Miniature schnauzer

Manta Ray!

@@flufypigeon i hate hamsters too

Gray francolin

Pls do burowing owl pls pls pls

That's my issue with getting one. 2 years later...*dead*

Mine lived 3 years. I still miss her.

videos: have atleast 2 rats. me: proceeds to have 48 rats 😳 edit: I mean 47

Mine lived for 4 years 2 months, after she passed away I never had the guts to get another pet

@@weeezy3028 Rats are so sweet, I'm sorry for your loss.

And rats have been known to train turtles in the way of ninjistu.

Bruh 😅

@@user-qb2fb7eu9w you can stop kissing China's ass.

Aha

Les veres des amoureux sont comme le bon vin~

You have a cement attic?

@@Phenomenal14901 No, I have cement ,,on" my attic. I'm Bob the builder

They are not food 🤬🤬🤬

Damn, when I first read this I didn't see the t at the end of cement

Cement? Try things like money and important documents. It's almost like the more important it is, the more it tastes like pizza to them

Don’t forget the human flesh! :)

@@harxxa6436 oh, sorry, i totally forgot that one. My bad!

my babies are addicted to eggs whenever we have hard boiled or scrambled eggs for breakfast 😭 (3 times or twice a week)

They also love eating clothes, documents, maybe even cement, and I'm convinced they can draw nutritional value from litterally any object they can fit inside their mouth im not even playing and some of them somehow get huge in the worst conditions, ergo NY rats

If i didint have such a small house i would want a rat army 😭 theyd just run all over the place though

Bring on the army😍

What if the rats are spayed/neutered?

​@@QwertyoUipHmm.. imagine using this strategy when buying a house and requesting a lower cost 😂 just release to let them play, take pictures like the home is infested, and then call them all back to you for extraction 😂

Ummm… I mean I kinda want a rat army now. I didn’t even want one rat before you said this but now I’m definitely getting a male and female rat and you’ll see me as the new theocratic fascist dictator of Ratistan which is what I’ll be renaming the United States and Canada combined.

Overbreeding is one reason for that, rats lived longer before than they do now. My mom had a rat that lived til the ripe of age of 9 years old.

​@@Alucard45000 thats awesome

​@@Alucard45000Sad that overbreeding is causing it tho :(

@@shapeshiftingmedallion3974Eh, he's not 100% right. They have shorter lives mostly because of their nature as being prey animals. They're honestly the best pets, but in the wild, they live even shorter, usually less than a year. The issue is that predation has made natural selection unable to weed out genetic conditions, like: mycoplasma, hind leg degeneration, rampant amounts of cancer and tumors, bad vision, diabetes, kidney and heart disease, teeth malocclusion, and powerful allergies.

So by next year its safe to say all these rats will be dead

guess im not getting a rat, i would be devastated if my best friend died :((( im assuming its because of how insanely fast their metabolic system

@@daMillenialTruckerbut just because there not there for you whole life doesn’t mean anything at all instead think of it like this: you’re there for their whole life just know they could live a happy life instead of getting eaten by a snake

So the Ratatouille died 15 years ago 😭

Welp, eveeything dies, if that's something people are against, they should plant a tree. Or have a turtle.

@@jeanremi8384 trees and turtles die too

Don't they transmit diseases?

⁠​⁠@@DrippyPlayz1I’ll feed your python to my Philippine eagle .🥵😈🤭.

@@DrippyPlayz1a bit cruel but a snakes gotta eat, just make sure you don’t become a serial killer

@@DrippyPlayz1 so cool, thinking your funny about talking like that. Id feed you to an mountain lion if i could.

​@@DrippyPlayz1ohh, so edgy.

In simple, regular terms/language:. "after I read the comments, I learned that the most important thing to consider, when keeping a rat/rats is the fact that they thrive in groups of 2 or more. It's very important that rats are never kept alone. Whenever possible, please keep rats in groups of 2 or more. ... If I may add. This advice about companionship goes for lots of other rodents eg: rabbits, Guinea pigs, capybaras, prairie dogs etc

People like to parrot other people's good points. 80% of the comment section is about that, and you will STILL find plenty of guys thinking '' That's not enough, they NEED ME, I'm the protagonist, I will be the one that tells them this. It has to be me ''. Even this comment has one of these guys telling OP that 2 rats are important. Thank god you were around bro, the other 1000 weren't clear enough, and OP obviously didn't know about the 2 rats either lol

