# A Little Rattus rattus!



## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

So I was contacted a few weeks ago by a woman that found some orphaned R. Rattus babies. She managed to nurse them from 2 weeks old all the way to 7 weeks.
After some lengthy research on the species, I took one female and helped her find wildlife facilities that are now using the males as education animals. 
My female is SO tame! She is way too friendly and tame to be released. She feels extremely safe and when she gets nervous she runs across the room and jumps up my shoulder. (That is one thing about these rats...they are AMAZING jumpers!)
I have really been enjoying this experience with her. 
After researching others who have "tamed" Roof rats, I introduced her to my ratties. She is currently living with one male Delmus and one female Terra. They are my most accepting and inviting babies. Three of them are great on neutral territory, but get a bit puffy inside the cage, so we are taking it slow. My youngest, Ellie, is being a jerk and I dont know how that will go.
Delmus, Terra, and nameless baby do great together. They cuddle in their hammocks and it is really cool to watch their interactions. 
I am really glad to get to experience this and I am glad that I have been able to help this little ratty.


----------



## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

Those pictures are beautiful! And that tail! It's so long


----------



## bloomington bob (Mar 25, 2014)

Wonderful pictures there


----------



## MinorRobot (Aug 13, 2014)

Gorgeous!
Yeah I love their long tails! It's so neat when they are climbing and you can see them using it for balance. I also read somewhere that they always land on their feet, like cats, thanks to that tail (though idk if this is actually true).

My female is also very tame, she has been hand raised since she was 1 week (I wish I had pictures from then, she was so freaking adorable). It is very sweet the way she comes and hides in my clothes when she is startled. Like awww, I must make her feel safe!
And yeah they are insane jumpers. I was using cardboard boxes as a barrier, they came up probably to my hip (I'm 5'8") and she was able to jump and grab hold of the top! She couldn't pull herself up, because it would bend, so she climb on the couch and would make a flying leap and land on the edge of the box! lol all this to get to the ONE area of the house I didn't want her to go. Seriously she had full run of the apartment but NOPE she just had to be where she wasn't supposed to


----------



## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

Hehe that just sounds like typical rat behavior. One of my girls is right at my heels whenever she thinks i'm going to be leaving the room and tries to sneak out between my feet. I find them in desk drawers, the highest shelves in the closet, anywhere that they shouldn't be I'm likely to find them


----------



## MinorRobot (Aug 13, 2014)

Haha yeah, my rabbits do it too! At my old place they always liked hanging out in one particular area, but as soon as you tried to gate them in they suddenly needed to be on the other side of the gate!


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

It's great to see another ship rat represented here. I think this is the first girl we've had so It's going to be great to learn something about the ladies. Last week an old friend stopped by and after seeing my rats she told me she had a girl black rat when she was a child. She said she ate her meals at the table and was a wonderful family rat. 

Do be cautious around your brown rats. I had a part wild brown rat that attacked and killed small animals on sight... and in close quarters, black rats can't defend themselves. So mixed groups of brown and black rats either do very well or end very badly. Black rats also have a different diet from brown rats and just in case something goes wrong, you might want to start looking for an exotic vet with black rat experience. As black rats have been out of the mainstream fancy for about 100 years, not may vets have ever actually touched one. My understanding is that black rats are much better at conserving water than brown rats, so medications are likely to work differently on them.

For help with training and care you should touch base with gotchea, she raised her ship rat Wilder to be a true shoulder rat, and now a free range outdoor backyard rat with a family/pack of his own. If you are looking for great first hand info, she might be a good person to talk to.

Congrats on your new baby!


----------



## Jessiferatu (Apr 30, 2014)

Very cool. She's beautiful!


----------



## ratatat2 (Oct 27, 2014)

so amazingly cuteee!! my r. rattus is such a good climber her nickname is spidey  they really are such great rats!


----------



## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

We have quiet the community of rattus rattus now. How fun! They are the best rats!


