# What other pets do you have? How do they react to the rats?



## Alisonacross

I have a horse, a gecko, and a dog (2 if you count my sisters). My horse obviously doesnt see my rat, and my gecko never comes in contact with him. My labradoodle is terrified of him. My rat is very interested in my dog but my dog will run away and hide. My sisters dog LOVES him. She will sit at his cage and they will sniff each other for a long time


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## rainbowrats

I've got a cat, and she just likes to stare at them. They sniff her and run away if she gets mean about it, but I always keep her out of the room when I play with them, so there won't be any problems. ^^


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## delilahrene

I have a dog and foster rabbits. My dog thinks the rats are her playmates, so she is not allowed to interact with them unsupervised. She loves them though; whenever she is in the room she just play bows and bounces around trying to get them to chase her. The rabbits do not mind them from what I have seen. In fact, one of my boys, Odin, loves the rabbits and always tries so hard to break into their pen, so he can go snuggle with them. It is super cute for the second he is in before I grab him (one kick from an annoyed rabbit could be a disaster)


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## RattieLover1331

I have a dog (chihuahua) and I don't let her come near the rats because she will try to EAT THEM.

I also have two betta fish :3


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## LeStan82

I have 4 cats and 3 dogs. My cats are not even allowed in the room(I do not trust them, they glue themselves to the cage)and none of the animals are allowed in the room during free range time. Occasionally I will allow my lab to sniff them when holding them, he doesnt know what they are and is fascinated with watching them. He just sits quietly and watches...lol


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## Willieboo

Haha, my dog is afraid of my rats, too. She's an American Labrador. She'll come up and sniff my little rat real gently and then back away and leave the room. When I call her back and tell her to say hi, she backs out again, haha. Who knew that little bitty rats would have all the authority?


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## Alisonacross

Willieboo said:


> Haha, my dog is afraid of my rats, too. She's an American Labrador. She'll come up and sniff my little rat real gently and then back away and leave the room. When I call her back and tell her to say hi, she backs out again, haha. Who knew that little bitty rats would have all the authority?


That is EXACTLY how my dog is! He panics haha how silly


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## franticfur

I have a shiba who respects my rat imesely because she was taught from day 1 that it is mine. I don't allow more interaction then I have too because my shiba being a hunting breed I don't want to tease her though I trust her.


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## Ratmom83

I have a cat. He grew up around small animals and is great for the most part. He hasn't come in contact with the babies just the older one. He watches through the cage. I don't allow him in the room during their out time.

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## mimsy

I have a green cheeked conure, Foofanny, and I don't let her interact with anyone but the dogs-she is likely to bite and the rats may bite in defense-both could be injured so ya no. Unless the ferret is out, Foofanny is out from when we wake up till she puts her self to bed at night. She lives in the living room and is mostly on her play gym.

I have an ancient ferret, Medusa, she's 9 and really isn't doing so well any more. She also isn't hanging out with the bird or rats tho, ferrets are not trust worthy around small animals, even tho she's old and most likely wouldn't be interested in them. I've had small animals for 30 years now and never had any one eat each other and don't plan on it happening anytime soon. No need to take chances. she lives in my bedroom, where my rats live as well, but she only comes out twice a day for maybe half hour and then she goes back to her cage to go to sleep. 

We have two old dogs, Howard a 16 year old Aussie and a 8 year old pitbull, Lump. Both can interact with everyone in the house and outside. Mom ratty is terrified however of the dogs. Apparently the people we got them from had dogs who had eaten several of the rats though (it was a pitbull too so bummer for Lump). Very sad for Lump. He has always loved small animals, especially rats, I think cause they are least likely to nip him haha. Mom screamed at him when she was introduced and he went running tail between the leg and just stood there from a distance looking so very sad. Maybe with very slow introductions we can remedy it, but I'm not sure. Mom was very afraid. Both the baby ratties have no problem with the dogs though.