@@TheDorianTube omg, I KNOW!! 😂 Aren't people SO pathetic and ridiculous? 😂 I mean, the way people care so much about animal welfare that even though there are already existing comments that offer similar advice, losers still decide to offer more advice and guidance about the care of animals. Because those sad folk don't have anything better to do with their time than care about the welfare of animals! I mean... Can you even imagine being such a loser!? 😂 Because only losers care so much about animals, right? Ahh... Awesome to talk to you. You seem like a really cool guy. ☺️❤️

​@@TheDorianTube you're just jealous because they're (ALL) the (LONE) Man on Fire . . . 🤣

​@@TheDorianTubebro 🔥

Aren't you afraid of those teeth?

@@FG-bu3jp they never bit me. just one little nibble when i first pet glory (the ferocious female) but after that they never did.

@@cashview.shorts oh that's nice I remember being bitten by my sisters pet hamster and they're way smaller lol but I never touched him again 😅

That's sweet

@@FG-bu3jp yeah when youre very young and encounter something like that, you fear it for the rest of your life

Also, rats love to piss everywhere

Uhhh yes this happened to my bedsheets once XD

@@psiduck6101and definitely more so males than females but yeah

2 YEARS? omg my heart would break nvm.

time to make a rat army or smth

Did you know that the rat in my house scared me so bad im shaking rn and he peed all over my room and drank my mango soda 💀 , that btch was a fat classic brown ass pink tail rat im so scared that being in a haunted movie would be better than this situation 😭

​@@user-je4bc4fr3e🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@Kosin-zs9il a wild rat drank all my mango soda 😢

😂​@@user-je4bc4fr3e I used to get like 2 hours of sleep if I was lucky because I was so terrified of the sounds in my dark room at night

Unrelated but I am struggling with human deaths and this makes me remember someone telling me "Getting to exist is an exceedingly rare opportunity considering the scale of universe that is quite possibly lifeless, which then reminds me that we’re not even really “supposed to” be here in the first place. So when I think of death I realize that it’s actually the default way of things for us as life forms, to not exist. Life is so incredibly rare and I think of life as kind of a blooper in the universe. Realizing this feels like an existential crisis at first, but then over time it’s actually comforting emotionally. Because it’s easier to accept the deaths of others when you think of how little a chance we had to be born in the first place. This mindset makes it much easier to handle the loss of loved ones, it’s just the way of the universe. Nothing more, nothing less" I feel that yours and this person's mindset, really gives me some peace about my biggest fear, which is losing a loved one(pet included). 2 years is a gift for the rat and a gift for the world to have that precious rat!

​@@AethelhadasRead Bhagavad Gita to know more about life

​@james.p4579you actually believe that happened? Would you believe someone that said they did all that today?

@@Aethelhadas What a beautiful sentiment. It brought me a surprising amount of peace. Thank you for sharing. ❤

​@@Aethelhadasthat's why lately my way of thinking about life is that it is quite normal for us to not exist. I'm the eternity of the universe we only exist in a tiny amount of time.

yeah dont get rats they are disgusting

@@impulsiveurge5837 dont be racist

@@impulsiveurge5837 L opinion

@@rabidsetssf2820 huhh?

What about six nine ?

It's all cute and fun until blud gives you plaque or chew on your things.

​@@haarivengassery2799Rats dont give people plaque, there prone to diseases but not plaque, also rats that are domesticated are actually very clean

​​​@@JamesYates-lw4tc they meant "plague". In case anyone is curious: Rats are very notorious throughout human history as being INDIRECT vectors of transmission for Yersinia pestis, a.k.a. bubonic plague, a.k.a. Black Death, which killed quite a large number of people in the Middle Ages. They don't directly harbor the Yersinia bacteria that causes it: instead, rat fleas are the primary vector of transmission, and those fleas that live on the rats then become a threat of infection to humans when the human comes in contact with the flea-ridden rat. Anyway, the difference between Yersinia infection in the Middle Ages and now is that now we have the means to easily treat infected people. It's just a problem in very undeveloped areas and when people don't know they have it. So yes, you can still contract bubonic plague, but no, it likely won't kill you -- IF you get medical attention in time.

feral rats are not fun... Just saying... It's like comparing the Rattle snakes in the field by your house to pet corn snakes.

