Reacting to Petsmarts rat care guide...

[@Mean_Jean]

I never trust any pet store instructions, I hope people do real research on any pet they want well before adopting.

[@Emiology]

I wish they would ☹️ unfortunately I still get a lot of people messaging me asking me to tell them “everything they need to know” after they’ve gone and bought the rats

[@Mean_Jean]

@@Emiology Those are the irresponsible type who just go buy a pet on a whim. To them it's never about the pet and having a pet owner bond, it's an accessory to them, and also the type of person who thinks that because the vet bill costs more than the pet, to just let them die. Sure I do use pet stores but to buy inanimate objects. I think pet stores should just sell like fish but have connections to breeders if you want a pet. And make you fill out a questionnaire and determine if you're suitable.

[@NeonAmnesia]

@@Mean_Jean or maybe they just really didn't know, but now wanted to correct themselves? Not everyone who impulse buys a pet are bad, some are just simply misinformed. Some do learn from their mistakes.

[@NeonAmnesia]

@@Mean_Jean but yeah, you're right about petstores. But I think they shouldn't sell fish either. There's lfs for that who take better care than petstores.

[@katiem5565]

I feel bad for all the kids who aren’t taking proper care of their pets and the animals

[@LMFuqua]

Actually YOU were who taught me how to care for my rats. We got ours for free from a friend whose rats did have an oops litter. Thank you so much for teaching me all the right things to look for to take care of our pets.

[@Tessahayashida]

Lisa Fuqua same her and rat guru are awesome

[@LMFuqua]

@@Tessahayashida yes I also reccomend shadow the rat for DIY toys.

[@jackieelizabeth8614]

Lisa Fuqua same! My boys are very happy fatties

[@LMFuqua]

@Ashley Cyril you misunderstand my friend picked up pet store rats that were already pregnant when she got them. She didn't realize till afterwards. She found homes for the litter and all ratties are on single gender only cages. Neutering rats is not something that happens in pet stores and even many vets don't see a need when they live in single gender homes. Being mad at my friend who didn't realize her nee rats were pregnant till after she got them is kinda rude.

[@pgakt]

​@Ashley Cyril Neutering rats is a really bad idea, its a super dangerous operation and has a high death chance Ive lost a young, healthy boy during neuter so dont do it unless you REALLY need to (illness/tumours/aggression)

[@lewisarthur3232]

Sprout was such a cute squishy wee floof , he will be missed.

[@vanellopescorner8882]

Yeah he makes me smile.

[@hamstergus3517]

Give a child a hard daily chore and judge if a child is responsible to have a pet off of that instead of a (beginner pet)

[@langenandanimals]

Yesss, seriously! I always tell people that there are no beginner pets and if you want to get a pet for your kid as part of a learning to caretaker experience, get a pet you as an adult ALSO wants so if your kid isn't ready for it isn't a "burden"

[@thisisdumb660]

@@langenandanimals the best beginner pets will always be plants. If your child can't take care of a plant they won't take care of an animal

[@langenandanimals]

@@thisisdumb660 yes!

[@Widdekuu91]

We had a rabbit at home and we were 'allowed' to help feeding it, together with my dad. My dad cleaned the cage, always did that and we were 'allowed' to help sometimes. We did often just play with the rabbit or sat with him. Slowly, starting from age 6-7, we started trying to take over a chore, then again, we had 4 people in the house, so it was always being done, no matter by whom. We sometimes joked that he was happy whenever we went out with the four of us (and left him alone) that he'd finally have some peace. We were always cuddling him, he died at the age of 14.

[@langenandanimals]

@@Widdekuu91 sounds like you all had such a sweet rabbit!!

[@moxiemoxen]

Petsmart is honestly such a trash fire

[@JPsPetNation]

They are bad

[@alannabrownlee7298]

So is pets at home

[@JPsPetNation]

@@alannabrownlee7298 it is true. Both are bad

[@sserpentinas]

Ooh I also HATE petco!

[@youdroppedsomething4334]

I was at petco to pick up some things for my birds and I pass the bird care pamphlet and it was bad

[@endlessmtnwildlife]

I got my first rats from PetSmart and asked the manager of the small animal section how to care for them--I'm sorry to say that I didn't do much research before I dove into the rat world. Everything the "manager" told me was incorrect. My poor first ratties lived in a tank for the first month until I did proper research and upgraded them to a double Critter Nation, as well as improving their diet, enrichment, free range time, etc. I learned a lot from your channel, Ratgirl44 (who is no longer on KZbin), and two years ago I discovered Isamu Rat Care--her videos have provided a wealth of in-depth information and continue to do so. Also, I disagree with the pamphlet stating that rats are "starter pets." I've found that if you're providing everything your rats need for a healthy, happy, and enriched life, it can be both expensive and time-consuming. Thinking that you can get a rat, put it in a small cage and let it exercise in a godforsaken exercise ball just doesn't cut it and is cruel to the rats.

