I've wanted a pet rat for a long time, but never really expected my parents to like the idea or to take it seriously. Well, the votes are in and they've decided that I can buy a pair of rats, so long as I care for them. That includes feeding, training, playing, and, yes, cleaning.
Once that had been decided the next step was to find a place to GET rats. The pet store sells them, of course, but that was a no-no for several reasons:
1. Animals bought at a pet store and not from a breeder are quite often in poor health.
2. Rats are very intelligent and anything a rat learns sticks with him/her for a VERY long time. Any adult rat is bound to come with a whole set of habits, many of which are not desirable.
3. Rats have very short life spans (an average of two years in captivity, if there are not health problems), and if you buy an adult you never know how much time you'll have with him/her.
4. If you start with a pup (not available at pet stores) it can be trained much easier.
So, with these things in mind, we set out to find a breeder. We were very lucky, as the very day we decided for sure that rats were the pets for us (well, me, really), we found a breeder.
Now, ideally I wanted dumbo rats, which have a rounder shape and ears that are on the side of their head rather than the top. Lucky for us, the breeder we found has some dumbos and was willing to breed them for us. Based on the other traits of the pair she bred, my rats will be quite a bit larger than your average rat and of an agouti coloring.
Well, all this was weeks ago, and I've been waiting eagerly for the arrival of the tiny pups.
Now the date of their birth is determined, and I can't believe how soon they'll be here!! They are scheduled to be born on the 12th, (yes, of this month!!! :D :D :D) and after that I just have to wait about six weeks for them to be weened before I can have two adorable rat pups to take home. ;) In fact, we're heading to the pet store today to buy them a home. I'll post pics of the cage once we get it set up, and once the rats are home, you can bet this blog will be filled with pictures of their ratty antics. =]
9 years ago
