Hi _trinity-ga,
As a former rat owner, I can personally attest to what great pets rats
can be. When raised from pups and treated well, they are friendly,
smart, and engaging pets. Unlike mice, they have little odour, so rats
can be caged in any room of the house without being offensive. They
can be taught tricks, carried around, and eat almost anything. All in
all, they are one of the better caged pets one can choose.
Because of all these positive traits, rats have a huge fan base! There
are thousands of websites devoted to rats as pets. Rather than throw a
big pile of them at you (which you could easily do yourself with a
quick Google search), I?ve selected specific pages on reputable sites
that answer the questions you?ve asked. Even though one site might
answer all of your questions, I?ve tried not to repeat resources. For
this reason, I urge you to explore each of these sites in more detail.
I?ve also included links to some books about rats. These will provide
more depth than you might get on a website, and in some cases (see
books in the ABOUT RATS section below) a fascinating look at our
species? historical (and oftentimes hysterical) relationship with
rats.
=============================================
ABOUT RATS (history, breeds, the species)
=============================================
The History of the Norway Rat
http://www.ratbehavior.org/history.htm
RATSAUCE.COM : Photos of Rat Breeds, Colors, Markings
http://www.ratsauce.com/breeds/index.php
Rat Species, Strains, Breeds and Varieties
http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatSpecies.htm
ASPCA: The Other Side of the Rainbow; Can Rats See Color? By Bill Samuels, Ph.D.
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=al_resources_ratscolor
AMAZON: More Cunning Than Man: A Social History of Rats and Man (Paperback)
by Robert Hendrickson
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1575663937/104-3330482-1083150
POWELLS: Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's
Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan
http://www.powells.com/biblio?partner_id=29854&cgi=product&isbn=1582344779
====================================================
GENERAL RAT CARE (housing, diet, health, breeding)
====================================================
American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association; Rat and Mouse Essentials!
10 Things You Need Before Buying A Rat Or Mouse!
http://www.afrma.org/rminfo3a.htm
RATS RULE: Basic Rat Care
http://www.ratsrule.com/ratcare.html
RAT GUIDE: Basic Rat Care
http://ratguide.com/
Pet Rat Information Sheet
http://www.horns.freeserve.co.uk/info2.htm
PETRAT.CA: Health And Rat Care
http://www.petrat.ca/health.html
ASPCA: Rat care
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=rat
Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals, Fourth Revised Edition, 1995 (1995)
Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) ; TABLE 2-2 Estimated
Nutrient Requirements for Maintenance, Growth, and Reproduction of
Rats http://books.nap.edu/books/0309051266/html/13.html#pagetop
MICE & RATS: Conditions Requiring Veterinary Attention
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/MNAALAS/MiceRat.html#Veterinary
SPOILED RATTEN: Information on breeding
http://www.spoiledratten.com/breedingratscontent.html
AMAZON: Rats: Complete Care Guide by Debbie Ducommun
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1889540714/104-3330482-1083150
AMAZON: Rats: A Complete Introduction by Daniel R. Schwartz
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0793802040/104-3330482-1083150
=================================================
RAT TRAINING (tricks, behavior, socializing)
=================================================
Aggressive Male Rats
http://www.horns.freeserve.co.uk/ratneuter.htm
How to train a rat to run a maze
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2004-11/1100349099.Zo.r.html
Litter Training your pet rat
http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm#litter
Ratty Tricks of the Trade - Tricks you can teach your rat.
http://www.geocities.com/therodentry/caresheets/Tricks.html
PET PLACE: Understanding Your Rat
http://petplace.netscape.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=2098
Rat Cam: movies from a rat's perspective
http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatCam.htm
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry : Live Rat Cam
http://www.omsi.edu/visit/life/lab/ratcam/
VIDEO: Training a rat to play basketball
http://www.discoveryplace.org/video/09_hi.htm
AMAZON: Training Your Pet Rat, by Barbara Somerville, Gerry Bucsis
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0764112082/104-3330482-1083150
============================================================
RATS & SUPPLIES (rats, cages, food, feeders, training aids)
============================================================
DMOZ Directory ? Ratteries, North America
http://dmoz.org/Recreation/Pets/Rodents/Rats/Ratteries/North_America/
Rat Breeders by state
http://www.ratster.com/breederlinks.html
WARE MANUFACTURING: Small animal cages
http://www.waremfginc.com/listsmall.asp
DO IT YOURSELF: RAT CAGE PLANS (also toys, harnesses, and diets)
http://www.curiosityrats.com/infodiy.html
MED ASSOCIATES: Mazes
Behavioral psychology rat training equipment
http://www.med-associates.com/mazes/mazes.htm#elevated
MARTIN CAGES: Rat cages
http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/rat/
============================
GENERAL RESOURCES
============================
Rat & Mouse Club of America (and online Forum)
http://www.rmca.org/
http://mischief.rmca.org/
The Rat Fan Club
http://www.ratfanclub.org/
The Ratster's Ratfinder Forum
http://www.ratster.com/ratfinder/
The National Fancy Rat Society
http://www.nfrs.org/index.html
================================================
RAT-RELATED WEBSITES WITH AFFILIATE PROGRAMS
================================================
PETS-WAREHOUSE
http://www.pets-warehouse.com/MiceRats.htm
http://www.pets-warehouse.com/affiliate.htm
PETCO
http://www.petco.com/DeptListing.asp?tab=6&c1=1708&ct1=Rats&dept_id=1708
http://www.petco.com/affiliates/affiliate.asp?cmLink_ID=hpap0002111004
PETSMART
http://www.petsmart.com/global/browse_category.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026398&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023695&bmUID=1121869693169
http://www.petsmart.com/global/affiliate/ap_affiliate_program.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673314521&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302024160&bmUID=1121869684524
ZOOEASY: Rat Breeding Software for Pedigree Record Keeping of Rats
http://www.zooeasy.com/product/screenshots.php?app=4-16
http://www.zooeasy.com/affiliate/
That should supply you with everything you have requested regarding
pet rats. If any of the links I?ve provided do not work or are not
satisfactory, please use your ?Request for Clarification? button and I
will be happy to further assist you.
Thanks so much for your question. It was fun to answer.
-K~
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