Lillybob
Well-Known Member
So I had been thinking about getting a pair of female rats for a while now. I did a huge amount of research into their social, physical and intellectual needs and requirements but hadn't come to a solid conclusion about whether or not I truly wanted to spend the amount of money I would need to spend on them to provide this. The biggest thought for me was the cage. I understand that rats need a LOT of space to climb and whatnot, and although I have the space in my house, the cages I found to be suitable were fairly pricey. I decided I was going to give it some time and maybe look into it after Christmas when I had some money that I knew I was getting from relatives.
Anywho, my housemate and I have a pair of house rabbits and we noticed a new pet store open near us. We needed to get some hay for the bunnies so we stopped by this new store to check it out (pets at home being our current go-to). We got in there and had a look around and I saw this amazing looking cage with huge amount of climbing space and it was at a special sale price. Directly next to this I saw the most beautiful group of 4 female rats! I asked about them and found that they were 16 weeks old and a set of littermates. Advertised at £15 a pair, I was seriously considering getting them there and then but the cage cost was still something to consider alongside the initial costs of little hides, enrichment, bedding and food which I like to buy in bulk. I called my housemate over to have a look and she was as smitted as me. She said "Let's get them! I'll throw half of the costs in, we'll get all four and take them home tonight!" so we did just that!
I would like to just make a point of the fact that I had done a lot of research into rat care and my housemate is doing an animal degree at university and she's currently doing a project involving rats so she's also very knowledgeable on their needs.
So that night, we ended up coming home with the hay for the bunnies, but also 4 beautiful little ladies to add to the family. Jimmy (long story short, I let a friend name her who was set on the name Jimmy, even for a female), Bonnie, Bella and Peach are stunning and they're getting more used to us by the day! Can't wait to get to know these little ladies and I'm hoping to get some good pictures soon, they're still quite shy. We're working on getting them used to us by feeding them treats by hand and sitting and talking to them with our hands resting in the cage etc before we try any major handling. Once they become comfortable to play with us, i'll be spamming snaps!
Who else here has rats? I'm smitten as a kitten and i've only known them a few days
Anywho, my housemate and I have a pair of house rabbits and we noticed a new pet store open near us. We needed to get some hay for the bunnies so we stopped by this new store to check it out (pets at home being our current go-to). We got in there and had a look around and I saw this amazing looking cage with huge amount of climbing space and it was at a special sale price. Directly next to this I saw the most beautiful group of 4 female rats! I asked about them and found that they were 16 weeks old and a set of littermates. Advertised at £15 a pair, I was seriously considering getting them there and then but the cage cost was still something to consider alongside the initial costs of little hides, enrichment, bedding and food which I like to buy in bulk. I called my housemate over to have a look and she was as smitted as me. She said "Let's get them! I'll throw half of the costs in, we'll get all four and take them home tonight!" so we did just that!
I would like to just make a point of the fact that I had done a lot of research into rat care and my housemate is doing an animal degree at university and she's currently doing a project involving rats so she's also very knowledgeable on their needs.
So that night, we ended up coming home with the hay for the bunnies, but also 4 beautiful little ladies to add to the family. Jimmy (long story short, I let a friend name her who was set on the name Jimmy, even for a female), Bonnie, Bella and Peach are stunning and they're getting more used to us by the day! Can't wait to get to know these little ladies and I'm hoping to get some good pictures soon, they're still quite shy. We're working on getting them used to us by feeding them treats by hand and sitting and talking to them with our hands resting in the cage etc before we try any major handling. Once they become comfortable to play with us, i'll be spamming snaps!
Who else here has rats? I'm smitten as a kitten and i've only known them a few days
