What types of situations are stressful for rats?

I will be getting two pet rats soon, and I was trying to get all the information I could about them.





Or all rats different in what stresses them out, and I should pay attention to them grinding their teeth?What types of situations are stressful for rats?
Spaying and neutering are very risky procedures and should not be done if it is not necessary. Get two rats of the same sex.





You can check out my site for all sorts of info on rats. There's also a page with a ton of links to other great sites.





http://tessastarrsrats.weebly.com/What types of situations are stressful for rats?
Moving them around will be stressful for them. The best thing you can do is let them get used to their new cage for a few hours or even a day depending on how they act before handling them too much. You will get to know your babies and will figure out what stresses each one out. Each rat is an idividual and what stresses one may not bother the other at all.


Also when a rat bruxes (grinds his/her teeth) that is TYPICALLY a sign of happiness. It can also indicate anxiety, but again you will know your rats behaviors soon enough and 99% of the time they brux when VERY happy!


It is good to spay and neuter your rats, in males neutering will reduce possible aggression issues and in females will almost stop the chance of mamory tumors later in life ( a big problem in females) Just keep in mind if you are bringing home a male and a female keep them separate until you have one or both fixed.. they can breed as young as 5 weeks old!


You sound like you have done your research and are ready for your new babies.. have fun!
Grinding teeth is completly normal, and they boggle their eyes to show extreme emotion. My rats don't care if they are near my dog, and i wouldn't be surprised if they bite him in the nose! It all depends upon the individual rat. My rats don't like visiting new places like the vet. Some rats are stressed if they go outside or in a car. Nearly ALL rats get stressed with bathes, I know someone who was giving her rat a bath and it got so stressed and was jumping around that it broke its back. :'( Bathes are only for rats that can't groom themselves. Spaying and neutering is great! The female will benefit because mammory tumors are common and she will have decreased hormone levels!!





Good luck with your new rats!!
As far as the teeth grinding goes, a rats teeth continue to grow throughout their life getting longer and longer if they aren't ground down. A pet store will sell you specific ';toys'; for this purpose.





And as for the stress issue - I'm sorry that I don't know for sure, but I would guess them to be as individual as any kind of pet having different triggers.
Stressing them out could cause upper respiratory disease, which is common for rats. To prevent this, when you get them and take them home, let them stay in the cage for a full day to let them get used the cage, surroundings, etc. If you took them out right when you got them, they would start freaking out and die the next day.
The two contributors above me are great, especially Tessa. Don't listen to the person who complained about their rats multiplying. If you get two rats, get two of the same gender and avoid the whole messy procedure of fixing them. On the other side of that, I have read articles where some doctors say that spaying your rat can significantly decrease the chance of getting mammary tumors. I asked my vet about this, and she said that it is true some doctors believe this but that it hasn't actually been proven with any conclusive studies and that she personally doesn't buy into it.





Grinding their teeth is good for them, and they'll often do it when they're happy. In general, if you want to avoid things that would stress them out just picture yourself tiny and descendant from an animal that is prey. I will share one mistake with you (that I feel horrible about) in case it helps you:





I have two cats and two rats, and it's never an issue because we are careful. However, when we first brought the second kitten home, I thought I would let the two rats see her and vice versa like I did when we first brought the rats home to our old cat. Instead of just letting the cat notice that I walk around with the rats on my shoulders, i lifted the kitten for a little bit while the rats were in the cage, thinking they would prefer to see her for the first time while in the safety of their home. That was a stupid mistake. I showed the rats that a predator knew where they lived. One of them froze in her tracks and stared at a wall for 3 hours... :( I spent that whole time with her watching her and offering her treats, but I think the mistake was that their home is their safe place and anything that might be a threat is much less scary in mutual territory (like the living room). She's fine now, and the home has harmony and peace in it but I would caution you to be very careful to make sure their home feels safe and protected.





If you don't have cats and don't plan on getting any, just ignore my story I guess. :3
If a rat gets too close to a dog or cat or another predator it will stress them out. car rides, firecrackers, loud noise and flashing lights will stress a rat out. rough handling will as well. grinding their teeth isnt a bad sign, its generally a good sign. look up brux and boggle into google and it will tell you more about this. make sure you do lots of research before you get rats, make sure you get 2 of the same sex. these are some helpful sites.





www.dapper.com.au





www.fatratcentral.com





also look on youtube for rat vids. good luck, rats are GREAT pets.
when they see a predator
PLEASE DO NOT GET RATS!!!!





I USED TO HAV THEM, AND IN ONE NIGHT, THEIR WHERE LIKE 20 MORE, SO I RETURNED THEM LIKE U WOULD IF U GET THEM!!!!