RATZILLA (VIDEO): A quick survey of my journey with pet rats from their moment of birth to death

iWitness, Howie Severino, Ratzilla pet rats birth, Lady Rattus, Rattus Choki, Rattus Yu

Rats make charming pets, they even love to pose for the camera.

When you mention rats, most people would cringe just with the thought of it. It takes a pet rat lover's story to tell you they have good temperament and are viable where space and budget are concerned. They are even revered in many cultures around the world. For one, the Chinese zodiac holds them in high esteem. In India, they even have a Rat Temple!

From fearful to loving

Did you know that I used to be afraid of rats? Their sheer size, their squeaks, the texture of their fat tails... and the fear of contracting death from their bite. I first got curious when saw them in a pet shop at Robinson's Galleria just before New Year, this one rat with a black color on its head and white for the rest of the body (it's actually called a 'hooded'). Then I officially began my journey with them on January 2, 2009, when I took 3 of them home. Then 3 months passed and I've already overcome all fears and doubts when handling them. Wonderful!

I brought Reggie to our college yearbook pictorial. It was fun!

As for diseases, people could be overreacting. A little research would prove that pet rats, at least, don’t carry leptospirosis, rabies, or other diseases that could be transmitted to humans. Rats put cleanliness and grooming to utmost priority, cleaning themselves as soon as you touch them (maybe rats think human hands are ewww…lols).

Why so sad, Siegmund?

The US, UK, Australia and others have associations dedicated to pet rats? Yes it's true! They even have standards. Here in the Philippines, many of us are limited to the common albino (all white with pink eyes), the hooded (black head, white body), and the berkshire (solid colored body with white underbelly). I've worked on it for years, matching them to get the desired marking, and even captured wild rats.

Left to right: Pink Eye, Ruby Eye and Black Eye.

My rat breeding effort

The efforts have been successful so far since 2013, but not without many failures and frustrations. 2012, my effort of obtaining agouti self from the wild and reproducing them had been successful. This year, I also succeeded in producing black self from another wild rat crossed with one of my females. What is a 'self' you may ask. When a rat has a single color throughout its body including the underside (no white marking) it's called a self. 'Agouti' is a term for brown color found in wild rats.

Look I found 2 orphaned rats just before the Habagat 2012.
Unfortunately, the sister died after a few days.
Thor was able to grow normally and even made successful litters.

Why pet rats?

Being the mother of happy pet rats can be very rewarding. Let's admit it, I don't think that having kids is an option that I'd be considering anytime in the near future. I'm also not considering dogs or cats even if I wanted to. The reason? Budget, space, maintenance. So having pet rats is like having pocket-sized dogs anyway like many happy pet rat owners would confess.

New members of the family

Isn't it such a joy when as a pet rat owner, you have your first accidental litter? It may be hard to distinguish male from female first for newbies, but I found out how! There is wider space between the male's genital and his anus (because that's where the balls would grow) compared to the female as seen in the photo below.

Sometimes a doe (term for female rat) could be overly protective when anyone comes near their pups. They don't bite but they're very assertive in pushing my hand away! It's really just a matter of letting them get used to you handling the pups and eventually they wouldn't care once they realize you're not a threat.

Caught on camera: rat pup just coming out.

The weaning period is when the pups are being nursed by their mother. They become independent and sexually mature once they reach 6 weeks old. They could still suckle milk until 2 months old, but according to the experts, males and females should be separated once they reach 6 weeks old.

Diet and maintenance
Just the great thing about rats is that they're a hardy species and have good temperament. They easily get used to humans, but you have to handle and play with them often. As to diet, they share the same food pyramid with us, experts asserting that 95% should be a diet of grains. Luckily for us residents of the Philippines, we can easily find affordable sources of food from the poultry feeds store. My rats' diet consist mainly of barley and other grains, which is only P26.00 per kilo. Afford! To supplement their diet, I give them dog biscuits, which in themselves are fortified with nutrients. All in all, there's no more need for expensive vitamins and what nots.

This photo was back from 2011. I just cry when I look back and miss the old ratties.

Of course, there are a few things you shouldn't feed them: dried corn (high in nitrates), raw legumes like peas, rabbit pellets (super high in fiber), alcoholic beverages and orange juice (the rind has d-limonene which is cancerous to them). Foods to feed with caution are sweets, meat, and chocolate. They're good, but only in minute quantities.

As for bathing, it's a matter of getting them to love water. At first, I used to hold them and massage their coat with water and soap. They scream alot and make it hard for me. Eventually, one hot summer, I realized that they'd willingly fish for food. Doing so is a great way for making them bathe themselves as well as feed them and cool them down to avoid heat stroke.

Breeding tendencies

Speaking of breeding, it is established by rat associations that the ideal mating period for females is when they reach 6 months old, and they should be retired from breeding once they reach 15 months old. Females should have a rest period of 3 to 4 months before they breed again. The reasons for this is to make sure that females are not physically strained. This also guarantees that the litter would be healthy. As for the males, they can mate anytime and there are no restrictions.

Male vs female

As to body size, rats reach their full size at about 5 months old. Males are larger than females, but it has been observed that they are more affectionate toward their human friends than the females, whereas females prefer to wander off. Either way, I've really enjoyed their presence in my life. They are my angels whether it's a male or female.

Trivial rat behavior

Here's a secret that many of you don't know... rats love being tickled! According to studies by Dr. Panksepp, rats love being tickled and they show signs of laughter. Rats who have been licked alot by their mothers since birth tend to be more outgoing and sociable. They love interactions from each other and also from us humans because they are naturally sociable critters. Another trivia: rats also show regret according to studies.

Taking care of the elderly

Then comes the time when our rats turn old and they need extra care since they're more frail at this stage. I noticed that they start to become thin and more vulnerable just before they reach 2 years old. The oldest any of my rats lived so far was 2 years and 3 months, and that was the rat that I began my journey with! They say that a rat's average life span is 2 to 5 years old. The oldest rat that ever lived was called Rodney at 7 years and 4 months according to Guiness World Record.

Time to say goodbye

At one point in the journey there has to be a parting of ways, at least for our rats. We are the ones left and we are the ones who bear the pain of loss and mourning. It doesn't matter, I never regret welcoming them into my life and life must go on. That's about it for now and see you on our next Ratzilla adventures!

The name of this rat is 'Rattus Choki', my first ever black rat.
My rats have a special burial place.

Conclusion

Rats have been a wonderful part of my life. To write down my experiences with them would take chapters or even a book -- at least this post serves as a survey, an overview, of what it is to be like a pet rat lover. They've been very good to me, I hope this somehow puts them in a positive perspective. Thanks for reading!

There's always a celebration for special occasions. See you next time!

VIDEO TIME!!!

To view all of our rat videos, click on the link to our YT playlist below
'Ratzilla'

RATZILLA (VIDEO): A quick survey of my journey with pet rats from their moment of birth to death

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