Cons of Owning Pet Rats

“$1,000 to get a tumor removed from your rat” is a sentence I’d never thought I’d hear

Oh so they DO pop out of nowhere like Twitch's invis from League of Legends

Ok so for a positive, you can train rats to learn their names, down side, the little potatoes will be eager to meet new friends so if you own a hoodie and want to prank your friend, put a rat in the hoodie pocket and commence a stealthy rat attack.

Well I have kneecaps I have burning in my cabinet.

So the black plague, it was caused by diseased carrying fleas that were mostly latched onto humans, the rats are just side victims.
Rats had nothing do with anything but hey, humans will say others are problems and not themselves, despite accounts, some parts of cities are not that clean, especially the average person bathing, if its not the mid of summer then bathing was considered optional. Infact when fleas were becoming more apparent, people thought that bathing too much was the problem and thus ceased bathing and well that lead to that.

Lets put this into perspective, just because you bathed, would not be a thing if your neighbor George hasn't bathed since the Bush administration.



And if you say "but historical documents" and then by that logic, a documents by a bunch of fascists that say white people are superior. Want to continue?

I just saw a video about a rat that ate a baby's fingers off.

I used to store my rat's treats in a screw top jar, which was quite big. One day I saw that she opened that jar and nibbled on the treats, but i was flabbergasted, as you really did need 2 hands to open that jar. IDK how she did it till this day 😅

They bond with the owner?! Omg I want a pet rat someday! It will be like when Gary (my cat) was a kitten and would climb my shoulder I could carry him like a parrot.

Like a year ago I bought pet rats. Because I really wanted it because of you. And I have 3

Teleportation is possible, yeap, pretty sure all animals can, we just do not see it, as well as humans can. Youll see soon. Its like this mostly. They do not fear death most of the time, but when living conditions are not up to standards, they sometimes move back in time or to a dimension is more sutable for their needs, aka, extinct isnt really true. Its just they have left this time zone lets say, or this version of many versions of Earth, aka, vibrational, frequency, standing columner wav studies etc.. metaphysics, etc.

kind of funny, I ended up with a pet rat when it was purchased for snake food and it was just too dang sweet and kept climbing into my hands!

snake black plague mousetrap

is it true that rat’s urine or feces are kinda smelly? I have heard people who keep both rats and other rodents as pets talk about how rats tend to have more smells and their enclosure needs constant cleaning

I think rats are incredibly kewt. But their short lifespans would destroy me. My cat Sammy otoh is curious about their taste.

potat

CoNs? um from what i seen & kno from my own experiences of workin with && owning rats, (bout 6-7(ish)yrs) i havent had any CoNs(kNoCk oN WoOd) at least nothin id consider a CoN ive had & felt nothin but 100% happiness & love since day1of havin rats...& my very 1st ever experience was anything but a normal experience yet nothin bout it was negative. i found a baby rat stumblin down a side walk on my nightly walk who i believed 2b a baby squirrel at 1st. He was soooo tiny sweet & his lil eyes werent even open yet. It was cold & dark & since my neighborhood had a lotta stray cats i scooped the lil guy up & off we went. 4the next 3 yrs I was the very proud mom of a VeRy LaRGe WiLd RooF Rat:) who i named splinter & he became my bestest BeSt friend. although I knew not 1 thing bout ownin a rat I loved & still love & miss him till this day.if I could go back id give him such a better life. He was all alone besides havin me,my mom&my kids livin there I had no other pets & he didn't have a good enuff cage or set up but I loved him. Knowin what i kno now the only CoN ive ever experienced was NOT GIVIN SPLINTER THE LIFE HE DESERVED CUZ I DIDNT KNO ANY BETTER but since then i owned a lot of rats n right now I have 3 intact males & 1 female robo hamster. My rats have a 5by3ft 3level cage but i never lock them in in it unless ima be gone for more then 2-3 hours, otherwise they r 100% free roam.(not the hamster)& They have they're very own bedroom. an entire room jus4 my 3 rats 2do whatever when ever however they want. So far I've never had ANY of my rats need serious medical attention or emergency care health issues etc.. thank God I'm currently lookin for a male dumbo rex if anyone knows of any breeders in or near the Baltimore MD area. Id greatly appreciate any&all help findin my dream rat. i have a Norway agouti named shadow, 1of the standard lil blackish brown hooded fancy rat named lucky &a pink eyed white rat named pinky of course lol gosh I hope I find my dumbo rex one day SOON!

What did cats do wrong?

I don't care what the fuck you think I love rats. If you don't like my opinion you can go suck Donald Trump.

I ❤ my pocket potato

I know U said not to mention snakes but I live in northern Australia and there are lots of wild snakes here so would it still be fine for me to have rats under these circumstances?