The rats are usually on our shoulders throughout the day and/or the bed, dresser, desk, kitchen counter ect-basically wherever my daughter, husband or myself might be at the moment. All the girls are very needy, any loud unexpected noises or movements and the youngsters are in our shirt and Mom runs up my shoulder to lean against my neck. Mom will panic if she can't get to me readily.

Lastly we have 5 chickens-all very sweet to humans and mostly with the dogs unless there is food involved-little Red, the Boss, Floppy, Red Derp and White derp. They will not interact with rats as well. The shed outside which houses misc garden stuff and the chickens food and hay gets wild rats every so often and the chickens eat them when they catch them. It's fairly brutal, needless to say the ratties will never so much as see the chickens.


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## Mouse

My dog was interested in my rats until he came too close and got a little nip right on the tip of his nose. Now, he backs away whenever I bring them near him. It's better for him to be afraid than interested, as it's a lot easier for him to do serious damage to them than vice versa.


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## Hollizard

One of my cats completely ignores the rats. The other will stare and them for a moment before stalking away like their mere presence has offended her. I don't trust the dogs with them. The reasons being that one might attack them and the other might get attacked by them. I used to have two guinea pigs and she loved them. I think she saw the rats the same way, but then Kepler charged the bars once and she changed her mind. Now she mostly ignores them. Then, of course, there's my corn snake. He's kept in the same room as the rats, so when I got them I was worried he'd smell them on me and try to eat my fingers, but he really doesn't care at all. They're way too big for him to see as food anyway. Lastly, the five chickens are kept outside and will most likely never meet them.


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## Charlottesmom

No new rats at this time (getting them in 2 weeks), but when we had our boys a few years back:Charlotte our Golden Retriever loved them! She sniffed them and watched them when they were in their cage but pretty much left them alone when they were out to play.All my other animals were kept away from them as they were upstairs and the parakeets and Kellie (parrot) were downstairs. These new ratties are going to be in the family room a room away from Stewie (Flemish Giant bunny) and Kellie, but will still be kept apart as the family room doorway will be blocked off when the rats are out (supervised). Charlotte will still be able to sniff them and possibly interact with them while they were out depending on how she and they react to each other. My fish, parakeets, and mouse are all upstairs so the rats may never even meet them.


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## Aeyna

I have three cats and three rats. One of the cats never comes near them. Another lets them climb all over him and Olivia was cleaning in his ear the other day while Penny was cleaning his feet. The third cat likes to play with them, and I'm very careful to make sure that nothing gets too rough. She doesn't use her claws around the rats, just wants to catch and release. I would worry, but it's mostly Olivia that plays with her, and she never squeaks or runs away, and if I take Olivia away from the cat, Olivia runs right back for more. It's very strange, but always extra supervised.


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## Maddie

Well I live on a large 600 acre farm, sooo lots of animals. My family breeds beef cattle and horses. The ones tht are specifically mine though lemme see. I have five horses, two dogs and the rats. My dogs aren't big fans, and they only see the rats through the bars. One dog is afraid of them and the other wants to play with them in a violent way. Lmao they would not do well to mix.


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## SpringSt

I have a houseful, but the only other animals that is allowed to interact with my rats is 1 of my 3 dogs. He's my service dog and he'll just sit there and let them climb all over him, groom inside his ears, corners of his eyes and even his mouth. One of my rats will lift up his lips and and clean his gums lol. It's quite a show.


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## Elswiththetubularbells

Our two cats have very different approaches to the rats. The lady cat is obsessed with them, and watches them whenever she comes in. She likes to sit on top of the cage and play with Noka. The dude cat could care less. He occasionally looks at them and then goes to lie down. Out of our three dogs, only one is really trustworthy. She just sniffs them and then goes about her business. The smallest one is afraid of them, but not in a run and hide way. More of a violent way. The biggest one used to bite at them and the cage, but now he's so old I don't thin he cares anymore. Our aquarium fish, RuPaul and Chiccy(there are more but they aren't important) hide, but the rats LOVE them. Our betta fish hasn't met them yet and probably never will, so it doesn't matter.


