Duration - 45 mins
With this comprehensive DVD you’ll be taken through all the stages to ensure your rats grow up to become happy, healthy and much loved additions to your family.
Rats are inquisitive and friendly and if properly socialized by careful handling from birth, there’s no reason why they won’t grow up to become curious fun loving characters, happy to sit in your lap or climb up on your shoulder!
Rats are nocturnal and most active at night and have an average lifespan of 2-3 years.
The Rat is the first symbol of the Chinese Zodiac - A sign of cunning and prosperity.
The ancient Mayan civilization used to worship the Rat, as did the ancient Egyptians. Even today, there is a Temple in India devoted to rats, where hundreds of thousands scuffle around in safety and harmony with the human occupants.
Did you know that a group of Rats is called a Mischief, and in these groups they take care of the sick & injured.
They’re very clean, and spend hours every day carefully grooming themselves and each other.
Pet rats are seldom aggressive and will quickly become your best friend. They are very intelligent and great problem solvers. Rats will rapidly work out a maze or negotiate a slalom course. They are always inventive and are easy to teach tricks to. They are herd animal by nature and are happiest in groups of the same sex so it’s not advisable to keep just one.
If you have other animals in the house such as a cat or dog, you’ll have to be very careful as they could well view your rats as a meals on legs! Likewise, rats see gerbils, birds, hamsters and mice as possible food, so never put them together.
When we first started growing and storing grain, rats learnt it was easier to feed off these stores than to fend for themselves. They also discovered that our homes provided excellent shelter from the wind and rain.
The Brown or Norway rat, Rattus Norvegicus, is the species which was domesticated into what we recognize as Fancy or pet rats. This animal began steadily colonizing Europe in the early 1700’s. The Brown rat quickly displaced the indigenous black rats, Rattus Rattus. Because it was larger and more adaptable, the brown rat was able to thrive in environments that were not suitable for black rats. Black rats were known as roof rats, they liked to live in dry roofs or attics, whereas brown rats preferred cool damp places like sewers or cellars.
The brown rat originates from Mongolia and Northern China, and after the domestic mouse, it’s the most common mammal in the World. They reached every corner of the globe, boarding ships by swimming and climbing the anchor chains. They are extremely adaptable to widely differing conditions and environments.
The modern fancy rat is descended from the brown rat, which scientists studied from the early 1800’s and later used for medical experiments. Over time, these lab rats became tame, and as their intelligence and curiosity became more widely known, they started to be adopted as family pets.