Hamster/Rattie question...

[Thumpers_Mom]

Hey guys, to all those who are knowledgable in this area, please help me out.

As you might know, or not, my boys and I have 2 great bunnies. Though they spend a great amount of time with them and help with them in every way...the buns are really my bunnies. The boys kinda want a pet of their own (of course, I will still be the number one caregiver) and want to know what it entails to care for a hamster or rattie.

They had a friend who had a hamster and they were in love with him. So now, I am doing some research but would also like to get some insight. Here we go:

What do they eat?

How many times a day do they eat?

How often does their area have to be cleaned?

Can they be let out to play or should they stay in their cage?

Should there just be one or would it be better to have two?

And please let me know anything I should know that I haven't yet inquired about.

Thx a million! I truly appreciate your help! :biggrin2:

*jackie

 

[undergunfire]

RATS:


What do they eat? I feed mine a homemade food mixture, they also get "dinners" every single night. Pet store seed mixes are horrible for your rats...it's like us eating candy and fast food only for our whole lives. I can give you my homemade food mixture, if you are interested....it is inexpensive to make.

How many times a day do they eat? As often as they want! I free-feed mine. Rats are "snackers". They eat, sleep, eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep, ect....hehehe.

How often does their area have to be cleaned? I use fleece bedding, so I clean my huge mansion cage every 3 days, normally...sometimes every 2 days.

Can they be let out to play or should they stay in their cage? Rats should be let out to play for a few hours a day. Make sure all cords are put away!

Should there just be one or would it be better to have two? Always two, a trio is better....incase one dies....the other two still have each other.



You need to know that rats can be expensive at the vet's office. They get upper respiratory infections, which could run you $60-$100 in one pop for the appointment and Baytril medication. If you get rats from pet stores, you could face heafty, heafty, heafty vet bills because of their poor breeding. I just "adopted" a rat from Petco...and I should start saving my pennies for when he gets old....I could be facing tumors, ect!



I am extremely educated when it comes to rats, read my other threads or threads about rats that I have shared my knowledge...you will learn a bunch:

When Katt found two baby girl rats:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=29783&forum_id=5&highlight=rat

My rescue mom & baby rats thread:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=29643&forum_id=5&highlight=rat

My heart rat, Fayl's Bridge post, explaining the deep connection with us:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=29482&forum_id=27&highlight=rat

When Binkies got her first ratties:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=28505&forum_id=5&highlight=rat

Bonding my rats:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=30205&forum_id=5&highlight=Leonidas

When my rat boys got neutered:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=29274&forum_id=5&highlight=Leonidas







I also wanted to add that rats are wonderful. Mine give me so much love and affection. I believe that because of how active they are (they adjust to your time schedules), that they are a great pet for an older child that is gentle. I find that hamsters are quite boring and slightly "dumb", which is my opinion and why I would never let a child have one as a pet. I have also met more bitey hamsters than I have rats. With my years of rat experience, I have NEVER once been bitten by a rat .



Any more questions, PM me...I would be so happy to help!

 

[Rattiemattiesrattery]

For rats they LOVE to be out and held. Depending on where you get them depends on if they need help to trust humans, but they do LOVE to be out and held.

http://rattiemattiesrattery.tripod.com/id1.html

That has what I feed them, I give them as much food as they want ^_^

Rats NEED to have a buddy I can't stress that enough they are VERY social animals and need a Buddy to groom with, Eat with, Snuggle and Sleep and so many more things. Like to play with when your not around.

You need to be careful about beddings. If you look through my website *listed above* you can see what beddings are good, and also some other things on there *like Food and Plant No nos* ^_^

They really are wonderful animals!!

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

Thx for the replies!!! :biggrin2:

Now to find ratties in my area...I can't seem to find any in rescue or shelter. There are some at Petco but I am leary.

So, the fleece is used as bedding and needs to be washed every couple of days?

I also get scared of them getting into a place where I can't reach them. Has this ever happened to anyone

 

[okiron]

I would recommend ratties over hamsters any day. So much more sociable and nice. I never have to worry about a rattie biting me. My 3 babies are coming home tomorrow! I can't wait. I sent Errik on a food run today for rattie food and he did the darnest thing. I asked him to look for unsalted roasted soy beans...he got pinto beans xD

 

[Rattiemattiesrattery]

They can, will and do come out and usually if your persistant with a treat they are happy as a clam to come out for it ^_^

 

[welonheadmoo]

For a hamster - I had a Syrian, one of the bigger breeds, and she was a complete darling. She would run up to me and beg so prettily for treats. Of course, it's like the lottery - you could also end up with the nasty biting dwarf buggers my friend had.

I had my Buster when I was 12, and I took care of everything - my mother wouldn't go near her. I fed her one of those already prepared mixes from Petco, followed the instructions on the bag and one of those little hamster handbooks, and made sure she had veggies everyday. Fruits and treats were given sparingly. Of course, this was when I wasn't internet savvy, so there's probably a better diet somewhere out there.

Cleaned her cage completely once a week, and would scoop out her peepee area every other day. Mine always went to the br in the same place, so I'm pretty sure you could use one of those mini litter boxes if you wanted to.

I took my hamster out whenever I had time and blocked off a little section of my room to let her run around. They love tunnels and some can do v. well with the big hamster balls. Others, like mine, try to chew their way out. But if I ever get another hamster again, which I really want to, I would probably make a play area with those NIC cubes that are solid- the ones advertised as shoe cubbies, and put lots of tunnels and toys in there. I would probably built a hamster mansion - that'll be fun!

One or two hamsters- depends on the breed. I *think* some can be put together, but Syrians are solitary and could turn cannibalistic - from own experience. Buster's brother got his head chewed off.

My advice, just spring for one of those hamster care books that you can find in petstores and join a hamster forum.

Now I really, really, really want a hamster again.

Big hamsters seem smarter and from my experience, don't bite as much as the little ones for the heck of it. Whenever I got bitten, it was ALWAYS my fault. I moved my hand too fast and startled her. If you want a "less dumb" hamster, try looking for one that's trying to escape - shows that it has an inquisitive nature. Remember, tho, this is all my opinion... might not be scientifically correct.

Try craigslist or rescue. There's tons of people giving out hamsters in my area for free. I hope they all find good homes, but that's unrealistic.

So please consider the hammies too. It's usually better if you can find one that's had human contact from the earliest. Keep us updated! As for the getting out, it's always a posibility - you have to be vigilant. But if God forbid, that does happen, there's tons of hints on the web about how to retrap you errant little friend. Food is the key. They're little pigs.