DS wants a rat but his Dad has said no. WWYD?

Person_one

moneysaymoneydo wrote: »

Would not be listening to a word the ex says although i could think of a nicer pet than a smelly rat they are also ugly!

Ugly? This? Nah.

meritaten

my DD had a pair of pet rats - they were so cute and funny! Mr Ratty had a thing for lighters and DD had a smoking ban so he would search guests handbags and make off with any lighters he found!
Mrs Ratty loved music and would 'dance'! she would shake her booty and sway in time to the music! they were toilet trained and clean and non smelly, and loved nothing better than to come and play with you, then settle down for a nice nap on your shoulder (so they could see the tv, the door and the kitchen door from a vantage point!) They were not keen on the snake tho (George the Burmese Python) and very sensibly used to hide if George was brought out. (Even tho they were safely in THIER home!)

Saturnalia

bangersnmash wrote: »

Nice, happy ratties playing ball, having fun. Goody. What larks.

Yes, the disease danger is a bit worrying. I looked up some of it a while ago and some of it is rather serious. Can be fatal or debilitating. Oh dear. To be avoided.

I've got a fox living in my back garden and in theory I'd sort of like to feed it and maybe get to know it but what about diseases and parasites and nasties and what if it bites me. Ooh er. So, sorry foxy, being realistic, no can do. Oh well, maybe in another lifetime in another universe, over the hills and far far away...

There's a fox in my street, it goes wandering around the road at ten past midnight every night. Now it is mating season and it has a partner and they go on the rounds together.

Masses of squirrels in the back garden and plenty of magpies and crows too. I've even seen some jays. And I'm not far from the reservoirs so we get the water birds flying past too.

The East End really is an urban jungle!

barbiedoll

My sister used to keep rats and one Christmas, our aunt bought my sis a novelty cover for her computer mouse, it was supposed to look like a dinner jacket and on the packaging it stated..."A nice jacket for your mouse"

My sister opened it and when my mum said "Oh, that's cute" my sister said "Yes, but don't know how I'm going to get Jessie (the rat) to wear it"

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

victory

It's the noise they make that would put me off having one...

Erme

I just adopted two rats and they are fab.

This is my second lot of rats. Try and adopt if you can. You need a big cage (about £50 from amazon for a chinchilla cage). There are lots of facebook groups etc or try other places online. Don't buy. Your son doesn't need to buy but he does need to do his research. Maybe get him to get some rat care books from the library before hand? The scuttling gourmet is a good one for all things nutrition (you can cook for them tee hee) and they'll be fine with charity shop clothes/shredded paper as bedding.

That fancy rat forum is a good place to start online for him and they will give him a good responsibility and be very good for him. Also rat rations is a good place for all things rattie if you don't want to make your own food mix (low sugar cornflakes/muesli are also good)

Yeah...stuff ex dh ...let the man get his ratties and enjoy. Watch them beg for 'goodies' (pizza, pancake etc) and get a decent vet though they really shouldn't need it for a while. Remember males are a lot bigger than females (double the size near enough) and have different health probs in old age. You might be able to get a chinchilla cage off classifieds cheap? Or freegle or somewhere. It's a great first cage. You don't need to pay pet shop prices and they really can't go in hamster cages (too small)

Hope that helps

E

BritAbroad

Please contact an animal shelter or rescue organisation. They're not only for cats and dogs. I volunteer with an animal charity and we frequently get rats handed in by owners who can't keep them any longer. It's very seldom a single rat either, usually two or three. I'm no expert on them but I do think they're fab little creatures and very clean.

BritAbroad

PS, that photo is beyond cute!:happyhear

daisiegg

Rats really don't smell - they smell less than hamsters! My brother had two rats when we were growing up and they were great pets (not that I particularly interacted with them as I am not an animal lover at all!). He used to walk around with one on each shoulder, or he'd wear the kind of hoody that has a pocket on the front that goes all the way from one side to the other and he'd keep the rats in there, peeking their little heads out either side.

Ignore the ex, it has nothing to do with him, as many others have already said!

pawsies

bangersnmash wrote: »

These are the ones I like, get him some of these, giant rats, as big as a house, well, almost - aren't they lovely :

[FONT=&quot]打たせ湯を浴びる仔カピバラ[/FONT] (Child capybara enjoys hot spa shower)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=715pE23NIm8&NR=1

[FONT=&quot]ふと我に返るカピバラ[/FONT] (Capybara is himself again)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5qNjiSHcGg&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Four baby capybaras are in hot spa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EQjNo3_BFw&feature=relmfu


As several peeps say, if you do go ahead then definitely get at least two and preferably three or four or more as they're sociable intelligent creatures with feelings rather like ours. Recent research shows that apparently they giggle and laugh when they're having fun, just like us. Nice.

I love capybaras! Not suitable in a house though Yes, I know Caplin was in a house but I don't really think it's that appropriate.