# Feeder Rat Personality?



## RexRat (Nov 29, 2013)

For those who have feeder rats, have you ever noticed anything different about them compared to pet rats? Just curious.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

I've had feeder rats in the past.... I rushed into getting rats to begin with (well not rushed.. but after doing research I didn't look for a breeder...) so I got feeder rats.... And then I got more rats off of craigslist that were feeder rats before their past owner bought them. They were all untame compared to my breeder rats. They also had horrible habits and were very unhealthy.

Depending on who bred the feeders, feeders are usually not bred for health so you should expect health problems from them. Some people do breed their rats for health, so you really just have to talk to the breeder.


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## saratherussiandog (Aug 9, 2013)

OP, do you consider Petco rats as feeders?


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Commercially bred feeder rats are often more docile and mellow than most rats and commercial breeders have major resources to work with compared to small breeders, they aren't going for color or shapely rats.

They however seem to have a real financial interest in not getting their staff and their customer's bit....

I might add that with how awfully feeders are treated, just because the are bred to be calm doesn't mean they won't bite you....

But Max is a commercial Feeder rat...









and here she is at a fireworks show passing her final true shoulder rat test.

Our very best true shoulder rat was Fuzzy Rat, she was brilliant and competent and actually charming and charismatic. 

Feeder rats are bred for good short term health I've never had one get URI's or other illneses... but they are not built to last. Fuzzy Rat died at 2.5 years of of inoperable tumors. She was about 6 oz of rat and 20 oz of tumors at the time she passed away. She was adopted as a three week old pup. If you adopt feeders, adopt them before people can screw them up... go for pups as young as possible.


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## zmashd (Dec 25, 2013)

Acácia was a feeder rat. She had the loveliest personality, but she was quite small and had various health problems throughout her life. 
She was with us for a little under 2.5 years, and died of the many tumors she developed.


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## Adalii (Aug 18, 2012)

I'm here to save the day for feeders(kind of!)

I've got a variety of feeders, two of which I will explain.

First my not so nice feeder rat Casper:
She was born and raised as a feeder rat, but then I purchased her from this girl. Not sure on her history other than that, she IS friendly with most rats, and she is a little pushy. She's quite medium sized, and from time to time she actually wants to be touched, however other than those rare times she is a 'look not touch' pet.

Now my second feeder rat Echo:
Echo was born from a feeder rat, but was raised by a breeder. She has the SWEETEST personality, despite the fact her mom was not friendly. She is the largest rat I own, and has no health problems as of yet. She is my heart rat and overall amazing.

Now for my single breeder rat(the rest are rescues):
Lilliane was raised by the same breeder as Echo, however she was from healthy, well cared for breeders. She is a good rat too, don't get me wrong, but she is a little on the small side and not as bold as Echo. She is great with everyone, slightly submissive at times, but a little pushy with humans. She's also very intelligent!

So overall I think it depends on how YOUNG the rat is when you get it, as I've had Echo since she was 6 weeks old(as her mother tried to kill her litter they were hand raised) and she is a darling.

I've had Lilly since she was 8 weeks old, and we have bonded but not as much as Echo.


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## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

I've only had one feeder rat. I got her as a weanling and she was super tame, smart, loyal and affectionate. No bad habits whatsoever. Even as a little fuzzy pup she was sweet and curious, and she never bit. 

Is this because she was a "feeder rat"? No. There's no difference genetically. The only thing differentiating a feeder rat from a pet rat is the sign on the cage. Some feeder breeders do handle and socialize their pups for practical reasons mentioned by Rat Daddy - it just makes things easier if you can handle them. 

So I really don't think you can generalize "feeder rats" into one category as far as health, behavior and temprament are concerned. So much depends on the parent rats, and how much the babies are socialized when they're young. 

But I do agree highly with Adalii - if you're going to get a feeder rat, it helps to get one as young as possible. Ideally it will be the one who comes up to you.


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## Ruby&Lola (Apr 25, 2013)

I had for sure just one feeder rat named Diamond. She was skittish at first then just mean to me by constantly trying to bite and also had the worse smelling poop.

My boyfriend took her in and taught her not to bite (tho she still bite toes, ears and lips). She was also a hairless albino. She was healthy for quite a long time and well loved by Nathan, but at one point she got extremely sick and had passed just recently.

She was actually a rather sweet rat once she stopped the whole biting thing. And had a lot of spunk and would fight against any big dog or cat that messed with her. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## MrsTefee (Dec 1, 2013)

I have two feeder rats. One of them is adorably sweet, she is amazing! She loves to cuddle and play with me and she licks and kisses me. I adore her! 

Her sister though is absolutely the opposite. Shes very shy and skeptical. She doesnt let me pick her up, but she likes to explore me on her own terms! She is very individualistic. I adore her too, its just the way she is!

I think that feeder rats can be absolutely GREAT pets. Of course it will be *easier* to tame a breeder rat than a feeder rat but if you get a feeder rat thats a baby or atleast very young they will be just as easily tamable as a breeder rat. 

Both my feeder rats are very healthy actually. I have no problems in that area. Its taken longer to tame mine just because they were already adults when I got them and not very young.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I think my daughter summed it up after Fuzzy Rat passed away and I asked her what kind of rat she wanted to fill Fuzzy Rat's place in the cage and in our home... And she said "I want another feeder rat pup just like Fuzzy Rat." And we went to the same pet shop and as soon as they got a new shipment of pups in we selected another pudgy little pup, this time a brown caped that was barely two weeks old and we eyedropper fed her... and we have Max, our second true shoulder rat. No Max isn't Fuzzy Rat... but she's quite remarkable in her own way. 

I'm thinking with all of the rats in the world to choose from, after Fuzzy Rat my daughter wanted another commercial feeder rat, which made sense to me, but with so few true shoulder rats in the world, having two from the same snake food bin is actually quite remarkable... 

Yes, commercial feeder rats aren't as aesthetically pleasing as show rats, and it's best to adopt them as very young pups to get them before someone screws them up, so you have to raise them yourself, and not to knock any other rats from any other source... but I can't imagine ever finding a better rat than Fuzzy Rat or Max anywhere. Fuzzy Rat cost $2.49 and as far as Max went, I gave the young lady $5.00 pocketed the change and didn't even check the receipt or count the change... because I just assumed she would be priceless and she is.

I think once my daughter is older, I might consider training another part wild or wild rat pup because they are just so extreme and bazaar, but I would never discount any rat I found in the feeder bin as being in any way inferior to any other rat. In fact, I know for certain that there are some precious gems hiding in those bins.


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