Boys are amazing. So are girls. It all depends on what you're looking for in a pet. If cuddly big and squishy sounds like fun to you, then go for it! I think it's good to experience both eventually. And, my neutered boy gets along fine with all 5 of my girls. Keep in mind that a lot of boys don't calm down for awhile, they tend to be energetic their first year like girls do, and they slow down at different rates (and occasionally never!). I like boys a bit more than girls but I love both. I'm actually going to get more boys in the future.

 

The boys will need to be neutered and then separated for a month.

 

Yeah, I'm also interested in this topic. Can someone elaborate on the difference in smell between females and males? I asked my pet store if they ever sold males but they said no, because in their experience they always smell horribly. I've also read people say there is barely a difference.

 

I believe pet stores say that (and I have heard of that before) because they assume they smell more, because male mice do smell worse than females. And most people assume that rat = large mouse. I even see people saying male rats can't be kept alone or they'll kill each other, because they heard that of mice. Pet stores tend to have questionable advice... In fact, there are 2 people in my life who are currently working in pet stores, one being my brother, and I can tell you they know zip about any animal in that store. But as someone working in a pet store knowing zip about animals in the first place, you'll believe the first thing that tells you "male rats smell more." Even if it's just the rat vs mouse misconception. In reality, male rats who are kept in a maintained cage won't have a noticeable odor. Urine does smell, and some males do mark a lot... But in my experience the rats I've owned who have marked the most have been females. So odor really only varies between individuals. Male rats can be more oily and have a faint smell, but you'd of course smell odor just as easily on a female- you'd be needing to stick your nose into them to really notice (unless your rat was sleeping in waste). As long as you wash their hammocks a couple times a week and do your routine cleaning (frequency depending on how many rats are in your cage X how big it is) and feed an appropriate food then they shouldn't stink.

 

I have noticed that boys generally mark more than any of the girls I've had (except those two annoying girls that sprayed, uuugh). Other than that, the boys are just generally bigger...which I think translates into appropriately more cage mess. As for their individual odor...boys definitely do have that. You might read somewhere that it smells like 'grape'. I don't know if I'd go so far as to describe it this way, but it surely is a sweet musk smell and only noticeable when you put your nose directly on them. I don't find it offensive at all (wet dog is much worse). Some of my boys have been more oily than others, it has varied between individuals. During deep scritching/massaging sessions I'll have to wash my hands afterwards.

I think one of the bigger differences is the busy-body energy that the females had. Aside from the non-stereotypical outliers, my girls seemed to always run to the cage doors no matter what. Some of my boys...well...I have to deliver their treats right to the hammock doorstep. Lazy, lazy, LAZY. But I love it.

 

I think the main reason male rats are likely to smell more is that they're more likely to mark their territory, but if you're getting them neutered to go with your females then this shouldn't be a problem. They can also produce more oil especially if they have too much fat/protein in their diet which can smell.

I've just introduced a baby boy into my cage which are making all the rats smell as they keep peeing in the bedding, so I bought some deodorising wipes for rodents from the pet store to keep them fresh. I just lightly wipe them about every 3 days and it stops them smelling bad.

I love my boys as I can just chill with them on sofa where as girls tend to need more supervision.

 

I have both boys and girls and they're the complete opposite to the gender stereotype with rats!! Boys are supposed to be cuddly but mine are anything but! They just want to run and explore- however they are still young. On the other hand my girls want nothing more than to be with me and cuddle. They're little sweethearts.

On top of all this my girls are the stinky ones! Their cage smells much worse than the boys does come cleaning day and the rats themselves smell worse than the boys! My boys smell really sweet, I love their smell!! But the girls are a little stinky.

What I'm trying to say here is that even though the genders have a typical stereotype of how they'll behave, each rat is an individual!!! I love having both genders though, it's the best of both worlds!!