# how long can rats be left unhandled



## simbakitten (Oct 10, 2007)

ok well i have a dilema. i am goin on a 3 week holiday and this will be my first with the rats, and the person who usally looks after my cats and house is totally TERRIFIED by rats. he says he will change the beddin and give them food and water but WILL NOT PLAY WITH THEM. should i be thinking of trying to find someone else to take care of them or wll they be ok for a few weeks. thnx for any help


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

you need to find someone else to look after your rats... there is no way they can be left unhandled for that length of time. the longest i have ever left my girls unhandled is 24 hours, and if i have to go away for longer, they either come with me, or my daughter stays home to look after them. ask at your local vet, they might know someone who is willing to look after and play with them while you're away.


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## simbakitten (Oct 10, 2007)

ok thnx i guess il go on a rat parent hunt!!lol


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

I'm honestly very confused on if you do or do not have rats. If you do there has been some very good advice that I recommend you follow, three weeks is a very long time not to be handled. If you do not have rats you should just wait until you get back from the vacation to get them, that way you can bond with them when you bring them home instead of trying to find someone else to do it for you


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## simbakitten (Oct 10, 2007)

yes, i can be confusing. sometimes i just cant be bothered to explain the situation so i just speak hypatheticaly.basically im gettin one soon and my parents keep asking me these q's about how things would workout. so ask here


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Why not wait until AFTER the holiday then?

Some vets and rescues offer boarding for a price. You could call around and ask about that. A vet here charges somewhere around $5 for for the first and $3 for the second per day, more added on if meds need dispensed. I never really go that long the longest I ever go away is 3 or 4 days so I just pay a pet sitter to check their food and make sure they are fine.

But if you can't find someone that's willing to handle rats with rat experience in your area, I would put off owning rats until after the trip. You could take them with you though if you found a hotel that allows pets in cages.

I just doubt that person would clean their cage if they can't hold them. How can you clean a cage if you are afraid of them? How can you put food in there if you are afraid of them? It just seems like a bad idea to me.


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## Kimmiekins (Apr 14, 2007)

Poppyseed said just what I would. Since you don't have them yet, wait until you get back. 3 weeks is a long time for ratties not to be handled, especially if they've just settled in to a new home.

I've seen the effects of rats who've not been handled enough (though often longer, but still)... Trust me, you'd be better off waiting.


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## simbakitten (Oct 10, 2007)

ok, ya i think il call round .c if i can find any gd ratty ppl


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

me thinks someone already has rats & decidedly posts questions in a hypothetical manner so that they can ward of posts that tend to be an attack

but thats just an assumption... ok, edited, you did say you had rats already in a post http://www.ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/p=40631.html#40631

At any rate... Honestly, if you don't have rats now then don't get them until you have returned from your 3 week vacation. If you do have rats now then you should try to find someone who will interact with your rats while you are away. If you can't find someone now & your family is frequently away, then you might want to really reconsider getting rats as pets until you find a good pet sitter. 

That would be my best advice & the advice that so many others have already offered.


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