[@briannaharter4411]

Starter means they are easy for beginners to care for and rats are easy to care for then most exotic pets.

[@briannaharter4411]

I never said they were cheap cuase no pet is cheap to care for.I said they are easy for beginners to care for cuase they defaintly are one of the easier pets to care for. Where are poeple supposed to start if all pets are not considered beginner friendly cuase all pets cost moeny and take some level of work?

[@endlessmtnwildlife]

I agree with Brianna Harter that people need some kind of pet to start with, but my personal opinion is that rats are not for beginners. Like Morning Rose said, "beginner pet" implies that they are easy to care for, which I don't believe they are. It's not easy to even find a veterinarian that will treat rats, at least where I live. Perhaps this would be an interesting topic for Emiology to explore and let her subscribers weigh in.

[@briannaharter4411]

They are actually very easy to care for. Considering it's easy to find decent food like oxbow,a good cage and enrichment for them in petstores.they are also easy to handle for beginners cuase they are very friendly.their care is also simply cuase it's keep cage clean,give food/water and play with them. The hardest part is finding a vet but that varies from aera to aera.for example my aera has 10 vets that treat rats.

[@briannaharter4411]

Respiratory infections and cancer are very easy to manage with vet care.which is the only iusse with their care for beginners cuase it's hard to find a good vet in some aeras.also respiratory infection might not ever even be a problem if they got them from a breeder. All pets cost a huge amount of moeny. They don't require hours.a hour a day is normally all they need but more is better.also how is it any different then a dog needing walks or other pets that require attention? You need to feed most pets every day.also cleaning doesn't need to be done every day esipceally if you have a large cage. They really don't need home made food if you are giving them a decent deit like oxbow which has all their required nutitrional needs. Correction you think they aren't cuase that's not how you'd care for them when they are caring for them right.

[@datroy3647]

When I heard the size I didn’t think it was that small, then I saw the rat. Yeah no way.

[@GreymanWalking]

1foot x 1foot by 2 feet yes tiny. I'd only use a cage like that as a quarantine cage or to actually take the rats to the vet.

[@Buggirl1356]

I know, right, that cage wouldn't be big enough for a mouse.

[@Deception975]

"I'm from the U.K." *squints while looking at sweater*

[@GreymanWalking]

lol, yeah she's worn it before in another video and I laugh.

[@willowd6538]

Hey! Thank you so much for putting it in there that those “edible hides” (like the red log looking ones and the tipi brown one) are bad for rodents to ingest! I actually had one in my hamster’s enclosure just now and i had NO idea it had pine shavings in it. I took it out right away. Very much appreciated!! Thank you!!❤️

[@madison_0110]

Emiology you should make your own one of those but put a link in your bio so people can see it online do it for rats and mice so people can get the right information

[@cowgroup7524]

I agree

[@tigrflwer1838]

In general, never EVER take advice - even about fish - from anyone working at a chain pet store. I think I met one employee who knew what he was talking about. The others are mostly minimum wage kids who have no clue. Pet stores should sell supplies only.

[@MissionMischief_]

To be fair when I went to pets at home for bugs in my bioactive rat setup one of the workers was very knowledgeable about it and was very useful about isopods

[@love-kg3gq]

Hi I am a fan I have four rats and I've been watching you forever and I do not agree a pet stores

[@fattyMcGee97]

I half agree with what you said about putting your rats food in a bowl. I used to do a mix of food in a bowl and scatter feed them. I'd also hide treats around their cage and throughout my living room for them to hunt for. I found that all their food wound up in the rear left corner of the cage on the ground floor no matter what I did anyway. I also remember one time when my partner and I had been having a box of heroes. One had fallen to the floor without us realising. I've never seen such a proud and smug look from a rat before or since. Little aramis running off to the cage with chocolate still in a wrapper. The most adorable thing that I felt really spoke to the intelligence of rats is that he tore through the wrapper and discarded it only to then go for the chocolate. He looked so disappointed and betrayed when I took it off of him too. I let him have a tiny bit and then gave him a little bit of ham to make up for it. He lived for nearly 4 years. He was very frail by the end of his life, but he was a little trooper. I miss my rats so much 😔

[@GreymanWalking]

try getting a rabbit poop from a rat when they think it's s treat and do the "hey look what I found look" then run off. I have free roam rabbits in my apartment and when I have my rats out on free roam time I have to watch when my rabbits come investigate that they don't leave any "treats" behind.

[@biirdbraiins]

I literally went to pet smart to pick up some dog food and a water bottle for the rats i’m getting next week, and it was heart breaking to see the rats there. in these tiny little glass tanks, barely any toys, bright lights on them- they looked miserable :( but i’m so glad i’ve found your channel to educate me a lot on smaller things i didn’t know about rats!

