Rodent Advice Please

Well, Sad news first.. After only a couple of weeks with us, little Harry the Animal Shelter/P@H hamster died He hadn't been right for a few days, he was just sleeping out in the open and was walking around with his eyes shut, but on Saturday morning he was dead when i went to give him his breakfast... Its a shame as he was adorable but at least he had a couple of weeks in a nice big house with nice food!

Anyway, i've got quite used to having a nice tame little furry thing around so would like another. I've always wanted a rat and would really like one of those, but dont really want to have to buy a new cage.. Would one be ok in Harry's cage (in my previous thread on here) or would it have to have a new one?? If it would be ok in there, should i go to a pet shop or are there rat breeders i can buy a nice tame one from??

If a rat isn't an option, any other little furries i could consider? Or just another hammy from P@H????

Ta!

We've had both hamsters and rats. What did the wee guy die of - in case it is something that could contaminate the cage. Rats do like big cages - we had to get a big cage for ours and some friends who have about 80 rats have huge cages, with levels, stairs, hanging toys etc. to keep them happy. I think there are some sanctuaries who do re-home rats as our friends have got them from all over the place. Ours were pet shop rats and they were just fine. Hope this helps.

Rats are great fun and very intelligent. You could also think about a gerbil.

As regards Harry's cage - the picture when he is coming out of the connecting tube, he looks quite big in relation to the tube. I am just wondering if a rat, when it is older, will get stuck in there? Rats need a lot of space to be happy. When I had mine I converted an old wardrobe into their home. Took me ages to build it but they really loved it! It is always nice to have more than one rat as they are very social and enjoy each others company.

As for where to get them from - I'll leave that to someone more knowlegable. My girls came from a petshop many years ago when I was younger and more naive. I don't think they'd been handled much at all prior to me getting them.

Our local RSPCA has small furries for rehoming but as most small furries have relatively short lifespans you may not have it for long . What about contacing a rat club?

I dont know what he died of but i have cleaned and disinfected the cage with the stuff i do my bird cages with so it should be completely safe.

Harry was very big for a hamster. He was bigger than the black and white rats at P@H - Well fatter, but shorter. I think one of those rats would comfortably fit through the tubes, but i was just wondering if they would need more living space? Or are they ok in a smaller space if they're out lots...?

I dont like gerbils, i have no idea what but guinea pigs and gerbils freak me out

Im wondering if Harry was older than we were told and he did just die of old age... He was a rescue..

Harry's cage is definately not suitable for rats. plural - because you can't happily keep them alone. You need a pair minimum - and they need a good sized cage - I would recommend the Savic Freddy 2 cage:
http://www.petcentreonline.co.uk/eco...roduct~484.htm

I would never ever buy a rat, or any other small animal from a petshop - there are always other alternatives. If you are going to get rats, I would advise a responsible breeder - a list of current NFRS registered ratteries and studs can be obtained by sending a blank e-mail to kitbag@nfrs.org (i'm on there too )

if you are looking at a hamster, because you dont' want ot buy a bigger cage (and really it would be awful to keep a pair of rats in harry's old cage) then I advise getting in touch with the national hamster council, or even just straight in touch with Peter Logsdail - of towy vale hamstery - as he rescues too

http://www.towyvale.com/

hope that helps!

xx

Have you thought about Russian Dwarf Hamsters? Again you would need to keep them in pairs as they're a social animal, unlike normal Hamsters!

I had two as a teenager and they were great fun, I called them Zig and Zag (yep, true story ) and I trained them to come back to the sound of their food container. They had free run of the living room on an evening, but chose to sit on your knee and watch TV with you! :smt049
Mine looked like the two on this website second pic down):
http://www.midlandhamsterclub.co.uk/.../campbell.html


I think your cage would be suitable for a pair of Russians, have a think about it. Many say that normal cages are unsuitable for Russian Dwarfs as they can get out through the bars, but I never had a problem with that to be honest.

Oh, what I would say is avoid the Roborovski Dwarf Hamster, as although they're cute they can be hard to handle due to their skittishness and complete lack of fear of heights!

I got my first two rats from a breeder and they were great really easy to handle and very calm. years later i wanted rats again i bought them from a local garden centre who said they had been hand reared! they had not and although they were lovely girls they were never as easy or friendly as the two that came straight from the breeder.
i also had a large three level cage and my first two were out loads the lid of the cage was rarely closed they used to sit on the top of the cage and watch the world go by through the window. they also used to sit one on each of my shoulders while i did the house work. ( i really miss them )http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/rodents/cages/rat_cage i found my last cage here.

ive got 4 hamsters

1 syrian and 3 russian dwarf sisters - who all had to be separated cos they fought lol!!

so i now have 5 cages in my room (one has 2 cages cos it small!)

i personally prefer syrians and rats - my syrian is abour 3 now so they can live for a long time!!

i bought mine from pets at home - harry (syrian) was in very poor condition and i must have spend over 50 quid gettting him right - but the other 3 are in great condition

in future though id buy off a hamster breeder - so you know exactly what your getting

Thanks for all the info!!

Unfortunately, i just dont have the space for a rat sized cage from the looks of it so shall have to stick to the hammy! Shall have a look around at the weekend and see if i can find any looking healthier than the pet shop ones!!! Anyone know how i'd go about finding a local breeder?? I really want a long haired one they're so pretty!! But i've never seen any in pet shops..

What did the Vet say was wrong with the Hamster? Why did he die, was it something he was incubating?
Dawn.