Rats are extremely intelligent, clean, curious animals who enjoy human companionship. They are extremely social creatures and prefer to be in groups or the object of your undivided attention.
Unlike other well-known rodent pets like hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs, rats crave attention. Hamsters must be kept single and sleep most of the time. Gerbils do like company but only with the same sex (for obvious reasons) and from the same litter. You cannot introduce a new gerbil to your existing gerbil without serious and sometimes deadly problems. They are very fast and not usually inclined to sit with you for any length of time. Guinea pigs are bigger, but not really playful animals. You could never get a guinea pig to sit on your shoulder for hours!
So after looking at all of these factors, that brings us back to the rat.
Rats come in many different colours, patterns, and coat varieties. There are even hairless and tailless rat varieties. All make good pets and the different colours can make choosing your rat quite difficult. I find that the best way to pick your rat(s) is to let the rat choose!
First of all you should look at the cage the rats are being kept in. Is it clean, any obvious signs of loose stools, is there plenty of fresh water and food available.
Next, look at the rats themselves. Are the eyes bright and inquisitive looking? Make sure there is no discharge around the eyes or nose. Animals that are under stress sometimes exhibit a red staining around the eyes and nose. This could be a sign of sickness or just a batch of newly weaned babies scared of their new surroundings. Make sure the rat is not sneezing or wheezing as this is a sure sign of respiratory trouble. The coat should be soft and shiny, not dull or have bald patches.(unless it is a hairless rat of course!) The ears should look clean with no signs of ticks or mites. These would show as little red marks on the ears. They are not hard to treat but can be annoying. Sometimes the mites can come in in the shavings so no matter how good and clean the breeder, sometimes it is unavoidable. The tail should not have wounds or abrasions on it. If you run your hand from base to tip the tail is smooth. Go from tip to base and the tail is quite rough. This is because there are tiny little hairs on the tail which the rat uses for ballance and gripping when running along a pipe for example.
The claws will probably be quite sharp. I have yet to find an adequate pair of clippers that can cut the nail and not the entire toe! I find that if you get your rattie used to an emery board being drawn accross the nails that this is the best route to go.
The face of the rat is long and pointed and you should not be able to see any protruding teeth. This would indicate a serious bite problem and should be avoided. Rats are a member of the rodent family, therefore their incisor teeth continually grow. If the teeth do not meet properly in the mouth than they can not be worn down naturally and an eating disorder would occur.
When you approach the litter of ratties, they should come eagerly over to you and not hide in the corner. Unless, as I mentioned before, they are newly separated from mommy or just arrived at new surroundings. This can be very upsetting to the rats. Give them a few minutes to sniff your hand and they should come 'round.
I find that both sexes make good pets. The females are usually smaller, more active and playful than the males. The males generally get larger and are more laid back. I find that if you have 2 males that have grown up together from birth there is usually not much of a problem with fighting. DO NOT try to mix 2 adult or juvenile males from different colonies. Fighting and sometimes death can occur. Once the males reach sexual maturity around 4-5 months, keep an eye out for fighting just in case.
For the most part, females are usually quite good with each other even to the point of putting adult females together. All new pairings should be watched closely for several weeks to be sure no dominance fighting occurs. New rats greet each other standing on their hind legs facing each other and emit a series of squeaks and squeals. There will usually be some minor scuffling and shoving but as long as no blood is drawn it should be fine. The females will be establishing dominance in their group. There can only be one boss, usually the biggest or oldest rat but not always. One will be boss and the other will submit. If both rats decide to be boss, separate them quickly as soon as first serious blood has been drawn. This rarely settles down and can lead to grave injuries and even death. True rat fights are not pretty and should be avoided at all costs.