[@carolinecullison7193]

Skye you can feed rats dog food?

[@freeformlotus4821]

@Horse yes

[@f1shstiks]

Horse as long as you check the ingredients

[@tinyflyingdragons9432]

Rats shouldn't have dog or cat food as a base for their diet because these foods have more protein than necessary and rats don't need THAT much protein only some. Dog or cat food however can be a wonderful occasional treat

[@fyre1116]

@@tinyflyingdragons9432 I read that Cat food is an absolutely nope, but dog food ~which usually has a less amount of proteins since dogs aren't strictly carnivores~ is the Bast way to get good proteins on homemade mix. My two little girls love it mixed with quality rabbit food, muesly and pasta, grass and dehydrated berries. I'm still learning so any advice would be lovely ❤️

[@amybritton1505]

Why are all care guides so poorly written? 😂😂🙃

[@OrenHofer]

they're targeted towards kids and lazy parents who don't want to do actual work

[@leylapiroska]

Apple Sauce yup exactly, they have a higher chance of making money if they make them seem like low maintenance and cheap pets, so parents think that they won’t have to invest too much money or time in them.

[@Lacrimarimus]

@@OrenHofer And because they can sell you books in their stores. It would not be interesting for them to provide with free information when they can sell you another product.

[@rosiexpetunia6138]

Ya idk if this was a typo or something but I was reading the guinea pig care guide for PetSmart and it said 3,000 sq ft which is huge ?

[@animalcrossingnerd8142]

Lazy pedants don’t read much to kid

[@weeping.flower]

My father had rats when he was younger, and his rats lived for 5 years!!!

[@kristinsheldon795]

Wow!

[@graceesmi]

He must of taken very good care of them :D

[@charlotte6158]

R.I.P Sprout, the rat who inspired me to get rats ❤️❤️ we will always miss you Sprout, fly high 😇🌹

[@ashthomas5429]

I don't like it that they're selling hairless guinea pigs and rats. These animals have special care requirements then a normal guinea pig or rat. And they're way more sensitive then the normal guinea pig or rat. Also my opinion is it's not natural that mutation is something that has to be bred for .

[@briannaharter4411]

You do know the rats and guinea pigs aren't natural at all and are completely domesitcated?

[@pgakt]

@@briannaharter4411 They started as wild animals lol? And wild rats and GPs still very much exist

[@briannaharter4411]

Dogs started has wild animals to.but you wouldn't consider a dog a wolf would you? While they do exist comparing them is like comparing a dog to a wolf.you're not going to find a hooded dunno rat in the wild or a wild guinea pig that's cilco.

[@pgakt]

Brianna Harter There are still wild dogs that aren't wolves so that's not a great comparison :'-) You said rats and Guinea pigs are unnatural, not just dumbo hooded ones, so I was pointing out that wild rats and GPs do exist

[@briannaharter4411]

Those wild dogs aren't even in the same genus has our domesitcated dogs and only share similarity by name. I was talking about our domesitcated ones.cuase they are unnatural.

[@cbaelz120]

I live in California right now. I have 29 Petsmarts within 75 miles of me. None of them sell rats. None of the Petcos (competitor) do either. Back in 2017 a little boy died from Rat Bite Fever after his parents bought a rat from Petco for him. At that point, all of the stores around here (Bay Area, CA) stopped selling rats. I take my dog to various Petsmarts so she can have a little fun sniffing everything and I haven't seen a rat in store since then. They all still carry the pamphlets though and rat merchandise.

[@madylynepagonis6527]

C Baelz i live in Cali too and I was just thinking “does petsmart even sell rats ??”

[@aryzalera]

Finally some youtuber who uses centimetres XD Watching people from America is confusing sometimes :((

[@f1shstiks]

then im sitting here confused about the measurements because i live in america why does america have weird measurements?!

[@ellef3478]

Tildachu 775 because only three countries in the world haven’t adopted the Metric system and the USA is one of them. The others are Libya and Burma I believe :)

[@taranmcallister4330]

@@ellef3478 the funny thing is in the American manufacturing industry metric is pretty standard practice, just not in everyday life lol

[@Angel-ew5tq]

@@f1shstiks agreed. But as a american i have no clue either

[@kristinsheldon795]

Ahhhhhhggg!!! What is wrong with pet smart? They need to update these pamphlets. It is so sad that this is the information they are giving out. And actually you are the one who has taught me all i know about rats, and I'm glad. This channel is so informational and im so glad i found it when i did.😊 thank you!

[@omreee686]

I remember these care guides being way worse than this, so this probably IS updated

[@aleksandraabrahamowicz9288]

Rest in peace Sprout , you've gone to a better place and are hopefully playing with your other rat friends in heaven ❤🌷💕

[@theotherther1]

Instructions weren't clear enough, I got my rat stuck in the ceiling fan.

