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How to help my parents realize that pet rats are great animals?

SquawksNibbles

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I know the truth about pet rats: that they are adorable, sweet, social, and very clean animals. My parents, however, do not believe this and instead think pet rats are horrible, nasty, disease-carrying, dirty creatures.

My mom is the worst with pet rats, or more commonly known as fancy rats. My dad has at least admitted that rats are somewhat adorable, and for them, that's like saying they are amazing critters!

Whenever I ask my dad if we can get some type of small rodent, his response is usually "Your mother doesn't want any."

I just want to show my mom that rats are cute, cuddly, and social critters if handled and tame. I really do think she would like fancy rats if she knew the truth about them, as long as she looked past that bald tail of theirs!

I don't even want to convince her so that I can get a rat. I just want her to know the truth about them. The best way I could think of doing this is letting her interact or letting her watch me interact with a rat. However, none of my friends or family members have any rats she could meet. Also, there are no small pet rescues nearby. Any idea of how I could go about doing this? There is no way I could convince her to meet up with a rat breeder to see the rats. Any help is appreciated! :)
 

CallieCadmoor

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How I convinced my family to get Eros...
I would randomly show them super cute videos of lovebirds every now and then.
I would also sprout random facts about birds to show how cool they are.
Took me 3 months to convince them birds are even more awesome than they thought!
 

OllieTheConure

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I know how you’re feeling. :hug8:I have been in the exact same situation many times. (Read all my pets in my signature, I have experience in pet-getting lol) Just the random cute pictures, videos, and facts works best. Be persistent- but don’t push your parents until they get angry. Good luck- I totally agree with you about pet rats! :xflove:
 

WallyLoopey

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Coming from a parent's perspective...

Get a 'job'-whether that be an actual job or just doing chores for extra money

Be responsible with all current pets and any chores/homework you have now

Have enough money on hand for the cages, bedding, food, etc

Do not ask too many times after being told no

-if you show you are truly responsible then I believe your parents might get you/allow you to have pet rats for Christmas.

Also bear in mind they might want you to wait awhile to make sure this is something you will still want a few months down the line.
 

Mizzely

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Videos on youtube :) Do a powerpoint lol. Anything that might help. Also bear in mind that the stigma is well ingrained in some people and you will never change their mind.
 

CallieCadmoor

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What helped me was having a sibling to do the convincing with me. Once he was on board, we had more "power" to convince. Except now he wants a nun pigeon and my parents are standing fast against it:shifty:

So perhaps work on your dad until he adores them?
 

HolliDaze

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Make a deal! This helped me as I used to have issues keeping my room clean, though I took excellent care of my animals. I kept my room clean for a few months and agreed to rehome my pets should I call to keep my room clean. I don't know what your situation is, though. offering to do extra chores helps as well.
 

SquawksNibbles

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Thanks for all the replies!

This past week my older sister and her husband came over for Thanksgiving, and we watched some animal videos while they were here. I seized the opportunity and pulled up a few rat videos, showing how cuddly and sweet they could be. During this, my sister and her husband started talking about rats and was telling my dad that they're clean, sweet, and just have a bad reputation (they had once had 2 rats, so were able to share their experience). This is EXACTLY what I had been trying to tell them. Unfortunately, my mom was in the bathroom during all of this, so she didn't hear or see any of it. But, hopefully my dad believed them. It's much more likely that he believed my sister over me, as my sister is a vet tech, knows a lot about animals, and has owned rats herself.

@WallyLoopey, thank you for your reply. I just want to let you know that it's not that my parents don't think I'm responsible, they just don't want a rat (or any small critter in the house) due to their reputation. They have talked about how good I am at caring for the birds.
 

JLcribber

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Beauty is in eye of the beholder my dear. There may be something that I think smells wonderful. You may think it stinks.

What is the point of wanting her to like rats when you are not getting any?

I know a couple of birds that would benefit from this kind of effort.
 

SquawksNibbles

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Beauty is in eye of the beholder my dear. There may be something that I think smells wonderful. You may think it stinks.

What is the point of wanting her to like rats when you are not getting any?

I know a couple of birds that would benefit from this kind of effort.
Thank you for the response.

Whenever we see rats anywhere, she makes grossed out faces and says something rude about them. Rats, in her mind, are so disgusting they're also not allowed to be spoken about at dinner.

It just annoys me, to be honest. Just like I get annoyed when people say crap about Pit Bulls, and how dangerous they are. I'm a huge animal lover. Stuff like this annoys me and just makes the mad.

