# Female or Male Rats?



## deacon123 (May 1, 2010)

In your personal opinion and experience, have you enjoyed keeping male or female rats more? Why? Thanks!


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## jem (May 3, 2010)

This is a question I'd like to know the answer to too. I've just taken on two male rats, who are lovely but I was wondering if female rats smell less.


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## flox (Apr 12, 2010)

I liked 'em both for different reasons. The girls were hyper and very silly - very naughty, too. I had one who knew exactly what "Daisy, NO!" meant - cos she'd turn to look at you, practially smiling, and then do it anyway. The boys I've had have always been calmer, although I've never had a properly cuddly boy rat before.

The boys always smelled a bit more, too, but not to the point where I'd decide not to keep them because they smell more. They're just noticably a bit more stinky, but not so much it's a bad thing.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

They are VERY different in their personalities. Not so much smell difference. My girls smell even more than my boys because they like to not use the litter box, or wrestle in it and kick the dirty litter all over the place, lol.

My girls are high energy, rambunctious, loud, destructive, and extremely playful. They love to wrestle and play with me but they do not like to be picked up and cuddled. They just don't ever want to hold still, so they wiggle and bounce all over the place. They are very destructive and chew all of their liners and kick their litter all over my floor. They're very loud randomly in the middle of the night and always wake me up at least once, but I don't mind.

The boys are much quieter and less active. They're still playful, but they like to be picked up and scratched a lot more than the girls do. They are very good about pooping in their litter box, and tend to make much less of a mess than the girls do. They do have a different muskier smell, and they tend to urine mark all over their cage, so sometimes cleaning their half of the cage cage is more of a pain.

Overall, while I love them both equally, if I had to make the decision again, I would stick with boys. The girls are a lot of fun, but I love my big squishy boys too much. I don't know if they'll mellow out as they get older... I hope so


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## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

My girls smell CONSIDERABLY more than my boys; within two days their level usually smells of urine, while the babies can go almost a week without a change. The girls destroy everything, are always on the go, and are much more high strung. I love them, but from now on I'll probably own just boys. The fellas are much more snuggly and sweet. All of our boys will give you kisses and enjoy a good scratch. I personally haven't noticed much of a smell from my fellows (unless they pass gas :-X ), although when I kiss them their smell is indeed stronger than the girls', who smell like grapes to me. However, I have to have my nose right in their fur administering many a kiss to really notice the difference.


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## ndmpatriot (Apr 28, 2010)

I've had both girls and boys. The girls seem to be a bit more wired than the boys. Boys seem to mellow out (when they get passed the baby phase). I don't notice a difference in smell. I've been leaning more towards boys for the mellowness!


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## TamSmith (Mar 1, 2010)

I've always had crazy hyper girls haha It's a lot of fun. They are always exploring and playing. I have 4 (soon to be 5) girls right now. My girls don't chew hammocks, but they do chew liners if they cover all the sides. They are WONDERFUL about using the litter box though so the smell isn't that bad. They usually don't want to hold still but every now and then they get cuddly and sleep in my snuggle scarf or cuddle up in bed with me. But it's rare hah They wrestle with each other A LOT and it gets bad sometimes when one is in heat but usually it's just playing. They play with all the toys in their cage and all take turns running on the wheel. When I open the cage door, they all come running to me and take turns driving me crazy when I'm trying to clean something in the cage. They work together to attack me or do something they aren't supposed to do. One will distract me while the other 2 do the thing I was trying to stop them from doing : they are smart. 

I love having girls because they are so crazy and always making me laugh. After this mischief of girls, I do plan on getting boys for the first time. I just want to be able to experience both.


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## noMoreFaith (Apr 28, 2010)

I have two females, they do not smell at all, they sleep a lot (I guess because they're young ??? ) but they are very active when awake..they hate to be picked up, but sometimes they lick my hands, they climb on me...also they're kinda smart. And they never chew anything at all, I don't know why, but it's fine


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## slsers (Apr 2, 2010)

Are males harder to train to do tricks then females?


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## clarry (May 19, 2008)

From my experience, girls are easier to train to do tricks and learn things, I think this is not because girls are more clever but because they are more active and want to be trained, but boys are a bit more lazy, and would rather spend their out time cuddling with me, where as the girls are want to be played with when they come out. 
Personally, I love both. It really does depend on what kind of animal you're looking for because they are quite different, if you want a rat for fun, playing and tricks then girls are probably a bit better, if you want cuddle bugs passed the age of about 6 months; I'd go for boys. However this is sort of a rule of thumb, and cant be guaranteed obviously. My Alphie is cuddly, bt also loves playing with my girls. And my oldest girl Molly is the most crazy rat I've ever had, but once she's been out for a while even she settles for a cuddle.


