Quote Originally Posted by zoomer
I've got a love for rats goin' on! I don't know too much about them, though. So... I was hoping you excellent, knowledgeable PTers (esspecialy you Courtney (yes, you, Chilli!)) You best reply to this thread ) could give me lots of information on them! How hard are they to care for? How often does their cage need cleaning? What kind of tank do they need? How hard is it to tame them? Do they bite a lot? Do they like to snuggle? Are they nocturnal like hamsters? How much do they cost? And lastly... how do I convience my mom, who has afobia of those supposedly "evil monsters" to her, to let me get one?
How hard are they to care for? - What do you consider hard? You can't buy them a rodent mix from the pet store, they either need lab blocks or a homemade suebee's mix - see here: http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html
You will likely go to the vet at the LEAST twice for each rat in their lifetime - probably for respiratory infections, and rats are also very prone to cancerous tumors, so you would need to be ready to have those removed also.

How often does their cage need cleaning? - My boys have a Ruud cage (Martins, it's about 5 feet tall) I covered the wire shelves with coroplast, their cage floors get wiped down daily, and disinfected weekly.

What kind of tank do they need? - You can't really keep them in a tank, especially if you don't spend a huge amount of money to get a big one. Rats are INCREDIBLY prone to respiratory infections, and tanks do not provide them with enough ventilation. These are the best cages IMO:
http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/rat/

This is a rat cage calculator, you put in the dimensions and it tells you how many rats can fit in it. That is absolute MINIMUM though, and the rats should have more room than that.
http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml

How hard is it to tame them? - Depends on the rat. I currently have a rescue rat who has been neglected and abandoned, I assume he is going to take a long time to tame but has never bitten. Poor little guy was screaming bloody murder at me the first few days I had to restrain him to give him his meds.

Do they bite a lot? - I've never been bitten

Do they like to snuggle? - Mine like to snuggle only when they've had a good time running around outside their cage.

How much do they cost? - I don't reccommend getting them from a pet store. Adopt from a rescue or buy from a reputable breeder. Buying animals from pet stores is no different than buying from backyard breeders - It's one in the same.

Out of my 2 newest rats, I have had them 1 week and their vet bills have already costed me $100. (I adopted them and they came to me with mites and respiratory infections) They are incredibly prone to tumors and respiratory infections, so if you don't have the money to treat reoccurring respiratory infections, and don't have the money to get any tumors removed, it's best not to get rats.


And lastly... how do I convience my mom, who has afobia of those supposedly "evil monsters" to her, to let me get one? --- First of all, you can't get just one rat. Rats are social, and two or more rats together is NECESSARY.

If your mom isn't supportive of them, it would be best not to get them. Like I said they can cost ALOT in vet bills, cages cost ALOT, if you dont want to make the homemade suebee's mix and dont have lab blocks that sell near you you will need to buy them online and pay for shipping etc.

Rats are more like dogs or cats when it comes to $$$ than other rodents.