Pet rats are not as bad as you think!

 When someone says ‘pet’ usually people think of adorable, little puppies or cute, fluffy kittens… But when I announced I had pet rats as an early Christmas present, the majority either said “Eurgh…” or backed away slowly, as if I had some sort of disease. This blog is to prove pet rats are not as bad as you think
Rats are intelligent, highly social animals and are normally active at night and dawn and dusk. They have an excellent sense of touch, and have a wonderful sense of smell. Provided their needs are met, rats are incredibly rewarding animals to look after and can form close human-animal bonds with their owners. There are several different kinds of rat, varying mainly in colour. Usually, rats live for around 3 years, but some may live for longer.

 Pet rats are much less fearful than their wild cousins, and when handled gently, they quickly learn to enjoy riding on their human friends’ shoulders and napping in their laps. These sociable rodents come in a variety of coat types and colours, from curly or shiny or black, white, grey, black-and-white and many more. If well cared for, rats typically live to two and a half to three years. Curious, intelligent and always up for some fun, rats can be great pets for kids-but young owners should always be supervised by an adult. These animals are not toys, and must be treated with kindness and respect.

The origin of the modern fancy rat begins with the rat-catchers of the 18^th and 19^th centuries that trapped rats throughout Europe. These rat-catchers would then either kill the rats, or, more likely, sell the rats to be used in blood sport. Rat-baiting was a popular sport until the beginning of the 20th century. It involved filling a pit with several rats and then placing bets on how long it would take a terrier to kill them all. It is believed that both rat-catchers and sportsmen began to keep certain, odd-coloured rats during the height of the sport, eventually breeding them and then selling them as pets.

Rats are trained easily and love being handled. Rats learn quickly. Using positive reinforcements such as treats and praise will ensure that your pet rat is eager to learn. The mental stimulation that training provides will enhance the rat’s natural intelligence. When teaching your rat a trick, for instance, calling his/her name, repeat the word while holding a treat. When he/she comes to you release the treat to him, praise him/her verbally, and/or reward by giving physical contact such as scratching or by holding him. One of the most useful things you can train your rat to do is to use a litter box. Things to remember when training your rat is that the rats own personality may determine what tricks it will be best at. Active females often do better at tricks that require agility and speed. Some rats are smarter than others are. Gearing the training to the rat’s activity level and intelligence will save both you and your rat from becoming frustrated. Here is a video on some of the tricks you can teach a rat…

By Heather Meldrum