# Males or Females?



## punkchica321 (Mar 13, 2007)

Hey guys, yes it's me yet again asking another question but hey knowledge is power right? Hehe anyway alright so if I do happen to get ratties, should I get Males or Females I plan on getting two because I'd feel to bad just having one. So what's the pros and cons of females and males. I already know that males are more of a lap rat then a female rat. So thanks for the help guys .


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Males are more cuddly and lazy, as I understand it. They do scent mark a lot, though, and there is obviously the dominance thing. I think they can grow quite a bit larger than the females.

Females don't scent mark so much, but they are generally not so cuddly, either. Females are constantly on the go and would rather explore than sit and have a cuddle. They are also prone to mammary tumors and the like.

Me, personally, I would go for females because I don't think I could cope with the scent marking - we've been very happy with our two girls. Having said that, I've never had males, so I can't compare so well.

I think it depends on what you want from your rats, really.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

males, as a GENERAL rule will scent mark more but i've had females before that could give any male a run for his money in this department. i've also read that if males are neutered (generally cheaper then spaying a female but not always) at a young age they won't mark any more then a regular female would. nor is their smell any worse as they don't create buck grease if they are neutered (i'm not sure if the smell will be prevented if the male is neautered later or not though but for the young ones its supposed to work). with the agression, you can come across a female that's aggressive as well. though the tendancies seem to be higher with teenage males MOST-not all- of them will grow out of it. and the few that don't grow out it, MOST of those can be fixed by neutering them. 

as for females its pretty much what donnak said. 

there is another option of course though. you could get both if you were to neuter the male and/or spay the female. the operation, risk wise is about the same. depending on your vet the operation costs could vary with one gender being cheaper then the other. health wise, the females would get the MOST benifits. it reduces their risk for tumors from 87% to 5% if done young enough. though even if done when the rat is older there is still reduction in risk. with boys it can fix agression problems, stops them from producing buck grease (which some people can be allergic to-i'm proof of it myself) and can prevent them from marking if done before they mature. if you do have the male fixed make sure to keep him separate from the female for a minium of 2 weeks as he can still get her preganant until then.

really it depends on what you can afford and what you are looking for in a rat. if you can afford it then get both and them fixed. if not then think about the type of pet you want. if you want someone to chill with then males would be a better fit. if you want someone to play with, laugh at and have mild heart attacks over when they jump off the top of the bookshelf get females. 

i will be getting my first male rat in few weeks and am looking forward to bringing home a squishy lap rat. he'll be going in with my girls after he's fixed. but until him all i've ever kept were females. they are a ball of energy and i think i will always prefer the females but i had the perfect oprotunity to get a male and i went for it. 

having said that i did raise 13 males until they were teenagers and they can really be a blast too. ever rat has a different personailty and there's no real difference male or female for this. 

what it really comes down to, like i said before, is what you're looking for. cuddly generally=boys rambunctious generally=girls. but you can certainly get a cuddly girl too or a rambunctious boy. if i were you i'd try to get in to a place where i can play with the babies and get to know them at a personal level then go from there.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

twitch said:


> if you want someone to play with, laugh at and have mild heart attacks over when they jump off the top of the bookshelf get females.


We're just learning this one with our girls. It scares the stuffing out of me! :lol:



twitch said:


> if i were you i'd try to get in to a place where i can play with the babies and get to know them at a personal level then go from there.


Brilliant idea!


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## punkchica321 (Mar 13, 2007)

Hm thats good info guys, I think I might get some males what does that scent mark smell like? My male guinea pigs do that is it worse, the smell I mean..


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i don't know. i've never had guinea pigs... the scent marking isn't that bad in my opinion. just smells a bit musty. liked opening a chest that's been sitting in a basement for a while. but a little different.... i did find that i had to change the cage more often with the males then i did the females for this smell though as it does build up after a while and then it can get a bit offensive.


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

It's not as strong as male guinea pig's scent, and after doing it once or twice they generally stop or don't do it as often once they've claimed their cage and you as 'theirs'. Oscar's not a big scenter at all, and i haven't seen or smelt Moss do it yet, either.

It's boys all the way for me, but you gotta love the girlies for their antics too


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## punkchica321 (Mar 13, 2007)

Sara_C said:


> It's not as strong as male guinea pig's scent, and after doing it once or twice they generally stop or don't do it as often once they've claimed their cage and you as 'theirs'. Oscar's not a big scenter at all, and i haven't seen or smelt Moss do it yet, either.
> 
> It's boys all the way for me, but you gotta love the girlies for their antics too


Alright good, I can handle my baby boys smelling up the place. I actually have this spray you can put on the guinea pigs and in the cage from Super Pet it's called Smellin' Good can I use that on the rats as well I mean it says for small animals....


