Ralphie the one-eyed rattie...

[K9karen]

Uh, Donna...looks like you'll have to find a Mrs for Ralphie! You wouldn't want him to be a lonely ole boy, would you?

[DJFyrewolf36]

Hey Donna...you have my #...give me a call!! I'm free tomorow about 3-4 pm my time...shoot me a PM if you are gonna call later than that.

Welcome to the wonderfull world of ratties! You will fall in love pretty quick I think!

[Miss Z]

I must warn you Donna that rats are addicting! You will get attatched to this little guy, and from then on, you are infected and will never be able to stay away from rats again

As far as his cage goes, he'll need a couple of chews to keep his teeth down, plenty of tubes and hidey-things and a mineral lick.You could give him a wheel if you like, Tia never used hers but some rats do, just make sure it's a solid wheel with no bars so his tail can't get stuck in it. Tia also has a parrot rope in her cage that she loves to climb on! One thing more, if possible, it might be best to keep him in a cage that has levels and he can climb up. A tank is fine to begin with, but rats really do need to climb and explore different levels to prevent boredom. He'll also need handling quite a bit and he'll get very attatched to you, you might find that he'll come to call within a few days!

Another asset to his cage, put a small plastic plant pot in the cage for his bed. He may or may not use it, but Tia loves hers! Here is a pic:



If you need any more info or have a question, then just send me a PM, if I typed out everything I can tell you here this would be a very long post!

[CathyBogart]

I recommend not posting at Rats Rule....I used to post over there a lot and they are very VERY hostile to new rat owners. You're more than welcome to PM me with any questions too. I loooooooove ratties!

I was going to write a more substantial post, but I'd make myself late for school.

[Vela]

I have seen some really cool cage topper things you can put on a 10 gallon aquarium (which is fine to start with), that allows them to climb and do what they love without costing you a lot for a higher cage later on. Thewy also have them for a 20 gallon etc as well, that I have seen. Your little guy would do best with another little guy to keep him company so you really ought to get two if you are going to get him. They just so best with more than one, emotionally. They are great pets, I love them. I have 4 girls, little terrors that they are getting into everything LOL. Someone left their box of cheerios too close to their cage, and they reached out with theri little arms, pulled it close and ate half the box away LOL.

[molucass]

They can be hostile to new owners, but its from my experience that they aren't in most situations...

Besides, I think there is hostile people on every single forum, regardless of whether you are new or have been there for a while.

[ramanth]

Donna, I'm wondering what your kitties are going to think!!

Seriously though, that is so sweet that you took him in. I think rats make great pets.

Maybe I'm naive, but being a snake owner, I never once thought about the mice and rats in Petco (or Petsmart) being used as snake food. I just assumed they were the "pet" mice, not the feeder ones.

Pictures??