this is pinky, she is one of the offspring from a pair i was breeding for a while.


this is a yet to be named male cream hooded rat.

I love rats! The movie Ben got me all chocked up (the song by Michael Jackson still does). I hope one day to get a rat. They are so smart. It's a crime that they only live 2 or 3 years and have such a bad, undeserved reputation. Your rats' eyes reflecting in the photo makes them seem "evil" too which of course is not how they look in reality. They both have pink eyes? I've not seen a creme hooded rat. He's pretty.

yeah, both are red-eyed. on the hooded, his fur around his eyes is cream, but the eyes are red.

i like rats too. can you handle yours or do they scratch and bite?

PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY Reptileguy

thanks for catching that Tim, 20! both let me just grab them and pick them up. i havent been bit by either. i have found that if you get them within a few days of weaning, and handle a few minutes a day for a few weeks they get used to you pretty quickly. i have tried this with older rats, doesnt really work. i actually dont get them out much, maybe once or twice a week. an hour per day is suggested. but mine stay used to me with this low handling frequency. if you want one i would suggest getting the smallest weaned one you can from the feeder stock at your local pet shop. they usually have colored ones as well, not just the albinoes.

Aww. the pics are so cool. I love rats. I used to have a fancy rat but she died, maybe of a heart attack. It was so sad.
~Caroline~ ;)

rats are ok. were they food for one of your reptiles, then you just decided to keep them?

no, but the albino's parents were, but i wanted rats anyways. i bred the pair for a while and "pinky" is one of their babies. the other i bought specifically to be a pet.

how many gallons is the tank? do they ever fight?

they arent together. the tank is a 55, thats where pinky is, the hooded is in a 12"x24" wire cage.

have they meet eachother before? i used to put mine in those balls, it was so funny.

they have, but were too distracted to pay much attention to eachother. too busy exploring the table they were on.

do you have the balls you put them in and they run around? thats so funny to see them go around in a ball, they go fast sometimes!

no, those seem to be so messy (poop and urine if they are in too long). do you have that problem at all. you have rats, right? if she gets any bigger i may get a wheel for her though.

in the beginning i did, about a week. then they just get used to it. its a great way for them to explore and excercise. i had hamsters in the past, never had a rat but they can go in larger balls.

YAY RATS I LOVED MINE THEY WERE TWO FEMALE ALBINO RATS, OH HOW I MISS THEM...:( One time my moms feret got out and she went to my rat tank and they got in a huge fight but the rats won :D