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Kaicy

Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2010
Messages
15
Location
Maryland
Hello Rat Shack,

For the past 5 years or I have wanted rats but never had the space for them or my living space would not allow it. I will be getting 2 rats in the next week or 2. FINALLY! :happydance: They are letting me have the first pick of the little but I can't decide on Males or females. I have been searching this site for about an hour or 2 now without any luck on the subject. Some brief comments about males marking, and females in heat, a few strange behaviors, and lazy males. But when it gets down to it which is better for a new rat owner.

There is no question that me and my boyfriend will be spoiling them and will want to snuggle and play with them.

I am sure it has been a topic of discussion before, so I am sorry for any repeats.

I have done my own research, but often find most sites to exaggerate or be misinformed.
I have grown accustomed to finding a lot of my information from the Rat Shack or sites it's members recommend. I would greatly appreciate any information that you have that may help me with my decision.

Thank you all in advance for you assistance.

p.s. I have pictures of the babies on my phone I just need to transfer them over.
 
Males and females are both wonderful. It really depends on your preference. If there is any chance of allergies, females are less likely to cause them. I think there have been a few threads about choosing between the sexes. If you can afford to have them altered (and if you have an experienced vet) you might even want to get one of each.

:welcome4: to the Rat Shack!
 
thanks :D

oh here is a pic of the babies

photo.jpg


Aren't they cute! There are 12 total.


:happydance: :happydance: :happydance:
 
That fawn hooded is beautiful :heart:

I was in the same dilemma decided whether to lean towards males or females. I liked the girls because they are softer , lighter , look more dainty , and are just in general pretty(and me being a girl i wanted females all my animals are usually girls). But the down side to females is they tend to cost more money. Females are known to get Mammary Tumors , and unless spayed there is no way to know if and when a female might get one. I didn't like those odds , so I got males too. They are just as wonderful as girls. They are big , but squishy. :D They are just as lovable and if anything they are even more careful about "nipping" . In the end , I love girls and would gladly have another in the future but for now I go with the males! :thumbup:
 
Sounds like a lot of the same reasons I wanted girls... growing up I have always had girls. well I mean Dogs, rabbits, hamsters... etc. but in this case I have to be more careful cuz my roommate doesn't like animals to begin with and it is his house. Also my bf is a little sesitive to smells and messes.

But I really want a cuddly rat... so it's a toss up. I really like the 2 black and white babies. The funny thing is I thought I had my mind made up and wanted to have girls. But the 2 black and white ones are boys... So I don't know what I want to do anymore.

Are the boys really as messy and smelly as they say? And are they playful or mostly lay about?
 
I myself love girls. but its because i have 6 of them and no boys.
I had one boy and had some bad experiences with him. He was very nippy and very territorial and so when i got another rat he ate half her ear. (i was going to get her spayed). I ended up giving him away to a more experienced rat owner. But that was probably just his personality and not because he was a boy.
My friend has boy rats and they are more loving then my girls. So its VERY hard to make a decision. I would just go and see which rats you fall in love with (or which ones fall in love with you).
Sorry this was such a long post!
 
Yea I originally had decided on 2 little girls. However my bf and I fell in love with one of the black and white ones he was attached to mom nipple and being dragged around the cage cuz he wouldn't let go.. we were both hoping HE was a SHE but he isn't. I guess I just want to confirm that boys are really going to be ok for my home.
 
