Rats vs. Chinchillas as pets?
On July - 29 - 2010
Ok, I want to get one of these pets. Here’s what I want in my pet:
-likes to play and will let me hold it and/or sit on my shoulder
-doesn’t need more than 3 hours of out of cage time at a time ( I would get to rats if I get rats)
-not super expensive to care for (after initial costs)
-not hard to tame/befriend
-just a nice overall, smart pet
Wow! Yeah, I’m going with rats.
lynxlover623 Says:
I am not saying chinchillas are bad pets but rats are just so awesome and what you asked for completely discribes a rat.
People hate rats without reason. They are like dogs in miniature–smart, clever, loyal, and funny. Tests have shown that rats are just as smart as dogs and cats, in some cases smarter, and easy to train.
You can train your rats to use a litter box if you get them. Normally they will choose a special corner of their cage to use the bathroom in, because they are neat and clean. If you put all of their poop and soiled bedding in a litter tray and place it where they usually go, then they will learn to use a litter box. They are funny, and you can go to this site to get good cages–
http://www.martinscages.com
if you live in the UK Ireland or Scotland, I have found great cages here, although I can’t get them because they don’t shipe to America.
http://www.petcentreonline.uk.com
Rats are great pets. some people say you get bored of pets, but consider this:
I got my first rat using all of my birthday money.
I used most of my christmas money getting him a new huge cage and two friends.
Ever since one of my friends came over and saw my rats, she has been trying for weeks to get them. She has succeeded with my help and her perseverence and other people’s info.
Rats are cheap themselves, although their supplies aren’t. you will find this with many small animals. Rats are 4-10$ normally unless you get them from a breeder or adoption center. Good bred rats can live 3-5 years on average, the longest rats can possibly live is 7 years but that is uncommon, and pet store rats normally live 2-3.
A good cage will be expensive. The rat manor from petco is pretty good, but those cage sites i showed up there are good too. If you were to get a rat the start up cost would be at least 100$. When I got my first rat I only paid 70$ but the cage wasn’t the biggest. Rats like wheels and balls. The best wheel to get is the Wodent Wheel. For a good big one it is about 20$, but it is sturdy and is the only wheel i would actually recomend, although I don’t have one. Just if you would get a wheel for any rodent, not one with big holes, because their tail could get caught andd get ripped off.
Rats are great. Normally Males are more socialble, and more laid back, and more willing to cuddle. Some people go as far as saying lazy, but I know for a fact they aren’t and can be as rambunctious and overly-curious as females, who can be more adventurous.
Here is a copy and pasted answer i gave on whether or not to get male or female rats–
I think you should get a male, but unless you can spend at least six hours a day with your rat, you should get two. You can have one, but unless you can spend a whole lot of quality time with them they can get unhappy.
females fight just as much as males!
males dont pee much more than females.
Some say males are lazy, but I know for a fact this isn’t true.
Males are more know as laid back, but this is not always true.
im not sure if it is possible or cheap or good for your male to get them neutered. they have to be same gender.
I say males. I got one male rat last year, and earlier this week i got two new babies with him. at first it looked like he was bullying them, but now he acts like a father, playing with them, not being mean, and being a horrible role model! males are curious, but females a bit extreme. Both types are fun. If you want to take your rats with you, i suggest males, but remember not to keep them out of the cage for more than two hours at a time. Be careful taking two rats at once to places. sometimes they will snuggle up in your pocket, or perch on your shoulder, but sometimes they dont want to stay still and crawl all over you, through the space between your arms and your sides and onto your back. its worth it though……Not only to have them, but also for the people who scream if you walk past them if your taking a walk or something. I took scorpious out for haloween last year. it worked out so magnificently someone took my picture with him, cuz i had such an awesome costume! Next year, now that I have two more baby ones, i will be the crazy rat lady!
sorry to go off topic. just saying how awesome rats are. you will be happy with whatever gender you get, but i really think you should get males.
PS.- Just in case you dont know, if you decide you want one of each and put them in separate cages, then the cages have to be far away and they can never come in contact with one another. They mate on site, and even through bars in a cage.