----------



## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

And she has been named Kya


----------



## bloomington bob (Mar 25, 2014)

Nice name - a big welcome to rattus rattus Kya!


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

It's actually rather interesting to see how quickly black rats have become accepted around here. It wasn't too long ago that some folks didn't consider them pets, especially because just about all of the ones we have are first generation human companions and can most likely do as well outdoors as indoors. But they have proven they can bond with their humans and don't need to live their lives as caged animals and can actually fit in with their human families about as well as our brown rats. 

I suppose after being out of main stream circulation for nearly a century it was easy to forget that they were there at the beginning of the fancy and contributed to it's foundation. As black rats arrived in Europe first, the little old ladies that were burned as witches for having rat familiars in the late middle ages very well may have had black rats rather than brown ones. And if you take into account the Indian rat temple, it's likely that black rat relationships actually go back further than the ones we have with our brown rats. 

In certain ways, black rats are actually better suited as family rats for people that live in warmer climates as I understand they can tolerate higher temperatures than brown rats. Air conditioning may not have been the biggest issue in England where the fancy caught hold, but now that it's global a rat that doesn't need as much (if any) air conditioning can be way more practical than those that do. 

We are a long way from actually having a "domesticated" black rat in the fancy, but judging from how well the first generation is doing it looks like a real possibility. There is still so much more we have to re-learn about these little tail draggers in terms of their health issues and behavioral habits, but at least there's a community for black rat owners to share their experience and get advise which wasn't there just a few years ago. 

It's rather funny to me how in the past few years we've watched so many myths debunked about wild rats and part wild rats, and black rats and there's even work being done with wood rats. I know for some folks change is a little frightening, but I really think it's exciting too. 

I've been told by folks that come from other rat sites that Rat Forum is kind of a strange place and maybe having a black rat support group will make it no less strange to the run of the mill rat group members, but I personally believe that the progressive and open minded attitude we have around here is critical to the real progress of the fancy. When someone, someday, really does set about to re-start a domestic strain of black rats there will be a body of knowledge to work from that's being pioneered right here and right now.

Please keep us all updated on your progress. 

Now if anybody has a marsh, pond or swimming pool and wants to work with a really big social rat (up to 20 lbs) I'd love to see someone working with one of these....











I've seen a few youtube vids already with people claiming these giant rats make great pets, but anything is possible on youtube...

If you already have one or know someone who does... please share.


----------



## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

Looks like a nutria ratdaddy. We have them in abundance around here and they are considered a pest because they displace the natural animals. (beavers specifically here in Oregon) They also destroy wetlands.

They live anywhere there is water in the valley. I've never seen them on the other side of the mountains where it's a high dessert climate. My husband and I like to call them the lawn sheep. They like living in little water ways meant to catch rain overflow that a lot of mills and such have in front of their businesses. My husbands place of work has a family living there. They keep the grass eaten down so it looks like it's been neatly manicured.  They are pretty brave and you can walk up close to them. If we touch them they run...but we can usually get to touch them before they run. I would guess they would make decent pets, but it would be very hard to get the right habitat for them-they need water. They also cause a lot of havoc went they get loose in the wrong places, they really are terrible on the environment when they multiply in places they are not native in.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Absolutely correct. It is a Nutria or a capu. And I've heard rumors of them becoming very friendly and living with humans. I'm quite certain that they are both invasive and destructive as are brown and black rats... But from what I've been given to understand they are also mild tempered and social animals like our brown and black rats. Which might indicate that they can form social bonds with humans. 

I can see where their semi-aquatic habits can become a problem. I have to wonder if they need to swim occasionally or if they actually need to live in water. They just installed two brand new tidal salt marshes near my home that would make a good playground for one or a couple if they can deal with brackish water. There are also several fresh water ponds and creeks I could take one to. I don't see one or two doing too much environmental damage to what were actually flooded brown fields, and my yard could use a good trim. But I really wouldn't want one living in my bathtub all winter. 