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus Rattus. Other rat genera include Neotoma (pack rats), Bandicota (bandicoot rats) and Dipodomys (kangaroo rats). Rats are typically distinguished from mice by their size. Usually the common name of a large muroid rodent will include the word "rat", while a smaller muroid's name will include "mouse". The common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. There are 56 known species of rats in the world.[1] Species and description A rat in a suburb of Vancouver Skeleton of a black rat (Rattus rattus) on display at the Museum of Osteology. The best-known rat species are the black rat (Rattus rattus) and the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). This group, generally known as the Old World rats or true rats, originated in Asia. Rats are bigger than most Old World mice, which are their relatives, but seldom weigh over 500 grams (17+1⁄2 oz) in the wild.[2] The term rat is also used in the names of other small mammals that are not true rats. Examples include the North American pack rats (aka wood rats[3]) and a number of species loosely called kangaroo rats.[3] Rats such as the bandicoot rat (Bandicota bengalensis) are murine rodents related to true rats but are not members of the genus Rattus.[4][5] Male rats are called bucks; unmated females, does, pregnant or parent females, dams; and infants, kittens or pups. A group of rats is referred to as a mischief.[6] The common species are opportunistic survivors and often live with and near humans; therefore, they are known as commensals. They may cause substantial food losses, especially in developing countries.[7] However, the widely distributed and problematic commensal species of rats are a minority in this diverse genus. Many species of rats are island endemics, some of which have become endangered due to habitat loss or competition with the brown, black, or Polynesian rat.[8] Wild rodents, including rats, can carry many different zoonotic pathogens, such as Leptospira, Toxoplasma gondii, and Campylobacter.[9] The Black Death is traditionally believed to have been caused by the microorganism Yersinia pestis, carried by the tropical rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis), which preyed on black rats living in European cities during the epidemic outbreaks of the Middle Ages; these rats were used as transport hosts. Another zoonotic disease linked to the rat is foot-and-mouth disease.[10] Rats become sexually mature at age 6 weeks, but reach social maturity at about 5 to 6 months of age. The average lifespan of rats varies by species, but many only live about a year due to predation.[11] The black and brown rats diverged from other Old World rats in the forests of Asia during the beginning of the Pleistocene.[12] Rat tails A closeup of a rat tail The characteristic long tail of most rodents is a feature that has been extensively studied in various rat species models, which suggest three primary functions of this structure: thermoregulation,[13] minor proprioception, and a nocifensive-mediated degloving response.[14] Rodent tails-particularly in rat models-have been implicated with a thermoregulation function that follows from its anatomical construction. This particular tail morphology is evident across the family Muridae, in contrast to the bushier tails of Sciuridae, the squirrel family. The tail is hairless and thin skinned but highly vascularized, thus allowing for efficient countercurrent heat exchange with the environment. The high muscular and connective tissue densities of the tail, along with ample muscle attachment sites along its plentiful caudal vertebrae, facilitate specific proprioceptive senses to help orient the rodent in a three-dimensional environment.[15] Murids have evolved a unique defense mechanism termed degloving that allows for escape from predation through the loss of the outermost integumentary layer on the tail. However, this mechanism is associated with multiple pathologies that have been the subject of investigation.[citation needed] Microscopic cross section of Rattus rattus tail, delineating tendon bundles, vasculature, and vertebral canal. Multiple studies have explored the thermoregulatory capacity of rodent tails by subjecting test organisms to varying levels of physical activity and quantifying heat conduction via the animals' tails. One study demonstrated a significant disparity in heat dissipation from a rat's tail relative to its abdomen.[16] This observation was attributed to the higher proportion of vascularity in the tail, as well as its higher surface-area-to-volume ratio, which directly relates to heat's ability to dissipate via the skin. These findings were confirmed in a separate study analyzing the relationships of heat storage and mechanical efficiency in rodents that exercise in warm environments. In this study, the tail was a focal point in measuring heat accumulation and modulation.[citation needed] On the other hand, the tail's ability to function as a proprioceptive sensor and modulator has also been investigated. As aforementioned, the tail demonstrates a high degree of muscularization and subsequent innervation that ostensibly collaborate in orienting the organism.[17] Specifically, this is accomplished by coordinated flexion and extension of tail muscles to produce slight shifts in the organism's center of mass, orientation, etc., which ultimately assists it with achieving a state of proprioceptive balance in its environment. Further mechanobiological investigations of the constituent tendons in the tail of the rat have identified multiple factors that influence how the organism navigates its environment with this structure. A particular example is that of a study in which the morphology of these tendons is explicated in detail.[18] Namely, cell viability tests of tendons of the rat's tail demonstrate a higher proportion of living fibroblasts that produce the collagen for these fibers. As in humans, these tendons contain a high density of golgi tendon organs that help the animal assess stretching of muscle in situ and adjust accordingly by relaying the information to higher cortical areas associated with balance, proprioception, and movement.[citation needed]

