[Hippy]

Cant, do it, must not, even look...
I'm getting male addicted. I'm seeing all these pudgy males just lazy around and just, so big and cuddle and oh goodness, I want them. Every male I have ever touched though has bitten me and its makes me scared that they will bite and having three females they will smell them on my hands and get, well, excited and bite me.

I have no intentions on breeding whats so ever, and I'm very keen on having cages tip top locked, because I really don't want my rats romping around my room with out me watching.

I'm curious, if I did get males I would most likely rescue rats who have been neutered, but will they still be all nippy nippy ohhh female!? The cage I made is only for females so I wouldn't mix them in there, I would make a new one or buy one, but still curious..

Tell me about your male rat experiences....

 

[JennieLove]

I have only ever had males and all were very lovable and never bit! But I have always had them from babies, so I wouldnt know anything about adopting older male rats. I really dont see a defferance between males and females when it comes to temperments. I've only known males to be big lazy squishy loves...lol.

 

[Hippy]

Mhm, so how much to male rat neutering run these days? Arm? A leg?
Ide consider it. :]
Ide love to raise two boys so I wouldn't have to worry about their past, but neuter is a must.

 

[JennieLove]

Well, it cost me around $35-40 for each of them. I heard this was a good deal though.

 

[cashewsmama]

hm... that was a good deal. Mine cost me $150


None of my 5 boys ever bite (one is even an unsocial, loner who was mistreated badly when he was younger). I also have 5 girls. the girls through a fit when they smell me after handling the boys but they dont bite, just intense smelling for a couple minutes.

Personally, i love LOVE my boys (my all time favorite was a boy though), but girls.... are alittle funner in my opinion. boys are lazy and squishy but the girls seem to play with humans more. im the kind of person that enjoys rough play with my pets though.

 

[lilspaz68]

I became an "aware" rat parent a few years back, I had had rats since I was a kid but with no internet access and only that one crappy Pet Rat Book with all sort of misinformation in it, I wasn't the best ratmom.

Once I found the internet, the forums, etc...things changed. I had had males before but don't remember much about them, girls were more my thing as they are now.

I did take in 4 older male rescues a few years back (they were the beginning of my rat rescue saga). 3 of them were 26 months and the youngest was 22 months. One of the older boys got hormonally aggressive and he and the youngest went in for a neuter. Sadly the older boy contracted a severe URI afterwards and didn't make it. The 2 intact boys were curious about the girls but never made any aggressive moves or bit me. The one boy hated people, but at the end of his life with me he became quite loving. The other boy was awesome from the start, and he lived very happily til 37 months. The last boy was a doll, he loved his girls and they loved him back.
Right now I have 5 neutered boys living with girls. Its an awesome mix. They are all sweet (well except the partially wild boys but they have their excuses) and none have even nipped me.

Boys must be experienced.

I pay $140 for a neuter but here in Canada we always seem to pay a lot more.

 

[Mana]

I know exactly what you mean Hippy! I'm having to resist GGMSMR (Gotta Get More Squishy Male Rats!) myself. I so wish I could afford another neuter right now (I paid about $90 for my boy's neuter, but I didn't "shop around" much).

I got my boy at about 9 months old, and he is so sweet and loving. From day one, he gave me kisses and boggled and loved to be in my lap - he's also active, compared to what other males sound like, so his lap time would be about 30 seconds before running off to his next adventure :lol:

He has never bitten me, not even when at the vet they made me hold him while they attempted to remove the staples (if you do get a male neutered, staples are not a good route - ask for stitches and glue!), and my hands were near his face that whole time.

He's a mama's boy ^_^

 

[Hippy]

Well I know the Marin Humane Society always neuters and spays their rats before they adopt them out so maybe I will be in luck for some lovely boys.

Do any of you know how much larger the cage should be or whats a good male rat cage?

 

[Sparker]

As far as the SPCA, you'd have to see what the policy is in your area. Not all of them require rats (or rabbits, guineas, etc) to be altered upon leaving.

Either way, though, GGMR seems to be an epidemic...

I just got a bigger cage... 8O

 

[Hippy]

I would just rather prefer to adopt males who are already neutered and I know that the humane society near me fixes their animals.

I am in search of a another cage. I have a cost cage but thats too small for males in my opinion as easy as it is to clean.

 

[aquabutterfly13]

All my males are very different in behavior. Loki is very lovable he just cuddle and love but his brother powder when you place your hand near him will taste very hard and then he will be apprehensive to being taken out but once you have him out he is just as cuddly. So it just might take some extra time and care but males are worth it they are my teddybears.