Originally posted by trayi52
Wow, isn't it a shame our pregnanices can't be that short? But noooo, we have to go through 40 weeks of feeling fat and bloated. Of course, if it was shorter, I wonder how many children we would end up with?

I think I would want to get her a pair of guys, anything I should look for when getting them, to make sure they are healty? And what size cage, and what kind of food, and bedding?

I hear you on that one! But imagine, a shorter pregnancy but the drawback is having 14 babies at one time!

Well I would suggest going to a breeder or a rescue center if you can locate one in your area. Unlike petshops, breeders breed for health and temperament, and so you are almost quaranteed a sweet, well adjusted baby who won't suffer from Myco outbreaks, tumours etc. Petshop breeders breed for quantity, not quality.

Rescue centers are great too, but I usually do not reccommend these to first timers, as rats can have many problems which causes huge vet bills etc. If the person is indeed experieced, I would reccomend a rescue, but in most circumstances it's just not a good match. But there are a TON of great rats in rescue, without problems, I just prefer the ones with issues with health or temperament to be adopted by something more experienced. See if maybe they have ex breeder rats, or something like that.

When you go to pick out a rat let the rat come to you. If it goes and hides, it's skittish and most likely will stay that way, however a lot of rats do come around quite nicely with daily socialization. But, here's the thing, they could fear bite and then the owner gts scared and does not handle them, and that's where the problems begin. So chose one that shows interest in your hand. Let him sniff it, and then gently try to pick him up. They may like human companionship but not all like to be held. After awhile they should get used to being picked up. If you get a rat from a breeder, they will all likely be used to being held. I hold my babies since birth, so they are as tame as tame can be.

Look for health signs such as poor coat condition (the coat feels course and not soft), poryphorin staining around the eyes or mouth, sneezing, congestion/wheezing, eye squinting (may be a sign of photosensitivity, which is a sign of illness), scabs, wounds, scratches, eye ulcers etc. If you look through the coat and see you see specks, chances are the rat has mites/lice. Sometimes older male rats have a lot of buck grease and it sloths off, so try not to confuse chunks of dry skin with mites. If your baby doesn't show any of these signs then he/she may be healthy.

Just to let you know though, that rats can harbor viruses and bacteria that shows no symptoms when you bring them home, and then a week later they have a serious congestion problems etc. These are things you need to be aware of if you chose to get a rat...................will continue in another post so I don't lose this one to a frozen comp.