# Have you ever caught a wild rat and kept it as a pet?



## jerme

I wonder if anyone ever did this.

Did the rat eventually become friendly like a domesticated rat?


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## Rat Daddy

I raised a part-wild from a pup, she had a pretty complete set of wild rat traits and yes, she was very affectionate and responded to commands. But... she was more like a pet wolf than a dog. She rolled in smelly things to cover her scent, she killed small animals, she was hypersensative to sounds and raised voices, she bit strangers, she could disappear into thin air and I could go on and on regarding the differences... and she was not 100% wild.

So I suppose if you got a 100% wild rat pup young enough and put in lots of time, you will wind up with something similar to a pet wolf, it would pack bond to your family, but to be clear... you won't wind up with a domestic rat. In fact when the Victorians started the rat fancy all they had to work with were captive raised wild rats and if wild rats couldn't be tamed and trained we never would have wound up with the domestic variety.

I might add one final remark... if you are asking if wild rats can be domesticated if caught as adults, I'm going to say not likely to no way. Wild rats have certain physical skills and personality characteristics domestic rats lack that make them impossible to safely handle. I'm sure someone has actually tamed an adult wild rat (its statistically more probable than walking on the moon), but take my advise, don't even think about it.


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## Flashygrrl

I'm not sure why anyone would really want to take something out of the wild and try to force it to adhere to what we want it to do, when there are OODLES of them available and some of them desperately needing homes. Not knockin on ya (I'm guessing you were just curious) but some food for thought.


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## A.ngelF.eathers

I've known people to raise orphaned or injured rats, but never _catch _one and take it from the wild to be a pet. That would be silly, immoral and quite possibly illegal.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

My very first rat was either wild or an escaped feeder rat. I had it when I was really young... I was probably about 6 or 7 years old. My brothers caught it when they found our cat playing with it. They put it in the cage that we had and gave it to me as a pet. I don't really think it was wild since it was ruby eyed white, but it wasn't tame at all. It bit me every time anyone picked it up and never got better with being handled. I don't remember much about the rat other than that.. I don't even remember if it was male or female.. I'm pretty sure it was female since I probably would have noticed it was male even at that age... lol ...I do remember I named it Goober though.


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## Rat Daddy

I had a friend that had a peculiar passion for and a collection to match of poison snakes. He had been doing it a long time, so there is likely a certain personality that would find a similar interest in either a pet wolf, tiger, badger or wild type rat. As all of these animals have been successfully kept in captivity, it can be done by certain people given sufficient knowledge and facilities. Often, almost to the point of saying generally, even given all of the right circumstances, things end badly.

I suppose I would be happy to help someone that was knowledgable with rats rescue an orphaned wild rat pup, or help someone else with a part-wild from an accidental litter, but anyone nuts enough to try and catch an adult wild rat and make a pet of it needs a lot more help than I can give him or her. Forcing the rat to do what he wants it to do or the law is by far the least of his problems. In fact, I'll go so far as to say I wouldn't worry too much about the rattie... it's going to escape the second it gets out of the cage, and it will get out... but gawd help the human that gets in it's way.


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## lilspaz68

Awaiting Abyss, your rat was a domestic escapee,no way it was wild (PEW's are rare rare rare in the wild).

I still have 5 halfie girls left and once they are gone, I am not going to take anymore in (these were born in foster and they didn't get handled for 4 weeks). They break my heart...unless you socialize them from birth they are such conflicted animals...their domestic side warring with their instinctual side and they are NOT for the average owner that's for sure. A wildie caught and attempting to be tamed? That would be insane.


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## Isamurat

I definitely agree with what’s been said above, rescued orphans and rescued half wildies or similar are ok, but it is immoral to take a rat out of its natural environment when it is happy and able to live for your own enjoyment. I’ve met quite a few orphans and halfies, some are absolutely wonderful in their own right (but still very different) some are verging on the impossible though very entertaining to watch. It seems to be very much a lottery. 

