# Males vs. Females



## Hopeful (May 19, 2008)

So I cannot decide between males or females. I was wondering if the males mark anymore more than females. And maybe some of the pros and cons of each? Any information will be greatly appreciated.


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## RoRo (Mar 10, 2008)

Males mark more then females yes. While males turn into lap rats, females have a tendisy to remain more active.

I Love my boys ::squish::


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I love my girls, they play all the time and love to run around together, they're really fun to watch. And easily trained to keep pee and poo INSIDE the cage...


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## collisiontheory89 (Apr 16, 2008)

It's well known that males mark more than females. Males may also go through an aggressive stage when they're younger. I think females can too, but to a lesser extent. It depends on the housing situation, do you want several rats, or just 2? Do you think you might introduce more rats in the future? There's no reason why you couldn't have both male and female rats (obviously they MUST be desexed).

As already mentioned, male rats tend to be more lazy and cuddly than female rats, who really like to play and get into trouble (that's not to say male rats are boring). Female rats are prone to mammory tumours as they get older. The risk can be reduced by getting your female rats desexed. If they do develop tumours later in life, they may be surgically removed in some circumstances. Males get to be a bigger size than females, and can produce an oily substance called 'buck grease'. If aggression in a male rat is a serious problem, the situation can usually be solved by getting the male rats desexed.

I personally chose females because of my situation...they're in my room so I don't want them to be too smelly, and I was looking for a pet that I could invest emotional energy in and would be playfull. I personally prefer female rats, but a lot of owners on here talk about how wonderful male rats can be.


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## Hopeful (May 19, 2008)

Thank You so much for the replies! I decided to go with females, since I've had experience with them before. I would love to have a "lap rat" but the smell could be an issue as they are also in my room. I would like to try boys sometime in the future tho. I'm only getting two for now..Do male rats tend to live longer than females?


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## RoRo (Mar 10, 2008)

I have an itty bitty room and my boys no stink :outs::


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## kira (May 25, 2008)

i personally love the boys. mine have always bonded with me more than the females. not much more but i love my big boys they seem to want to cuddle up more ben (god rest his soul) used to practically live on my neck and lick and lick and lick! i would have to get him off and towel my neck for spit! i miss him


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## Brizzle (Mar 26, 2008)

I'd think that males and females would have about the same lifespan. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong? I think it just depends on the rat.

But I definitely prefer the males over females. I love my females, but my males are squishy love rats and my males and I can't get enough cuddles out of each other. The females are fun to watch and play with though. And they do give me the occasional cuddle, which is nice. I don't know..I love all my rats.


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## clarry (May 19, 2008)

I think it depends on what kind of person you are aswell.
I love my baby boys, but i went for them because I wanted cuddly animals HOWEVER I chose one of them lively and one dopey. The lively one is more like a girl I guess, as he wont sit still and loves to play. I have them in my room, at 1st i was surprised how much they smelled but then i got them a bigger cage and its not so bad now
although i didnt manage to litter train them as much as i would have liked to though so was probably my fault.
I wouldnt know tho Ive never had girls but i have to say my boys are quite active


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## BowlTipper (Mar 21, 2008)

You know, I don't think it really matters. Rats can all have different personalities. You might get a boy who is a total nut case, running around the cage as if there's no tomorrow, or you could end up with a girl who only wants to cuddle up somewhere on you...

They can all be cuddly and sweet if you teach them that you are not a threat. I was lucky with my girls, Nibble and Brain. They warmed up to be rapidly as soon as they realized I was the one giving them food and fresh water, and clean bedding, and lots of loving. It may have helped that I grew up knowing how to treat animals and how to hold a rat. 

I've had boy rats. They do get bigger, yes, and can smell more, (but honestly, if you give em a bath and keep their cage clean, and also give them a decent diet, they shouldn't smell all that bad...) 

I once had two boys, Scar (named after Scar from Lion King) and Casper (named after the friendly ghost) and they were just as friendly, just as good smelling, and just as active as my girls, Scarlet, and Penny.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

A couple of my females actually mark far more than my boys... one in particular, Salty. She went into one of the boy cages when I had them (the boys) downstairs in the free roam area & pee'ed all over their hammock... I watched her do it!!!


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## Hopeful (May 19, 2008)

So, I changed my mind and decided to get males. Being that they are more likely to be mellow, and I thought it would be fun to give them a try. Approximately how big to they get? Also, if they are litter mates are they less likely to fight? I know establishing dominance is normal, but as for aggressive fighting is it less common? I had 2 pairs of females a few years ago, and decided to go for a change so any other suggestions/tricks for keeping males would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


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## Brizzle (Mar 26, 2008)

My 2 males who are 2 years old are each about 1 1/2lbs. They're big boys. When I had Rocky and Bullwinkle(both litter mates) together, I don't think I ever saw them fight once. Bullwinkle would show that he was the dominant one, but it wasn't fighting. Rocky actually took care of Bullwinkle when he was sick. He'd bring him his food, clean him more often, etc. I think your boys will be fine together.


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## Hopeful (May 19, 2008)

Wow, those are big rats. lol. That is so sweet, your rats taking care of eachother. As for the fighting, thats good to hear. Thanks.


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