<blockquote><b>Quoting Hairspray:</b>" Oh, wow. Mine just go wherever."</blockquote>


Potty train them!

Quoting Hairspray:" Oh, wow. Mine just go wherever."

Potty train!

http://www.gottaspoilem.com/LitterBoxTrainYourRat.html

It helps if what you use in the litterbox is not the same material that they sleep in. I use World's Best Cat Litter in the box and fleece to cover the bottom of their cage and for their cage gear. I won't use Carefresh or wood shavings!

Reptiles and amphibians live forever. Get a rat or a mouse. Mice smell though, rats are more trainable.

Alternatively, a bunny, ferret, gerbil or chinchilla.

Quoting Squid Kid:" Reptiles and amphibians live forever. Get a rat or a mouse. Mice smell though, rats are more trainable. Alternatively, a bunny, ferret, gerbil or chinchilla."

I've always wanted a ferret, but they're not legal here in California. =( Gerbils are pretty close to hamsters, aren't they?

Quoting Squid Kid:" Reptiles and amphibians live forever. Get a rat or a mouse. Mice smell though, rats are more trainable. Alternatively, a bunny, ferret, gerbil or chinchilla."

And I'm really thinking rat. Someday I might want a snake, but I think for the kids rats would be a good pet to sort of get them used to the idea. Then, when we move, we can get them a dog or cat.

Quoting she nan igans:" I've always wanted a ferret, but they're not legal here in California. =( Gerbils are pretty close to hamsters, aren't they?"

Hamsters tend to bite, gerbils are a little more docile.

Quoting she nan igans:" And I'm really thinking rat. Someday I might want a snake, but I think for the kids rats would be a good pet to sort of get them used to the idea. Then, when we move, we can get them a dog or cat. "

Yeah, they can pet a rat and they only live 1-2 years. Especially badly bred pet store rats. (Snake food rats). Mine either would die early or get tumors when I was a kid.

Quoting Squid Kid:" Yeah, they can pet a rat and they only live 1-2 years. Especially badly bred pet store rats. (Snake food rats). Mine either would die early or get tumors when I was a kid."

Well, aren't the "fancy rats" a little better then like, feeder rats? Maybe I'm wrong, haha. Though they did say they only lived like 2 years or so. Like I said, I'd like to adopt the two boy rats at the shelter, but we'll see if that happens. When I looked at breeders none of them seemed to be breeding in my area. They were all on hiatus.

We have a Guniea Pig. He is super adorable and fun to watch. He loves to run around his cage like a wild man. He likes to climb on me

There's also this stuff you can put in their water to make them smell less. I learned about it after my boys died.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I ended up going last night to look at cages. The petstore actually had a rat that needed to be adopted. He had a head tilt so he needed to be adopted. I adopted him and then bought a 2nd male rat so he wouldn't be lonely. I just fell in love with the adoptable one, haha. This isn't a great picture, but it shows them both.



They're both really sweet and nice! We've had one issue, which is that they do nip if you stick your fingers in teh cage (obviously) so my youngest got a pretty bad nip because he didn't pull his hand back, so the rat sort of gnawed. Poor kid gushed blood from such a little bite. Otherwise, the kids love the rats and they love the kids.

Oh, I'm so happy to see this. What's a head tilt? If the kids fingers smell like food or are sweaty (salty) they will nibble.

Quoting Hairspray:" Oh, I'm so happy to see this. What's a head tilt? If the kids fingers smell like food or are sweaty (salty) they will nibble."

I talked to the lady I adopted him from and she said it was something where his head literally tilts to one side instead of being straight. It isn't dangerous, it doesn't hurt him at all, but it is a defect. We named him tilt, haha. He snuggled into me as soon as I picked him up and I was just in love. The other one is whiskers.

Yeah, the one likes to nibble fingers when they're put in the the cage. If you reach in he doesn't, only if you stick a finger into the cage. He does it really gently at first, but I think because the kid didn't pull back when it was done gently he did it a little harder. Poor kid, there was a LOT of blood (since it was on a fingertip).

He's forgiven the rat though. He tries to share his sippy cup and wants to give them kisses, haha

Quoting she nan igans:" I talked to the lady I adopted him from and she said it was something where his head literally tilts ... [snip!] ... it was on a fingertip). He's forgiven the rat though. He tries to share his sippy cup and wants to give them kisses, haha"

Hhahaha. I have never been bitten but I will admit their big rat teeth scare me.
I didn't pay attention in the pic but did you get them a wheel. They love running and the kids love to watch it.

Quoting Hairspray:" Hhahaha. I have never been bitten but I will admit their big rat teeth scare me. I didn't pay attention in the pic but did you get them a wheel. They love running and the kids love to watch it."

Just seen the wheel.