There’s also the risk to your own rats to consider, I’m not sure about over there but here in the UK wildies pretty much all carry leptospirosis and often rat bite fever. We’ve been lucky so far in that it’s not in our pet rat population, but if people took in wild rats, or wild living rats, without appropriate precautions it would soon get it. As it is you can treat relatively well, a course of antibiotics and some panacur covers most of the issues and it’s routine amongst rescues over here for any rat that’s spent time in the wild (including domestic rats that are ‘freed’). Sometimes though this doesn’t catch everything

As an example around 4-5 years ago there was a massive rescue in the UK, it was for a captive colony of former wild rats kept as part of a London dungeon exhibit. Their population had got out of control so they needed to rehome them. They had been kept in pretty much wild condition, though in a safe enclosure for many generations and though they weren’t unfamiliar with people they also were very much not pets. After a massive effort people all round the country found homes for these lovely rats and their children, they had all been treated for the obvious issues. They were widely acknowledged as amazing rats, active and agile in ways our pets couldn’t manage, they were intelligent and as a whole loved people. A lot of castration was necessary when the bucks hit adolescence but underneath it they were all truly special rats. About 18 months to 2 years later a freak spell of abscesses occurred. These were different to anything we’d seen before, with some rats getting skin abscesses but more getting internal ones. Whilst the rats lived fine with them for some time in many cases, in others the rats would sicken and die quickly. It quickly became apparent that the cagemates suffered from this too. It appeared to spread via faecal – oral contamination to any rat that spent any real time with an affected animal. It caused several people to give up having rats and others to have to have breaks from rat keeping to ensure the infection was over. Some people managed with very careful infection control measures however it hurt a lot of rats and people. Thankfully these precautions worked and I haven’t heard of any cases of it since

Of course this was a very unusual case, and there’s a lot of people who take in rats and have no problems, but it really underlines that


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## Rat Daddy

lilspaz68, I didn't realize your halfies didn't get handled for 4 weeks... OMG you have your hands full! 4 weeks is pretty old to start with a part wild, they are already pretty agile and hard to manage by that point.

But if they are like mine was, once you get them bonded to you and through the scarey play fighting phase, they can be pretty rewarding pets... like cute fuzzy little pet wolves learing down at you from on top of the fridge.


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## Rat Daddy

Isamurat, as far as taking ratties out of the wild, in the US more than likely we're talking about the wild rat living in someone's basement, a subway, a factory or even a kiddie playground. Generally you can find wild rats around here by looking for the bait stations or the traps that mark their presence. The real problem with collecting wild rats from their natural environment is more a matter of rescuing the rescuers after they bring a dangerous wild animal into their homes. 

Generally, catching a an adult wild rat and bringing it home is such an incredably bad idea, I wouldn't even consider the moral implications... But I suppose if there is someplace local that might somehow quailfy as a "natural" environment for wild rats, like a city dump or land fill or abondoned industrial site for example, it might be immoral to take them from there.


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## lilspaz68

Rat Daddy said:


> lilspaz68, I didn't realize your halfies didn't get handled for 4 weeks... OMG you have your hands full! 4 weeks is pretty old to start with a part wild, they are already pretty agile and hard to manage by that point.
> 
> But if they are like mine was, once you get them bonded to you and through the scarey play fighting phase, they can be pretty rewarding pets... like cute fuzzy little pet wolves learing down at you from on top of the fridge.


Sadly domestic Mom was skittish and barely handleable at the time as well and adding that to not getting to handle these halfie girls til 4 weeks, they were very very difficult. They were good for a short while, but then when I relaxed they took to going MIA for days...one girl was loose for about 3-4 weeks, she had caught on to havahart traps and she would hurt any rats I had out if I wasn't careful. She was put to sleep not that long ago. I have only 5 left of these girls and I can actally pick up umm 2-3 of them and they are 26 months old! The others just make me bleed LOL

The halfie boys who just passed I had from birth, their mom was calm and very sweet, and I worked hard with them


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## Rat Daddy

lilspaz68


You're so bringing back some fond and some scarey memories... There are stories I dare not tell, mostly because nobody would believe me. Getting a wild type rattie back in only 3 to 4 weeks is actually excellent, trust me I did alot worse, I had neighbors several blocks away spot my rattie patrolling their yards not to mention that she was impossible to find and catch even indoors. She usually came when called. If she didn't.. she was gone, no use looking for her.

I'm sure you are already doing this, and you have more experience than I do, but my girl absolutely positively had to hear our voices before we approached her and we had to be calm and reassuring, it was like she didn't recognize us at all by sight, only by voice, then she had to sniff our hands. Then I would say "up on hand" or "up on shoulder" and she was right there. Grabbing her was a big no no. Did it once... never tried it again.

My girl mellowed a lot at about a year old, but the play fighting phase was a real trip. 

Yes my wild type could have been dangerous to a domestic, but she never actually infllicted any perminent injuries, the wounds were around the other rats trachia but not very deep. So I assumed she didn't really want to kill her roomie but wasn't above making a point that she could, if she wanted to.