PSS- also in case you didnt know, whatever cage you use, it cant be an aqaurium, because being closed in like that can give them pneumonia, but if you do what i did with the first cage, get an extension on top with bars, they should be fine as fresh air is easily allowed.
sorry if i told you stuff you already know. rats are freaking awesome! just as an idea, something im doing, you should tack a journal to the cage, and every day record what the rats do. After the journal is filled up, round it off nicely, and start a new one! im doing that, so i can look back on things in years to come. I also what to write it as a story, two–one just my journal entry, the other as an adventure story in the perspective of the rats! sorry to go off topic, but this is an idea that i really think you should do, at least keeping a journal. you dont want to forget you ratties’ adventures!
P.S. I am not sure if i mentioned this, but if you don’t spay females, they are very likely to get several tumors–I forget what they are called. Rats are prone to tumors normally, but un-spayed females (ONLY spay at young ages unless you really think your female can handle it) are prone to a certain type of tumor.
This is a good cage site–
http://www.martinscages.com
I suggest this as the cage I think you need for two male rats-
$110.36 http://www.martinscages.com/images/full/...
24" x 14" x 36"
That is the best one i think it is possible for you to afford with your money, but it would cut costs pretty close so Only if you were determined to get the best possible…but I wouldn’t suggest unless you got a butload more money.
$108.36 http://www.martinscages.com/images/full/...
30" x 18" x 24"
This is a good cage but if you are willing to pay that much, i would go with the top one. Little difference. Oh, and this is the grand total with cost, shipping, handling, and the powder coated. (PVC coated is okay, but powder is best, and galvanized no)
$82.28 http://www.martinscages.com/images/full/...
24" x 14" x 24"
This one I think you could probably stretch your money a bit further for. It is a good cage, since I don’t think you want to spend a hundred dollars on the others!
$68.34 http://www.martinscages.com/images/full/...
24" x 14" x 16"
This isn’t a very large cage, but if you don’t want to spend a whole lot on the others than I guess it could work.
$75.63 http://www.martinscages.com/images/full/...
18" x 11" x 24"
This one may seem like the perfect cage, but it’s area is an inch less than the one above and it is smaller than it looks. I don’t suggest it. Why spend more money on this cage when there is actually more room in the cheaper cage mentioned above? I would recommend this for one rat only, but i wouldn’t recommend getting only one rat.
There are others on that site, but I wouldn’t recommend any others except the last one, but That is more than $200.
Here is another good cage.
http://www.petco.com/Shop/AlternateImage...
It is the rat manor from petco. It is cheaper to get online. $80, but well worth it. I would heartily suggest this cage. But you must order soon! The sale end 2-23-09 and then it is back to $100. So order by Monday! I seriously think this cage is best. Here are the dimensions-
16.5"L X 22.5"W X 32"H The biggest of all I have mentioned.
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Rylee R Says:
rats I’ve heard chinchillas can be aggressive sometimes even though the are very cute! i have a rat and it is the best pet EVER!!
but its up to u!
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
oatmeal55 Says:
You sound like a perfect candidate for a pair of rats. In my experience Chinchillas are finicky, delicate, and tempermental. They are also way more expensive than rats. Rats are like tiny little puppies, they are hardy, affectionate, and smart (almost too smart). Also, caring for 2 rats isn’t much harder than caring for one.
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
April The Great Says:
Rats are the best pet you can have if you give them the attention they need. They are super smart, can learn tricks, and are genuinely affectionate with their human. I would rather have a rat than a dog any day, but my allergies will no longer allow it.
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
R.I.P Buddy :'( Says:
You should go with pet rats.
I have owned chinchillas, and I currenty own rats.
Chins can be at bit to jumpy, and are defenatly way more expensive to take care of then a pair of rats.
Chins need a specific climate, if its to hot they will suffer from heat strokes and ultimatly death….unfortunatly I learned the hard way :’(
They need a much larger cage then rats, and take a lot more to care for. They need special dust baths, that are extremely messy, and no matter how hard you try, you just can not keep the dust from getting everywhere in you home.
Chins are not as easy to handle as rats, and do not crave human companionship as much as rats, and you almost can never keep chins on your shoulder once you get then out of their cage.
Chinchillas are very cute tho, and fun animals that are excellent for people who are allergic to animal dander because they produce no dander. And are very clean animals.
