Rats Male Or Female?

demonmagus · Aug 29, 2006

after reading that male rats pee randomly to mark territory, I'm not to sure which is the best gender to get.

males = pee, stay stillish (I like that)

females = active, don't pee

and apparently males are friendlier

I hope rat owners could help me on that one

thanks

babybell911 · Aug 30, 2006

I've had both and I think my female was more sociable with me.
Plus I've heard that females are better to keep together as males may sometimes end up fighting although the brothers i had never even squabbled.

demonmagus · Aug 30, 2006

I heard somewhere that male rats prefer male humans and same with females. I seriously don't believe this but on a couple of rat forums they sometimes have a biteer, and the owner is usually the opposite sex :lol:

donna123 · Aug 30, 2006

hi,
ive kept both sexes,
both are loving and i was never bitten,
boys do smell more than girls, my brother had two females one was more friendly than the other, but they all have different personalitys.
donna

demonmagus · Aug 30, 2006

thanks

when you say smell more, how much more cos some guy is giving away 3 very nice brothers and I would love to have them, apparently it's a musky kinda smell?

donna123 · Aug 30, 2006

demonmagus said:
thanks

when you say smell more, how much more cos some guy is giving away 3 very nice brothers and I would love to have them, apparently it's a musky kinda smell?

hi,
yes that smell , with a mix of urine, males tend to trail the wee as they walk, on having 3 rats, you would need a very large cage, also with 3 there is a chance the more dominent 2 would pick on the weakest one.
its maybe better to home 2 or 1 on his own and lots of attention. hth donna. :good:

themissingelf · Aug 30, 2006

Females tend to pee quite randomly too... I'd not worry too much about the sex of the rats initially - it's far more important to find a breeder that has raised good quality rats that have been handled by humans since birth. Regardless of sex, they make much more sociable rats than those from bad breeders. Get in touch with the National Fancy Rat Association for more advice on good breeders.

Dragonscales · Sep 2, 2006

Just thought I'd add to the need for a large enclosure which was mentioned before. I had two females in an enclosure a few years back and thought they would have been fine due to females being more placid together than males. The enclosure was fairly large and there was plenty of room for both and I still had problems. I heard a really loud squeal one night and thought it must have been cats fighting outside only to wake up the next morning to one dead rat. The larger female had killed the smaller one and had even began eating her. They were both well fed and as I said, had ample room for only two in the cage (especially being females) so that wasn't the issue. Fair enough, it is probably a fairly uncommon occurance (the larger one was alot more agressive towards other rats than other females I have kept) and it's never happened with any others I've ever kept but it still should be said that behaviour like this can and does happen from time to time and cannibalism can be an end result.

Carina · Sep 2, 2006

themissingelf said:
Females tend to pee quite randomly too... I'd not worry too much about the sex of the rats initially - it's far more important to find a breeder that has raised good quality rats that have been handled by humans since birth. Regardless of sex, they make much more sociable rats than those from bad breeders. Get in touch with the National Fancy Rat Association for more advice on good breeders.

thats some good advise.....i have parents who breed and show rats so i have grown up with rats around. females do scent mark as well as males. females are more active but males are more cuddly! i prefere the males because they will sit with you all day long whereas females are off as soon as you get them out of the cage! and definatly check out the NFRS (national fancy rat society - where my parents are judges) for some more good advise! Its important you buy rats from breeders rather than pet shops.

KathyM · Sep 2, 2006

Rats in petshops come from breeders too - obviously not good ones though. It's important to find a breeder who puts time and effort into researching their lines' temperament and health, and never, ever buy from the petshop. Locate a reputable breeder (sadly bad breeders are more common). Contacting the NFRS will help, but you still have to "vet" those breeders. :good:

I found that going to a few rat shows helped - the bad breeders stuck out like a sore thumb one I knew what I was looking for.

On the gender issue I have found that temperament wise it doesn't matter which you get as long as you get from a good breeder who socialises and handles them from birth. Females are quicker and more nosey, boys are lazier and up for a cuddle. Neither smell bad if cleaned out regularly. Both males and females trail wee. Never had a problem with introducing boys or girls to living together, as long as it was done when they were young and not at the hormonal teenager stage. Had large groups of both

LisaLQ · Sep 3, 2006

Someone please tell my girls that it's the boys who are supposed to be the ones who smell

2polypterus · Sep 4, 2006

My cousin runs a rat rescue and I have had several adopted rats. I personally liked neutered males the best. They were sweet, cuddly and did not smell or mark. I did give mine a bath once a week though.

CatLover · Sep 5, 2006

If you can't find a breeder, then adopt a few from a shelter. It's always better to adopt.

I have had both male and female rats, and I do prefer the males. The smell isn't horrible, and can easily be controlled by frequent baths and cage cleanings.
IME, the males are a lot more loveable, no matter if they are fixed or not. But as donna said, each has its own personality - you never really know what you're going to get.