A 10 to 20 lb pet rat that lives up to 6 years strikes me as a fun family furry and I doubt anyone is going to mind a few less rampaging around the wetlands if we were to adopt them as companion animals. 

I can see lots of issues with a rodent of this scale, on the other hand a person with a pond in their yard living in a warmer climate would be well suited to finding out more about these big furries as family pets. I think, that several people put bigger and longer lived on their rat wish lists on another thread. It would be kind of funny if they are already out there munching up the wetlands waiting to be adopted.


And yes, before anyone brings it up, this could be a gawd awful idea...

Just a passing thought.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

A few links that made me think about these guys as pets....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NKFf1mALlc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBkXljIPsCc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heDG9jUS8lc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYd6UL2IZ5s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXNbOad1_OU

And they even come in colors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghn4CW_Od4E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD8V-2XjvOU

But again anything is possible on youtube.


----------



## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

Well, I've seen people keep them as pets and they seem pretty sweet-maybe even a capybarra-if you youtube them, there are quite a few kept as pets. Think nutria on steroids lol. I'd compare them more to an opossum than a brown or black rat in a home situation. More mellow, laid back creature overall-but tamed, definitely not domestic-at least that has been my impression. They have webbed feet and they make their homes so that the burrow starts underwater and then comes up out of water under ground. So that makes me think water is very important. Trying to build a suitable habitat would be like keeping an otter or beaver as a pet. Doable, but probably requires some kind of large outdoor set up to be ideal, and not something the average joe could probably achieve too easily.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I've seen capybarra at our local zoo... the one that wouldn't let me bring my rats... and they are in with Galapagos Tortoises. They have a pond but I've never seen them in it. They are walking or laying about on the grass. They might make good pets too because from what I can tell in their case semi-aquatic means they don't mind getting wet. 

A 100 lb rodent might make for an interesting pet too... but to be honest they don't look like rats.


----------



## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

So here are the ratties that Kya currently lives with. Things are going great between the three of them and she has really come into her own. She cuddles with all of them and is starting to accept treats and nibble on my finger. 
Delmus(neutered male)

Terra(female)

Currently unnamed female pup



I have a new Double Critter Nation in the mail that should come within a week. When that comes I will be introing everyone back together with my other four. (Delmus and Terra were already in that group. Kya and new baby will be newcomers). 
Charlie(neutered male)

Bree(female)

Ellie(female)

Ziggy(female)



I will keep everyone posted on how everything goes as soon as I assemble the new cage. I am going to be using brand new fleece and brand new toys at first so everything is neutral.


----------



## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

Ohhhh! Forgot to add some new photos of Kya!!


----------



## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

RD, it seems like the 4th vid you have there is an otter, lol


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I'm obviously click challenged... Or just need new glasses. I also didn't mean to derail the thread... back to the little black rat, who I'm sure is on her way to becoming everybody's new darling.


----------



## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

beautiful pictures!!!! They are all gorgeous rats.


----------



## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

Those wrinkles on that hairless! Be still my heart!!

Your little girl is precious. I remember just a few years ago that people would have been horrified to see a wild rat living as a pet. But then again, a lot of things have changed. I used to be a moderator here and things are very different from 5 years ago.


----------



## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

Rat Daddy said:


> I'm obviously click challenged... Or just need new glasses. I also didn't mean to derail the thread... back to the little black rat, who I'm sure is on her way to becoming everybody's new darling.


I've been told that nutria are quite a problem in the northwest. I'll be moving up there soon enough and would love to raise some babies orphaned by people hunting them or whatever they do up there to control the population.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Kinsey,

I so second that! Boy do I remember the way things used to be everywhere in the online rat community. It was perfectly OK for millions of wild rats to killed by exterminators but gawd forbid that one gets rescued and raised as a human companion... and trades it's wild life in the landfill for the plusher digs of a human home.... Every winter my house gets invaded by wild mice that are more than happy to live in my home with my rats and my family and forego the wilderness for heat and parrot food. I live trap them, and I really feel sorry for the little critters when I release them into the cruel cold.

