Rats Male vs. Female

[Charlie1]

Hey everyone,

I'm thinking about getting a pair of rats after reading about how great they are. I was wondering if I could get more info on them from people who own them. Also, I'm having a hard time deciding against a male or female pair. I've heard males are lazier, smellier(don't know if true), yet will just sit on you and perhaps fall asleep. But I've heard females are more playful and active, but less interested in being held? Please tell me if this is true and whatever you can add to this. These are the qualities I'd like in a rat:

Likes to snuggle up to you
But is active and playful
Curious and smart
Doesn't smell too much (I already have six hamsters and adding to that smell in the 'hamster' room would be a bit too much)
Less likely to fight with cagemates over territory, ect.

From this stuff, I was wondering if you guys could help me decide which gender is best for me. Thanks!

EDIT***: Also where would it be best to get them? If I dont have any breeders or rescues near by, would it be good to maybe 'rescue' a feeder rat? Thanks

[Tanitsja]

hey dont know much but google is your friend...have you tried it, i tried googeling pet rats and one of the first hits took me to a guide by Blackstaff Rats a previous breeder, by the litle i read it seemed like a genuine one based on what you'd expect out of a good guide for animals

pretty much confirmed though that females more active, and males more lazy, sounded like females would have a softer fur though, and males go through a teen difficult age at around half a year of age, but most of all that like with all other animals it do mather that you get it from a home where the breeder know what they are on about and are serious in what they do

that they care for the animals and have handled them from early age, and that the parents arent agressive as this likely is a recessive gene that is inheritable

also said that while the males do mark teriotory its only talk of drops and it dont smell much

(so yeah i was bored and the geneder difference sounded interesting hence trying to find some info to read on it )

based on how you choose other animals though i'd say find somewhere where you got an option to observe the animals, maybe hold them, you migth find a female couple that seem to be cozy enough for your standards, or a male couple who seems alert and curious enough for what you are laying to this defination

most animals also have individual differences, so just because something is generaly a rule you may still buy an animal if you havent observed it who do not follow the general rule

[ChocolateGal]

We've got some female rats in our class and they loved to be held!! Just get them familar at a young age!!

[RatMad]

ooh another ratty person.
I've kept rats for almost 10 years, I've always had does until recently I got some bucks too. I've never bred myself but have fostered rescued litters.

First of all whether you decide on buck or does go to a breeder, you sound like you want a nice pet and any responsible breeder will handle the bubs from birth and will know more about any health/temprament problems in their lines.
A lot of rescues dont really know a lot about rats and specialise more in cats and dogs, but if you can find someone who like me keeps them as pets but also fosters litters it would be second best place to get them, the only issues could be hereditary temprament issues but thats a risk you'll have to take.

Most petshops and people who breed for snake food dont care about how handleable or even healthy they are so not really a good idea.

Does do tend to be more active and outgoing but if handled properly from birth can still be lovely and cuddly and buck tend to be more laid back but some breeders have lines of exceptionally outgoing and playful bucks.

Depending on where you live you'd actually be surprised by how many local breeders you may have, there are literally thousands in the US. I'm in the UK and there are an awful lot here too and I know there are imports and exports to quite a lot of europe so there are obviously breeders there too and Australia has quite a lot.

Of course not all breeders are good so it may be worth you joining a forum based in whatever country/state you're in and take some time to get to know people, you'll soon hear stories about good and bad breeders and can make your own mind up from there.

Maybe you could go along to some rat shows, that way you get to meet the people who really know what they're talking about and there are usually quite a few rats not being shown available for cuddles.

As I already said breeder rats are the best choice and will save you a lot of heartache later on, any decent breeder will offer lifetime support so anything you ever need to know they will be there for you and of course they know their own lines better than anyone so are the best to go to for any advice.
The only down side is that a lot of breeders have waiting lists but to them anyone not prepared to wait for good healthy rats from them or another breeder is not someone they'd want owning their rats anyway especially if they go against the advice of others and get a petshop rat that turns out to be ill or unhandleable it's kind of and "I told you so" sort of thing.


Okay I rambled on way too much there, I think I answered most of your questions though. If I missed any or you think of more feel free to pm me

xx

[SaphiraBrightscales]

I have had rats for over 8 years i currently have 11 (4 Neuterd Males and 7 Intact females.) Aas far as activness and lazyness it depends a lot on the rat. i have only one male who would rater hand out with me than run arouns all the others are really active.

If you plan on getting males unless u get nuterd you will have a stronger oder from them and it is a posiblility that when they reach maturaty they will start to fight normaly it is nothing serious but once every once and a while you will find some that do nothing but fight and than you have a isssue cuase they have to be seperated.

Aslo remember that when cageing them you need a cage that is big enough use the cage calclulator to determin if it is the right size. Martins is a great cage companny.

Also if you are serious about wanting to get some i suggest signing up with Goosemoos rat fourm it is the largest and by far the best rat fourm on the web.

If you have any quisouns e-mail me.

[Chilly Girl]

I've had rats for years, and have just started breeding them. I would suggest female, because my male rat will pee on me just a tad bit whenever I hold him. He's "marking" me. So if this is offensive to you, don't get a male. Females occasionaly mark, but that's pretty rare. My females are very playful, and so is the male. As some one said before, it all depends on the rat as an individual. If you can get a hold of a good breeder, then you may be able to get to know the rats before you purchase them. If possible, I would suggest getting littermates. If you have any questions, just pm me. I'm always here to chat. =)

[Jinxx]

My sister and I currently have a rattery. We did years ago as well but health issues for my sis, her husband passing away and a move forced us to close down until last year. If you're looking for good rats look for a good breeder if at all possible. For the original rattery our first 'rattery rats' were from a breeder not far from us and I could never say enough about the temperment of those rats. As for going male or female? Yes, males tend to smell more but I've had some wonderful males that far outweighed the fact their cage needed extra care or were bathed more often. They tend to get larger than the females and in my experience yes, are a bit lazier. Not that there is anything wrong with that. The girls loved to cuddle but so did the males, they were just more prone to want to lay around while the girls would cuddle for a bit then wonder off to see what they could find. We had several of both genders litter train themselves. Both genders trained well to harnesses. The males tend to sit on the shoulder longer than the curious females (again, in my experience--over the years I've owned more than 60 (I'm sure that's the on the light side of numbers) rats) but the females tended to be braver.

We tended to have more squabbles between females then unbred males. That is if you don't have them around females.

I can't really suggest which is best. I've had great females and great males, each that would have me say 'go with this'.

I've never been on any of the rat forums. I don't like any of them personally, lots of mis-information or everyone telling you exactly what you should do and OMG if you do anything differently. That's the trouble with any 'community'.

Check around the web, check out the rat clubs/organizations, check out some of the yahoo groups and don't take any one place's info as the rule. Then look around for a breeder near you and go from there. You can expect to pay more for a good quality rat but it's worth it.

Jinxx
co-owner of Happy Rat Rattery
The home of happy rats!