# Tough decision



## R-a-t (Aug 1, 2012)

Soon I am going to petco to get a rat and they have two color variations, all white or white with a black head and a black stripe going down it's back. Which do you think would be a better choice.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

there's no difference in terms or temprement and health, i would just go for 2 that look different so when they are being naughty you know who to tell off (it's going to happen)


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

PLEASE, if you are going to buy rats from petco, make sure YOU know the difference between males and females, as the pet store employees most likely won't, and I don't want to see a post in 2.5 weeks about "my one rat is getting really fat, pregnant?"


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## R-a-t (Aug 1, 2012)

Thanks for the help


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## Flashygrrl (Feb 8, 2012)

Is Petco your only choice for getting a rat?


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## R-a-t (Aug 1, 2012)

Yes there is no place closer than petco and my mom doesn't care if there good or bad rats she just wants the store to be close


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Flashygrrl said:


> Is Petco your only choice for getting a rat?


I second that! Many chain pet shop rats are too old to socialize easily. (read the threads that start with shy rat, biting rat or agressive rat and you will notice that they almost all start with an adult unsocialized pet shop rat) Also note that adult female pet shop rats kept in mixed cages are also usually pregnant. The body of a young rat that is best for socializing is usually about 4 inches long and it's 4 to 7 weeks old. They are usually sold as fuzzy rat pups or at biggest; small rats. Chances are that under 6 weeks old the females may not be pregnant.

If the rats are larger than above, have the shop take them out of the cage and you should be able to play with them in the store for several minutes. They should be active and interested in you, you should be able to handle and scratch them.... If the employee puts on a thick pair of gloves, grabs the rats by the tail and squee-dunks them into a box snapping the lid closed with uncanny expertise... they know something you don't... you are most likely to have a major hassle socializing your new pet and possibly a few nasty bites along the way. 

I only buy fuzzy rat pup feeder rats as pets of course, but I always play with them in the store, then let my 6 year old play with them before she carries them out of the store without a box. I might use a box for a larger rat but we would certainly play with it for quite a while before buying it.

As to which rat... if both rats are equally small enough and friendly enough, and the preferable sex, and you don't have a super strong personal preference I'd take the one with brown or black eyes. Generally pink or red eyed rats have poorer vision that can degenerate in strong light. Pink and red eyed rats are great pets too, but given a choice and no other preference, why pick the rat likely to have worse vision?


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Pick which either one is the friendlist, that's my rule. I don't care what it looks like, if its friendly, thats all that matters. All of my rats have come from petsmart (granite this petsmart takes Extremely good care of their rats and the rat lady there even plays with them so they are some what friendly and well taken care of) and every single one of them so far has been extremely healthy and happy.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

If your mother isn't concerned about the rat itself and just needs the store to be close, what are your plans for when your rat is sick and needs to go to the vet? Have you discussed this with her? Rats can rack up expensive vet bills and those vets will not always be closest to your house.

We all want you to be successful with your first rat experience. I think that this requires more time talking with your mother before you go out and get rats.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Do they really sell rats as young as 4 weeks in the us, that's scary. As much as petshops are rubbish in the uk the rats are generally at least 6 weeks. Breeders are the same, in fact I wouldn't home until 7 weeks minimum sometimes later if there a bit immature.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

LOL... I've never bought a rat as old as 7 weeks. I usually get them between 3-4 weeks old. 

My pet shop sells 99% of it's rats as reptile food at every age... They order 4 sizes... Pinkys, small, medium, large and jumbo and accept/buy accidental litters and breeder surplus. They sell over 100 rats per week. The small, medium, large and jumbos are unsocialized and in mixed company... so the female medium, large and jumbo's are most likely pregnant and I buy females. The smalls may or may not be pregnant, but are already victims of mishandling or at least neglect. They keep larger rats to nurse the pinkys... Naturally every day some number of pinkys get plucked at random for smaller snakes and lizards... so the race is on between the pinkys getting old enough to be weaned as pets and getting plucked for snake food. If I find the right fuzzy rat, personality, color, health, sex etc and its got teeth, I grab it. If I wait another hour, day or week it will have already been digested. I might add that the store employees also cherry pick among the fuzzies for themselves and their friends not to mention other rat owners that have figured the system out.

Naturally, we feed our babies special food and try to give them constant attention and hands on love. For the most part a 3-4 week old rattie is bonded for life to us by the time we get home from the pet shop. I might add that ratties are super easy to handle and socialize at that age. Although I would prefer properly socialized and wiened ratties... our method works a treat and we have wound up with the worlds best and smartest adult rats, so we've been doing something right.


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## Flashygrrl (Feb 8, 2012)

Another option besides going with the more caring Petsmart is to contact the rescues in the area and see if they know of any that need homes. The method of handling that Rat Daddy was mentioning is very very typical of Petco (well, not always the thick gloves but everything else). Not very good for a first-time owner.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

My local "more caring" (big box chain store) only sells large adult rats that are usually way too big and unsocialized for a newbie to start out with. 

