Fun Run having some outside time, October 2023.
Introduction
Rats... Brilliant little things! But even the name sends shivers down a lot of peoples' spines. Unfortunately, there's lots of misinformation out there about rats. What are some negative words that are commonly associated with these sweet little guys?
- Cunning
- Dirty
- Disease
- Destructive
- Aggressive
- Smelly
- Pest
- Cunning: the word cunning means "having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion". When we as a society think of rats, we tend to think of a creature cartoonishly going about in the dark, looking for food scraps and such. Maybe it's even snickering to itself, "heh heh heh, stupid humans, I'm gonna give you diseases!". Of course, there is some truth to their cunning, but it's not that. Wild rats will avoid human interaction at all costs which often means when we do find them, they're more than likely sneaking about. Rats are very good at this, with big help from their senses— especially smell and hearing, and not least of all, touch. They know we're coming and they have escape routes, trails that they mark with tiny drops of urine and follow day by day by day. On top of this, they're naturally crepuscular (most active during dawn and dusk, maybe not coincidentally when most of us are asleep). All of this is instinctually hardwired for their survival. They have no ulterior motive.
- Dirty: it may surprise you that rats groom themselves more often than cats do throughout the day. Also, being highly social creatures, they groom each other frequently. This not only reinforces bonds and social status, but keeps the mischief (the name for a group of rats. How cute is that?!) relatively free of parasites. They also keep their surroundings as clean as possible, moving food scraps, feces, and other trash to a specific area away from most social and food activity. In fact some rodents, such as packrats and some tree squirrels, have entire gigantic middens dedicated to waste disposal which have been kept and expanded on for generations! If spot cleaning poop around the cage daily isn't something you want to do, you're in luck— rats are easily litter trained!
- Disease: yes, like any animal, rats can carry and spread diseases. A handful of these are zoonotic, meaning able to pass to humans, and several of these require a medium, such as a tick or flea, to pass from rat to human. A famous example of this is the bubonic plague— rats carried it, but the fleas that fed off the rats spread it to the (unhygienic) human population. Other zoonotic diseases include, but are not limited to: hantavirus, leptospirosis, rat-bite fever, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV). Keep in mind that though infection from both wild and pet rats is possible, pets that are well cared for (eg. keeping their enclosure clean and feeding them a nutritionally balanced diet) are much less likely to contract and spread disease. Still, if you're immunocompromised, take special care in deciding if it's worth the risk, since different diseases can spread through different means (contact with infected feces or urine, breathing in dust containing infected particles, etc).
- Destructive: an unhappy rat is a destructive rat. Not enough toys? Chew, chew, chew on everything. Not enough to do, not enough nooks to explore? I'll make my own, chew, chew, chew a hole in your wall. Nowhere to dig? No problem, I'll rip up your carpet or your nice couch! Keep in mind that rats' incisors grow continuously and they need to chew on things to keep them filed down! I cannot stress this enough: not only do rats need clutter that they can play with, traverse on/around, and chew on, they need a lot of physical and mental stimulation! They do exceptionally well with puzzle feeders, and they learn fast! Change things up in their enclosure every couple months or so to keep them interested and engaged in their environment, give them lots to do in there when they can't be out, and give them at least an hour of supervised out-of-cage time every day, and you won't have nearly as many destructive behavioral issues! A natural rat is a happy rat. More on that later.
- Aggressive: an unhappy rat can also, unfortunately, become an aggressive rat. Mistreatment in the form of neglect or abuse, hormones, poor socialization, bad breeding, illness and injury, boredom, fear and depression all contribute to aggression. A lone rat will almost always die a premature death. During its short and sad lifespan, it will experience isolation, loneliness, depression, anxiety, boredom, and likely aggression. This is because rats, being highly social, require the company of other rats in order to thrive mentally, physically, and even emotionally. However, don't expect to get a pair and watch them be best friends. A pair of rats is likely to fight often because the submissive rat will be the dominant rat's only target. Three or four seems to be the sweet spot for setting up a social hierarchy. If you were looking forward to a pet that will fit on top of a desk or in a small space, then rats aren't for you, because they need ample space to run, climb, jump, and dig around together and away from others when they need alone time!
- Smelly: the same point stands as for dirty. Rats can only keep themselves as clean as their surroundings allow, but they will do their best. A clean enclosure will smell like rat, but it won't smell like dirty rat. Yes, rats have a distinctive smell. Whether that smell is bad or not is subjective. I like it, personally
- Pest: this is, like smelly, subjective. Well, mostly. A pet rat isn't a pest by definition because it is (hopefully) contained and being cared for. Wild rats can be considered pests depending on location and situation. Same as weeds, which are only plants growing where you don't want them to.
- Rats are cheap and easy to care for: this couldn't be further from the truth. While they are lovely pets that I think more people should consider owning, there's no such thing as a cheap and easy pet. Everything living requires specific peramiters in order to live healthy and happy lives. If you can't even provide the bare necessities (three or more rats, large enough cage that is safe and secure, appropriate food, water, appropriate bedding, plenty of toys and clutter, time for handling and playing, and vet care), then don't get rats. You may see rats at the pet store going for a few bucks each. These usually come from large scale breeding facilities, where no care is taken in selecting favorable genetics for health, longevity, disposition (including not vetting aggression and fear), etc. Most of these end up as food for other animals. A reputable breeder, on the other hand, may charge upwards of $30 (USD) per pup (young rat), but you are basically guaranteed rats that were bred with health and disposition in mind. These breeders should make you sign a contract at the time of payment/pickup. Read it carefully. A reputable breeder should ask for regular updates on your rats, most importantly medical updates, so that breeding lines can be more carefully controlled for healthier litters in the future.
- Rats are actually super healthy: in the hype to spread pet rat positivity, well meaning people occasionally spout this one. As mentioned above, rats from a reputable breeder should be overall healthy genetically, and if properly cared for, they should be able to fight off most illnesses that they do contract before it becomes an issue. However, it isn't uncommon for them to experience allergies, respiratory illness, infections, and tumors and cancers, especially as they age. Treatment can become expensive, especially if caught late. Rats as prey animals are very good at hiding signs of illness and injury, up until it's too late to help in some cases, unfortunately. Learning rat body language, watching and listening for signs of illness daily (during supervised out-of-cage playtime is most convenient), and regular at-home physical checkups are essential to noticing when something is up with your rats on time. And remember, the average healthy rat can live upwards of 3 or 4 years. The longest-lived rat was 7 when he died!
- Rats are a good beginner's/kids' pet: nope. Nope, nope, nope. First of all, there's no such thing as a "beginner's" pet. There are too many variables in what would make a good pet for somebody who has never had one. In 99% of cases I would say that rats are absolutely not good pets for kids. They're too fragile, too skittish and quick, and require too specific and regular of care to expect a child to be able to stay on top of. However, involving kids in the care of a family pet is a great learning experience— just make sure all interactions are supervised!
Party and Fun Run having a nap in my pocket, May 2023.
Alright, what do you think? Would anybody be interested in a full article?
Note that the full article will include sources and such, I just did this on my phone over the past few hours on and off because... I suddenly felt like it!
Give me your thoughts! Constructive criticism welcome. Rat chat is ok too, to an extent. Please keep it on topic though, I want to focus on this draft and what else I can include. So, questions about rats are perfectly fine! I'll be happy to answer what I can, and questions will definitely give me ideas for talking points on the full article as a bonus!
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