Quote (RewtheBrave @ Thu - Sep 30 2010 - 21:03:16)
sorry to hear about this
i knew a girl from summer school (i was the kid whose mom put him into summer school with the older kids to get ahead of the game, fml) who had a rat named mackenzie. she talked about him a lot and it actually changed how i thought about them. they actually have some character and intelligence, etc. so tbh if u got attached to him i really am sorry to hear the news.
Thank you. And yeah, they make great pets aside from 3 little things.
1. Potty training is a bitch, you can get them to go in a litter box, but if they ever feel comfortable in it, they'll stop using it for litter and use it as a bed, choosing to go elsewhere. Also it's only number 2 you can really control. Number 1 is all about marking things differently (ie this is another rat in our pack, this is something safe, this is good to eat, etc.) Rats can tell a lot from other rats just from examaning their urine (sex, age, social status, breeding viability etc). Fascinating on a scientific level, gross on a "dude just peed on me for the 15th fucking time in the last 10 minutes" level.
2. They chew, constantly. You MUST give them things to chew on, or they'll find something you'd rather clearly have chewed to bits and make it their chew toy. Part of it is curiosity, but a larger part is because their teeth constantly grow through out their life, they need to chew to keep them filled down.
3. Life span - If you do everything right with a ratty, and it's a well bred one, you might get 3 years. Maybe 3 and a 1/2, but that's pretty rare. Ben, being a Petsmart rat (we didn't know any better at the time), was bound to have a shorter life.... but I thought at least 18 months. Studies have shown giving Rats blueberries on a daily basis can extend their lives about 6 months, which is a huge deal when you're talking about 18-42 months average lifespan.
