# Gambian pouched rats



## loulou

Heres a couple of pictures of one of my GPRs


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## Poppyseed

OMG! I've always wondered how those fair as pets. Are they like our rats at all? Do they like to cuddle/be handled/get food? Please tell me I want to know!

Also what is their lifespan? Are they prone to disease like our rats?


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## Inesita

Aw, they're adorable!


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## loulou

They have an average lifespan of about 8 years and yes with early interaction can be very lovely pets, they love cuddles and be handled but tend to tell you when they are bored and want to play again, play time with your rat is important thats the best way to gain its trust (to an extent) they come for food happily and because they have terrible eyesight rely on their sense of smell. they have a habit of licking hands (well every GPR i have met has)

they are omnivores like the domestic rat but they need a higher protein content, they suffer similar illnesses to the domestic rat as well, and if you have them in the same room can catch IR from an ill domestic rat, adding fish or fish oil to their diet is ment to help/prevent ringtail and skin complaints, we have not had a problem (touch wood) by adding some fish to their diet once a week.


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## twitch

wow. i've wanted a gambian for so long. but i can't seem to find breeders and from what i've read about them i need more space for them first. that and it seems its very difficult to find a breeder for them and to get them into canada from the US (the only breeder i found was in california). where did you get your's? what's different about them then the small pet rats? do you need to have same sex pairs to keep them happy? i've read that they are more solitary and that males don't tend to like other males. is this true?


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## Nazarath

*wow! that is something!! they are so cute!! I just wanna rub their lil.... big ears!! . *


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## KayRatz

One word: _want._


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## Lise

They are very beautiful.

They are illegal now in North America to be bred or sold in any way shape or form however. They are one of the species involved with the monkeypox scares. So if you didn't have one before the ban was put in place, you are not going to be able to get one. (Unless you move to Africa.)


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## OnlyOno

where are you located loulou? they're cute in a feral way.


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## loulou

Im from devon in the UK so no monkey pox ban over here (not that im rubbing it in or anything) 

Yes they are better solitary or in a breeding pair, males are very territorial, Huge cage is recommended, i use huge dog crates here they are ideal and easy to clean other people use ferret cages BUT they have very sensitive feet so you must have a solid base and ladders

you can adopt a GPR (not quite the same i know) they are so inteligent they help sniff out land mines in africa heres some more info on it

www.herorat.org


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## Sara_C

I was reading up on these just the other day! They are gorgeous to look at, i didn't know many people had them here in the UK! I heard they make great pets, but also read about some temperament issues as they hadn't been domesticated for that long. I know how bad rat bites are so i wouldn't want to risk my fingers with one of those giants!!! 

Saying that, i wouldn't say no to one if i had the space


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## Poppyseed

I want to see one with it's cheek pouches full! They have cheek pouches right?


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## Berks

I just watched a video, i think maybe on you tube, of a someones GPR going to the bathroom on the toilet. it didnt flush but it hopped up. did its buisness. and then got down off the Lou! It was huge, hence he reason it didnt fall in. but it was hysterical. I heard they are VERY smart!


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## DonnaK

Berks said:


> It was huge, hence he reason it didnt fall in. but it was hysterical. I heard they are VERY smart!


How big are they?


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## twitch

about the size of a medium sized chihuahua 7-8 pounds i believe. they are quite large as rats go


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## Strike2

Very cool rat.


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## DonnaK

twitch said:


> about the size of a medium sized chihuahua 7-8 pounds i believe. they are quite large as rats go


Oh, when someone said they were huge and using toilets, I pictured them the size of a cat! :lol:


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## twitch

that's about the size of my cats...


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## DonnaK

Ohh! I read chinchilla, not chihuahua... I've never seen a chinchilla, so I didn't know how big they were  :lol: I'm so dizzy sometimes!

That's a pretty big rat!


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## OnlyOno

that's so huge, wowza.

chinchilla!
they're sexing this female, so it's kind of an awkward pic, but it shows size well:









babies! OMG they're so fat i luff them:








EDIT: what does a baby GPR look like? i.e., how old were yours when you go them? (can you tell you're somewhat of a novelty here?) do you own regular rats too?

knew a kid who bred chinchillas, they sell for like $200 each so it was a good business. they're RIDICULOUSLY soft so there are of course, also chinchilla jackets (takes like 50 of the poor things) and purses, ew. but i figured i'd throw them in cuz i'm bored and it's late and such.


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## DonnaK

Oh, see, now I want a chinchilla or two!


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## Berks

below is the link to you tube GPR using toilet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieAmdixoJ4w


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## fallinstar

i used 2 have a chinchilla called hugo my mom n sis had 1 each as well but i cant rember their names they are so cute but we had 2 rehome them i cant rember y tho


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## thegrotto

I've always wanted to see one in person. The only time I've seen one with a human (to see the full size of how big they are) was a Willard documentary. They're gorgeous.


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## rasin

OMG, they are way to cute!!!! and they sound really smart! so sweet.


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## RatMom

Boy I've been wanting one for so long then they banned them here. Lets all move to the UK :wink:


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## loulou

Those Chins are gorgeous and my other half is cursing you LOL

Baby gambian pouched rats are the cutest thing ever I will see if i can find some photos of them

they are becoming quite popular in the UK as we have alot of rat lovers in general (we are a strange bunch aye) everyone move here


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## OnlyOno

lol, i would if i had the money. but i still have nearly 6 years of schooling whereupon i will owe enough money to buy a house, so probably moving to the UK would not be in my favor.  baby pics! baby pics!


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## ManBeard

Oh boy, lets not talk about student loans and such...

The GPR is incredible! Ive never even heard of them before. Do you even need a cage for them? They look to be as large as cats.


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## loulou

Yes you do need to cage them they chew for britain and you would either have a sizzled rat or no wiring left in your house if you left them unattended, alot of people use large ferret cages for them but personally i use a large dog crate/cage as i thin it has a larger foot


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