anyone have pet rats or mice

[vik2ray]

well i decided to add this seeing as it didnt seem to be here. i have two rats bred by me seventh generation. albi short for albino.who has jellybean red eyes hes my big male rat. and mystic who is his cousin  who is the same color only has black blue eyes. used to have mice but had to sell them. anyone want help with their ratties id be glad to give advice and incase your wondering the name mystic is short for my sorrowful time in chains. symbolising my depression at the time.. but its better now. anyway  a problem i found with rats is they are prone to mite infestations. but a good rat freindly pet spray clears it up. and occasionally a thing called idder cream helps sooth the itchyness on the lil rodents.

[JungianZoe]

When I get a job, I want to get two rats (so they can keep each other company when I'm at work since rats are such social creatures).  I had two in the past, but not at the same time.  RIP, Cleo and Payback!  They were the sweetest creatures anyone could ask for.

[Tamaki]

Years ago I had pet rats, I loved them. They were sweet intelligent creatures. Their short lives were just too heartbreaking for me so I gave up keeping rats and switched to dogs.

[vik2ray]

the largest number  of rats i had at the same time was 60 i was breeding them at the time lol

[Sage]

I have a rat cage that hasn't been used in awhile; I got it for my hamsters years ago.  Since being in the Animal Care program at my school and taking care of the rats there as part of a grade for my veterinary classes, I've been considering getting a pet rat of my own.

What sort of things should I look for when choosing a pet rat?  Just how smart are they, and what sort of treats do they like to eat?

Any input or opinions would be immensely appreciated.   

[Fighter]

My sister loves rats. She's owned probably a total of 10 or 12. I've only owned two, both males. I had a black one named Biggs and an albino named Wedge, which is both a Starwars and Final Fantasy reference. Unfortunately, I'm a HORRIBLE small pet owner. I used to own a leopard gecko, a creature that can live up to 20 years. It died before the first was out. After my rats died possibly due to my neglect, I refused to ever own a small or caged animal ever again.

Honestly, they were probably better off being snake food .

[Kayden-Turner]

I am currently the owner of five girls, my two rats (who are complete angels except when they're chewing up my stuff) and three mice who have a wide range of personalities, they're all darlings though.

What sort of things should I look for when choosing a pet rat?  Just how smart are they, and what sort of treats do they like to eat?

Any input or opinions would be immensely appreciated.   

First off, rats are possibly the best rodent you can keep (with mice in a close second) because they legitimately like you. In my experience other rodents will mostly put up with you for food and use you for transportation outside of their cage, but if you let rats run around in your room, they will run all over you, lick you, try to groom your hair, chew on your rings and watches, etc. Guy rats, I've been told, can even be very cuddly. Even my girls will settle down for scritches from time to time. They're terribly sweet, it's just adorable.

For their regular diet it's good to give them a mix of dog food and grains OR a specially formulated rat/mice mix from the pet store. For treats they like honey cheerios, little bits of carrot or cheese, and basically anything YOU eat (you can look up foods to avoid, it's a very short list lol).

--Kayden