I have both boys and girls. I can tell you that IME sex doesn't make as much of a difference as opposed too the environment they are born or grow into. If they are properly loved, handled and cared for as a baby they will be wonderful right off the bat. If they've come from a bad beginning or haven't been handled or interacted with it may take a bit of work on your end to help them overcome that. That being said, personality has a lot to do with the cuddle factor too.
I have three girls, Maebn loves to cuddle, Gynnee ( the climber) cuddles on her own terms and Raven rarely cuddles. I have four boys, Kringle is the big squishy manrat, Butterz is the playful one, Dobby is the don't touch me just feed me one and my baby Binky is just bloody adorable. I'm handling him as much as possible atm and he seems to love it.
So, I guess in the end it'll be up to you to observe the potential fur babies and choose what's right for you. Haven't been much help, have I? :giggle:
 
In my experience girls and boys are the same when it comes to clean up and being messy. The only difference is it seems girls litter train faster. But some people don't even have a litter box in there cage so that may not matter to you. As for the cuddles , that is not based on sex it is based on the rat. And since you are getting these babies so young , I think they all will be nice.
 
I would suggest you make your decision based on the rats themselves.

When my partner and I were trying to pick rats from our friend's litter, he went over and played and interacted with each and every one of them, and picked based on who liked him best and who he liked best.

He picked out our then unnamed rats, and at that point we thought one was male and the other female, but thankfully they both turned out to be females and didn't have to be separated. They are both wonderfully bonded to each other and are active and loving. The personality varies from rat-to-rat too, so they're very different from one another.

With Moog, on the other hand, we got him because he was lonely and it broke my heart to see him in his little glass tank all alone. He's a very sweet snuggly boy who is content with nothing more than hanging out inside your sweater and falling asleep. He also likes to be petted a lot more so than our girls.

My point here is that you should really make your decision based on the way they interact with you, and pick those that suit you best in the litter.
I know it's not much help in giving you an answer, but hopefully you'll meet 2 that you love.

Best of luck!




Edit:
Also, keep in mind that they will change slightly as they grow up, but in getting them at such a young age, you will love them no matter what, because they become your babies. They will also bond an insane amount to each other as well as to whomever handles them a great deal in their young age, so make sure you are very loving and hands-on with them, especially during their first days/week or so with you (and of course throughout their lives) as they may be scared and confused about being moved from nearly everything they have ever known.
 
Thank you all for your input. I definetly have one in mind the black and white that wouldn't let go of mom. Me and my bf both loved him immidiatly. We had hoped he was a girl cuz that is what I WAS going for but now it looks like I will get him anyways and just pick another boy to go with him. I have also been eye-ing an auguti (sorry I think I spelled that wrong) I will be visiting them again on thursday. I will take more pictures as well. :D LOL I already have everything ready and waiting for them. The cage is set up in my room on a table next to my bed. :dance: You have no idea how excited I am. LOL
 
I have both, 4 girls, 5 boys.

I find girls have more energy and boys are more laid back.
Girls are prone to mammary tumors, a lot of boys need to be neutered due to hormones.

Boys also mark.

But I like both :)
 
I am a little concerned about the marking. One of my friends has a male that constantly marks I mean WAOH!! ... is that common. Her other ones don't seem to do it as much. A little I think I can handle...
 
Kaicy said:
I am a little concerned about the marking. One of my friends has a male that constantly marks I mean WAOH!! ... is that common. Her other ones don't seem to do it as much. A little I think I can handle...
Click to expand...

One of mine marks alot, the others don't. But neutering helps with this. My neutered boys don't mark.
 
Kaicy said:
Hrmmm I will have to see how it goes... I would hate to neuter if it is not really necessary.
Click to expand...

Neutering has alot of benifits. I currently have 2 boys neutered, getting another one done soon. There are alot of health benifits and it helps with hormones. Hormones usually act up when they reach 6 months of age ..thats when fighting starts .. I had 12 stiches in one of my boys due to that. It also helps with cage cleaning ..no marking :) ..and it makes like better for them.
 
Ok well I am starting a small savings account that will be for them only... Toys, Vet expenses, and so forth. I even know a good vet in my area. They deal only with exotics :D
 
Kaicy said:
Ok well I am starting a small savings account that will be for them only... Toys, Vet expenses, and so forth. I even know a good vet in my area. They deal only with exotics :D
Click to expand...

Great news, hope all goes well. Let us know what you decide?
 

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