[@deoranjed8118]

When I was a very young kid back in the 90s rats definitely lived longer. Most of mine lived over 3 years but did have some respiratory problems like to day. My experiences tell me that they had less health problems back then but some people may say differently.

[@Chickie61382]

I completely agree with your observation. I've had pet rats for about 30 years. I also noticed over the years their life spans seemed to shorten. My first rat lived 4.5 years. He was a PEW my mom purchased as a retired breeder from a local pet store.

[@deoranjed8118]

@@Chickie61382 where do you live? I live in the UK. I'm guessing the rats here and the states must be a little different. I know at least one of my rats back in the 90s went a few months into their 4th year.

[@Chickie61382]

@@deoranjed8118 I live in Pennsylvania, USA. I think over the years breeding them for certain genetic traits might have at some point shortened their life expectancy. Over here most breeders I have spoken too say a long lived rat is usually 2.5 years. Also back in the 90's tumor growth seemed less prominent. I think trying to weed out some poor genetic traits led to other genetic traits to flourish.

[@pastapartyify]

I feel the same. My first rats I got them in the mid 90s and they lived over 3 years. Now my babies tend to pass at 2 and a half years.

[@NathanielTavington]

Average is 2 years, but it's possible for them to live up to 5.

[@maxenau5726]

you measured out the cage and I was like “it looks a little small-“ and you put the rats down and I??? Petsmart... wh- no, no

[@ellens.bookishcollection]

I have mainly hairless rats*. I definitely don't reccomend getting them from a petstore. I get mine from breeders who have spent a long time on the lines they work with, and honestly mine haven't had health issues nearly as much as my furry rats. :)

[@pgakt]

I think the hairless breeding is much better in the US, assuming that's where you are!

[@ellens.bookishcollection]

@@pgakt I live in Canada! I do believe some of the lines are from the US. :)

[@pgakt]

@@ellens.bookishcollection Ah same area! The UK is awful with hairless

[@ellens.bookishcollection]

@@pgakt Thank you for clarifying! I have to admit, I'm not well educated on UK lines. I'll definitely have to do some research!

[@tootsa9295]

I would love to be able to scatter feed my rats, but they do have health issues and my vet recommended to place the food in a bowl to insure that they are eating. I do scatter some treats around to give them some enrichment.

[@briarbat]

I used to make all these mistakes. Tiny cage, wrong diet, single rat, etc. Thanks to the Internet (not that stupid pamplet) I have upgraded to 3 rats from ethical breeders, double critter nation, oxbow and extra fruits and veggies, and plenty of toys. Your channel is super informative and I really hope any new rat owners find your channel because you are spot on!!

[@xxjustcallmejayxx]

You are the person who who taught me how to care for my rats and thanks to you I have 3 beautiful girls called Bounty, Coco and Oreo I only got them on the 1st of February and I love them already my only problem is I am now bankrupt from the amount of treats and toys I brought them already💞 Thanks Emi🐁🐀🐾

[@JulieReshe]

THAT'S 3 DAYS BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY

[@kirbyprincess7125]

How are your babies doing!

[@ChristyThomasCoaching]

My daughter wanted rats before we found you, I was going to get them from PetSmart, but now we'll see if we can discover breeders! Also, you taught my daughter how to care for rats!

[@boogrlovr]

thank you so much for sharing knowledge about proper pet care with so many people. there’s so much misinformation out there, and so many well-intentioned pet owners end up hurting their animals because they don’t know any better. i love that people like you have created a community around the proper care for our furry friends. happy pets make their owners happy!

[@vanellopescorner8882]

The enclosure size didnt sound that small but when we saw the rats in the cage and that small amount of space it was definitely a wake up call.

[@jessierobinson7512]

We got our rats through a local Mom & Pop shop that works with a reputable breeder. We have learned everything from your channel!

[@veggiemonkie5041]

I dont own rats, but I think they are adorable and would love to own a couple later in my life, but I do own a ferret, got her from Petco on my birthday a few years ago, (a bit of a compulsive buy ik, I don't plan on doing it again, and enjoy researching animal care in my free time) my friend worked there at the time so she showed me some good products and gave me some good advice. I got a 3 tear cage, a hammock, toys ext. They said to use marshals ferret food but I did some researching when I got home and decided that mixed cat food would be better. The cage broke when I went to clean it so I got rid of it some time last year and she has been free roam almost the entire time I've had her. I wish I took my time before buying to research what I would need but my lovely ferret panda has been a happy girl despite my mistakes.

