Why is that? I have no experience with rodents, so I honestly don't know.

Rats has brains.

(And are much more social.)

I used to have a gray rat named "Percival".

My friend in high school had a rat - very smart, very cute and loving.

Anyone here have/had hamsters? I was wondering what they're like. Are they really dumb? I think they're the cutest of the little guys (rabbits are in a whole other class ;) )

Rats (generally) don't bite, they actually like to be held and played with (when I go to their cage they all run over and want attention), they are active during the day, they are sturdy and tend to be fairly healthy (the hairless ones seem to, in my experience, be an exception...they tend to have more health issues and have a weird tendency to get hair impacted under their eyelids), they are calm, they are trainable, they aren't squirmy to hold...

Hamsters...I've had a few. Very cute but IMO kind of nasty little animals. They don't like to be held, they bite, they are active at night...mostly they just want you to leave them alone. I've known a couple of sweet hamsters, but even then, they just don't have much interest in interacting. The dwarf hamsters are even worse, they are just this side of their wild ancestors and show it (albeit extremely cute). I don't know that they are dumb, per se, just extremely disinterested.

**Oh, and FYI to Nephy and anyone else getting a rodent...DO NOT keep them on cedar or pine shavings. The aromatic oils can cause severe respiratory problems and significantly reduce life span.

It's also not good for their skin.

Yup- they live on paper pulp.

Last night was fun- we have learned that Sugar is happiest perched on Ian's shoulder. She will just sit there forever it seems. She also fell asleep in my hands.

Annabelle is more outgoing- but she made a hammock for herself out of Rose's sleeve and slept there for quite a while.

The cats stay clear-they watch but do not engage-my chihuahua is interested but shies away from them- Raylie on the other hand is a large black ball of determined fur. Her giant tail wagging a mile a minute she tried to get near them over and over-poor Annabelle was in her ball when Raylie came in- poor thing! Raylie stuck her face near the ball and followed her everywhere until we realized and rescued poor Annabelle.

So you all know about the Sugar Shack-well Annabelle has a log- which Rose calls the Anna-log. Heehee:p

I am sitting at 6 girls. Blinky is, by far, the most outgoing. They enjoy a wide variety of food. Mine get table scraps, rice, potatos, vegies, ect... Just avoid giving them meat, especially red meat. I have done so by accident and phew!

When they outgrow their shack & log, milk cartons work really well. When I only had 2 (growing up) I would cut it in half and push it together to keep it small emough for them to stay warm.

A hammock seems to be the bed of choice. I have it strung at the top of the cage, and it is normal to have all 6 in there at once. Ferret toys and cage accessories work well for rats.

Make sure they have stuff to chew on. There are a lot of neat treats and chew sticks out there.

ummm... that is all for now.

They sound like such fun pets. But I get a bit grossed out when I see them in person with their little wiggle noses and long tails.

When there is a mouse at work running around (it's pretty rural and happens a few times a year in our office area and/or showroom) I have a nearly uncontrollable urge to hop on a chair and dance like some woman in an old cartoon.

But with all your talk about them, they seem like such sweet little animals that want to be part of a family.

How could this gross you out? ;)
(They are probably a couple of weeks old here.)






:D