the171 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Well, I have a rat now named Dahlia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Is she black? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Well, I have a rat now named Dahlia. Not as cute as a kitten (Especially one as adorable as Flannery), but I suppose Dahlia will do. Pictures, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentJoy Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Awww, I had a little white rat once. Dad couldn't believe that I BOUGHT a RAT. Then it escaped (surprise, surprise); we didn't find him for a whole year until he happened to die on top of a wood pile in the basement. He had grown to over two feet long, nose to tail tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnatiusofLoyola Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I am currently cleaning up after mice who have invaded my house due to the very cold weather. Despite that, I think a rat could make a good pet. I have had hamsters and guinea pigs, but never a rat. Still, I like rodents in general. I understand why the mice have invaded my house, and I feel bad for them. However, since mice feces can carry disease and mice can cause damage, I can't have them in my house. Yes, I have a cat, but the mice seemed to have figured out that she is no threat to them. :hehe: One good thing (or bad thing, depending on your point of view) is that kittens/cats live MUCH longer than rats. When you adopt a kitten, you are making a commitment of up to 20 years nowadays. I haven't recently looked up the expected life span of a pet rat, but it is certainly much shorter than 20 years. Also, a rat (ideally) will stay in its cage most of the time, while even the smallest kitten knows how to claim a house and its inhabitants as its own, right from the beginning. Congrats on your new "family member"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentJoy Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) Dahlia just has to survive until August 24. :smile4: It seems like rats might make better pets than other rodents. They're curious and can be very friendly and not as apt to bite as a gerbil. Edit: I had meant to mention how flexible they were compared to rabbits and guinea pigs. Its awkward for the owner, and sometimes scary for the pet, to hold or play with a bunny or pig. Rats might be much more comfortable with being handled. Edited February 14, 2014 by SilentJoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnatiusofLoyola Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Dahlia just has to survive until August 24. :smile4: It seems like rats might make better pets than other rodents. They're curious and can be very friendly and not as apt to bite as a gerbil. Edit: I had meant to mention how flexible they were compared to rabbits and guinea pigs. Its awkward for the owner, and sometimes scary for the pet, to hold or play with a bunny or pig. Rats might be much more comfortable with being handled. Interesting. I never knew that about rats, My guinea pigs and rabbits never had a problem with being handled--they loved it. And, I was never bitten by my hamsters, guinea pigs, or rabbits. (Actually, I have never been bitten by my cats, either.) I guess it depends on the individual animal. Also, I have a very small amount of "animal whisperer" skills, so animals tend to like me. (However, when I volunteered at the zoo, I WAS bitten by a ferret and a parrot--both of those bites hurt BIG TIME and the parrot bite gave me an enormous bruise. So, my track record for animal bites is not perfect!) How do your parents feel about taking care of your rat after you leave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnatiusofLoyola Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Dahlia just has to survive until August 24. :smile4: It seems like rats might make better pets than other rodents. They're curious and can be very friendly and not as apt to bite as a gerbil. Edit: I had meant to mention how flexible they were compared to rabbits and guinea pigs. Its awkward for the owner, and sometimes scary for the pet, to hold or play with a bunny or pig. Rats might be much more comfortable with being handled. Interesting. I never knew that about rats, My guinea pigs and rabbits never had a problem with being handled--they loved it. And, I was never bitten by my hamsters, guinea pigs, or rabbits. (Actually, I have never been bitten by my cats, either.) I guess it depends on the individual animal. Also, I have a very small amount of "animal whisperer" skills, so animals tend to like me. (However, when I volunteered at the zoo, I WAS bitten by a ferret and a parrot--both of those bites hurt BIG TIME and the parrot bite gave me an enormous bruise. So, my track record for animal bites is not perfect!) How do your parents feel about taking care of your rat after you leave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentJoy Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 My guinea pigs and rabbits never had a problem with being handled--they loved it. And, I was never bitten by my hamsters, guinea pigs, or rabbits. (Actually, I have never been bitten by my cats, either.) I guess it depends on the individual animal. Also, I have a very small amount of "animal whisperer" skills, so animals tend to like me. (However, when I volunteered at the zoo, I WAS bitten by a ferret and a parrot--both of those bites hurt BIG TIME and the parrot bite gave me an enormous bruise. So, my track record for animal bites is not perfect!) I think just about anything would like to gnaw on me at some point, "animal whispering" and all. :rotfl2: I've been bitten by a lot of different kinds of pets (and a sister), sometimes just because they were mean, other times because they were stressed for some reason. Probably the most severe was a cat bite (I've been chewed on by horses and the cat bite was worse, go figure); the cat was very gentle and friendly but he had a condition that caused him to freak out and chomp his haunch (the vets never found out what caused it). One day I was petting him and happened to trigger the "haunch-chomp" reaction and he got me straight through the thick of my hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the171 Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the171 Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 she likes my hair a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 So sweet! :love: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnatiusofLoyola Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 She's beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaTherese Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 So cute! (Now I almost want one... but since I'm not allowed to have pets on campus, my parents wouldn't approve of a pet rat at home, and I'm liable to only be at home for maybe five weeks total in the next year anyway, living in about four different places (including home, although that term is beginning to get hollow) I don't think it would work. Maybe I can get a pet of some variety after I graduate....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrincessKRS Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 she likes my hair a lot I am so conflicted about this rat thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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