How about getting a cat to play with the rat?

You cant sleep over night with the rat, be at home with it constantly, fit in its bed with it for snuggles, groom it, or do anything a rat buddy could do

@@mr.shortism exactly

Yeah. Get at least 20 rats and make sure that they are 10 males and 10 females. They will not get bored, neither will you😏

So that's why Scabbers looked depressed.

Well you realise 99% of interactions between humans and rats are negative right? It's not like humans want to hate them but they eat food,destroy living spaces and spread disease.

Agreed

Tell that to a New Yorker and you’ll get the side eye treatment😭

In New York these things are huge seen one the size of a small dog I knew then that the sewers were not for me:

I've never ever seen someone being mean to a pet rat on YT. Disease ridden pests, however, caused the black plague, and need to be exterminated.

Nasty taking a rat to a super market. Absolutely disgusting.

@noahzero9380 you'll survive, probably.

​@noahzero9380 fancy rats dont have any diseases. It's the street rats that are the problem and carry diseases everywhere.

​@@noahzero9380why are you going at the supermarket then?

@@noahzero9380you are the type of person to kick cats, aren’t you?

THIS!

YES

So sweet I had 2 albino females when I was a child. They were so lovely and extremely intelligent and trainable. My sister and i and my mom trained ours to ring a bell when they wanted out of their cage..they had a litter box.. they did cute tricks and ate rice krispies out of our lips. They were like little puppies! my mother fell so deeply in love with them. Unfortunately after a couple years one got sick. My mom paid for her to have mammary tumors removed 2x and eventually they just came back and we had to let her pass.. soon after her death her companion passed away from heart break and she also suffered from the mammary tumors as well. I guess they are a common problem with them. Their names were Peanut and Buttercup... rest in peace little angels 🐁 🐭 ❤ (my mom was so heartbroken about the loss of these little angels that she said she could never have another pair because their bonds are so deep and they don't live long.. {note: the rats we bought were 2 feeder rats we saved from petco or the like. Not sure if other species live longer})

yeah they seem like amazing pets but I could never get one bc of this

@AlexaY82 I like your point of view thank you for sharing. I feel that as I've had to rehome quite a few different snakes bevause I had to move across the country to leave my abuser. Thanks for opening my eyes to a different way to think about this.

True, when I get scratched from them running over me the scratches get bumpy and super itchy

Yes adorable

Rats don't even have hands though lol

& teacups❤

​@@whatthedogdoin284they don't but ok

Tigers are also cute but I'd never own one as a pet though

i really want pet rats and this is the thing that resists me from getting them, my older sister had hamsters all her life so she had this situation but i think she got used to it after a while. the thing that matters to me is that they had a nice long life full of fun and will think of me when they pass away❤

​@@Sir_Rat6225i really like your thinking on this

doesnt sound worth it at all

@@ChromisPasqueflowerBowerbird suffering is a part of life, and with something like this you'll have some happy memories along with it

Please tell me you did not have only one rat... keep them in pairs at least!

Iconic since one of my pet rats is named Remy

Agreed. As shown by the hit mecha anime movie Ratatouille

😂

Yes, they will cook a great dish, but then eat it all!😂

And now you know!! :D They're super adorable pets!

They are the cutest :-)

Sadly rats formed part of a plague so that’s why in a lot of people heads they are dirty animals and they don’t like them. But in reality just like a cat or a dog. A rat can be a pet and can be trained too. If anybody tells you a rat is the worst animal to have as a pet always remember that even tho is cruel science chose these animals because they are indeed smart. I personally own cats and birds of of my life. But if anything I would love to have a pet rat one day.

