QUESTION: What about other pets and rats?
ANSWER: Rats don't mix well with any other animals.
Rats should always be kept with at least one other rat,
and not be allowed to socialize with other pets like rabbits,
hamsters, cavies (guinea pigs) and such. Especially cats
is a very bad idea. Most rats are afraid of the smell of cats,
many rats can smell that a visitor to your home have cats at
home and they avoid that person.
Rats do enjoy humans of all ages, young and old. And if you do have a dog that behaves very nice towards other small pets the rats may become friends with that dog. But this depends on the dog. The main issue is that the dog has to be of a herding breed (like german shepherds, collies, shelties and such) and the dog must be used to be around small pets.
In the photo there is a ratloving and gentle dog kissing
one of the babies in my last rat litter, a fawn rex male.
The rat in the photo is either Aristoteles Iso or
Aristoteles Isarro (I can't tell from the photo which one of
them it is!).
Copyright Eva Johansson.
Last update: 11th of August 2006.