# Rat Alternatives



## Prince (Jun 17, 2016)

So my husband is absolutely in love with our pet rats. So much so that when he gets home, he'll scoop up our oldest girl for kisses and cuddles before he'll even say hi to me!

Because of this, I dread the say that my oldest girl, who is his favourite, passes away. She's in pristine health and gets regular vet checkups, but she's still almost 2. My husband has never bonded to any pets before, and vice versa.

Because of this, I want to offer longer lived alternatives to rats as pets. Her death will hit him hard, and I'm not 100% sure he will be willing to lose a beloved pet so quickly again. He doesn't like cats or dogs and is terrified of birds except crows. However, we're not really cut out for having a five year old for 20 years, so crows are out of the question.

I also have a pet horse and some monitor lizards (I don't feed them rats!!!) but he has little interest in them.

I brought up the idea of a gambian pouched rat, and he seemed to really like that. However, obtaining one in America is no small feat, and they're totally illegal where I'm from. I also brought up ferrets, but the smell seems to put him off.

So I'm looking for a longer lived rat alternative. He loves the playfulness and mischief of rats, but also loves that they're always down for affection. He also likes the idea of a pet that'll sit on your shoulder, and doesn't mind the arm shredding capabilites of my monitors. 

If when all said and done rats are still the best option, I won't complain!

Any suggestions? Exotic pets are more than welcome, and I


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## Lara (May 15, 2017)

Have you thought of fennec foxes? They live around 9-13 years. The only thing with them is that they have pretty tricky diets and can be loud. Gray foxes would also be an option, but these can have a bit of smell to them and need an outdoor enclosure. Red foxes are awesome and have the most personality of any animal I've ever met, but they need an outdoor enclosure and smell more than grays. This would all depend on where you live though, as state laws may ban any of these. 

Bunnies have longer lifespans, about 10-12 years if healthy. The thing with these is they vary so much in personality that there is no guarantee they will be playful. I've had bunnies that will love you like a dog, and ones that would rather run around you while you're making dinner . I do think they have a bad rap about their personalities though. I don't know where the idea that they are basically stuffed animals in a cage came from.


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## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

I haven't found any other small animals that quite match the intelligence and affection of rats. However, rabbits, degus, and guinea pigs can be quite personable. What's stated above about rabbits (that their personalities can vary greatly) is pretty true for all of these animals as well. I've seen cuddly degus, rabbits, and guinea pigs, and then animals that are completely indifferent or scared of their owners. 


At my old school, we had a rabbit that would follow you around like a dog, come when called, and even learned to play basketball! He was an awesome little guy, and the noisy environment of the school didn't phase him at all. He'd even be allowed outside, as absolutely nothing scared him (well - except for the one time one of my rats tried to bite his nose ). We also had guinea pigs as well, and they were always skittish creatures. However, some people seem to have great bonds with their cavy's, so it seems that they can also make great pets. 


All of these pets on average live 5+ years, so they could be a good alternative to rats.


The only other small animal I can think of is a pair of chinchillas. Chinchillas live for a long time (10-20 years apparently), and they developed deep bonds with their owners. The only experience I have with chinchillas comes from pet sitting a neighbors 8 year old one, but I can say that the chinchilla was pretty friendly and very soft. 


The only issue with chinchillas and degus is that they both have a very specific diet, and can't be fed any sugary treats.


I wish you luck finding another animal comparable to a rat. I really wish they lived longer, as 2-3 years on average just doesn't seem fair for such a smart animal


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Yeah I think the closest you'll get are degus (they're like giant gerbils which are similar to rats), ferrets (they require regular vet visits and vaccinations $$), sugar gliders... They're all social animals and tend to be more playful than some other small n' furry pets. I also know that opossums and skunks make good pets but you'd be hard pressed to find a breeder. Also with these pets you'll want to make sure they're legal in your state and research their needs because they don't all require the same care as rats. And of course there are rabbits and guinea pigs but you might want to find a rescue that has one with a personality you're looking for since some are more social and affectionate than others, trust me.


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## DarkLies212 (Jun 21, 2017)

A local rat rescue has a pair of surrendered prairie dogs as permanent residents! I don't know anything about them, but they're insanely cuddling and lovable.

Ferrets and rabbits range in personality so much. They're also moody! Definitely not cuddly like rats in my experience


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## Lara (May 15, 2017)

DarkLies212 said:


> Ferrets and rabbits range in personality so much. They're also moody! Definitely not cuddly like rats in my experience


I don't know much about ferrets, (hopefully someday ), but I have had some incredibly moody bunnies. It's usually the does though that haven't gotten enough attention in the past. If you ever get a bunny, I would recommend being really careful about where you buy it. Most aren't nearly as resilient as rats and can hold grudges for a long time. This is mostly due to how competitive the show world is and how many of them treat their bunnies like products. That being said, I know breeders who keep each of their fourteen rabbits in their own two story cage and have giant pens for them to play in during the day. Those bunnies have incredible temperaments.


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## Prince (Jun 17, 2016)

Specialized diets are no obstacle for me, you should see what my monitors have to eat!!

I suggested guinea pigs to my husband, and he thinks they're terribly overrated. Also, he doesn't like ferret smell. I guess that's a no go.