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## sarasmithhh

I have 5 dogs at my dads house my poodle could care less, my two jack russles treat it like a baby puppy and lick/clean it, one chiwawa tries to eat it, and the other one is terrified of it. But my rat LOVES all the dogs and wants to play with them lol poor gal. And at my moms house we have a Great Dane and a wimeriner and they both try to eat her so they don't interact. And I have a guinea pig but she just sits there when my rat sniffs and tries to play with her


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## Reedrat

We have there guinea pigs, Teddy, Charlie and Number One, and my two dogs. The dogs are Brahma and Dreamy, they are Beaucerons and are certified for search and rescue . The rats will likely never come in direct contact with either the dogs or the piggies. My dogs would kill them without thinking twice. And I just don't trust the piggie boys either. Brahma has checked out the rat cage briefly and intensely before being removed from my bedroom.


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## Lita

We've got guinea pigs, Odair, Porcupine, Garou, Healer and Roosevelt; bunnies Mufasa, Mochi, Keter, Cupcakes, Susuwatari, Cheezburger, Voldemort, Alaska, Abu and Uclid; cats Binx, Possum, Zombie, Mortimer, Rodrigez and Syren; and dog Roxie, on top of the rats. We also currently have a tiny wild mouse we're trying to sort out again... Xp I think one of the baby rats bit the dog so she seems really skiddish of them now, the cats love to watch them and investigate. Never let them near the buns or pigs, to much of a health and injury risk for my liking.


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## ponderosa

One cat, who will occasionally watch the rats in their cages but usually just ignores them. Our cat is super lazy and she has been lying nearby while rats were being held without much of a reaction. Also, not only is she super lazy without much of a prey drive, sadly she was declawed several years ago before I met her (and for the record I am anti-declawing). Even though this cat seems to pose little risk to the rats, I wouldn't leave them unattended together, as she still has her teeth.


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## MissSix

My other pets are an anole and a tarantula, so no ratty contact for them. 

However, my rats have met my mother's parrot and... well, this is a bird that is used to being the center of attention and REALLY hates any person or animal getting too close to her momma. Gustav also has a bit of a hunting drive and was a little too interested in the feathered thing (he attacks his feathered toys quite viciously).


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## Marz42

When I'm at my place, its just me and the girls. When I go to my folks, though, it's a whole different story. There's Racer, the rabbit that actively tries to injure anyone that isn't my mother. 
Then there is Rachel, my dog, who is a shepherd/border collie/ridgeback mix. She's a very gentle soul and is used to ratties crawling all over her. We've also got Leo, the mastiff/lab mix with an enormous prey drive. He's only allowed near the rats if he behaves himself. Mika is the service dog, and she basically just ignores them altogether.
Beyond that, my mother is a dog trainer so we've got somewhere between two and twenty extra dogs at all times. Clients aren't allowed upstairs, so for the most part they don't get any interaction with the rats at all.


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## ellismera

I have a cat who goes bog eyed, a giant land snail who really doesn't care and two rankin dragons who don't care


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## elliot

Ooh ooh! We foster animals all the time but most don't get to meet the rats, but some docile fosters and our hedgehogs, rabbits, and guinea pigs get to have short play date sessions. Our dogs enjoy meeting them but look really perplexed, but our cat- oh my does he love them! Here is a picture of our Ollie asleep on Jojo the cat. Also, this is a picture of the same boy cuddling with a foster kitten that kept crying unless he got to cuddle with him.


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## erinsweeney

Smoky, our Maine ****: actually sleeps on the table beside the cage? he's the only cat we have who has actually ever killed a rodent (and he was quite good at it once) but he doesn't seem interested in them in a food way, unlike... 
Dusty, our half maine ****, half domestic shorthair - Dusty pays good attention whenever the rats are out. She sits with her mouth open staring at them, and follows their progress along the couch or wherever I have them. She reacts like this to the cockatiel, too. She has no front claws, so no idea if she's just playful or would actually take a swipe! 
Khoshekh, our all-domestic shorthair - is deathly afraid of rats! 
Lucy, our cockatiel - has only interacted with them a few times. they seem to treat each other as equals. 
Scully, our python - obviously has never met the rats, and never will! But she acts very interested in the smell if I hold the rats and then am holding her! 