I have a snake and I started watching this because I’m playing with the rat rn 😭

I had many rats as pets growing up because my mother worked at a UCLA medical department and they were used in experimentation. They also used sheep which meant we had a steady supply of lamb (picture one being butchered hanging over the bathroom at home. My parents spent 6 years in Alaska and hunting for survival was the norm so dismembering a euthanized sheep was no big deal). So these lovable little fellows started showing up at the house when I was about 8 and they were my constant companions. I was an only child so they got a lot of my attention. They would sleep with me at night and would wake me in the mornings usually by licking my earlobes or face. Yes, we gave them hard foods & hard woods to keep their teeth down & the desire to chew at bay. Sadly they would live only a couple years or so and then more often than not pass away from some sort of cancer. One of my favorites died from eating too much toilet paper. My parents treated it as karma and magically new rats would appear as if by reincarnation. That went on for about 6 years. Every time they passed away I was heartbroken. I didn't have another rat until much later when my daughter was 4 years old. I think I got one so that she could experience the pleasure & privilege of knowing these little charm buckets.

Sorry , but rats are without question the the sweetest, most intelligent, most affectionate rodents on the planet. I had rats as pets when I was a child and, despite the fact that I'd handled them a little roughly, not once was I ever bitten or intentionally harmed by any of them - and that is saying a lot! It's as if they were more mature than me and like kind adults just tolerated my behavior. Absolutely the best. I miss my beautiful ittle friends!

I will name my rat Mr. Bubonic

Myy pet rats were originally food for our ball python, but he rejected these two sweet boys for a reason.

I've had pet rats a few times throughout the years, and I always have to take a lil hiatus from rat ownership when they eventually died because my heart hurt so bad losing them. ❤ I'm grateful for my husband who supports my animal menagerie 😂😂😂 my count is currently 2 dogs, 2 rats, a ball python, and a Greek tortoise. He's actually helping me plan out a big ol enclosure setup in our living room for my rats, Hank and Bill (KotH theme 😂)

I’ve always had cats and dogs. When you adopt a rat, will they use a litter box? Also, can you give them cat food or dog food?

you have a very reddit way of speaking

My snake had a pet rat till he ate him

Your cons list convinced me to get a rat buddy😂

I just lost my uncle who introduced me to pet rats when I was 10 years old😢. and pet rats really are intelligent and sweet! I never had any issues with no of my pet rats chewing through or up anything I have ever cared about. That said, it IS possible (I’m 45 and have had 25 or so pet rats since I was 10 including blues, dumbos, and even a few hairless (which have some very specific care needs unique to them). I am thinking of getting a new one in honor of my uncle Dave, who passed Saturday January 25,2025 joining his 2 brothers (one my dad) and a sister in heaven. It’s been hard watching my beautiful grandma outlive her children at 97 years young. Thank you for bringing back fond memories and being informative to new or possible pet rat owners of the future.❤❤❤

Rats didn’t cause the plague it was the flea

I would say the cost of vet care is a con for owning any kind of animal. If you truly want to provide good care for your companions, you should be responsible and only bring in what you can reasonably care for- even if thay means you have none. That said though pets of any kind can be great emotional support and aids for the disabled. My dog and cat keep me on my toes where tasks are concerned, and I love them to death. I'd love to have rats someday but my family of animals is just a little big at the moment, so I'll have to wait until I can get some ratties

My python loves these lil guys 😋

I have two pet albinos rats

I keep having dreams about having pet rats. I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something

It’s heartbreaking that they they only live for two years. Basically right when they become irreplaceable, they leave for their own new adventures. 😢

The biggest con by far, time is not on their side, if saying goodbye is tough for you then I highly advice you not to get a pet rat.

Can you please list some safe treats and foods for rats?

I had a rat and she clinged to me and sat on my brothers face😂i was laughing Extremely hard

Youre not kidding about them hiding really well I lost one for 2 days once , found her curled up under my coat

By the way, the biting thing part? Just like macaws. Seriously. They bite hard but are unlikely to. But when they do...

Jokes on you, this makes me want them more

Have 5 rats! I LOVE RATS!!! ❤

Thank you sooo much for your fantastic rat videos!
I grew up as a pet rat owner and spokesperson for our little Chaos-Potatoes! (Thanks also for this terminology! Hadn’t heard it before, but love it!)
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a ratty companion, not sure I could now because of the unavoidable 2ish year complete obliteration of my heart 😢 but I never miss a chance to tell the stories of my past Potatoes and try to help dispel myths and misconceptions.
Your videos always make me smile and you seem dead on with your info. Even forwarded a few to a friend who is concerning rat ownership 🙂
So in this long long winded way thanks for all your good work and keep it up!🙌🐀❤

I loved my pet rats from college. It's true that they form strong bonds with their owners because they showed an enthusiasm when I came home that I've only seen shared by dogs and children. They're clever little things and very social!

The one thing I'll say is also another con- make sure you do not misgender a rat when you get a pair. Accidentally got a male when we went to get 2 females. Sooo we had to get another male and another female.

I'd get a pet rat over a pet snake any day. I wouldn't trust an owner of snakes 🤨

Oh! I do wanna mention real quick that my experience with vet bills comes from the United States. So if you live in another country it’s likely that your experience will be different (and hopefully cheaper) than mine!