Comments | erebrandir: Ratties

erebrandir

Ratties

Sep 14, 2008 17:26

I love animals. But I've never really had a pet of my own. Muffin, our dog when I was in high school, was my mom's; we had family cats when I was younger (Napoleon was arguably mine, since I personally rescued him); but apart from them, my life has been sadly lacking in critter companionship. Especially so since I've been living on my own.

I am a ( Read more... )

pets, animals, ratties

Comments 12

Part One! hadesducharon September 15 2008, 00:28:35 UTC

Hi, this is Lizzi's girlfriend, who currently has two rats and has owned eight in total. :D She forwarded your post onto me ( ... )

Re: Part One! hadesducharon September 15 2008, 00:29:11 UTC

* What do rats eat? What kind of cage do I need and where would I get one? Is there a rat FAQ or any good books or sites I should check out ( ... )

Re: Part One! middlemarching September 15 2008, 00:51:12 UTC

Maybe all the rats I've ever held in stores have just been able to smell the kitties on me, who knows. )8 My main objection to them is based on the pet-breeding mill industry, which you've heard me rant about ad nauseum--but you're definitely the expert on rats, not me!

And at least any rat purchased from a pet store will be one less rat to end up snake food, this is true. ):

Re: Part One! erebrandir September 15 2008, 01:17:13 UTC

I really and truly appreciate you taking the time to reply! Lizzi talks about you all the time. :-)

You've persuaded me to get pet store rats. It would certainly be much easier and more convenient; there's a Petsmart just down the road from me. And with respect to Lizzi, it would give me some consolation to know I was saving one from the maw of a snake (with respect to my friend Josh, who keeps a snake and probably feeds it ratties for breakfast).

I think I'll also try to get a pair of females. I am gone at school a good bit and would have to leave a pet alone for a few hours at a time. How long could I reasonably leave rats alone? How often do they have to eat? And how well do they travel? I still go back home to my parents' about 30 miles away fairly often and would want to take my rats with me.

Thread 5

the_eardstapa September 15 2008, 00:36:28 UTC

I've had several rats; I'm quite fond of them (though, of course, I'd not trade my puppies for all the world), and would love to get a hairless rat (so wrinkly and naked and cute!), but Brian's vetoed any new animals in the house for the time being ( ... )

erebrandir September 15 2008, 01:20:53 UTC

Maddy, thanks! I am getting excited about this! I think I am leaning towards maybe trying a pet store (yes, I'm sure they're a lot the same here as there) and possibly getting a pair of females to keep each other company.

the_eardstapa September 15 2008, 01:31:34 UTC

Pet store rats make sense (and a lot of pet stores refuse to buy mill-bred pets). Let it be said, while I did have one turn vicious, I've had five rats in total, and animals do sometimes go crazy. The odds game is in your favour :)

I look forward to your posting pictures of your new worm-tailed friends!

meladiction September 15 2008, 01:12:45 UTC

http://www.ratfanclub.org/links.html

http://www.ratsrule.com/

erebrandir September 15 2008, 01:17:46 UTC

Thanks!

__bothsidesnow September 15 2008, 04:41:56 UTC

I used to have ratties---at one time, I had 13 (I started with 2...I asked for 2 girls, but, well, my boy wasn't old enough to show yet). There are different breeds, yes. First, I'd see if you could rescue a rat. Many people end up in my situation and can't keep their rattie babies (they're worse than rabbits in that dept.)--so look around in craigslist, etc. Also check petfinder.com ( ... )

erebrandir September 15 2008, 06:47:38 UTC

I remember well your ratties... Phoebe who turned out to be a boy. ;-) It's times like these that I remember that I've known you a very long time! I thought about you when I posted this, and I'm glad you replied. Thanks for your advice. I definitely have some thinking about it to do.