

Maybe they are talking about swamp rats....That's what we have around here...
http://www.bali.co.kr/zoo/image1/%C1%E304Nutria.jpg
they're like, 3-4 feet long with their tails.
they're massive. The biggest menaces ever. Nice target practice, though, lol!


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Krickette said:


> Maybe they are talking about swamp rats....That's what we have around here...
> http://www.bali.co.kr/zoo/image1/%C1%E304Nutria.jpg
> they're like, 3-4 feet long with their tails.
> they're massive. The biggest menaces ever. Nice target practice, though, lol!


Nutrias? (Or muskrats for that matter)... I suppose perhaps, but in New York?


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## Krickette (Aug 5, 2007)

Forensic said:


> Krickette said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe they are talking about swamp rats....That's what we have around here...
> ...


yeah, i guess they don't have them up there, huh? I forget not everyone's city's are below sea level, lol!


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## renay (May 30, 2007)

Hm, I live right along the border of NY... And we have plenty of muskrats, and they are omnivorous and small enough to happily live in the city...
I don't think any animal makes good target practice, so I really hope you're joking.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

True... we once had a muskrat in my school's parking lot during recess. But it backed onto fields so I wasn't sure if they'd do well in an actual city... Maybe in areas with lots of water (parks, etc?)


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## Krickette (Aug 5, 2007)

Yeah, I'm joking about that. There are a ton of people who do "hunt" them. They've done more damage to the wetlands than I can begin to address. They've gotten so overpopulated it's insane. Honestly I hate the little buggers, but no, I don't shoot them.


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## renay (May 30, 2007)

yeah. well, maybe thats where the whole sewer assumption comes from?


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

renay said:


> yeah. well, maybe thats where the whole sewer assumption comes from?


Could be.

I hate nutrias too, invasive species suck. 

But, I suppose competition is the way of nature.


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## renay (May 30, 2007)

We ourselves are an invasive species... far worst than muskrats to lol kb lk igfvvivikvki = message from kooda....my grounded for life cat :x


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