As for rats….Wonderful wondeful animals that are highly adaptable to any climate….(no extremes tho)
They are super friendly, and are very easy to handle, they are fairly cheap to take care of (much cheaper than a Chinchilla)
Rats truely enjoy shoulder rides…and are extremely intelligent….you can teach them how to do trinks..just youtube rats doing tricks.
They almost never bite, I have owned 3 rats total, and used to work at a petshop where I would handle rats all day and never once got bit!! They have amazing personalities!! And are just all around great pets. They also do very well with other family pets to, my rats love my cats, and my dog. And suprisingly my cats do not try to hurt them when they are out running arounf, kitties try to get away from them lol.
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
fantamusue Says:
I know nothing of Chinchillas, but I love my rats!! They return the love and affection the more I handle them. They are smart, teachable, and very curious. Fun to play with or just sleep on your lap as you watch tv. Reward them with yogurt bites and you will have a very good friend.
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
reeree Says:
rat’s you should get at least two though as they like company. rats love to play with you and are Intelligent
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
trinity_sky_star Says:
I have both.
I would suggest a rat.
Rats can be much tamer, I’m not saying chinchillas arent tame however they can be finiky!
Rats can live in a smaller space (chinchillas should not be kept in small cages, they need room to jump and hop, think of more then a rabbit hutch), and can be left alone for many hours (chins can literally bark to get your attention or if they are lonely, hungry, or if something is bothering them IE noise!). Also rats eat just about anything whereas chins have specific diets. Chins also need special bathing dust which has to be placed in a bowl in the cage once to twice a week, but must also be taken out right after use.
If you look it up rats are much easier to take care of then chinchillas.
Also, chins can live up to the lifespan of a dog! Rats usually only live for up to five years.
Good Luck with your choice.
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
the_ratlady Says:
RATS!!! Besides being less expensive, not only start up, but also maintenance, but they are more social and actually require less attention to keep that way.
Rats, if they happen to stink, like a long trip in the car in a box, for example, you can use either kitten shampoo or baby shampoo and give them a bath, though you don’t need to do this too often.
Chins, I am not sure how regular, but I know you do need to bathe them regularly, but you can not do so in a tub, you have to give them a dry bath.
Rats you can train to sit on your shoulder, come when called and even to do an agility course, like with dogs but much smaller scale. They are playful and if you get them from a private breeder, not a feeder breeder like a pet store, they can live up to 5 years and they are well on the way to being social as they would have been held usually everyday almost from birth.
Hope this helps
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
scared Says:
i would say rats. I’ve only had 2 rats that just weren’t all that great with people (would scream when taken out of their cage but once in hand were fine) which was totally my fault because i did not handle them as much as i should have while small. i have had 3 friends who have had chinchillas and they have all sold them because they’re more like decoration then a pet. all 3 have since gotten rats or ferrets and have kept them for some time and are pleased.
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Alex <:3 )~ Says:
I would say rats! They are soooo sweet. I have owned rats for only 2 years but i can’t imagine my life without them not. I also hear that chinchillas don’t usualy like to be held. Rats love to be held if you pick the right one. Dont get 2 boy rats because they will fight. Get 2 girls rats and you don’t usualy have to even have them out for an hour because they care and entertain for eachother. ALso, dont get them at a local pet store because, they have a really good chance at being pregnant. Get them at a store like petsmart, or petco, even try your ASPCA. The cages can cost between $40-$200 dollars depending on what you get. I suggest a cage like this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3057122. It is a great price and has a solid metal bottom. We went through 2 cages w/ plastic bottom so i suggest a bottom like this one. The rat can cost anywhere between $3-$20. It is not very expansive. If you pick the rat based on personality and not just apperance, and spend time with it before buying it, you will know weather or not it is nice. 90% of the rats i have handled at pet stores were nice, but they still were different. Some were calm and other energetic, so it is good for you to hold and observe them when you go to buy one. For the smart factor, rats are the smartest rodent, except for maybe a squirrel. They can even learn their name!! Rats are truly amazing little creatures. The more you watch their behaviors, the more you will learn about them and learn to love them. Their capacity for affection is startling, and their unique personalities are a joy! There is no doubt that they are Intelligent individuals that actually want a relationship with their human families. Their behaviors don’t exclude us from their world; they actually invite us in!
I really hope you get a pet rat and if you do, e-mail me!!
Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pm