Its also great to see how well some of the wild rats, both black and brown have done living with human families and how well humans have done adapting to their very special needs rats. Sure, our own part wild rat was an insurance liability, but she was also a precious friend and a wonderfully unique companion. The day you watch your rat climb an extension cord to the top of the fridge or walk straight up a wall or squish flat as a pancake and slide under a door you get an entirely different perspective on what makes wild rats so very competent but when you actually bond with one you realize just how special they are. They don't really need to be your friend, they can thrive on their own, if they love you, it's because they want to be your friend and that's honestly quite flattering.

I was recently horrified by someone that was intentionally keeping part wild pups away from the forever homes they needed to establish themselves in so they could be neutered and spayed to eventually be "less wild". That might have been a common practice way back when, but now we know that the first few weeks are so critical in building a forever bond between a human and a wild rat and that wild isn't a bad thing at all, it's just another flavor of rat. 

Wilder's mad wild black rat skills made him a super unique companion and a true shoulder rat with few equals while retaining his instincts to currently lead the free range outdoor lifestyle he's chosen for the time being. Much to his human friends credit, fostering his abilities and skills gave him life choices and experiences few rats ever get. And little Kya is looking forward to a great life perhaps of comfort and perhaps of adventure with a loving human companion too. It's great for orphan black rats and it's great for those fanciers that are up for a real challenge and an adventure.

Kksdrats, 

I have no doubt that nutrias are gong to be challenging pets too, but they live longer and get much larger than our brown rats and they are also social animals. Someone recently posted a rat wish list and bigger and longer lived were among the top wishes among rat owners. I think my daughter would love a big loving and furry rodent that she could really hug. For whatever reason the Gambian pouched rat didn't catch on and that looked like a pretty easy fit based on it's needs alone and the African soft fur rat hasn't made much of a mark in the fancy either. But I see the black rat making a come back as the fancy moves into hotter climates and the nutria rat seems to have the right personality too. Yes it might be best suited to folks with private ponds or a local lake to go swimming in, but I lived on a farm that raised Indian ducks and didn't even have a pond. Living amongst the chickens didn't seem to bother the ducks in the least and I was told that in years past the same farm raised geese, again never having a pond. It makes one wonder if a happy and motivated nutria might not enjoy life more on land with the right human family... And as it has been pointed out, they are a pest in the wild and are already being hunted so I don't think the beavers are going to miss them. I also thing certain folks are going to appreciate that at least we're not importing another invasive species. And folks with a heart are going to be happy that the poor orphans of the hunts will have good homes where they won't be destroying wetlands.

If the personality is right, it comes down to the right fit... Black rats can live in hotter climates without as much air conditioning, which makes them more practical for certain rat owners that can't afford the electric bills... And nutrias might become an upscale rat for folks that have the space for a backyard pond and/or a spare bath tub or kiddie pool. But in any case the fancy is evolving. The "domesticated" brown rat and it's many morphs is likely always going to be the heart of the fancy but way back when the fancy was born both black and brown rats competed at rat shows together, there was room for two rat species back then when the world was a whole lot smaller... certainly there should be room for even more now... The jury is still out on wood rats, but who knows, we may even wind up with a native american contender for out hearts and minds in the future.

Rat Forum has come a long way since I first found my way here... I honestly think it's the most progressive site online anywhere. It's a great place for newbies to get started with rats and it's the best place for cutting edge innovation by the folks who want to take their fancy to the next level.


As Kya is the first girl black rat we are going to really get to know as a group, I can't wait to see how her life unfolds and happy to have her in our community. And if someone does find themselves an orphan nutria rat pup, I'll be eager to learn about their experiences too, I might even start digging a pond in the yard. The locals are already getting accustomed to our shoulder rats, I can't imagine how surprised they would be if I brought a nutria to the park for a swim in the pond. Although at 10 to 20 lbs, and sopping wet, I'm not sure you could call them a shoulder rat.