I've also never had a pet kill another pet. Out of curiosity, I searched if rats could be kept with our cockatiel (I would NEVER do this, again was just curious) and I read of someone who attempted to actually do this, and the adult rat ate their cockatiel alive! Can't really blame em for doing what comes natural, though...


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## KittyRat

I have 5 cats.

Mystic is around 12 years old, I've had her since I was 3. She is all black with a white patch on her chest. She is extremely talkative, and will sit in the bathroom meowing for hours. She doesn't care that much about my rats.

Nine is around 4 years old. I found her as a feral kitten and tamed her. She is all black with a few white hairs here and there. She will stare at my rats like they are something to eat.

Clyde is around 3 years old. I adopted him from a Petco (or Petsmart) when he was just a kitten. He's white with a black hood, black tail, and black blotches here and there. He's also pretty skittish and will hide from strangers. He seems to be afraid of my rats too.

Louie, who is a little over a year old, was adopted from the Humane Society a few months after I moved to Utah. He's a white/grey/cream Maine **** Mix. He loves to cuddle and snuggle under a blanket. He is interested, but a little scared of my rats. (Dobby once grabbed onto his tail with his paws).

Elsa is about 7 months old. I adopted her 3 months ago. She is a calico Maine **** Mix. She follows me around all over the house, and meows when I leave. She kind of whacks at my rats (not hard, and not with claws out).

In the past, I've had 3 rabbits, and 2 guinea pigs. Various fish, a turtle, and a frog.


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## kksrats

My heeler mix thinks that the rats need to be herded (of course), my pitbull thinks that they have too much energy and my chihuahua is horribly afraid of them. My bearded dragon acts like he wants to eat them (even though they're almost his size) and my other two reptiles have no idea that they exist. I'd like to get a cat eventually, so i'm interested to see how that plays out.


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## ratsrdog35

Be sure to do any introductions between rats and another animal very SLOWLY! They should sniff noses every day for a few weeks before moving on to the next step.
Keep all your pets alive!


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## elliriyanna

I have a dog, a cat, 3 turtles and 4 rats... and a hamster lol ( when I list it out it feels like I need to downsize) 

my dog and cat I got each as babies, so they have been worked with from a very young age. The cat isnt a fan but will not hunt them, she likes to watch them from a ways away, the dog, only cares when they are squeaking. His crate is even next to their cage and none of them care and neither does he. I am very lucky. 

Cats first intro's to a rat 









Dogs first real intros 











of course there is a lot more to intros and more went in before what you see in the pictures.


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## MomToRats

It's just me , hubby , Smokey my African Grey and my my girls Snoball and Mickey


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## untidyvenus

I currently have 2 cats, Castor Troy and Pickles, my two ratlings Tamale and Fajita, and a better Goldie Hawn. The cats wish they could interact with the rats, but generally I keep them apart, my cats are kind of dumb and would get bit.. lol :3


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## ILoveMyMonsters

When I had rats and my dog was much younger, he would harass them by constantly sniffing and trying to lick them through the bars of their cage (one of my early set ups was a 5ft tall ferret cage). He learned the hard way that rats have very sharp teeth when he got his nose bit pretty bad one day. Needless to say, he gave them a wide berth after that. ;D


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## Fu-Inle

Can't trust my 2 dogs around the rats, one gets extremely jealous and the other is a bird and mouse catching expert, i swear, shes part cat. I also have 2 budgies, who both are quite curious of the rats. I don't think they understand rats are potential predators and honestly, If I allowed them, I think they'd fearlessly wander straight up to them. They're handraised and have little fear of other animals but the rats cannot be trusted around them.


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