[@Cryan-]

@@ourladyofyogurt I also have a ferret and I've had him for around 3-4 years now. I did tons of research and have found a lot of videos and forum posts of people with only one ferret so I don't understand why you said that every video suggests you need more than one. Mine is alone but he is completely fine and happy. He gets multiple hours of free-roam and play. It is better to keep multiple ferrets, sure but some ferrets can also be aggressive towards others. Ferrets can for sure benefit from a friend and if you can get two then go for it... But they don't NEED it, unlike rats for example. I'm a first time ferret owner and I'm honestly glad I didn't get two right away. I think if you have only one ferret then you need to provide much more play and outside time for them. You have to understand that ferrets are extremely expensive pets and in some places they are even considered exotic(where I live)... so keeping more than one means you need to provide both of them with vet care(extremely expensive if ferrets are not common pets), food, enclosures, toys, etc and it will add up to a lot of money in the end. Rats have been my most expensive pets so far but my ferret is a close second in terms of vet bills for example. Yes they are social, yes they can benefit from a friend but in the end it won't kill them and they can be happy without one.

[@hennaele]

I'm from Brazil and having my first rat baby, I wish there were any Brazilian youtuber that would use their acknowledge to teach other like you do! I'm very grateful that I know English and to your videos, it's helping me a lot to take care of Arisa (my rat)! Thank you!

[@sindicta5757]

You only have one though, so you don't seem to have learned that much.

[@nataliam2266]

I love the way you compared different care guides from different pet shops! A very good idea to raise the awarness that pet shops are not always right.Its very interesting to see the difference between different pet stores, im sure this has changed people's mindset.Thank you for making this video

[@PandaReeseDesigns]

I’m so glad I learned all I know about my boys from you. You really are giving rats and mice their best life

[@garageflower7154]

Great video, honestly appreciate all the time and effort that you put into these videos, they're all a good length and go into great detail to explain everything. Keep up the good work!

[@erincoles8326]

I love you sooo much and you’ve taught me so much about how to care for rats 🐀❤️

[@boojablegoogle1245]

I'm so glad I found you before getting pet rats so that I can make them as comfortable and as happy as possible. Thanks for sharing!

[@mckennasullivan9992]

Hello, on the cover that is a yogurt drop as they can come in shapes.

[@emmasolomon8061]

Petco and pet smart don't sell rats anymore at least in Arizona.

[@devyn4189]

Emma Solomon they dont sell them in california either

[@1818ZebraLover1818]

They dont in Missouri either. Its honesty for the best

[@mitsukitai2713]

Petsmart and Petco don't in Indiana either. From what I heard, both changed their small animal suppliers a few years ago to ones that didn't have rats. The change may or may not have had anything to do with the 10 year old who died in 2017* *[His family claimed he died of rat bit fever due to being bitten by one of his 2 rats. However, in the article linked below, it is mentioned that the strain of bacteria that causes RBF can also be contracted by just handling rats, and there wasn't any evidence the rat bit him) www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-rat-bite-fever-20170420-story.html

[@devyn4189]

mitsukitai2713 thats the reason why they stopped selling rats, especially in california. I have to go 2 hours away to a breeder...

[@1818ZebraLover1818]

Deci P yeah I’m having to drive 4 hours in a couple weeks to get my boys, a lot of breeders in Missouri haven’t been active

[@spoons923]

Pet stores aren't always bad!!! Big chain stores are, but around where I live there's a mom and pop pet shop that ethically sources all it's animals from responsible local breaders. The animals may be more expensive but you should absolutely support these places

[@Emiology]

They’re better than chain pet stores but you still have to be careful! At least in the U.K., none of the reputable ethical breeders would ever sell their rats through a pet store. It’s important for their lines that they oversea the homing of the rats themselves to make sure they’re going to a good place but also to stay in contact with the owners, without this they wouldn’t be able to be updates of any health or behavioural issues in their lines and wouldn’t be able to improve them. They’d also like to ensure the rats are kept in appropriate enriching environments while they’re waiting to find homes instead of sitting in a pet store. So you do still have to be careful that the breeders selling to the store aren’t backyard breeders who don’t understand genetics and what they’re breeding.

[@akeenanimeiz720]

I am getting rats probably next year, and am doing tons of research because I want to be fully prepared, and I am so excited! I learned a lot from your channel, and thanks to you I won't make many mistakes I probably would have.🐀🐀🐀❤️

[@kimiskingdom798]

I love your channel. You were the person who persuaded me to get rats and now I have 4. I don’t regret a thing. Don’t ever stop teaching people about rats. I hate how they get so much hate even though they are the sweetest little things ever.

[@stellabelikiewicz1523]

WOW. I was expecting to be appalled by the care recommendations, but now I’m also scratching my head that they couldn’t even spring for some decent COPY EDITING!

[@megan4100]

What confused me was that they mentioned the rats poor eyesight which means they rely on other senses to navigate, yet they encourage putting them in exercise balls?

