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Finding and Choosing Your Pet Rat

There are a few sources to choose from which can provide you with a pet rat. I'll go over each one and list the pros and cons of each.

Shelter or a Rescue

Pros

These animals need homes and its a great thing to help them out!Sometimes, a vet has already taken care of any illnesses that otherwise you would have spent a bundle on.

Cons
Sometimes shelters don't know a whole heck of a lot about rats and the rats may be diseased.Rats from rescues may have behavioral issues. A responsible rescue will tell you about these or you may just observe them yourself.
Breeder

Pros
A responsible breeder will know their rats medical history and can answer most questions you have.If you're looking for specific coloring, a breeder will probably be more likely to have what you're looking for.
Cons
If you don't know what to look for you may end up getting a rat from a not so responsible breeder. A responsible breeder will not adopt out single rats without proof of you already having rats. A responsible breeder almost always will have you return the rat if it is not working out.Sometimes breeders can be pricey if your looking for certain coat varieties or colors.
Pet Stores

Pros
Conveniency is about the only pro about getting a rat from a Pet Shop. Pet stores almost always have rats.Prices are always low.
Cons
The rats are usually unhealthy.Females are often pregnant.You have no way of knowing the rat's history usually.The rat more than likely may have behavioral issues as these rats usually are not brought up to be handled or social.
Not all pet stores are horrible but the majority are.

Choosing The Rat

First off, rats are social so unless you already have a rat, you'll be choosing two!

First, you need to decide what sex rats you want. There are pros and cons to both sexes.

Males

Pros
Calm disposition, and generally make better lap pets than females.
Cons
Males tend to "mark" their territory more often which means they're slightly more stinky and slightly more messy. However, neutering does cut down on this.It's harder to introduce older males.
Females

Pros
This can either be a pro or a con depending on what you are looking for: They are VERY playful. They're funner to watch than the males who are much more fun to cuddle with.Females are very curious.Females are easy to introduce to each other.Again, this can be a pro or a con depending on your preference.: Females are smaller.
Cons
Females are more susceptible to mammary tumors. However this risk can be GREATLY reduced if

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