# How much does it cost to nuetor or spay your rat?



## Skitza

is there a differents between spaying costs and nuetoring costs?
just wondering - because i might get a male rat. (he is at the humainsociety and his name is noah! he is one of the cutest black ratties i have ever seen and i want him sooo bad so i think i might have my dad convinsed. (again) lol)


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## A1APassion

spays typically run higher than neuters

As too how much they cost, it depends on your vet.

I've heard of neuters that run as low as 35-45 bucks to as high as 200-250

Spays are very invasive for girls. It is a major surgery since it requires going inside the abdominal wall. A neuter does not but it is still a touchy procedure since some rats do not survive anesthesia or they suffer post-operative complications.

To be honest... putting an animal through these procedures just with the hopes that they would be cagemates afterward may not be what is best for the animal & there is no guarantee they will accept each other.


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## Skitza

ok thanks, i will need to think this through then. maybe i should just get a female then? or keep the male in a seperate cage, that rat needs a good home, i don't want him to spend his life alone in a cage doing nothing!


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## Mana

If you have a good vet who is experienced with neuters, I see nothing wrong with getting a male rat neutered to put him with girls (and I emphasize good vet with experience). There are even rat rescues who spay and neuter every rat that comes in. Their are marked health benefits to spaying, which, again if you have an experienced vet, may outweigh the risks of the procedure. But of course these are all things that individuals need to think about and decide for themselves, because there are always risks with every surgery.


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## ~AquaMerina~

The cost of neutering this rat will depend on your vet period. 
As for this guy your thinking of getting........You can't save them all, hun. 
I know this guy is really cute and all you want to do is love him and give him a good home as it is what he deserves.....BUT you really do need to think about all this. 
Lets say you do get him. You now have to decided to either get him nurtured or have him live alone. Lets say you get him nurtured. Can you afford up to $250.00 to get it done? After he's fixed, what if he is very mean to your girls, what will you do then? He could very well end up alone if you get him anyway. So I would like to suggest that if you really want to save a rat from the human society, then get a girl. Leave this guy there for someone with other boys at home to get. There are others looking at these fuzballs too. If you do get another rat make sure to quarantine it for at least 2 weeks and then slowly introduce it to your other girls.
I also want to commend you for the posts you've been putting in the "Rats Needing Homes" section. It's a very nice thing you are doing for these little ones. You really have a big caring heart and it shows. Just don't take on more than you can handle.


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## Neverstrayed

I've been making equiries myself because it's something i may have to consider and it'll cost Â£40 for a male rat and Â£60 for a female (same as cats) but i'm from the UK so not sure if that'd be any help or not lol.


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## A1APassion

Skitza said:


> ok thanks, i will need to think this through then. maybe i should just get a female then? or keep the male in a seperate cage, that rat needs a good home, i don't want him to spend his life alone in a cage doing nothing!


I know some might think me to be completely out of line but I also know there are far more people thinking what I am about to say...


Skitza you need to sit back & think about your rat habits & take a look at what is going on from an outsider's point of view.

You post on here that you favor one rat over another so you believe it is best to keep your one rat & get rid of the other because you ignore her.. but in the matter of days you are seeking out cage mates &/or more rats & now you are expanding to include both sexes.

Are you really thinking about what you are doing? Have you consider what you are opening yourself up to if you start bringing in single displaced rats of both genders. Can someone besides me say "trainwreck getting ready to happen" ...?

You can't just collect these creatures & then trade them off when you get bored with them or find yourself favoring one over another. Please take a break & consider the impression you are giving off here because as of late I know that I have been rather concerned about some of your posts. I see a trend & a potential hording situation developing since you spend so much time reading over surrenders. 

At best you need to think about this... these homeless or soon to be homeless pets often come from less than favorable conditions. Many are under socialized & it takes a patient & experienced hand to rehabilitate them. How can you commit to that when you post on hear how you favor one over another?