[@bethxkim]

I work at Petsmart in the US. Associates are definitely aware of the poorly written care guides. Most people at my store don’t follow them since we have more knowledge about the animals by learning on our own. I’ve learned a lot from online sources, like this channel. I always tell people you can learn SO much from KZbin and to just do their own research. I love my job and taking care of our animals. As an associate I know I have a lot to make up for since the information given by the company is so incorrect. I can’t speak for all stores, just me and mine.

[@Blondythedragon]

Just a thought; What kind of hiding spaces do you use for your rats(to you all in the comment section)? I personally like to use boxes, long, tall, or box forts, I built a hammock in one of them and my dear Empress sleeps in it every day ^^ (Asking because of the lack of hiding spaces in the cage at 9:44 'cause it damn offends me)

[@lulubennett-r1u]

the fact that a PET STORE would give this care info is shocking

[@alaynafaith6934]

When I went into Petsmart, I did not read any instructions. Instead I asked an employee who actually owns and takes care of one. But, now I always come to this channel :)

[@shannahyde5078]

I got my pet rats from a pet store, but they were living in a great cage. Seeing pet stores being smart makes me happy, my rats are super sweet and I love them so much! Thank you for helping pet stores realize what they do to animals

[@ilikebread3006]

Hi!! I found your page recently and I'm so glad I did. I didn't have any places where I could get rats except for pet smart and feeder breeders. I used to get feeders and take care of those like every other rat but the short lifespan tears me apart. I'm glad I got the ones I did I got the ones I did because they are so sweet!! I understand they weren't handled often, but they are warming up to me!!

[@luceleaf]

I discovered the joy of pet rats on youtube and since I knew that pet store instructions contain LOTS of misinformation, I decided to jump straight to researching about their care from more experienced rat owners with thriving rats. thank you for all you have taught me and many, many rat owners so that our rats may thrive:)

[@TheMissRandomosity]

That cage guide gives me anxiety. My friend has an old 6ft parrot cage turned into rat habitat, that's open all day so her ratties can roam if they want to. The only way I can see that size working is if you only plan on them sleeping in there, or a transport cage at most.

[@rattkoll]

You are also my inspartion for rats. Got one replacement rat (that was very aggressiv) and then nuderded him and got a female rat that he loves now! And next week i get home one more female rat. Happy rats.

[@awetistic5295]

Wow, pretty much everything in this guide is wrong. I'd recommend a cage minimum of 80 x 60 x 100 cm for rats and keeping at least three rats together because two are not a pack. My first rats were a male pair and they did show many typical signs of distress, I just didn't know better back then (15 years ago). Rats don't need wheels and especially not exercise balls, they are so curious and explorative and need lots of mental stimulation and daily free roaming. If you don't want to spend an hour with your rats outside the cage every day, you maybe should think twice about getting rats. The love and affection you'll get back is worth every second. Right now I have 11 boys in two packs and I love them more than anything else. Had to give them extra cuddles after watching this video.

[@TruffleSeeker54]

What are the signs of distress you saw? I'm studying veterinary technology and we take care of rats in cages of two.

[@awetistic5295]

@@TruffleSeeker54 They don't have a pack structure, it's pretty much just a forced pair, so they will fight more and can't establish a hirarchy. Very common is excessive grooming to the point where one rat has bald spots (happened with my boys). Over time, the rats will lose social interaction skills. There are studies that show how rats in bigger packs have lower stress and lactate levels, are less neophobe and more explorative. In a pack, you can have different rats to cuddle, play and sometimes fight with. In a pair, there's only the one other rat and so it will always be that other one. You can't go and cuddle with another rat when you have enough of the one partner.

[@CapnArrich]

Annnnnnnd this is why I Googled rat care and looked it up on KZbin. Call it a hunch. And yes, totally from America here. Hi. And thanks for all the useful tips and advice. I am looking to adopt some ratties in the near-ish future, and yours and other channels have been super helpful. Cheers!

[@rowan3285]

Emi: Here it just says habitat Pause Ikea advert

[@Rottngfairy]

Idm how long it is, the more the better! I enjoy all your videos!!

[@alexapalm2960]

I live in south africa and we went to a shop [ tropical pets ] because they said they sold teddy bear hamsters . When we went inside we looked around but no teddy bear hamsters were there . Instead there were fish , hairless guinea pigs , rabbits and dwarf hamsters . But when i saw a sign that said hairless rats i asked an employee what that meant and she took out a friendly female albino hairless rat named Duchess . She had two brothers in the cage but somehow she wasn't pregnant . We wanted a hamster but went home with a hairless rat and she doesn't have any appearing health issues . Any advice would be great

[@wybiefletcher6739]

I have a hairless rat and he's absolutely gorgeous but I'm very nervous about illness

[@kaatyblue]

my hairless girl is the healthiest out of her two furry sisters

[@esmeraldacastro666]

After I got my rat I new the basics but you taught me a lot more and I am very grateful for your videos :)

[@emetvids]

10:20 do you think you could disassemble the wire wheel and put padding on it to hang from the top of a cage as a hammock?