90% of the really bad behavioral issues we deal with here begin with a newbie bringing home the wrong rat from the wrong place. I personally wouldn't reach my hand into a cage at the big chain store containing huge unsocialized rats. I'm good with rats, but I'm no fool either. 

And I know there are still likely way more happy rat tales that start at big box chain stores than tragic ones, but every time I think of the unsuspecting child or family that walks out of the chain store with a frantic pound and a half rat that's chewing it's way out of the cardboard box on the ride home and wakes the next morning to a confused and desperate critter that's panic biting or hiding and doesn't know how to play or snuggle that I feel sad for the wonderful experience that child is missing by not having a friendly, inquisitive and playful baby to start with.


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## Flashygrrl (Feb 8, 2012)

I was just comparing them with Petco. You feel the need to rag on that, fine.


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## Egween (Jul 9, 2012)

In your post said you were getting "a rat". Rats are very social animals who need they company of their own species 24/7 or they can become depressed quite quickly. They are best kept in pairs or trios. Please don't get just one rat. Even if you play with your pet for 3 hours a day, that still leaves 21 hours each and every day where the rat will be alone in its cage. They love to cuddle with each other and gain many benefits from living with their own kind that humans just can't replicate.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Flashygrrl,

My experience locally with the big box store is that they actually avoid selling small easily socialilzed friendly rats that would make great pets in favor of large unsocialized rats that bring a bigger mark up. ie Why sell a small rat for $5.99 when you can sell a large adult for $15.99? I also noticed that all of their rats are perminently 4 to 5 months old. 

I have no particular problem with anyone trying to make a living, but this business model can be directly correlated with the kinds of problems we deal with daily in this forum. And they aren't doing the ratties any favors either, keeping them warehoused in mass cages for months before selling them to their forever homes.

At least with puppies, the price drops as the puppy grows thus motivating stores to get them to their forever homes as soon as possible. My local dog pound is full of free dogs that sold for hundreds of dollars as puppies. I feel sorry for older dogs, but dog owners know the benefits of raising their own puppies.

If rat owners made it clear that they would pay more for younger ratties or would only buy young or socialized rats this business model would change fast. It's not that I have anything against people buying older rats and I admire people that do rescues. But if PetChain would get the message and take delivery of their rats younger, both the rats and their owners would be much better off. As to what happens to the older rats... well hopefully they would already be in their happy forever homes long before they ever became older rats.

Stepping down from soap box now.


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## Mrm911 (Jul 6, 2012)

Are you positive there are no resuces, I almost got to feeder rats, who were female but mixed with males so most likely pregnant, but I had to wait and in that time I found a rat rescue that is 8 minutes from my house, and i never knew about it.


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## LadyVelvet (Jul 28, 2012)

Isamurat said:


> Do they really sell rats as young as 4 weeks in the us, that's scary. As much as petshops are rubbish in the uk the rats are generally at least 6 weeks. Breeders are the same, in fact I wouldn't home until 7 weeks minimum sometimes later if there a bit immature.


But there is an issue with getting them that old in a pet store. Since pet stores dont handle them, you want them as easily as you can. Not to mention, that I've heard that they have already separated the babies from the mom at the 4 weeks, but they keep them in back for a few weeks.

I think 4 wks is fine, though I would prefer to get mine a bit older FROM A BREEDER. (They have been handled and socialized, so I dont mind at ALL waiting)


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## Munchie (Mar 13, 2012)

This is all very strange to me, none of the pet stores I have been to sell live feeder rats so all the rats (regardless of age, ears, colour etc) are the same price, the youngest rats I have ever seen in a pet store near me have been 8 ish weeks old. I got my first 2 rats at 10 weeks and they were both very friendly, although I think the pet store clerks held them quite a bit though.


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## gossipgirl1031 (Feb 12, 2012)

I was a first time rat owner & wound up with a pair of adult female rats. One was super friendly & would come out to play and loved to be handled. Sadly, she passed away about 2 weeks ago & her cagemate was already super timid to begin with. She's about 16 months old-should I consider getting another companion for her? Vet check declared her healthy. I know even as much as I would try to play with her, I'm not the same as another rat. I know how social they are.


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## Egween (Jul 9, 2012)

Gossipgirl-
Yes, you should definitely consider getting her a cagemate. She still has a lot of life left and they really benefit from company of their own kind. Especially the timid ones. There is just no way you, as a human, can fill that void. Other, more confident rats would show her how to relax again and she would not have the stress of being an only rat on top of being timid. My timid boy really opened up when he met his cagemate. I can't imagine how shy he would have been if he had to have been alone.
Remember to quarantine. You don't want to bring anything home to your healthy girl. 
I'm sorry for your loss.


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