@@OGWimoTapiarats only formed the plague because they became dirty and poisonous, it wasnt their fault, humans were abusing nature so nature striked back at us. Our purpose in this world was to take care of nature and every living creatures and what we all did was abuse it, which is why our earth is becoming dirty infested with many diseases.

The Media

It’s not just about how much time is spent with them, but about the bonds between rats. They don’t bond with humans the same way, we can’t give them the same things they’d get from another rat.

@@izzy6032 point still stands, never say "if you get 1 rat..." that posibility should never cross anyone's mind when getting them as pets.

yes, we had two when I was a small child. They were fantastic pets. Unfortunately, one of them passed from cancer. The other was not the same afterwards, she was very obviously so incredibly miserable, and passed shortly after. I would love to own more, but after that heartbreak I just can't bring myself to.

@@louthinator some gonna do it either way

I'm not even getting one

Ik you miss them we miss are rats too. It feels amazing that we can give them the best lives they could ever get. They all up in heaven bruxin and tackling each other.

How are they while roaming? I know they chew.

@@nolby1758 mine never chewed on anything that they weren't supposed to. I also never just left them alone while I let them out of their homes to play. I had several of them bc they were family- mom, dad and 6 kids. Like in the video, I made them a play structure to keep them occupied outside of their tank and interacted with them. What's unique about mine was that they acted like dogs in a way. They all had names and would come to me when called, lick me to show me affection, and would sit for special treats among other little behaviors. It was quite fascinating.

Can i get a rat whilst i have a cat?

@@AMAZINGDAVEonly if the rat is the same size as the cat

On god. I had two rats, got em as babies, never knew how fucking cool a rat could be, and how much I could love them. That was the shortest 2 years of my life. I’ll never own another, solely for that reason. RIP Mashonka and Poilu

Especially if you also own a cat.

​@National3730please re-read your sentence

yeah if ppl have issues with the lifespan, u should get a Guinea Pig. they are basically just big hampters.

@@wrg_101minor typos tbh, just take out the it and replace where with were

Is it ok to get 2 female or 2 male or should it be a male and a female?

@@PCRieffer yes, its ok as long as the rats dont show agressive behavior or sexual (unless u want baby rats

@@PCRieffer Males and females have different behaviours and (in some cases) needs! Do plenty of research before commiting! Any pair of rats can work together if they show no signs of aggression regardless of gender. Though be warned that male×female pairings can lead to sexual agression even if they've been neutered/spayed. If the rats are from different litters, or haven't been introduced previously I'd suggest slowly introducing them in a neutral environment over the course of a few days. to avoid possible harm between them. Monitor them closely during this time. Don't worry if they "fight" a bit with eachother, rats playfight all the time just for fun or for dominance.

Then there better be a “buy one - get one free” discount

but what if I dress up in my rat costume and then play with it

Plot twist: the rat is a human in disguise

I was about to write the same thing, then I saw your comment. That little fluff hanging in a pink hamock like that!

They didn’t show the empty liquor and pill bottles laying around the bottom of his cage. *Covid effed him up baaad!*

Are u that rat?

@@Ajay-up7sx yes it’s me

"to you rats are only there for a little bit but for the rat you are there forever." -a wise person.

Yeah, most of the one's I've had were about 2 years. On the plus side, they're great for kids because they're easy to care for and not such a big commitment like a dog (or even a turtle or snake).

​@@emmabery8594 i only heard that part of only stay with me for little time

​@@emmabery8594 friendly rat focast, right?

@@Mozzyguy how did you know 🤫

There is this female KZfaqr who made a video addressing rats' unfairly short lifespan, advising is not to grieve when your pet rat passes away from old age, stating that the short lifespan also comes with a lifetime of love and fulfillment from their points of view... and that even though pets rats are but two to three years to us, we are their EVERYTHING.

They just live 2-3 years or something. Ye that's not much but rats are cute and very cute

My girls know their names and come when they're called. They know numerous other words and phrases and react accordingly AND they poop only in their potty. There's a yt channel called "Shadow the Rat" and it's ran by a lady named Esther. The things she's taught her rats to do is nothing short of amazing. Another channel is ran by a man who has 6 rats. He lets them out to freeroam around his apartment and when it's time for them to go home he shouts "RAT TRAIN" and they all come running up his arms and into their cage, just like a little train. Rats are fabulous pets❤

IT ISS!