[@skelanimal14]

Pretty glad I found your channel before I got my rats. I just really wanted rats and lived vicariously through your channel until I got my own!

[@StarlightBettas]

lmfao. JUST before you said " wow there is a massive plane going over " I heard a big helicopter or plane which flew over my house. literally right as you were saying that it flew overhead x"D wth

[@kashregester3974]

Im getting a cage just like that 6:22 except it has a deeper pan at the bottom I only have 1 boy because he doesn't get along with other rats tried to kill his previous owners other rats

[@Ari_C]

11:45 that sounds more like a recommendation for a reptile rather than a rat. I've heard of all kinds of precautions for reptiles(misguided and otherwise) in case they accidentally ingest their bedding, nothing like that for rats.

[@rat-tastic422]

I don’t understand- chain pet shops _sell_ these animals, and yet they can’t give correct information about them... it’s just... for how long have these companies sold these animals? You’d think they’d know what they were doing by now

[@rat-tastic422]

ForestofTooMuchFood Exactly

[@sophierichardson9812]

How did u make slanted writing. Unrelated but oh well

[@rat-tastic422]

Sophie Grace Richardson You put underscores ( _ ) on either side of the word that you want in italics, like this: ._Hello_ (ignore the dot at the start)

[@wolfraider5652]

I live in America and rats aren’t a common pet so I had to buy my rats from a pet shop. I didn’t listen to any of the advice that they gave me because I had done months of research from books, reliable sources, and watching this channel. It does make me sad though because my one friend got a rat before me and they didn’t give it a proper home or any other rats. It made me really sad for their rat. Which is why I I got all the supplies I need before getting my three beautiful rats. Also some advice to any Americans watching. If you have to buy from a pet store, make sure you check the genders of your rats. My pet store lied to me saying that they were all boys (I ended up having two boys and a girl). I had to get my girl spayed and it was such a struggle. They are happy and healthy though and I love them very much.

[@Lulu-xl5cm]

I see 5 dislikes from Petsmart managers xD

[@akeenanimeiz720]

lol 😂🤣

[@JobinatGH]

I am adopting both of my rats ( my first rats ) from a shelter with a vet team that check them out before but plan on buying supplies from a pet store until I learn enough to DIY a lot of it. I have watched a bunch of your videos and actually impressed the staff at the shelter who were worried when we discussed these would be my first rats.

[@kdawg7060]

Hi so early cuz I LOVE your channel!

[@moriahb6738]

I really love this video! Thanks for making it❤️

[@alspandora4626]

Great video :) just got two baby rat boys xx and this helped lots as well as your pets at home video xx woop fellow UK rat owner x

[@deannagreenwood2334]

I am SO glad you made a video about this. My parter and I were just flabbergasted at the myriad of totally false information our (sad) American pet stores are giving first-time pet/rat owners. And of course they trust what the “professionals” tell them. We were also told personally (we had recently adopted a fully-grown dumbo mink that was actually surrendered by someone that same morning- it was a sign and we just COULDN’T leave her there) by a Petsmart employee that they need to live solo. I was like “Are you serious…?!” Well I’m super polite, so even though I knew better, I just told her I had a separate cage for her. I just can’t wrap my head around why A) They are spreading misinformation on purpose, as they actually know better, or B) Spreading misinformation based on total ignorance. Nobody cares about science and the truth anymore. I don’t know which is worse, or how to change this. It makes me sad to think about how many rats are depressed, living all by themselves, because the “trusty” pet shop employee has told the owners false information.

[@DeathbyPixels]

I only go to PetSmart/PetCo if I need supplies. There’s a PetSmart near my house I can bike to. If I’m buying a new animal, however, I’ll go to local, privately-owned stores if it’s something “exotic” (e.g. fish) or shelters for “normal” pets (e.g. cats)

[@hatz5125]

Victoria send that lmao I seen her mention she would Luv you guys 🙂

[@perrystranger7407]

My pet store was really adamant we buy sand for our rats "sand bath" and while I was pretty sure they didn't one we now have an unopened sack of sand for a door stopper

[@crystaldavis335]

I use those “guides” as a base for the different topics to do research on, i.e. housing, what to feed

[@julzie115]

In certain states, cities, and districts rats are illegal to sell in areas. They don’t sell them around me but you can get them at other mom and pop shops for some reason

[@Snips.tano89]

I have a small family business in my state (Massachusetts) called klems. I got my rats from there and they gave me a 6 page full detail care guide with amazing reference photos and cage ideas. My jaw dropped when I read it. It was absolutely amazing, it was accurate, above average standards. And the staff really cared about them and let me hold all of them and pick out the best and most friendly babies. Highly recommend them

[@eraticatorr]

its crazy how much rat care as evolved, I was reading a dictionary kinda about rats and other gerbils and the recommended cage was SOOO SMALL, not even a fly would live happily in there

[@MaddiganMichayla]

I work at a Petsmart and I think why it says In pairs (granted this is based off my store) is they are sent in pairs. And my store at least only gets one pair shipped.