Rats are not baseball cards that you can place on a shelf & admire for a time & then trade it out when you see a card you would rather have.

ok, I said my piece... slam for for doing so or applaud me for doing so... that isn't my point for posting... I just couldn't read anymore & sit on my hands any longer. I am not jumping on Skitza... I am simply trying to get them to take a breath & take notice of the impression they are making & potentially get Skitza to rethink over the decisions being made


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## beanieboo-rattles

Im afraid i have to agree Julia.



As for neutering spaying etc. Unless abosolutly nesscecary dont do it. Its risky for any animal to go under let alone a small one. And the risk of lumps forming isnt a small one. Others will and can dissagree with my point of view. But thats life. Just my 2 cents.


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## MariHxc

i also agree with julia... i just didn't want to be the first to say it because i didn't feel like having people jump down my throat.


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## Skitza

well, everything is now undercontroll. i got the two in the same cage and they are doing fine. i just put them in last night and they were fighting like MAD! but then i just got home from the library and i put them together and they had a few fights but now they're fine! 
so i guess you could say i got my ratties housed together and i am getting a BIG parrot cage very soon for them. and that cage could house like 5 maybe more ratties!
if you wanna see it here is the link:
http://barrie.kijiji.ca/c-pets-accessories-large-parrot-cage-W0QQAdIdZ51962935

ttyl,
skitza


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## ration1802

I think you are missing the point .. just because you are getting a larger cage doesn't mean that a) all the rats are going to get along or b) you are not going to find your favourites in a larger group - which will mean even more rats left to the side when you decide to only play with the cute one that plays back.

I think you've been given some good advice here, Skitza. Take 5 and just think about it  After all, all any of us has first in our hearts is the welfare of the rats concerned.


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## A1APassion

while you are getting things in control I'll toss something else out there for you to ponder

Having a cage that holds 5 doesn't mean fill it with 5

You just had a break through with the current girls & hopefully they will remain on good terms with one another. If you add more rats with them.. then you go right back to square one because new rats mean new pecking order & this can leads you right back to more fighting 

I am really just trying to help you learn a few things before you jump in & make huge mistakes that only ruin the whole rat experience. 

Now that you have a pair please consider taking a break on adding anyone else. Right now is the perfect time to focus on learning from them & learning from everyone here before considering anymore new additions. 

The old cage that they will move from, be sure to clean it good & hang onto it just in case. You will need it in case your girls get into it again. You will need it if someone gets sick & needs to be separated. You'll definitely need it if you decide to get more rats because they will have to be in QT. 

so are you up for a challenge?

My challenge is for you to stay off those pet placement sites & focus on education, proper care & spoiling the two you have rotten. Did you ever go to the diet section to learn about other foods that are potentially dangerous? You need to learn this & then educate everyone else in the family that may be tempted to drop a nibble in the cage.


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## SweetLittleDelilah

I'm a bit late, but I agree with you as well, Julia.

Skitza: 
Focus on your current babies, spoil them rotten! ^-^
If you have more rats you won't be able to give as much individual attention.


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## Skitza

ok, yes you guys are right. i will stick with two 4 now. thnks


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## Skitza

but you guys have alot of rats yourself.


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## SweetLittleDelilah

Skitza said:


> but you guys have alot of rats yourself.


Not all of us do. And I'm pretty sure those who do are financially secure and have both the time and the money to care for those rats.


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## ration1802

Exactly. I started off with one (yeah, back in the days when I knew no better) and increased my numbers only when I had a) the full backing of my parents (including financially) and b) the confidence, knowledge and responsibility (not to mention, time, money and resources) to care for them all equally.

Only when I started work did my numbers increase (explode!) to what they are now.

Expanding your mischief (especially at such a young age) should not be a decision that is taken lightly. You have your whole life to have tons of rat-bums running amock :lol:


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## A1APassion

Skitza said:


> but you guys have alot of rats yourself.


very true I have a lot of rats.... but I also have 30 years of history in keeping them, caring for them & dealing with all types of ratty scenarios... not to mention I also have 3 children ages 19 1/2, 17 & 12 1/2 that all help with the cleaning, feeding & all around care. I have a support system here at home & I have a wonderful support system of wonderful rat folk all across the world because of the internet.