Ive had many bunnies that come to me courtesy of people letting domestic rabbits free in the field behind my house. Always a few months after Easter (funny how that happens...) and so far, I've only ever had one that I liked. Her name was Flopsy, and she was nine years old when she came to me, and was a severe neglect case from our local rabbit rescue. My husband has also had bunnies before, so I think that'll be a no go unless we find another Flopsy.

I've considered Chinchillas, but the poop!!! However, I did look quite seriously at degus for a time, since getting hay isn't a problem. Being so closely related to Chinchillas, I figured the poop situation might be similar.

I had a coworker tell me that his wife's sugar gliders killed and ate an entire clutch of baby Gabon vipers. 

I dig the idea of Prarie dogs! I've recently discovered groundhogs since moving ro America, and so far I think they're very neat! Prarie dogs seem similar. I've also heard wonderful things about skunks as pets, but might suffer from the gambian pouched rat issue of no breeders.

I've seen fennec foxes as pets as well, but I've never really considered them. I like the Grey and red foxes I see on YouTube, but I'd have to look into their care more to see if theyre a viable option, and see if any vets around here would be willing to treat pets that exotic.

I also like the idea of a captive bred chipmunk. Does anyone have experience with them?


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Prince said:


> I had a coworker tell me that his wife's sugar gliders killed and ate an entire clutch of baby Gabon vipers.


What the heck were sugar gliders and gaboon vipers doing together?


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## Prince (Jun 17, 2016)

It's a long story, but the basics are that the coworker was breeding vipers and baby snakes are escape artists.

He wasn't the most responsible guy, considering that venemous snakes of any kind are completely illegal where I come from. You'd think that would mean he'd keep them under closer supervision.


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Prince said:


> It's a long story, but the basics are that the coworker was breeding vipers and baby snakes are escape artists.
> 
> He wasn't the most responsible guy, considering that venemous snakes of any kind are completely illegal where I come from. You'd think that would mean he'd keep them under closer supervision.


Ah I see. Poor babies. My boa escaped as a baby a few times and I ended up buying a padlock for her darn enclosure.  

If you're worried about chinchilla poops though then definitely guinea pigs are way off the list, they have some messy bathroom habits. And I've heard degus can be trained to poop in one area but considering all of the people who talk about their degus pooping everywhere, I'm not too sure it's worth counting on. If you find anything on pet prairie dogs you should check back in, it sounds interesting. I used to love prairie dogs when I was little, they're funny. I also knew someone who had a skunk as a pet and it was really cute, it was kind of like a cat and would sit on her lap and sometimes wrestle.


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## Asiposea (Dec 16, 2016)

I'll second Shadow's post- it's hard to compare rats to anything else. I'll suggest rabbits too- the smaller, compact breeds like the mini lop tend to be good natured. Of course- your best bet would be to find a reputable breeder that focuses on temperament. If your backyard bunnies have been the run of the mill mixes, perhaps you might want to research this breed.

I must say, I'm not a groundhog fan...I find them to be vicious...and they torment my property. Good luck in your search for your next friend!


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## Lara (May 15, 2017)

Asiposea said:


> I'll second Shadow's post- it's hard to compare rats to anything else. I'll suggest rabbits too- the smaller, compact breeds like the mini lop tend to be good natured.


Mini lops are awesome, they have such great personalities. In my experience, Netherland dwarfs are the most standoffish (This is totally stereotyping). The sweetest rabbit I've had was a Harlequin, but he was also an escape artist. He would scale a four foot pen and nose through the cover on top of it in about ten seconds . Mostly I have had hollands. They are awesome pets, and in my opinion, the cutest breed. The three-week old kits are really the cutest thing I've ever seen.


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## Jangel88 (May 3, 2017)

Prairie dogs are amazing pets! I had one growing up, but I think they're illegal to purchase after the monkey pox issues years ago. I think it only excluded people who currently owned them, as it didn't effect us at the time. However, when ours passed we couldn't get another due to that fact. But that could possibly not be a thing anymore, as it's been probably 15 years.


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## BlueFish (Jun 25, 2017)

Jangel88 said:


> Prairie dogs are amazing pets! I had one growing up, but I think they're illegal to purchase after the monkey pox issues years ago. I think it only excluded people who currently owned them, as it didn't effect us at the time. However, when ours passed we couldn't get another due to that fact. But that could possibly not be a thing anymore, as it's been probably 15 years.


I recently saw some prairie dogs for sale at a pet store in Lubbock, TX... so it seems like it's okay? They would sell them to TX residents only though, so the laws must vary by state. We're planning on moving to TX in the next ten years or so, and I am definitely planning on getting a prairie dog when we do!


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## charlypie (May 15, 2017)

If he is against the ferret smell, have you thought about getting them fixed and feeding a raw diet? I've heard that makes a huge difference with odor. Some people feel like doing raw is too much but if you already have a monitor i don't think it would seem so crazy!


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

charlypie said:


> If he is against the ferret smell, have you thought about getting them fixed and feeding a raw diet? I've heard that makes a huge difference with odor. Some people feel like doing raw is too much but if you already have a monitor i don't think it would seem so crazy!


It's true, ferret odor tends to be an issue if you don't change their litter box every day and if their fed certain foods, but otherwise they should only have a bit of a musky smell when you sniff them, no more offensive than the odor of other common animals like dogs for example. 

I've also heard the same diet-odor correlation for other animals like sugar gliders, and heck it's even true for our rats.


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