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## aquaseafoam (Aug 3, 2009)

When I had three boys they smelled MUCH more than the girls. The boys had a very large cage and the whole bottom was litter- it would still smell the day after cleaning.
The girls don't smell for a week, until cleaning.
I prefer girls because they smell less and are more fun to watch. Also they stay a little smaller and softer. My girls are still sweet and wedge their little faces between the bars to get closer to me (or beg for food!) Since I only have 2 I'll take them out one at a time so I can keep a better eye on them since they are more active.


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## flox (Apr 12, 2010)

I'd have boys every time now, but because that's where I am in my life now. They suit my personality better  But girls are great too, and I'd love to keep them again sometime, when I'm more 'in the mood'! You read enough about what each is like... your choice!


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## brandie (Mar 8, 2010)

I have 3 girls and boy are they insane!
I haven't had any experience with boys, so I can't really compare.

My girls are wild. They are total night creatures, are loud, rambunctious, crazy and naughty.
They don't like to be out of the cage much. They would rather snuggle with themselves then with me, and they would much rather play around in their cage.

When I have my girls out on my bed, one of them somehow ALWAYS ends up under the bed. 

They don't like to use the litter box, they chew EVERYTHING (I buy cheap fleece blankets from the store and cover the cage bottom), if anything is within reach of their cage, they will pull it through the bars and chew it up. They chew on the linoleum tiles lining the floors. They just pee and poop where ever they like and don't care, so their cage tends to get real smelly, real fast.

I think when my girls are gone, I might try getting boys.


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## clarry (May 19, 2008)

I must tell you, EVERY single rat ive had, 5 girls and 5 boys has pulled everything they can through the bars, including my clothes when Im standing near the cage lol and my hair. It is something you have to watch out for, I buy cheap fleecey blankets (old cotton sheets when its hot) and drape them over the cage to a) prevent them pulling anything else in and b) give them something to do, as they seem to enjoy it. I also make sure their cage isnt near anything they could pull in. Fact is, no animal smells like roses all the time, its all in how often you clean them. Boys scent is stronger, but girls can smell just as bad, and tend to be a bittle messier, but if you spot clean every day you shouldnt have too much of a problem with smell. 
I have actually recenty re introduced a litter box to a corner where I have noticed them peeing, and I cant quite tell who yet but I think more than one of them are using it..although one of them (I'm pretty sure Molly) is hoarding her nuggets in the toilet-which is a bit yucky. Ive only had one rat whos pee'd where they slept, and that was my extremily lazy boy Mosc, the rest of them;boy or girl have usually found somewhere sensable to go. 
I also had a girl who Tilly, who had been a lone rat for a while before we got her, and was EXTREMELY tidy, always re making the house and a bit of a fusser, she also loved a cuddle with my mum, and almost every time we got her out would cuddle up in my mums hair, brux and fall asleep.

All my girls love their free range time, and while it might not seems that they like spending it cuddled up with me like some male rats will, if i leave the room, they all get bored and go and cuddle up somewhere, whenever I come back and sit on the bed (where we usually free range) they all start peepin out from their corners and run all over me 
Part of me prefers boys, but girl rats are SERIOUSLY quirky and really funny and while they may not love to cuddle, they do love being with me, and I love being with them.


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## flox (Apr 12, 2010)

I love love loved my last girl rat, she was clever, pretty (in a way boys never are), and very very funny. She was a total troublemaker, but that's exactly what made her so great. She put a hole in my very expensive motorbike leathers when I left them too close to the cage, and that taught me THAT lesson!

Other than her, all my boys and girls have been nutjobs - partly due to poor breeding, partly due to me not really having a clue about caring for them. But Daisy was adorable. I now have two boys, and although they're not comfortable with people yet, Spud is curled up behind my monitor slowly falling asleep. I can't tell you how amazing that is - probably people who have had 'boyish' boys think it's nothing, but it's the most incredible thing if you're not used to it - they're about three months old and so chilled it's unreal 

(I just tried to stroke him, and although he's been dozing there all night he still managed to lean so far away from my hand he fell over!)


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## noMoreFaith (Apr 28, 2010)

i just found out that females can be very affectionate too-a little while ago i was half-asleep in my bed, and i had Salem next to me and she came and sit with her paw on my hand and was staring at me for a long time and i was thinking _why she's looking me like that_ and then she started grooming my hand, then after a few minutes she fell asleep in my hand...ok it's nothing of a great importance but it was really sweet...and it was the first time they ever did such a thing!!! :-* :-* :-*


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