Rats an mice ? {article}
Question by cancan: Rats an mice ?
So I was reading wikipedia articles on rats and mice, and was wondering if what it says here about mice also applies to rats ?
“Some benefits of having mice as pets are
* Minimal shedding and allergens
* Entertaining and affectionate
* Inexpensive
* Clean (contrary to popular belief)
* Socially self-sufficient when in a group of other mice
* Significantly less likely to bite than other rodent pets
* Quite intelligent given their size
* Fun
* Loving
Disadvantages include:
* Small and quite fragile (not as easy to handle as a dog or a cat)
* Defecate and urinate frequently
* Nocturnal
* Frequent eye infections when under stress
* Easily subject to disease when without optimal care
* Frequent reproduction
* Short lifespan
* Susceptibility to many diseases”
Oh and also what it says as the diet for mouses, and hamsters are the same for rats ? ?
OH and are mice as intelligent as rats are said to be ?
Best answer:
Answer by SHAWNA L
Yes, more or less they all apply to both rats and mice. I personally prefer rats (had 14 of them) as they are much smarter. I even had one that could fetch- too cute! Yes, they are very intelligent, and diet varies between species.
For my rats I fed them a homemade mix of Innova adult dogfood, puffed wheat cereal, puffed rice cereal and Kashi cereal with fresh fruits and veggies daily. Once a week I gave them mealworms or crickets. You have to be careful how much protein you give rats, especcially males as it makes them itch…and corn can cause tumors in females.
They are very susceptible to respiratory infections if you do not keep their cages clean and yes, they only live about 2 or 3 years. But the joy a rat gives is great!
I personally think mice are far to small to truly enjoy as an interactive pet and hamster, although cute and cuddly, are not half as friendly as a rat. The choice is yours! 
Add your own answer in the comments!
Article by Kate Rieger
Feline Arthritis-Tips for Providing Feline Arthritis Pain Management for Your Cat – Family – Pets
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It’s a sad day when you realize that your cat can’t jump on your lap without crying in pain. You aren’t getting younger and neither is your cat and she is probably experiencing feline arthritis symptoms. Here’s some tips to for keeping feline arthritis pain under control.
The bottom line is that feline arthritis is a disease that is centered on the joints. The different types of arthritis cats diseases are bacterial arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. It can cause a significant amount of pain, stiffness and swelling. The causes can be due to trauma or infection in the joints, degenerative changes in her skeletal structure and possibly even metabolic disturbances.
Generally, arthritis pain in cats sets in when they reach nine years. However, if you have a three to four year old fatty cat, she may develop osteoarthritis at a younger age. It will vary on the cat, but it doesn’t normally start as soon as a 60-pound dog, because larger animals put more stress on their bodies. However, obesity, stress or trauma can bring about this disease sooner than desired.
At first, the arthritis cats symptoms may show up just every now and then. An animal may only limp mildly after it’s gone through a lengthy exercise. The stairs may not be as easy as before and jumping efforts fail or are clumsy.
If you have a fat cat, the kindest thing you can do is to control her calorie intake and help her drop some ounces or pounds. As the pet care giver, you must also be aware that continuous indulging of certain treats or excessive food won’t help your cat live longer.
Ask you vet about a cat food higher in protein, but lean on fat. This helps keep the excess body fat and weight in check, and there are certain products that fulfill this requirement.
Find a nutritional supplement for your cat that works to decrease joint inflammation brought on by feline arthritis. They stimulate the growth and repair of already damaged cartilage and increase joint fluid development.
At this point, a homeopathic food supplement may prove to be most effective as it is easy to add to your cat’s food or water. It is all possible that these supplements will slow down the progression of feline arthritis
If your cat has reached the mid-level stage of arthritis, then it’s consistently dealing with feline arthritis pain. It becomes even harder to rise from lying down, and there’s noticeable difficulty in jumping and trying stairs.
The development of muscle atrophy could occur in the gluteal and thigh muscles. Treatment should be the same as when you first notice arthritis, but there may be addition of a non-steroid anti-inflammatory medication. These reduce inflammation which reduces joint pain. Seek out your veterinarian’s advice before changing out medications. If your cat progresses to an advanced stage she may require a powerful feline arthritis pain management prescription medication like a steroid drug.
About the Author
If you help your cat lose weight, get her on a supplement to help slow the advance of feline arthritis and to keep her joints lubricated your cat will enjoy a reasonably comfortable senior life. Find out how to qualify for FREE product when you visit http://ArthritisCatsTreatment.com.
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Kate Rieger
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Category: cats
yes, the benifits look quite right to me, just it would be extreamly intelligent given their size, and never bites unless in ultra rate occasions, and very fun and loving. the disadvantages that are false are: Small and quite fragile (not as easy to handle as a dog or a cat) they are quite large, especially if you get a male whose dad was a jumbo size. Frequent eye infections when under stress Ive never seen this in any rat, so I think thats just for mice.
Defecate and urinate frequently: rats only urinate when really nervous, or when they gotta go, which they can hold in when theyre on you, but males will kindof scent mark, but you cant really smell that, if it grosses you out too much get a female or get your rat neuterd. . and yes, a rat can eat anything a mouse can eat, I would suggest lab blocks, as the ats cant pick their favorite thing and leave the rest, hamster food shouldnt be used for rats unless absoulutely nessisary, or unless it says, hamster, rat and mouse, and you should still avoid that abit, the only thing I have found that make mice better than rats( in my eyes) are that mice come in much cooler colors and patterns.mice are not near as smart as a rat is, Im sorry, a rats loyalty and knowlage can only be compared to that of a dog! good luck!!!
Yeah basically, however they normally have myco flare ups when stressed which is a respiratory disease but will only result in sneezing for a bit if the rat is healthy.
Mice food is o.k but because diets are normally sold as sufficient for rats and mice. However I think there is a limit with hamster food. Hamsters have more seed in their diet which is not too good in huge quantities for rats.
I’m sure there is also a wikki page for rats.
Rats need human interaction even if in groups
My rats are smarter than my dog.
My rats are awake during the day, so they can play with me, you just have to break their cycle.
Anything can get sick if you don’t care for it.
Don’t get different genders and no babies.
They don’t have that many diseases, mycoplasma, infections and tumor is all really.
They should be fed lab blocks
These are the only differences from the information you gave.
ya but from experience i would say rats are more friendly, loving and social then mice, rats and mice are very clean animals but they still get to smelling so you would have to give them a bath once and awhile and they dont bite i mean they will if you scare them of you stick you fingers in their cage but that is more like nibbling, rats need a bigger cage and need to be held more the mice like an hour a day, so like when you are watching tv, and the food make it your self of buy those blocks things because the store bought stuff could be bad for them their food should be high in soy and low in corn