The one thing I have to admit, is the my wild type never did any real damage to the house like chewing wires. She would make small openings undernieth plushy furniture and box springs to gain access, but otherwise she never did any damage unlike my domestic rats that chew wires etc. I mean given the choice between a domestic rat and a wild type I think I'd prefer the wild type in terms of damage to the house. (and you know your not going to have any mice). 

Did your wild types do any damage to your house when they were out or is it just mine that was so considerate?


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## IOVERATS

No, because it's illegal, and plus it would've unfair to take a wild rat out of its usual scenery and throwing it into a scary new home, and plus they harbour disease because of humans if people didn't throw away so much litter or the sewage was a little different then wild as would be cleaner, but anyway, no and I strongly suggest you don't because it's cruel, in the wild they live in colonies and only survive because they have each other, taking one of the rats away could break down their system causing them all to die, trust me small changes make a HUGE difference!


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## IOVERATS

Just to confirm it is illegal  thank god


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## RatzRUs

Lilspaz you are a wonderful person I just wanted you too know that. The hardships you face..your soul is so strong and for that I am thankful too know there are people like you out there


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## RedFraggle

IOVERATS said:


> Just to confirm it is illegal  thank god


Under what legislation? I don't think rats are in anyway covered by the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act.


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## Rat Daddy

I'm not a lawyer, and various countries, states and municipalities have different laws. But in my State, there is no different legislation for wild vs domestic rats. Rats are rats. I'm not sure that there's even a valid test to prove a rat is a wild or a domestic rat. For the most part around restaurants, schools, homes, businesses and areas of human habitation, rats are grouped with mice and roaches and "other pests" and our laws require manditory extermination. Under the strictest interpretation of our law, I could be required to exterminate my rats. Again they are not protected as either wild life or as pets. There are also certain laws the would prohit the relocation or release of rats. 

There are two wierd up sides... first is that rats are covered my my state's animal cruelty law, so in many circumstances you legally must kill rats, but you have to do it humainly... the second is that if the rats are living in protected wildlife areas, they should get protection similar to squirrels under some laws, but for the most part there are exemptions for non-indigenous wild life, making starlings, rats and certain other animals fair game, so I wouldn't get too worried even about that (and someone would have to prove you caught your wild rat in a protected area).

So, strictly legally... under my state you most likely can't own rats at all, as it would technically infest your home with "pests". (this would most likely never be enforced unless your neighbor complained) And if you caught a wild rat, it would be unlawful to release it anywhere other than where you caught it, but most likely you could keep it if you don't mind breaking the first law which you are already breaking owning domestic rats anyway. 

Lastly... and I do mean this is a big issue... you would be liable for any damages your wild rat does once you claim him or her as your pet. So when it tunnels through your landlords walls, or starts an electrical fire or bites a grabby toddler, you are going to pay big time. 

I came very close to being sued when my wild type rattie bit my neighbor. He was a very nice person and x-military and understood he should not have grabbed her. But his wounds soaked a hand towl through with blood. I didn't even ask to look undernieth... That could have ended badly!

Basically, I'm sure that different states and countries have different laws... but really if you ever actually had a wild type rat, you would realize that that's the least of your problems... 

If anybody actually knows a law that might protect rats wild or otherwise (other than the generic animal cruelty laws), I'd love to see a citation. I would even love to see a law that recognized that rats were pets.

The world gets strange when you really think about it.


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## RedFraggle

Rat Daddy said:


> I'm not a lawyer, and various countries, states and municipalities have different laws. But in my State, there is no different legislation for wild vs domestic rats. Rats are rats. I'm not sure that there's even a valid test to prove a rat is a wild or a domestic rat. For the most part around restaurants, schools, homes, businesses and areas of human habitation, rats are grouped with mice and roaches and "other pests" and our laws require manditory extermination. Under the strictest interpretation of our law, I could be required to exterminate my rats. Again they are not protected as either wild life or as pets. There are also certain laws the would prohit the relocation or release of rats.
> 
> There are two wierd up sides... first is that rats are covered my my state's animal cruelty law, so in many circumstances you legally must kill rats, but you have to do it humainly... the second is that if the rats are living in protected wildlife areas, they should get protection similar to squirrels under some laws, but for the most part there are exemptions for non-indigenous wild life, making starlings, rats and certain other animals fair game, so I wouldn't get too worried even about that (and someone would have to prove you caught your wild rat in a protected area).
> 
> So, strictly legally... under my state you most likely can't own rats at all, as it would technically infest your home with "pests". (this would most likely never be enforced unless your neighbor complained) And if you caught a wild rat, it would be unlawful to release it anywhere other than where you caught it, but most likely you could keep it if you don't mind breaking the first law which you are already breaking owning domestic rats anyway.
> 
> Lastly... and I do mean this is a big issue... you would be liable for any damages your wild rat does once you claim him or her as your pet. So when it tunnels through your landlords walls, or starts an electrical fire or bites a grabby toddler, you are going to pay big time.
> 
> I came very close to being sued when my wild type rattie bit my neighbor. He was a very nice person and x-military and understood he should not have grabbed her. But his wounds soaked a hand towl through with blood. I didn't even ask to look undernieth... That could have ended badly!
> 
> Basically, I'm sure that different states and countries have different laws... but really if you ever actually had a wild type rat, you would realize that that's the least of your problems...
> 
> If anybody actually knows a law that might protect rats wild or otherwise (other than the generic animal cruelty laws), I'd love to see a citation. I would even love to see a law that recognized that rats were pets.
> 
> The world gets strange when you really think about it.