----------



## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

Here is some more for you guys. I know everyone is probably curious about her. 
Kya is VERY tame now and takes treats from hand as well as licks and nibbles fingers. She only gets slightly unnerved occasionally if a loud unusual noise happens(I drop something on accident ect). 
I am in the process assembling my DCN to combine groups and will let yall now how that goes.


----------



## bloomington bob (Mar 25, 2014)

exceedingly cute!


----------



## Reedrat (Oct 17, 2014)

I'm quite jealous of your photography skill! I cannot get a clear photo of mine! Always blurry!


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I think the hypersensitivity to sudden loud noises comes with the territory when dealing with wild type rats. Our part wild brown rat instantly evaporated if someone dropped something anywhere in the house too. 

When it comes to domestication, I think the biggest thing that changed is how calm domestic rats are as compared to their wild cousins. Nothing phased Fuzzy Rat. Compared to our part wild rat who was always on the alert for sudden dangers Fuzzy Rat was on Thorazine, always calm and mellow. If someone dropped a dish or a pot Fuzzy Rat would be hip deep in the mess lapping up whatever food hit the floor in seconds, our part wild rat Fluffy wouldn't be seen for about half an hour until she was certain everything was quiet and safe again. 

Oddly... this kind of hot wiring shouldn't be confused with panic. When a domestic rat panics, it just bolts in a random direction, when our part wild rat was set off she dove for a predetermined hiding place. When we took her to stores or outdoors she never freaked out and ran off or did anything stupid. Wild rats react super fast, and they move super fast and they are sensitive to things we don't even notice in our environment.... but it's not a panic reaction, rather it's a survival skill.

The other thing I noticed was that our part wild rat was very much a one family rat, she learned to love and trust her humans, but if she wasn't properly introduced to strangers she would very much bite to avoid being picked up. Domestic rats tend to see all humans as friends, whereas my wild type only recognized her family as members of her pack and trust-able. In order to introduce her to strangers she first had to hear their voice, then she had to sniff them, then she would lower her head and they could pet her. She wasn't the kind of rat that went from person to person at parties although properly managed crowds didn't spook her. She could and would meet several people at a time when we took her outside... but it was always one at a time and everyone had to talk and be sniffed before they could touch. 

Black rats are often considered less aggressive than brown rats, but I wouldn't bet your insurance premiums on it. Even though we don't know a whole lot about black rat girls, I wouldn't assume Kya is going to take to strangers easily... From my experience with my part wild brown rat tearing up my neighbor's hand, I'd be careful doing intos with strangers until you know how she deals with them.

As a side note, I was rather amazing how many people would actually pet my wild child after I clearly told them..."Yes, she does bite." On the up side, after I warned people, they were all very good about following the talk, sniff and then touch rules. Still, for my part, meet and greets were always a bit nerve wracking and I didn't ever do too many of them and I never let toddlers or unpredictable little kids near her.

My part wild girl was a truly wonderful friend to her family, she had a super strong pack bond with us and my daughter could squish her into toy cars and barbie doll dresses. From that perspective she was one of the best rats we've ever owned, but if the poor fellow she shredded actually went to the emergency room after getting bitten, it would have cost me big bucks. He was X-special forces recently returned from Iraq and I don't think he was willing to tell a doctor he was bested by a tiny little rat, but if she had torn up a little kid's hand, I could see lots of ways that day might have ended even more badly. Until you are absolutely sure she's stranger safe be at least a little careful.

Otherwise, I love the pics, she's a real cutie pie.


----------



## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)




----------



## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

Oh my goodness she is beautiful! As is your rex, I love the coat colors!


----------



## bloomington bob (Mar 25, 2014)

awww - she's growing


----------

