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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Monday, March 08, 2004 - 7:43 am
We are thinking of getting a new pet. We already have 2 dogs and 3 cats. I heard that out of all the rodent pets, a rat is the cleanest and smartest and friendliest. Anyone have any information or experience with a rat? any tips? Or any bad experiences? How easy are they to care for? Thanks!
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Catfat
Member
02-27-2002
| Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 12:23 am
Ha!! I can tell you about rats. I had rats get into my studio and before I realized they were there, they caused huge amounts of damage. They ate the edges off drawings and canvases, they ate my weaving right off the loom. They gnawed open paint tubes and ate the paint out. They ate candles, crayons, pencils, erasers, pastels. They ate photographs and books. I set traps and caught a couple of them, but then they smartened up and would steal the bait. I knew they were getting bigger because the turds were as big as raisins, also baby turds started appearing. Now, I am a gentle person at heart, but enough is enough. I got D-Con and poisoned the little buggers, and found about a dozen dead ones, some of them natural greyish and some of them white, so I knew those had escaped from being someone's pet. I am telling you this in case there is even the slightest possibility that your rats will get out and breed in your walls.
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Starfire
Member
02-12-2003
| Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 1:25 am
get some fish instead!
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Llkoolaid
Member
08-01-2001
| Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 6:10 am
I had a pet rock in the 70's, best pet I ever had.
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Carrie92
Member
09-15-2003
| Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 9:36 am
Rats - yuck!!

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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 9:41 am
I was the proud owner of two rats when I was in high school....for about four or five days. My mom's boyfriend's son gave them to me (I was later told to give them back). They were white and I thought they were kinda cute. I liked their tails. The ones you buy are, I think, a little (or a lot) different from your everyday sewer type rat. I don't know a whole lot about them though, to be honest. This website seems to have a good amount of information though... American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 11:27 am
thanks kaili!!!
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Ruiner
Member
08-31-2003
| Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 8:10 am
ftr - I've had many rats. Loved them! Friendly, inquisitive, cuddly if handled a lot and gotten young. Unfortunately very short life span. Maybe 2 - 3 years. Mine have all passed of lung issues. Can have stinky urine/cage if not kept properly. Love to nest. Love your attention. I'd recommend them, jmho....
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Lucy
Member
10-08-2002
| Monday, March 22, 2004 - 1:30 pm
My son's 4th grade teacher had a "class rat". I think if you get it when it's young and hold it a lot they can be quite social. We took the class rat home over several different weekends and it really wasn't that hard to take care of. Ruiner is right, they only last about 2-3 years, so my son's teacher was on Butterscotch 3 that year. The class rats seemed to get tumors. Are you sure you want another pet?
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Deesandy
Member
08-12-2003
| Wednesday, April 07, 2004 - 6:04 pm
Julieboo, We have a male rat and his name is Marco. He is very cute (a fancy rat) and friendly. He churps when he is happy, and has a "hot spot" like dogs do when you scratch them in their favorite spot. He is very trainable and smart. My three year old adores him and says "Good morning Marco buddy!" to him every day. My husband walks around with him on his shoulder in the evenings. It has been nothing but a great experience for us to have Marco! I would recommend it highly. Don't get one male and one female, that is asking for lots of rats!
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Ruiner
Member
08-31-2003
| Thursday, April 08, 2004 - 3:56 pm
awww...I miss having rats....
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Biscottiii
Member
05-29-2004
| Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 11:26 pm
I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade…but simply a word to the wise, to be on the lookout if any symptoms surface. In this case, the young woman’s friends, and she herself, thought it was just a flu. When they finally pushed her into going to the emergency room, she died just as they got her to the hospital. http://www.kirotv.com/health/2779854/detail.html It gives a video: “Rate Bite Fever Is Rare, Little-Known” Rat Bite Fever Kills South Sound Teen Richard Thompson KIRO 7 Eyewitness News South Sound Bureau Chief UPDATED: 5:27 pm PST January 20, 2004 OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A 19-year-old woman who kept pet rats died of the state's first case of Rat Bite Fever, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported. Health officials told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News South Sound Bureau Chief Richard Thompson that test results confirmed Rat Bite Fever was the cause of death. The woman was pronounced dead on arrival when her friends brought her to Capital Medical Center in Olympia. "If you start having flulike illness after you've been bitten by a rat, you might want to check with your doctor," said Dr. Diana Yu, Thurston County Health Director. "It may not be the flu, it may be Rat Bite Fever." Some owners of pet rats were stunned to learn of the disease. "I think they're great pets. They're soft and sweet and cuddly," one rat owner told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News South Sound Bureau Chief Richard Thompson. Rat Bite Fever can be spread by bites or by ingesting rat droppings. It is rare in the U.S. People infected with it usually suffer fever, chills, headache and muscle pain within 10 days, followed by a rash. Large joints may become swollen. If untreated, complications such as infection of heart valves can occur. It's fatal in 10 to 30 percent of untreated cases. Doctors say it is easily treatable, however, and curable with penicillin.
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