[@adelecollits6593]

I hate how pet stores give these care guides to people they are really just not okay. I have been researching rats for over 2 years and I still don’t have them. I have learnt almost everything I know about rats from you and I’m thinking about making my own (safe and good) care guide and showing my local pet stores what they should be telling people to do with their animals.

[@xxtokoyeonxx3941]

I currently do not have rats. I will be getting some in 1-2 weeks and im extremely excited. I know whats wrong and whats right. due to you. And I am not getting my rats from a pet store im getting them from my uncle (who is a biology teacher) that knows a lot about rats and how to care tor them:)

[@ratbabe2129]

also thank u u taught me everything about rats love you

[@corey1400]

Big yikes it’s like they have no idea what a rat even is. They said the bedding part so you’ll keep coming back and buying it lmfao

[@lwc05na]

Thank you so much for this video, really informative. My rats are now 6 months old and this has really helped me! Thanks so much xx

[@alexisvanburen2505]

I wish this video...well you were around when I had my rats! There was so little reliable information available!!!

[@zhaotonia1825]

Hi Emily, so glad that you make videos like this to bring more knowledge to first time rat owners like me! Recently, I only just discovered that dry corn and peanuts are dangerous to rats, after feeding them to my rats for a few days... I have seen them eating the dry corn for sure and I noticed the peanuts I gave them disappeared, without seeing them eating the peanuts but there's still a good chance that they have ate them... what should I do now? Of course I will swich their food immediately but will I need to bring them to a vet right away or should I wait for a while first? they seem doing okay for now... thanks a lot for your time and help!

[@bombero1823]

This makes the pets at home one look like the holy grail

[@kweenkitten6207]

Born and raised in America, but I’ll be moving to the UK next year. I always do research online if I consider getting any pet, because most info for animals in these chain stores are false! You know the cute little fish called a betta- don’t put it in a bowl, not enough water and the curved glass hurts their eyes. Those cute little parakeets- they sell tiny cages for them. Hermit crabs- the info is fine, but don’t buy the pre set packages that have “everything you need”

[@trekadouble757]

The minimum size for a cage for two rats in Switzerland is 1m x 50 cm x 70 cm. Stores will simply refuse to sell you rats if your cage is smaller.

[@rae7128]

I’m getting two male rats so this question doesn’t directly effect me but can you have a male and female rat if the male was neutered I’m honestly just curious if anyone can give me an answer

[@annhinton4945]

Just found your channel. Don’t have rats and don’t plan to get rats yet here I am subscribed.

[@helloitsbella8161]

I think it’s awesome that you say that your bare minimum cage size is around 45cm x 75cm x 75cm, because that’s the minimum cage size that I came up with after having several different cages. It’s common to recommend a minimum height of 60cm, but personally I think that’s too small. I think that this amount of space is perfect for fitting in everything the rats need and giving them enough room and fun stuff to keep them happy and allow for proper exercise. People forget that it’s not just about fitting everything that a rat needs in a space and leaving it at that. Rats need to fully stretch out and jump and climb and hop and run to really keep fit and be healthy.

[@wedochallengsfornoreason2822]

I have a bowl with some food but I scatter most of the food around for my rats. So if they finish all the scattered food and I haven't noticed they still have food

[@mataskubilius692]

I’ve just seen this video and I love your way with words!

[@shoople]

sorry if this is strange to say, but you're so cute! i love your style and demeanor, it really stood out to me!

[@wilma.k9901]

Is it bad if i feed my rats 50% pellets 50% veggies everyday because their food is pretty high on protein. So im trying to balance it out with the veggies. They do eat their pellets and none of them have diarreha. Asking since im new at owning rats.

[@pgakt]

Yes, fruit/veg is high in water and sugar and shouldnt be What pellets are you feeding,the protein content should be around 18%? If you are in the US, Mazuri or Oxbow is the best you can give your rats

[@ShayShayPlay]

Where do you live? What pet foods are available?

[@wilma.k9901]

I live in finland and the protein is around 14%

[@cocowatercat4970]

Once a PetSmart employee told me you could teach rats to do tricks

[@Emiology]

You can

[@cocowatercat4970]

Emiology That is cool I didn’t know that I honestly thought looking back at it it was a marketing trick nice to know their was at least a bit of truth among lies :)

[@tiner8414]

They can be trained basically like dogs, HOWEVER, they do not have a dog’s appetite, so it takes 100 times longer, maybe a bit less with clicker training. But they are really smart animals.

[@GreymanWalking]

@@tiner8414 or attention span ;)