I also just don't understand what there is to fear from pet rats. Whenever we stop by the pet store, I point out how the rats are almost always grooming themselves to stay clean, yet they still see them as dirty animals. The thing I REALLY don't understand is people's fear of their tails. Yeah, they're bald, they're hairless with no fur, and yeah, it's just skin, the same thing we have all over our bodies.
 

Mizzely

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I think some of it is just either instinct or cultural condition. A tail like that is similar to a snake which many people and animals are afraid of :)
 

SquawksNibbles

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I think some of it is just either instinct or cultural condition. A tail like that is similar to a snake which many people and animals are afraid of :)
Good point; I didn't think of that.
 

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My daughter had one when she was younger (before I came into her life). I still shudder when I think about it. I've heard what a great pet they are from her and her dad but frankly, to me, it's a rat.

I think the only thing that would change my mind is a one on one relationship with the animal.

That's what worked for me with the parrots. I had no knowledge of birds before the one on one relationships developed (but they didn't make me shudder).
 

tka

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I know a couple of birds that would benefit from this kind of effort.
Rats have a maximum lifespan of 3-4 years though. We caution minors against getting a bird due to their long lifespans - rats are still a commitment (just as any pet is!) but they're not a decades-long commitment.

I had rats as a teenager, and again as a postgraduate student when my landlord was alright with small pets. They're clean, friendly, affectionate and intelligent - more like very small dogs than anything else. They can be litter trained and you can clean out the litter tray every other day (not too often or they get stressed out and try to scentmark more). I think they're wonderful but they're pretty involved pets. I adored mine and the only reason I don't have any now is because it's heartbreaking when they die. I'm going to tell you all the disadvantages so you go into this with your eyes open - if your parents are anything like mine, they want to see that you've thought about this and know what the potential problems are (and how you'll deal with them).

Rats require space and almost all commercially available "rat" cages are too small. Ferret cages are generally much more appropriately sized. There's a helpful cage calculator here: Cage calculator

You need to think very carefully about bedding materials. They need to dig but pine and cedar shavings contain phenols which can irritate their respiratory systems. Shredded cardboard or hardwood shavings (like aspen) are better.

They're smart and destructive. Like birds, chewing is essential for their physical and mental health. They need things to think about, investigate, problem solve etc - foraging is very important for them. They need time out of their cage as regularly as possible, which means that you have to create an escape-proof safe area for them to explore and play in. Most small pet toys are designed for hamsters and too small for adult rats, so you may have to get creative.

They are very social animals and cannot be kept alone. I kept anything from a pair to a group of five. You have to be very aware of group dynamics. My group were pretty harmonious but sometimes they do fall out and you have to be prepared for that.

Keeping a group means that you have to be more aware of vet bills. Female rats are very prone to mammary tumours - I got my vet to spay my girls at the time he removed their first lump. Each operation cost £120. Male rats are prone to kidney disease. Both sexes are prone to respiratory issues like pneumonia. Like birds, they can go downhill very rapidly so a good small animal vet is a must. Due to their short lifespans, you will find yourself providing end of life care sooner rather than later.

TBy the way - their tails have hair on them. Tails are incredibly important for rats as they use them for balance and for thermoregulation. My mum didn't like their tails either but found them easier to accept once she realised they didn't flop about. A healthy rat should never drag its tail.

Think about these points and how you'll address them. Yes, rats are cute - but showing your parents that you've thoroughly researched rat care might help more.

And after that lecture, here's a photo of three of my gang: Ash, Bramble and Meena.
 

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JLcribber

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Rats have a maximum lifespan of 3-4 years though. We caution minors against getting a bird due to their long lifespans - rats are still a commitment (just as any pet is!) but they're not a decades-long commitment.
I was talking about the birds he/she already has. Squawks and Nibbles.
(You're preaching to the choir about children and pets) :)
 

SquawksNibbles

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Their real names are Skittles and Nico, those are just their nicknames :)

Not to be rude or anything, but why do you think I'm not putting a good amount of effort in to my birds?
 

tka

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Something to consider is whether you can dedicate separate out-of-cage areas or times for your rats and your birds. Rats are agile, EXTREMELY opportunistic and will stand up for themselves - you'll need to be very careful that your birds and your rats never meet. It will not go well for your birds.
 

JLcribber

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Their real names are Skittles and Nico, those are just their nicknames :)

Not to be rude or anything, but why do you think I'm not putting a good amount of effort in to my birds?

