Small Animal Pets

[Inaii]

Wondering if anyone has small pets, ie. rats, mice, hamsters, rabbits, ferrets, etc.

Specifically wondering about rats. I'm currently looking for a good breeder (I'm not terribly comfortable buying them from a pet store as I've been told that a lot of the time they have more health issues/cancerous tumors than properly bred rats). My ex has two very cute and very affectionate pet rats and since I can't have a cat or dog in my place, I figured they would be just as good.

Feel free to post up pictures/videos or just brag about your small animal pet in general but if you have any info that would help me, please post that too!

[Marshall Placid]

Peppa and Georgie, Guinea Pigs, females, 2.5 months old.





Thought about adopting 2 pigs instead of buying them, but the adoption process was a little arduous and couldn't find the right pair.

Spent 2 weeks looking for the perfect female pair for adoption, but relented and bought these 2 cuties 4 days ago.

PS, sorry I have no experience on rats.

PSS, I also have 2 red-ear sliders who are 16 years old each, and I had them since they were tiny babies about the size of loonies.

Now, they are gargantuan.

PSSS, I also have a 5 year old 140G Marine tank with 5 tangs, 2 clownfishes, 2 cleaner shrimps, 1 purple lobster, 2 sea-cucumbers, and some baby clownfishes.

[Inaii]

Awww they're so cute!! I love guinea pigs, I was looking at some at Petsmart today while looking at rat cages. They were wrestling to get into the house before the other (2 pigs in one enclosure).

I found a pair of rats I want to adopt, but I'm worried that because rats have a huge stigma my landlords won't be okay with it. It sucks because they're the perfect pair too. 2.5 month old males, all white with a tiny bit of beige in their coats and so affectionate and playful. But because I rent I have to get permission from my landlords Tried to ask my mom if I could say I live with her but she said no lol

I understand WHY they ask the questions they do, but it sucks I really like the rats the shelter had.

btw, what are tangs?

[Marshall Placid]

We thought about rats, but we couldn't get pass the long tails.

Tangs are surgeonfishes like... Dory in Finding Nemo.

[threezero]

Rats are very intelligent and social animal. If you do get them please get at least a pair of the same sex.

Male are generally more cuddly than female. While female are more active and likes to play and explore.

They do produce quite a smell if not clean frequently and they don't have the longest life span (2-3 year ) is the max

Recently I've been looking into sugar glider. Seems like they are more work than rats especially in the beginning bonding stage but once they bond with you they will stick to you like glue. Have the rough lifespan of dogs and cats and can co exist well with other animal (again you need to work on the bonding) seems interesting def worth looking into

[Inaii]

Originally Posted by threezero

Rats are very intelligent and social animal. If you do get them please get at least a pair of the same sex.

Male are generally more cuddly than female. While female are more active and likes to play and explore.

They do produce quite a smell if not clean frequently and they don't have the longest life span (2-3 year ) is the max

Recently I've been looking into sugar glider. Seems like they are more work than rats especially in the beginning bonding stage but once they bond with you they will stick to you like glue. Have the rough lifespan of dogs and cats and can co exist well with other animal (again you need to work on the bonding) seems interesting def worth looking into

Yep, I'm adopting 2 males. They're little cuddlers already and only 2.5 months old. We're moving soon and my future landlord okay'd it. So if I can't get my current ones to say yes, the shelter is going to watch them for me (the manager is really attached to them and demanded pictures and email updates lol). I'm so excited but having a bitch of a time finding a big enough cage for both of them

Sugar gliders are really cute, but apparently a ton of work and REALLY expensive to buy. They have a few up at the Kangaroo Zoo in Kelowna and the guy who owns them was explaining they're really high maintenance. They're so soft though...

Btw does anyone know where I can find a decent cage big enough for 2 growing rats? Looking to purchase used most likely.