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

You probably can use it but it might just encourage them to scent more to cover it up....you could give it a try though if it really does get too much, but i can't see that happening, it's not really a very bad or strong smel at all, at least in my experience


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i would be a bit cautious with strong perfumey smells. rats have very sensitive lungs and i know i get choked up when someone is wearing a bit too much or a bit too cheap of a perfume and my lungs are fine. having said this though i have not read anywhere where strong scents or perfumes are harmful to rats either. but i would advise caution when using it if you decide to use it. really though, i have to agree with sara, the smell isn't all that strong unless you miss a cage cleaning. you have to be pretty stringent on your cleaning schedule otherwise you'll get a smell. mind you a good odour absorbing litter such as yesterdays news can really go a long way. i find aspen just doesn't control the odour enough.


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

Yeah i agree, a good bedding is definitley key. I used to use a wood-based cat litter but it didn't do much to lock away any odours. Now i use carefresh with some cagefresh granules sprinkled underneath and any slight smell that might be there has been well and truly banished


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## punkchica321 (Mar 13, 2007)

I use carefresh for my guinea pigs so if I do get the ratties I'll be using that for them.


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## Inesita (Feb 18, 2007)

I've had both males and females, and would recoment getting two males. The bond I've got with Takeo is unlike any bond I've ever had with any other animal, he likes his cuddles and is whole lot of fun! 

The scenting isn't a big deal, I think it kinda smells like some sort of electrical device when it's been running a while and has gotten heated up.  (Haha, I doubt that made much sense!)


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

I love my cuddly shoulder pals personally <3 Males for me!


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## punkchica321 (Mar 13, 2007)

Ok I think I might get males, I hope my peter(guinea pig) wont get jealous :?. Lol.


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## linz_04 (Mar 5, 2007)

I have 3 girls and Ella is a cuddle bug. I think it depends on the personality somewhat. My other 2 girls would rather run and play. I love them SO much, you'll be happy with whichever you choose =)


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## punkchica321 (Mar 13, 2007)

linz_04 said:


> I have 3 girls and Ella is a cuddle bug. I think it depends on the personality somewhat. My other 2 girls would rather run and play. I love them SO much, you'll be happy with whichever you choose =)


I sure will  It's just the whole parent issue as of right now :roll: :lol: .


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## MissIza (Feb 9, 2007)

I have two females, and then both a riot to have around. XD

But they also like to groom me and nap in my jacket and....x_x...And as I was writing this, Anette came up to my laptop and pried off one of the letters....X3


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## Ikamuni (Feb 11, 2007)

I have two females, too. They're nice but they will never stay in a certain spot for too long unless they think I'm sleeping. My mom says that both never leave my side when I'm sleeping on the couch.


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## LiLmissJ_01 (Apr 25, 2007)

I think both sexes are fun...I have 2 males and 7 females. My oldest male Gus is a lover....he gives me kisses all the time, but I do have a female that is a kisser too. It all depends on personality and boy do they all have different ones....every single one of them. The only big diff I see between males and females is that my males are much cleaner. My females are slobs. I swear they wait till they eat to urinate..then they do it down the side of their food crocks...oh well...thats what they have me for...their personal maid...lol

Jenn


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## Athanasia (May 10, 2007)

I have only owned males but love them. I don't think I will ever get female rats. Not just because of the behaviour differences but also because I would never want to risk getting a female and have her be pregnant.

Males are wonderful!


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## yonksgirl (Apr 23, 2007)

I have 5 females and love them to death. I do admit I would love to have a huge male....but I just love playing with my females. They like to ruff me up LOL!!!! 

Maybe someday when I have the money for another cage like the one I have for the girls I will get them........

*edited to add that My girls are little cuddle buggs too just on their own time! LOL!!!!!!


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## thegrotto (May 11, 2007)

I feel for a first time owner, boys are the best for you. They're slower, bigger, and atleast in my experience, bite less. Girls are very hyper and easy to loose during free range time, and harder to catch when they don't want to be.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

I have 9 boys and 4 girls!!


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

i am mildly disgusted by gigantic rodent scrotum, so for me, that's reason number one to have a female, lol.  but i like my hyper picasso, she's like a little person cuz she has so much personality. mozart though is a snuggler, and seems to be just as lazy as any boy i've heard of. the choice is yours!


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