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Rat appriation post (AMA) (beehaw.org)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/animals@beehaw.org
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I love rats. I really do. Ask me anything pet-rat related.

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[–] 2 points 3 years ago (5 children)

I love rats! They’re like small dogs, only way more intelligent. Shame they live such short lives :(

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago* (4 children)

    You know, it has an upside, though. For a rat it does matter not whether they live for 2 or 10 years, it's their entire life. You know, a happy and content one. And if they unfortunately pass away, you could always give another one a chance to have a nice life too.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    Are rats social animals?

    We started out with 3 gerbils, but for the last couple of months we're down to one (he's about 3 1/4 years old) and I think he's pretty lonely. Unfortunately he was the one of the three who most disliked human handling, and so i'm not sure he super enjoys when we take him out of his enclosure.

    He's got his wheel and a huge enclosure all to himself, but he's been noticeably less active since the others passed.

    I always wonder if our pets think we're eternal beings or something, I've had my dog since she was a pup and now she's old and i (from her perspective) have hardly changed.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago

    Yes, rats are social animals. They need another rat or they'll literally die. Gerbils are likely the same. There's nothing to beat the entertainment and comfort from the other animal.

    And yeah, interesting thoughts! They probably think something akin to that!

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