# Boys or Girls?



## Maiden (Mar 9, 2012)

I have two boys that I love dearly and I know a petstore that sells pet rats. All of the pets used to be dumbos but one of their dumbos had a litter or mostly standards so now they sell both.

Anyways. I have noticed that the girls always find homes first. No one seems okay with the fact that boy rats have big balls.

Now, I know there are people on the sight that can look beyond the boy parts and love the rats for who they are, but I was wondering, how many people here have girls and how many people have boys?

... if I can figure out how to put in a poll I will add one.


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## Cstaar (Mar 7, 2012)

I have girls, but not because the boy's balls bother me. I wanted rats that would be very active and that would like training (I had heard girls were more likely to do this). I didn't so much want a lap pet and my friend had had boys and they wanted cuddles all the time - which is nice - but wasn't for me. I was also was worried about boys tendencies to mark a lot more than girls. I love my girls, they are all so different. But it's not that I don't like boys, it's just that girls suited me better when thinking of typical behaviours etc. Who knows, maybe one day I will have a neutered boy to live with my girls.....


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## Rat-1- (Jul 22, 2012)

I have boys well I can look beyond the balls. I also have girls. They are different.


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## Sara00 (Aug 23, 2012)

Like Cstaar, I got girls because of concerns over males scent-marking their cage. I live in a rented flat, so I have to be careful of the smell. However, I have considered adding a neutered male to them in the future.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

I have girls, mostly because my boyfriend and I used to own mice before rats and male mice smell a lot. So when picking out a rat I picked out a girl over a boy. I have had a mostly male little, and I can say after rehoming the boys in that litter I like both boys and girls. I like boys because mine were more willing to sit on your shoulder and snuggle with you, but I also like my girls because they have their super hyper crazy moments and can get into almost anything.


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## TachisMom (Oct 17, 2012)

We have both! (in seperate cages, of course, as they aren't fixed).

We got our females first because my fiance was freaked out by the males balls lol. But after adopting Batou he's been able to look past them and see that the boys are really cuddily and loving :-D


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## JBlas (Oct 21, 2012)

Many years back I always had boys. I found the girls too temperamental. And odd...I don't ever remeber having problems with their smell or spraying (although I don't doubt they do this Recently I decided to get rats again (because my son wanted a hamster...I talked him into the rats, I went straight for the boys. Mine were so loveable and sweet. But--I came across 3 female dumbo rats that had been rescued and treated for RI. They were now healthy and needed a forever home. Softy that I am...I adopted them. We are spoiling them like crazy. They still are not comfortable being held (they are 8months and 4months), but they are quickly coming around. I do miss the big time cuddles I got from my boys, but....I appreciate these for their energy and curiosity. I've already started looking for a couple of males, possibly via a breeder that I was introduced to by Petco (where I adopted my rats). The distinguishing physical characterist of the male doesn't bother me at all. Never did!


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## Cupcake&Candy (Jun 5, 2012)

I have all girls - 6 of 'em!
I love the fact that they are always busy. Always busy! Also, I find the male balls absolutely disgusting! Blah....who wants THOSE dragging up & down their arm?? (hee, hee No offense intended)


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

I have Boys. Actually in my area it is actually a state law that pet stores can not sell female animals in a certain population area. It's to help keep population control and disease like Zootonics down. Same goes for all pet store animals. I had actually planned on males in the first place anyways, so it didn't bother me. You have to drive like an hour down town to get females here though.

I love my boys. I've never had a lazy male, though Soda and Storm I guess are "lazy" though that's only after an hour of playing and Soda just likes to chill in a box and Storm under my chair, this is also after Soda decides to climb my window blinds so he can sit about 7 ft in the air mooning people outside (Yes he does this every day). 

Actually my favorite part (which is also sad) is that boys get Squishy when they get older. It's awesome cause they are just so Squishy, but it means they are getting older as most get squishy about a year or less (or more) before they pass away, so it's a double edge sword. I'm actually some what sad cause Soda is now a major Squishy.

I wouldn't mind having females, I actually kind of want to get a pair, spayed of coarse to prevent tumors and so that they can live with my boys. I can think of so many names for females but with Males I often get stuck cause most of the names I can think of only "work" for black hoodeds in my mind. 