I agree. My understanding of the UK law is that they are vermin and therefore release would be an offence but killing and/or capturing isn't. In terms of species our wild rat is Rattus Norvegicus the same as our pet rats. Our original native rat, the black rat rattus rattus survives in only a few colonies in the UK. They also say over here that you are never more than 10 feet from a rat, I know where mine are, they're in a cage in the house!


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## Rat Daddy

The wild type version of the norvegicus is a stone cold preditor when it comes to mice and other small animals. It's only real handicap is that it can't tollerate heat or lack of water giving rattus an advantage in hot and dry places and that rules out most of the UK as a preferred home for the rattus. And you are quite correct, the wild type norvegicus is incredably stealthy, it's easy to be 10 feet from one and never know it. In fact mine actually slit a hole into the bottom of my box spring and I was sleeping on it once, when I couldn't find it. It was less than a foot from my face and I didn't have a clue.


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## Harmony

*I Rescued a Wild Rat*

This was a wild rat caught in a live trap by somebody else who wanted it for a pet. This person was my boyfriend's boss & foisted the rat on to my boyfriend when my boyfriend didn't want it. I met my boyfriend after the poor rat had been living in captivity in a tiny cage for 2 years! I felt so sorry for it but I didn't think the rat could be safely released back into the wild after 2 years. (lots of feral cats in the neighborhood) I adopted him & got him a big cage, a wheel, & a small cardboard box he loves to hide in. He doesn't like people & has bitten me. i'm wondering if he would be happy if I got him a tame female. Could they get along? Would it be safe for the female?


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## Shadow <3

Harmony said:


> This was a wild rat caught in a live trap by somebody else who wanted it for a pet. This person was my boyfriend's boss & foisted the rat on to my boyfriend when my boyfriend didn't want it. I met my boyfriend after the poor rat had been living in captivity in a tiny cage for 2 years! I felt so sorry for it but I didn't think the rat could be safely released back into the wild after 2 years. (lots of feral cats in the neighborhood) I adopted him & got him a big cage, a wheel, & a small cardboard box he loves to hide in. He doesn't like people & has bitten me. i'm wondering if he would be happy if I got him a tame female. Could they get along? Would it be safe for the female?


This is a REALLY old thread (2012), but to answer your question, unless your boy is neutered, adding a female is a big no-no. While some older rats do loose interest in breeding, an intact male can still impregnate a female at any age. If you really want to get him a companion, try another male. Male rats get along just fine, just as females do. Honestly though, after 2 years of solo living, he may take poorly to a companion. Not to mention he may be a carrier for a contagious disease, which is the biggest thing to worry about when introducing new rats. 

If you do want to get him a companion, 2 young boys is probably your best best. Most male rats see young (like 5-12 weeks old) males as no threat, and readily bond with them. 

(As for your cage, he may feel safer if he has a few more hiding spots to choose from. Domestic rats love hammocks, so he may enjoy some of those as well. I like to fill my girls cage with hammocks, ladders, boxes, houses, and basically anything that provides them with enrichment and cover.)


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## Fu-Inle

If its old enough to be independent of its mother then Its probably better leave it be. 

And taking a wild rat that has reached social maturity...thats just a recipe for disaster. They will end up living a sad lonely life of isolation. Its just a really bad idea.

And if you hand rear an orphan you have to be prepared to deal with more of a rat than any rat you've owned. Times all of a pet rats behaviors by 50. More rougher, more destructive, more urine marking, more hormonal agression, more likely to be agressive towards newcomers, more flighty. Etc. Thats not to say they can't be friendly and affectionate. They are just far more in touch with their natural instincts than a domestic rat so they are much bigger handful.


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## Harmony

Thanks this is something new to think about.


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## Harmony

Thanks. this is something new to think about.


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