rat as pet

[cygvan]

i recently cared for two rats for friends who went on a family cruise.&nbsp; one rat is very old and had trouble moving around.&nbsp; the other is middle aged (according to the family) and very active.<br><br>both are very gentle and easy to handle. love being pet especially behind the ears.&nbsp; i spent a week with them. the younger one is an albino...all white with red eyes. very cute. her name is scarlett. i really enjoyed playing with her and letting her run all over my shoulders and she seemed to love typing on my keyboard lol.<br><br>i never considered a rat as a pet before but for a vandweller, they just might be a good choice. however, while i was somewhat enamored with them, i didnt get the entire warm and fuzzy that i get with dogs.&nbsp; since they are small you obviously have to use kid gloves with them and they are more of a pet that you watch. ive seen people take their rats with them everywhere they go and they are trainable but still not so much as a dog.&nbsp; i love dogs becuase i like to roughhouse with them and all of that.<br><br>i was also dismayed to learn that rats dont live very long. which sucks becuase i wouldnt want to get attached to have it die on me.<br><br>what does everyone think of a rat as a pet? i wont get a dog until i move onto homestead because i just dont think the van life is fair to them (just my opinion). cats are ok too i guess but id rather have a cat when homesteading as well.<br><br><br>

 

[Mac J]

Pets are additional responsibilities. Forget it.

 

[LucyImHome]

Having had rats as pets before and enjoyed them, the smell (bedding) might be an issue for you in confined spaces. As for life expectancy, there are no guarantees on any life. It sounds like you'd be happier with a dog. You could find a small, quiet dog that would suit the vandweller lifestyle. A small dog could take less space than the rat when you take into account the rat's cage.

 

[mockturtle]

My brother had a pet rat named Herman.&nbsp; It wasn't much trouble but neither was it very playful or affectionate.&nbsp; Give me my happy, face-licking, always-excited-to-see-me dog, any day!&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img" title="Smile - ">&nbsp; <br><br>This is cute:&nbsp; <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/humor/otherhumor/dog_cat_diary.htm" target="_blank">http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/humor/otherhumor/dog_cat_diary.htm</a>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;A dog 'fits in' to the nomadic lifestyle much better.. ever hear of a 'guard rat'? ..Willy.

 

[cygvan]

ya i think i will stick with a dog. i guess i just had rats on my mind since i took care of them.<br><br>now the question is should i wait to get a dog or get one now? not sure what to do while i am at work and still vandwelling. waiting until i get to my homesteading property seems to make the most sense.<br><br>i guess i have to be patient but ive wanted a dog for so long.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Someone on here had several rats i think....She maybe? Not sure... i think it was the person that couldn't make up her mind on a vehicle for the longest time <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" class="bbc_img">&nbsp; Im kinda sad i already forgot her name..<br><br><br>She seemed to love hers greatly.&nbsp; I prefer pets i can nuzzle up with.

 

[Zil]

Hey willy, his name was Ben.

 

[twokniveskatie]

"She" had rats, I believe. One of them died, I believe.

 

[Willy]

Hey willy, his name was Ben.

<br><br>Sorry.. I kinda lost ya there; maybe after my morning coffee I'll do better, cuz I'm in zombie mode right now. ..Willy.

 

[highdesertranger]

my dog "scout" would kill a rat.&nbsp; he doesn't put up rodents/vermin in camp.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[jeanontheroad]

Pets are fun, but it's not just "all about you." Any animal that is capable of giving you companionship is going to have needs of its own to stay happy, healthy, and mentally stable. It's going to be hard to give this to an animal in a van. As far as a "small, quiet dog," I have had large quiet dogs, but never a small quiet one. If anyone can suggest a "small, quiet" breed, I'd love to know about it. We've had very active and demanding terriers. We've had yappy poodles and a nippy chihauha. Right now, we have a bichon that is in no sense quiet. Maybe we've just had bad luck, but the quietest dog we had was a Burnese MountainDog, and he was not small.

 

[caseyc]

As a kid, I've had rats as pets, plus hamsters and guinea pigs, and a bunny rabbit. Honestly, they were all pretty boring in my opinion. As another poster replied, I wouldn't bother because it's an additional responsibility you don't really need. I also had a couple conure birds which I loved to death, but they required too much attention and got p!ssed whenever I was away too long. I always feel guilty when I know the pets are wanting my attention when I'm not home. That's why I don't have pets anymore.

 

[fluffabear]

I used to be a rat guy, I had the sweetest, fattest, cuddliest rats, but their housing isn't great for vandwelling. If you're willing to keep up on it (and it can be some work) they're a great little bitty buddy to have, but like others have said, they don't live long.

 

[jeanontheroad]

Can't see having a rat. They just don't live that long. You raise it, get fond of it, and it's full of tumors and gone in 2 years. Just can't see it.

 

[ccbreder]

I had a pet rat. He worked down at the research lab. The extra money came in handy. He died young, no pension.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

A guy we visit with sometimes has a pet rat in his RV. We had been there several times and never realized it was there. The other day while we were talking the rat came out from behind a cushion and nuzzled under Margie's arm. She was a bit startled at first, but we all got a laugh while the rodent got "real friendly" with her

No Margie, we're not getting a rat

 

[papas34]

I kept the lab rat I have for a science class in college......very prone to respritory troubles.
Did get lots of attention from folks who thought it was weird to keep a rat.....I like my tranquil....very easy to deal with, but I have a 5th wheel so plenty of room.

 

[camadeva]

My good friend who hops freight trains traveled all over the country with a rat named Fink pretty much living in his jacket and simply around him. He had a little cage but he mostly used that for times of more physical stress, like walking far or jumping on a train (must have been stressful for the rat too, ha!). Stuck around for a good year, I'd say, but eventually ventured too far when a train was coming and had to be left behind. Seemed like a great traveling pet. I was surprised how much personality a rat can have.
The major con I can think of in a van dwelling setting is the smell. I'd aim to clean the cage every day, and have stuff that smells good in there. But still, with a rat hanging around all the time that musty smell seems hard to avoid.
I don't feel like a rat would be too much more of a responsibility in a van, on top of the vehicle's responsibility. Nowhere near as much with a dog. No barking, doesn't need to be let out all the time, heat and other conditions are probably not a big deal (in my experience rats are a challenge to kill).
This is all coming from someone who hasn't actually dwelled in a van yet, or owned a pet rat though. I'm just convincing myself to try it in the future maybe...

 

[K1ngN0thing]

I used to have a pair of rats (rats are highly social and should have at least 1 buddy) and they're great, but probably not ideal for an RV which bums me out a little. They need a decent amount of cage space to be happy and while my sense of smell is terrible, my mom often let me know how bad the cage reeked. Also, due to their small size, they're very susceptible to cold, and would probably develop respiratory complications due to a common bacteria they all have (you'll sometimes notice a red discharge around their nostrils). The only way I think it might work is if you had a small cage and let them free roam to compensate. Of course then you'd have to train them not to pee and poop all over everything, which isn't as easy for rats. A cat or dog is probably the way to go. I know I'll be getting a cat once I have my RV and once I can afford the extra expense.