I take in rescues but I am very discriminating about who comes in. It takes far more than... oh look that rats needs a home... for us to consider bringing it into ours. 

If you don't know how to determine health or possible behavior issues, you open yourself & all of your rats to extremely dangerous outcomes. 

As Sweet pointed out, those of us with many more rats than two are financially able to care for & provide for our rats needs. I only started taking in rescues once again a few years ago when I quit smoking. Oh it was a nasty habit & I've been a non-smoker for far more years than I was a smoker but the job I had at the time... well it was the only excuse a person could use to step away & take a break (thanks to smoking laws banning indoor smoking) so when I left that job I wanted to quit for good & I needed proper motivation in order to fight that dreaded nicotine addiction. That was my motivation, the rats. The money I use to spend on $h*t that was killing me I now spend on trying to save lives & I still have money left over for other interests.

You are clearly just starting out with your ratty adventure & many of us have been at it for 10, 20, 30 years or more

Take your time... learn, learn... & LEARN MORE so that you can find out if you even want to deal with some of the things we each deal with every day & every year. I assume you are quie young since you are still asking for permission from your parents. what are you going to do with so many rats when it is time to cram for college exams & also manage to fit in a social life along with working a part time job? Most of the rats I have taken in are from wonderful young adults who found themselves with no time to even toss in a handful of lab block every day much less everything else that needs to take place in the life of their pet.

I'll close soon but before I do I'll fill you in with some details of the unpleasant things that come from having a large number of rats... Lilspaz will back me up on this one for sure... you deal with a great deal of sickness & death. I don't post about the passings of my babies like she does here on the Rainbow Bridge section anymore but that is because it is a deep & personal thing for me to lose a loved one. I posted about a couple but I found it difficult to share that part of what goes on here with others so I stopped. I accept that death is part of life & there are just certain things in life that I don't share with people outside my small circle of trusted & respected friends. 

So here it goes.... I lost 3 rats since the beginning of the month. 3 of those beautiful girls you see crawling around on my back in my avatar picture are no longer with us. One was clearly old age but the other two... well, I can't put a finger on it & I have one more that may or may not make it. It is a group of sisters that I took in at the beginning of the year. I truly suspect this to be congenital heart failure. I did not have a necropsy performed because these are not rats that willl ever be bred so I prefer the money to be spent on the living & the saving of more lives rather than on the dead that well, they are dead. If I lose the next sister I may pay for the necropsy but it would only benefit my own personal sense of closure because I cannot for the life of me find anything wrong with these girls. 

So... are you still ready to take in dozens of rats, take on the medical expense, clean cages every day of your life, upgrade equipment, search for cost effective supplies-drive an hour-2 hours to save money on your much needed supplies because no one local carries what you need, patch up busted rats, patch up bitten fingers, nurse your sick babies around the clock-skip sleeping all night-2 nights because to do so means they die because they need constant care, bury the dead & attempt to breath life into those who are still hanging on... should I continue?

Those of us who make this commitment to home so many rats do not do so because we plan to show off what we have or impress others on our collection... we make a commitment of our hearts because we respect & understand the labor of love that goes into each & every day of life we can provide for these misunderstood darlings. We hang out here each day trying to connect with people & help them along in their growth so that they can make it past there first URI or their first ever battle scar. We hang out here to encourage people to make wise choices & we hang out here to help someone get over the devastation of making poor choices. Some of us even go out on a limb & call people out before they make stupid choices. 

Yes I know I can't save them all but at least I know at the end of the day I have done my very best in every way possible to make a difference as many of their sweet little lives as I possibly can.


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## SweetLittleDelilah

A1APassion said:


> very true I have a lot of rats.... but I also have 30 years of history in keeping them, caring for them & dealing with all types of ratty scenarios... not to mention I also have 3 children ages 19 1/2, 17 & 12 1/2 that all help with the cleaning, feeding & all around care.