Wait what😢

​@@nakedramcswain4383They have a tendency to do that when they're happy or relaxed. It's weird, but also little cute(once you get used to it).

Bruxing and boggling is the sweetest 'i love you' i evee get from a pet. One of our rats likes to lay down near my head, than bruxing and boggling and when i looks at him, i know, he knows, that he do this only because of his love of our compainingship. I go on the other side of Couch and soon he seeks a place to be near my head, lays down... boggling, bruxing, waiting to get pets, or Cola or cookies 😂😂😂

​@nakedramcswain4383 no worries, it's adorable!

@@terredigreogorio4621 you promise 😅

I don’t think so

@@Darian_Roblox dang it. There go my ratatouille dreams

Well, there is only one way to know.

You have to insert it into your Brain..make sure you make a Buzz Lightyear suit for it to...

@@AurbreyCampbell I mean some rats are adorable but others not too much

​@Aurbrey Campbell Are YOU joking ironic with that pfp 😂

@Aurbrey Campbell Lmao you mistake a rat from the streets with pet rats. Whats next your frenchie is a Wolf 😅 Besides money doesn't make it cleaner or cuter idk why you even mention it smh.

@Aurbrey Campbell If you have so many questions maybe stop talking and arguing then? But that's your opinion if you find them not cute but they are definitely not disgusting lol you thinking to much of city rats.

wha- why is there an argument in the reply section..?

We're literally have a kids' song about soap-eating rat here in indonesia XD

lol cute rat

Why did they make the perfect creature and than make them live 2 years.

@@Jayjaythejetplain I agree, Jay Jay.

@@Jayjaythejetplain but stupid criminals outlive everybody until karma takes them out.

​@@JayjaythejetplainThey reproduce at such a high rate and in large litters. Lower animals in the food chain tend to do this as they are often prey for larger creatures. I am fond of rodents, but nature has a place for all creatures.

@@artiacannon487the reason is the cells inside small animals burn energy at a much higher rate

They’re just known for being out in the wild and carrying diseases When domesticated of course they’re clean

Rats are seen as the polar opposite of very clean animals by most people, i got 2 rats and they are very clean

​@@creeperminecraft294pets rats are clean but street rats are not

I mean if people lived in New York, you would understand the stereotype

@@Alltimefox I understand, I was referring to the pets not pests

That would be the LONGEST and most complicated guide ever😭

Impossible since every human is engineered differently and what might work for 1 human might not work for another.

@@b1njjj95 Isn't that only mental? Physically we're mostly the same right.

@@OldeVikingOriginal But wouldn't the guide be a mental guide??

@@Irrelevant_blackie Hmm, you might be right there. Though there are a ton of guides for the mental side of things already; for example the stoic writings.

Sorry for your loss.

@@goodbatches6855 Thanks man ✌️😁

they lived to 5 years old?

@@mmmvenison666 About 4, actually. Unusual for rats, but we took good care of them 🥰

@@CoffeeConsumerZoomer ur a really dedicated owner! i hope mine will live just as long 🥺

Whos micah ?

@@dennisdreck563 A prophet 😐

its a fucking name, infact its common

​@@dennisdreck563 Micah Bell

Goddamn I hate Micah. I also love rats. But the way Arthur says, "You rat..." is just so damn good. So I'm allowing it.

Me too bro.

No, specially you live in someones house and found u to kill you

​@@Numi_numi What?? What are talking about!? Talk in proper English!😅

Not if you wear a rat suit all the time

BRUH XD

fr and they're probably cringe kids that also claim to be a rat king/queen smh

right! they are so mean to the pocket puppies.

They're slightly less cute when they're inside your refrigerator eating the hoses or eating the jackets off of your house's electrical wiring.

@@toddjones1480 you cant compare domestic rats with selvatic rats

@@Zabor-ny3co Why not? You just did. Unless you think that people call exterminators to kill their pets?

I love their lil grabby hands lol

Totally agree. My three beloved rats had vet bills that were comparable to cats or dogs. If anything, taking a rat to the vet may be more expensive because they require an 'exotics' vet for proper care. But the alternative - not seeking care when they are sick or hurt - is unacceptable in my opinion. The decision to get pet rats should go along with finding a vet and setting aside funds for medical care.