Rats (Sarah)

any of several long-tailed rodents of the family

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Rats are typically

distinguished from mice by their size; rats are generally large muroid rodents, while mice are generally small muroid rodents.

Rats have poor vision. To compensate for this, a red or pink eyed rat will often weave its head side to side to add "motion" to see

better. They also don't see in color.

Rats can also eat smaller pets. Rats are omnivores, and have enough predatory instinct left in them to consider birds, fish and even some smaller rodents as "snacks."

The oils in cedar and pine are toxic to rats, and should not be used in their bedding materials

Generally speaking, male rats make better "lap" pets, preferring to sit and

have their ears scratched by an attentive human friend. Female rats are

very curious, and love to explore and play games. Both genders make great

companions.

Rats don't have canine teeth.

The presence of rats can be detected by droppings or evidence of fresh gnawing

Norway rats are husky, brownish rodents that weigh about 11 ounces. They are about 13 to 18 inches long including the 6 to 8

1/2 inch tail.

Rats will eat nearly any type of food, but they prefer high-quality foods such as meat and

fresh grain. Rats require 1/2 to 1 fluid ounce of water daily when feeding on dry food.