Sorry, I know this is a bit off topic but, you have a 19 1/2 yr old? 
I just turned 20 8O lol.
Your children are lucky to have a mother like you. =]

OT:
Skitza, I know it's sooo hard to resist all those cute, pleading little faces. Believe me, every time I go into a petstore I just HAVE to see the ratties.
And it's difficult not to take at least one home. But I remind myself...what if they got sick? Got into a fight and had to be permanently seperated?
I can handle the cost and care of one rat just fine, and will be able to as well when I get a second, but I refuse to let myself give in and get any more than that until I have a steady job with a good income, my own place, and room for more than one large cage.

Be strong, love! =]


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## A1APassion

SweetLittleDelilah said:


> A1APassion said:
> 
> 
> 
> very true I have a lot of rats.... but I also have 30 years of history in keeping them, caring for them & dealing with all types of ratty scenarios... not to mention I also have 3 children ages 19 1/2, 17 & 12 1/2 that all help with the cleaning, feeding & all around care.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry, I know this is a bit off topic but, you have a 19 1/2 yr old?
> I just turned 20 8O lol.
> Your children are lucky to have a mother like you. =]
Click to expand...

yes, I was 41 this last January 

The kids are very appreciative of the fact I am so open to pets but they also catch crap from me in a MAJOR way when they don't pull their weight on the responsibilities they agreed to. More times than one I've used the phrase, I brought you in this world... I can take you out too. I've told them many times... pitch in or the numbers go down to levels I can personally maintain & that would mean maybe the one large cage of girls, DD my solo male & I don't know who else, I tear up at the thought of having to make such a choice. I have people who would gladly adopt in the event I had to reduce my numbers because that is also something you have to consider when you are a responsible caretaker of animals... what happens to my babies if something happens to me?

Life is funny like that. You always have to have a back up plan


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## collisiontheory89

Skitza, ultimately it is up to you (well, your dad)if you wish to get another rat. I personally wouldn't, though. Not until you are financially independent and a bit more experienced. If your dad itsn't too keen on you owning rats in the first place, is he going to pay for any vet costs your new pet may need? Can you afford to pay for them? You've already admitted to favouring one rat over the other...

I only have 2 rats, and I'm fine with that. It is tempting to get more and even though I'm upgrading to a bigger cage and can afford to pay for vet fees and what not for another rat, I still won't get one. Sure it would be cool and I love them, but I can't give another rat the attention and time it would deserve. I would really consider you thinking this through.


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## beanieboo-rattles

I started of with one rat (yes knew about buddys but there were none at the time) two weeks later i had two. I stuck with 2 until i had income to support anymore. At that time my parents assisted with vet bills , bedding costs so it wasnt too bad. About 8 months later I was in payed education. Not a huge amount but surplus needed for me and the rats. And that is when i began upping my numbers. I was living alone so didnt have to worry about parental consent like you do , but trust me it is alot harder paying to keep 9 rats than it is two. And yes sometime you may have an il one who takes up more of youre time , but you NEED to be able to give individual atention to ALL of the rats. They need it to thrive.

You also need to be able to think ahead. As someone mentioned what about when you goto college or university ?? I got a job , brought in plenty to keep the house running. So i splashed out on a larger cage for my girls. Got a new travel carrier ((custom to fit on my motorbike)) got another cage for beanie to retire in. Almost "wasted" money as i was neive to think that this job would last. And unfortunatly a month later i was fired. Left in a ditch abosolutly broke. Yes it was hard, still recovering from it. But when that happend every penny i earned went to the rats food , bedding , vet bills , toys etc. I have bought anything, except food, for myself in quite a while. 


Yes go and buy that lovely big cage. But let youre two love the mansion ! atleast untill youre older.


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## collisiontheory89

Just to add to BeanieBoo's post, I think some people don't realise the sacrifices you need to make when you own any pet, not just a rat. Not aimed at anyone in particular, just a general statement. A lot of what I earn (because I only work part time) goes to keeping my girls fed, healthy, and entertained. Before my rats I used to have quite a bit of spending money, but I've had to change my spending habits quite a bit.