[Jmac]

My brother and I had a pair of rats when we were kids, both males. Very cuddly as mentioned. Mine lived quite a bit longer than 2-3 years. I can't recall exactly when we got them but I know he died in the summer of 1999 and we definitely had him for a while already during the '96 snowstorm, so I'm guessing it was Christmas of '94.

We got a used birdcage and modified it to suit rodents (added platforms, etc.). Knowing my parents, I'm guessing they went that route because it was substantially cheaper.

[Inaii]

The girl I was talking to at the Bosley's on Shaughnessy mentioned trying that. The guys I'm adopting love to climb, which is why I'm specifically looking for a wire cage for them. Maybe I'll check around and see what the prices of those are. Thanks for the suggestion and I'm hoping they live longer than 2-3 years. I'm really excited about getting them lol

[threezero]

Maybe look for ferret cages? Or bird cage meant for medium size parrots both ain't really cheap at all.

Good luck. been trying to convince my gf to get a pair. I used to breed them for reptile feeding but fell in love with these little guys. If only they don't smell so bad it would be must easier to convince my gf

[Inaii]

Well I found out earlier I can't have the rats until I move my current strata has rules against caged animals. Luckily for me the shelter is willing to take care of them until I move, this will also give me a chance to find the right cage for them too. Silver linings and all that lol

They shouldn't smell unless their cage is dirty, there's too many of them in one cage or they need a bath. They usually just smell like animals lol

[slicrick]

I had a hedgehog for a while, my cousin couldn't bring it with him when he was moving so we took him. He used a lot of the stuff that we had from Guinea pigs and really liked dog treats Hedgehogs are kind of a neat pet but mine was pretty antisocial.

[Inaii]

Aww do you have any pictures of him? I was supposed to get one when I was younger but that never happened.

[Inaii]

So I found a cage on CL, but the bars are 1" apart. Does anyone know if that's too far apart? I'm not terribly worried about them escaping (they were outside at the animal shelter and just hung out on the volunteer's shoulder instead of trying to get away. It's $30 and comes with a bunch of stuff...

[threezero]

Might be too big for a baby rats. They are incredible escape artist if they want to be. The other option would be to get a smaller cage for now and let them
Have plenty of outside time and than upgrade to the bigger cage when they are older

[Inaii]

They're about 2.5 months old and look quite big for being babies lol. I was thinking maybe what I could do was zap strap some chicken wire along the outside until they're too big to fit through the bars.

I was thinking about that too threezero. I could get a small-ish hamster one for less than $10 at Value Village and just keep them on my shoulder or in a play pen when I'm home.

My other option would be to make a cage, sort of like this one: http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/for/5187063120.html I live near a building supplies place so I could realistically pick up some wood scraps there and build them something.

[Inaii]

So I bought a cage and it came with a bunch of guinea pig stuff. Hay, food, treats. Does anyone want it? The packages are all opened but it looks like most of it is at least half full. I have no use for it and I don't want to throw it out

[Inaii]

Bumping this. I've had my rats for just over a year now and am only just having to take one of them to the vet. He's having trouble eating/walking and is refusing liquids. So he's coming to work with me tomorrow and I'll be taking him to Eagle Ridge Animal Hospital. I'm really nervous that they're going to tell me he has a pituitary tumor and that he needs to be put down. My appointment is with one of the Drs well versed in rats, so I hope everything goes ok and it's just an ear infection. Also hoping they don't mind his brother coming along for moral support, they've never been separated and Ares gets really sad when he can't cuddle with Pata.

[threezero]

Your rats around closing on 2 years old now?

When I used to do breeding its right around this age that they start to get Tumors. If I still breed I would have tried and line breed them for more reisstance. It seems like they are very Tumor prone. It is also one of the reason why rats of often use in medical testing.

Hope your boy is ok neutering/spraying them is the best prevention. Unfornately the procedure is so expensive compare to their relative lifespan...

[Inaii]

Just an update on this. Pata passed away while I was at work today. He wasn't getting better on the meds, so I'm not really sure why he passed.