what is the life span ?

tweetypie/8 · 04-11-2007, 20:55

hi i am thinking of getting a pet rat.anybody on the forum help me out with regards the average life span of a pet rat,i wouldnt like to get one and the wee bugger die in a few weeks,also is their urine as dangerous as the common rat ? i beleive they are quite intellegent and good fun to have any help or advice will be appreciated.

daz300 · 04-11-2007, 21:06

pet rats are lot of fun . but they do wee all over the place and need to be cleaned out a lot .

this link may help you http://www.quite.co.uk/rats/

tweetypie/8 · 04-11-2007, 21:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by daz300

pet rats are lot of fun . but they do wee all over the place and need to be cleaned out a lot .

this link may help you http://www.quite.co.uk/rats/

a lot of good info on that link daz thank you.

peanut · 04-11-2007, 21:50

My missus have kept the odd rat or two, they are great pets and I have to recommend them. They have their own personalities.

If you're going on lifespan then get a tortoise.

daz300 · 04-11-2007, 21:58

we had a rat it was a lot of fun and a good pet . good luck if you get one . daz300

tweetypie/8 · 04-11-2007, 22:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanutkp

My missus have kept the odd rat or two, they are great pets and I have to recommend them. They have their own personalities.

If you're going on lifespan then get a tortoise.

a bit on the slow side pea

---------- Post added at 22:00 ---------- Previous post was at 21:58 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by daz300

we had a rat it was a lot of fun and a good pet . good luck if you get one . daz300

thanks daz

danielf · 04-11-2007, 22:05

Lifespan: about two years.

Lew's your man.

tweetypie/8 · 05-11-2007, 08:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

Lifespan: about two years.

Lew's your man.

thanks for the tip dan

**Lew** · 07-11-2007, 10:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by tweetypie/8

hi i am thinking of getting a pet rat.anybody on the forum help me out with regards the average life span of a pet rat,i wouldnt like to get one and the wee bugger die in a few weeks,

Average lifespan is 2-3 years, although I know someone with a girl who's recently turned 4 and one of my old ones lived to 3 1/2.

Quote:

also is their urine as dangerous as the common rat ?

Their urine isn't dangerous, neither is that of a healthy wild rat. Not all wild rats carry leptospirosis, despite what a lot of people think.

Quote:

i beleive they are quite intellegent and good fun to have any help or advice will be appreciated.

They're definitely fantastic pets.

One thing though, please do not just get a single rat. They're social animals and need same-sex company of their own species. A pair or a trio is the best bet. Don't listen to anyone who says "a single rat will bond better with its owner" as that's complete rubbish. A rat who has same-species company is a happy rat and a happy rat will bond better than a lonely rat.

I hope the mods won't mind a shameless plug for another forum here as it's not stepping on CF's toes. I suggest you register at Fancy Rats as there are lots of people there who can give you good advice.

tweetypie/8 · 07-11-2007, 10:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lew

Average lifespan is 2-3 years, although I know someone with a girl who's recently turned 4 and one of my old ones lived to 3 1/2.

Their urine isn't dangerous, neither is that of a healthy wild rat. Not all wild rats carry leptospirosis, despite what a lot of people think.

They're definitely fantastic pets.

One thing though, please do not just get a single rat. They're social animals and need same-sex company of their own species. A pair or a trio is the best bet. Don't listen to anyone who says "a single rat will bond better with its owner" as that's complete rubbish. A rat who has same-species company is a happy rat and a happy rat will bond better than a lonely rat.

I hope the mods won't mind a shameless plug for another forum here as it's not stepping on CF's toes. I suggest you register at Fancy Rats as there are lots of people there who can give you good advice.

thanks lew for breaking it down for me

thats a sound piece of advice i agree with you on the pair rather than one,can i ask you this ? i used to keep ferrets 17 at one time and they were great you could have a polecat or a greyhound variety i always preffered the polecat does this theme apply to rats and if so what would you recommend thanks for your help lew i will definitley be getting a pair

**Lew** · 07-11-2007, 10:50

Not sure what you're asking. All pet rats are Rattus Norvegicus, the brown rat. There's really no difference between the different varieties other than coat/eye colour, fur type (standard or rex (curly fur)) and ear type (standard or dumbo (ears at the side of the head rather than the top)). Any personality differences are usually down to the individual line.

One more thing, please try to avoid the temptation to get rats from a pet shop. Most of these are mass-produced at "rat farms" where they just leave loads of rats in together to indiscriminately breed. The "pretty" ones go to the pet shops and the "boring" ones end up as snake food. If you go to a breeder or a rescue then you're more likely to get pets who have been handled a lot (breeder rats are usually handled from birth so instinctively trust humans) as opposed to the nervous animals that come from the rat farms. Breeder rats are more likely to be much healthier than pet shop rats.

tweetypie/8 · 07-11-2007, 10:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lew

Not sure what you're asking. All pet rats are Rattus Norvegicus, the brown rat. There's really no difference between the different varieties other than coat/eye colour, fur type (standard or rex (curly fur)) and ear type (standard or dumbo (ears at the side of the head rather than the top)). Any personality differences are usually down to the individual line.

One more thing, please try to avoid the temptation to get rats from a pet shop. Most of these are mass-produced at "rat farms" where they just leave loads of rats in together to indiscriminately breed. The "pretty" ones go to the pet shops and the "boring" ones end up as snake food. If you go to a breeder or a rescue then you're more likely to get pets who have been handled a lot (breeder rats are usually handled from birth so instinctively trust humans) as opposed to the nervous animals that come from the rat farms. Breeder rats are more likely to be much healthier than pet shop rats.

hi lew sorry for the confusion,the polecat and greyhound are colours and i wouldnt touch a pet shop with a barge pole thanks again

**Lew** · 08-11-2007, 15:53

Just noticed your location. Another place you might find useful would be Irish rat Club.

tweetypie/8 · 08-11-2007, 17:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lew

Just noticed your location. Another place you might find useful would be Irish rat Club.

good on you lew

great site i will keep you informed thanks again