Also, the college thing is a good point. I hadn't even thought of that! I used to go away to our beach house heaps, but now I can't because I couldn't leave my girls alone that long or dump them on other people. I would wait till you're a bit more...um...settled (?) to add to your family.


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## Skitza

ok, i understand now. sorry about that!
i will stick with two for now and then i will think about getting another one when i am really really ready.
ttyl,
skitza


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## clarry

I'm 18, just finished college I have two boys and when I see pictures of babies i am so tempted but I'm going to live at uni in September, I'm only going about 40mins away so will be home at least twice a week because My mum refuses to do the big change out. I am going to miss them like **** and I know it's my own fault, because I got them when I was sure I was going to travel to uni, I am so lucky though because my mum is brilliant with them. They love her as much as they love me and she's always been an animal person and I know she takes care of them. I was trying to think of a way to take them with me but my mum argued 'If you take them you'll be leaving me all alone! I cant have all three of my babies leaving!'. I spoil them mad and when I get my own house I plan to convert the spare room into a rat room, but until then, Moscow and Milo are my lot, although my mum says she'd love to get more if (heaven forbid) either of them are left alone. I think I got her addicted, which is fine because she has the money and time. You do have to think about your future aswell, because I am only going to hurt myself when I move, they will continue to have a wale of a time here with my mum!
P.s A1A Passion-you're quite amazing


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## sharlee

I have a story to tell and I hope people will find it enlightening. For the last while there has been ALOT of rattakiss ruckus goin' on in my house First poor Butter Bean died and then not long after getting Sonora and Tobi I heard the pitter patter of 10 pairs of feet. My 43rd birthday is coming next week (Yeah me!!) so I bought myself a Ferret Nation 142 double stacked cage for the girls and boys. For all my good intentions it backfired!! Even though the babies are huge and I thought they wouldn't fit through the cage bars I was** VERY WRONG** Rube and Reggie the "Terrible Twins" were found in the girls cage sleeping with all six girls! All I could think was S#**T they are going to spawn 100 babies "Shoot Me Now" SO Sonora, Delilah, Whisper, Pengu, Ally and Seraphina made a fast trip to the vet to get spayed. Pengu and Ally will be going to live with my best friends daughter and I couldn't in all honesty do that knowing they could be pregnant. For all of you that do not know how much it costs to have your rats spayed or neutered take heed. $150.00 EACH!! due to the fact I have a great vet he took 10% off the total price and a additional $50.00 it still came out to a whopping total of $ 850.00. There goes the backyard pool I was going to buy for my girls but I learned a valuable lesson. Rat boys will do anything and I mean ANYTHING to get to a female in heat and NEVER,NEVER get boys and girls at the same time unless you are willing to shell out the big bucks to rectify possible unwanted pregnancies. Who would want 75 or more in bred babies? I couldn't send them to the humane societies already over burdoned pet population. As it turned out, none of the girls were pregnant so I don't have the added guilt of thinking I killed babies but I still "paid the price" right in the wallet. My husband Jim?... Lets not go there but I have to pay back every cent to the line of credit including the interest. I have sold my old cage for $85.00 and I will be selling ALOT more of my collectables to pay this debt. There is a moral to this long tale as well...Be prepared as a responcible Rattikiss owner to shell out $$ you might not have to keep your furry friends healthy and happy.Think hard before bringing that cute ratty home if you wont be willing to pay vet bills when ever needed.These lovely, sweet rattakisses deserve nothing less. Don't you think? Sharlee. I have 14 Rattakisses: BOYS: Rube, Reggie, Onion, Walnut, Philbert, Cloud, Toblerone and Jeramy. GIRLS: Delilah, Sonora, Whisper, Pengu, Ally and Seraphina.


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## mallina

Spay/neutering rats is a safe procedure for most rats. There are cases when it is not recommended due to age/health, but that is usually not the case. That is one of the reasons why people shouldn't buy rats, but instead they should adopt rats from rescues that are already fixed and pay an adoption fee to help cover the costs.


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