To be honest I've never had any issues with males smelling taking over the house. We can go a week (or over) between cleanings and it will smell just fine. Also I love the fact that males smell like Tacos 
I've also never had an issue with their balls, I barely notice them. Though it's funny cause when someone ask if they are female I just flip them over to show them that they are in fact males.


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## RatBreeder (Oct 29, 2012)

I have 9 females, and 1 male. My other male passed away a few days ago :/


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## vickivixen (Oct 15, 2012)

My first pair of rats were girls, and when they passed away I got a lone male rat. Although I loved all three, I do have to say I preferred the girls' personalities - they were just so much more interesting (though I suppose that could've been because little Frodo was too lonely on his own). I have recently got two boys...based on previous experience I would have preferred to get girls but I felt boys would be easier for my little boy to handle. They're still fairly shy and jumpy, but they are lovely boys and I wouldn't change them for the world. I can see them getting very affectionate when they've built up their confidence a bit more.

Balls don't bother me particularly (but I wish rats naturally didn't have tails!), but I do have a very sensitive sense of smell so I would definitely take girls over boys if it really did mean they were less smelly (not that these ones are bad smellers anyway!)


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## YellowSpork (Jul 7, 2012)

I have 3 girls and a neutered boy. I love my girls because they're crazy and make me laugh, and just get into everything! But I wanted someone to cuddle with, too, because the girls are always on the go! So I brought Ziggy home. I can't say I really prefer one gender over the other, though, because they all have their own personalities.  Though I will be honest, I decided to go with girls first because the balls weirded me out a bit.  But after owning rats and looking at all your guys' adorable pictures, I'm pretty used to them now and they don't bug me. Haha. But I still don't know how they walk with those things being so big!


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

I have four girls and one boy. I'd say I love them all pretty equally as far as gender goes. My boy loves to give me kisses, but then again so does his sister. My boy is more likely to just sit with me than my girls. Unless I'm standing up and holding my girls, they will explore more than they will just sit on me.


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## Three B's Mom (Apr 18, 2012)

I have 3 girls. I've not had a male rat but used to have a female singleton before I knew better many moons ago. I'm intrigued by the males personality but am on the fence to ever getting one because of the reasons stated.


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## Kuro (Oct 25, 2012)

i'm getting a apir of girls in a week or two. i wanted boys originaly but the i got to thinking what if they fought when they hit puberty? there are no vets within 2 hours of me that would neuter a rat if i needed it done. i have vets who'll see and treat rats so if my girls get sick i have avet to take them to but they will not neuter. i love how cuddly males are but the possibility of fighting and no way to seperate or neuter made me choose girls...maybe sometime in the future i'll get boys but for now i'll love my two girls to pieces.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

I always had boys. Girls were too crazy for me!


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## ILoveMyMonsters (May 25, 2012)

I have boys at the moment. I would LOVE to have girls again, but I had multiple girlies die from mammary tumors, so I'm a little paranoid about that situation rising again. I opted for a male when I bought Havoc a few years ago, and I didn't have the money at the time to spend on spaying a female, so I got Alban instead. Same when Havoc died and I bought Axl. My vet wanted almost $200 to spay a female, so again, I got a boy when I adopted Tanto. 

It's really by personality. Tanto is more like the female rats I used to have - very playful [crazy!] and likes to roam around and stretch his legs. Axl was athletic and bouncing off the walls as a baby, but he is turning into the "squishy" male as he is getting older.


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## southpaw (Apr 8, 2007)

I have boys. I loved my girls but something about the boys really tug at me. Just wish they didn't mark! Ugh!!


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## Rats Mommy (Nov 3, 2012)

I have had a male. It was my first rat. After him, I had 3 females. I like both genders the same. My girls love to cuddle too


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## Run Computers (Oct 14, 2012)

I used to have girls, but now have 2 boys, and love them. So cuddly!


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## IndyYawns! (Oct 30, 2012)

I've always preferred males a they are generally calmer, but of course to each his own. I've had some pretty squishy girl rats though, too. I going to be fostering some neutered males soon, I'm looking forward to seeing the difference in attitudes of fixed versus intact.I love rat balls! They are hilarious!!


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## Cookie&Gible (Oct 26, 2012)

My favorite are females, though I do love all rats including males, I wouldn't get a male though cause then I have to buy another rat cage and there expensive where I live, I do find the balls a bit unsightly though but I'd still love them


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