I didn't say you weren't putting in effort with your birds. What I am saying is all this time/effort/excitement/research/convincing about rats is rather wasted because it ain't gonna happen. Spend that time with your birds.
 

SquawksNibbles

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I didn't say you weren't putting in effort with your birds. What I am saying is all this time/effort/excitement/research/convincing about rats is rather wasted because it ain't gonna happen. Spend that time with your birds.
Okay, I'm sorry I misunderstood. I won't stop researching them; I enjoy researching small animal care (I'm an animal lover, it's what I do, lol). And I can't promise that I won't continue to try to teach others the truth about rats ;)

But I have been trying to spend more time with Skittles and Nico. Currently trying to teach Skittles to "Step up," which I think will help him get used to hands. To do this, I've been offering him a bit of seed in my hand and putting my hand in a place that he can't reach without stepping up on my hand. The first time I did this it went well, and when he obeyed I said "good boy" and allowed him to eat the seeds as a reward. The second time, he was determined to find a way to reach the seeds without having to step up on my hand, but after about 3 minutes of him trying to find another way (he doesn't quit very easy, that's for sure!) he eventually stepped up, and I repeated what I did the first time. Meanwhile with Nico, I've been trying to just help him get more used to eating around me. @vanyasmom gave me some notes she took from a video, basically that teached me how to help Nico get used to me. It's worked well; I've been able to approach the cage and even place my hand up to the cage without him flying away. (Thanks again for the notes, vanyasmom!)

Once they get comfortable being out of their cage, I really want to set up a medium-sized play area, dedicated to just the birds. Perhaps with a climbing net, a boing or two, a hanging atom toy, etc. I'm having trouble thinking of what I want for Christmas, so I'm considering just asking for money so I can do all of this and even more for them. To be able to see them just be able to have fun in a bird-safe area out of their cage would just make me so happy!

The only problem with what I said above is my parents probably wouldn't approve. You know those non-bird people, they just don't understand! Last year for Christmas I tried asking for a new, bigger cage for my fids and they said they were not going to waste their money on something they don't need :tmsmakesme:. So instead, I had to buy it out of my own money the next month, but even then, my mother still didn't want me to waste MY own money when they had a cage (it wasn't in good shape either. My cat decided one night to pull the cage off the stand and the cage broke apart. The birds were luckily okay, but my dad just took the cage and used wire to keep it together). But then when my mom saw the size of the cage I wanted, she gave in, saying she had pictured it to be around the same size as the previous one. However, even though she gave in in the end, I have a feeling she won't be too understanding about a bird play area. Trust me, they'll end up saying something like, "They have that rope perch thing (boing), why do they need all of that?" It will be even worse when I mention that I'll need to put holes in the ceiling for all of this. :shifty:

Any help on how to be able to convince them that this play area would be great for the birds if I do this? Thanks! :)
 

vanyasmom

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I am glad that it is working well :) If you can set up some foraging opportunities, very simple at first, then if they have trouble you can help them find some of their regular seeds, like that they are under a paper towel in an ice cube tray. The paper towel today was kind of hard for him to rip, so, I will tear it in half tomorrow, so it is one ply instead of 2. As they see your hands are doing things to "help" them - like bring food, fresh water. They will get right in the action. Vanya kept getting on my hands to see what I was uncovering for him. Foraging makes meal time more interesting for them.

Target training works on rats and guinea pigs too. That trainer I told you about has videos on YouTube about training rabbits. Rabbits probably like a lot of the same stuff that rats would.

You could make some of the things - like an atom. I made one from a plastic embroidery hoop that I got at a thrift shop. I wrapped it with fleece and used zip ties, 2 of them, one for the hanger to attach TO, then the other for the attachment to the top of the cage. He has already gotten on it.

Also, I made a peekaboo perch - using the fleece, tying it together at the top. One piece of fleece - no sew. I cut a piece off of an extra wooden perch, but a dowel would work too. I used stainless steel screw-eyes to attach the perch to the fleece. The fleece holds the perch. These are pricey to buy new, but inexpensive to make yourself. Be sure to wash the fleece well. I followed the directions in the fleece thread.

I bet that once your parents find out how talented and clever these little birds are, they will like them a lot more. They just need to get to know them. :)

I had a rat get on my porch last night and only saw the tail at first. I thought it was a snake. It made me go back inside quickly and slam the door.
 

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