People enjoy having small pets and rats are becoming popular with people, whereas in the past they have been misunderstood.
A large percentage of people accuse rats of being dangerous and disgusting. This is predominantly due to stories relating to wild rats rather than domestic ones.
Rats are domesticated, highly intelligent, intuitive and friendly animals. Handling rats [...]

Rats as pets are probably not everyone’s cup of tea, yet rats make great pets as they are intelligent and easily trained. Rats are entertaining creatures and compared to dogs and cats, are easier to care for as long as you give them the basics of food, water, a regularly cleaned cage or living environment [...]

Many people prefer to keep small animals as pets these days. This is mainly because these pets don’t need the same amount of space as a dog or a cat. You can also keep a small animal in a flat or apartment that is not suited to cats or dogs or where they are not [...]

We often get asked at ideas-4-pets whether rats should be kept in aquariums (glass tanks etc.) or in metal rat cages.  There seems to be plenty of books and information out there about the pros and cons of both but I thought it might help to list the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Advantages of glass [...]

Due to the current recession, many would-be pet owners are looking towards the smaller pet rather than the cat or dog which, despite their usual popularity, tend to be rather costly animals to keep.  Dogs for instance need a good quality dog bed or even two, a dog kennel for the garden, sometimes a dog run too and [...]

Did you know that, contrary to popular belief, rats can be very sweet, very tame and very affectionate if you handle them regularly and look after them properly. They’re very friendly little creatures who will lick you and fight with your hand much like a little dog would do.
If you, or a member of your [...]

If you are looking to purchase a new pet, then you might want to consider a rodent. Before making any decision, ideas-4-pets advise that you ask your vet about any special needs each particular species of rodent might have. Though many rodents require the same general care, they still have their own unique needs. It’s [...]

You’ve probably looked at a rat sitting in his rat cage and maybe cringed at the thought of this rodent with his long, bald tail, so it would proably suprise you to know that rats are clean, intelligent, affectionate animals which bond to their human companions in much the same way that dogs do. 
It’s true!!  [...]

Rats make excellent pets as they are highly intelligent, social animals and although they enjoy the companionship of humans, they thrive in – and need – the company of other rats.
They will usually survive on their own but your rat would have a happier and more interesting life if he is kept with other rats.  Ideally, two [...]

Once you have made your mind up to purchase a rat as a pet, then you need to find a good rat cage. When you go looking for rat cages, you will find that most of those on the market are labelled chinchilla, ferret, rodent, small animal or even bird.
Some pet shops will [...]