Neutering or Spaying Rats - Opinions?

[Zouave]

In an ideal world every rat would live with another in a really big cage and would have three or more hours play time a day out of the cage. Plus they would all be neutered/spayed when young to help avoid cancer and whatever.

This is not an ideal world, and such operations are expensive, even if you find a vet who truly knows rats.

Opinions on neutering/spaying? Really effective? Cost effective? More effective for females instead of males?

I am just collecting information on rat-keeping as I may get one later this year. Thanks.

[ratty_ratkins]

neutering males really serves no purpose than they cant produce young.
and spaying females is very dangerous.
i got my male neuterd and he has been to the vet 6 times since then with abcess and has been on and off anti biotics for a while. she is an experianced vet too. rats just usually dont seem to take too well to it.
i dont regreat getting my boy neuterd. it was either live alone with not much human contact (my allergies), or get nueterd and have cage mate, a new place to live with lots of attention.

i love rats, they are the greatest pets i have ever had. must had been since i had them for over six years.

[Mygala]

I'd talk with the vet you plan to use for the spaying. Unless they are very experienced in surgery on very small mammals, the risks of surgery probably outweigh the risks of cancer.

Like Ratty said, neutering a male and letting him have access to a female is probably the best way to go for male/female couples if you don't want breeding.

bob

[TareG]

I think that spaying is more effective for the money than neutering (even though a spay usually costs more) because one of the leading causes of rat death is cancer, and rats are especially prone to ovarian cancer. I have read many places that by spaying your rat you may be able to increase its life by up to a year!

Now this is not to say that unspayed rats won't end up perfectly healthy, too. And there is always a risk of surgery not going well. But if you can find a vet that is well-practiced in the procedure I would recommend it.

[Hanlou]

Neutering carries risks, and I wouldn't *personally* do it routinely, but it can curb aggression in rats, and I had to have my own boy 'done' because he was bought as a present without my knowledge! It is, however, a less risky operation than having a rat spayed.

Spaying is very invasive and is also very painful for the rat. It is not an operation to be taken lightly. I know lots and lots of people who keep rats, and the general opinion is that you would only spay a female rat if they had a tumour or a uterine infection. The spay could be then be done at the same time as the tumour removal. Please note, that I know of a few cases where the female rat, once spayed, has put on lots of weight.

I would stick with a group of three girls as a good start for rat keeping, in a cage, not an aquarium. They would then only need an hour or so free-ranging time a day.

No this is not an ideal world, but basic rat requirements are:

*a cage of a reasonable size. (not an aquarium)

*At least one other rat for company. (Totally vital for a rat)

*No wood shavings as bedding.

*Free-ranging of roughly an hour a day.

If you cannot meet these requirements, I think it is best to wait a bit to get rats until you can. I don't mean to sound strong minded, but this is something I feel strongly about. There are lots of pets, guinea pigs, rabbits, degus - that I would love to have, but realistically at this point in time I cannot meet their basic requirements, so I'm not getting any. Just something to think about.

[pinkie1205]

If you do get a cage, usually if it can hold one rat it can hold 2 (of course if it is the proper kind of cage) Taking care of one extra rat in the same cage isn't much more. If I were you Zouave, I would get 2 females. You can probably build your own cage also

[ratty_ratkins]

personally moms females (pet store feeder tank) never would live longer than two years and be full of tumors and get really skinny. the boy rats i have had has lived up to three years and more, and i honestly never had a tumor on my boys after having rats for over 6 years.
females are more wild and like to play and run, etc.
boys are more content sleeping in your lap and being petted. it does depend on the personallity of the rat however.
and boys are bigger than girls. but they stink more (rats are not stinky if kept in a clean cage, but has a slight odor) and there fur is rougher and coat is oilyer.
i have always build my own rat cages. i build a huge 4 story rat cage for 14 dollars. it only took about 3 hrs at the most to complete it.

[Zouave]

Looks like neutering/spaying is a big deal indeed.

>> I have read many places that by spaying your rat you may be able to increase its life by up to a year! <<

If that is true it might be worthwhile, but still, based on what I have read so far, it is indeed a serious deal. I'd like some proof of that, if available.

Quote: Originally Posted by ratty_ratkins . . . i have always build my own rat cages. i build a huge 4 story rat cage for 14 dollars. it only took about 3 hrs at the most to complete it.

Whoa!! How did you do that?? Especially, how could you do it that cheaply??

[pinkie1205]

I've always heard that it really isn't necessary. Only to stop the rat from breeding. I also heard that it might be necessary if the rat gets aggressive when he goes through his hormonal stages. That's for male rats. But in my opinion I doubt if very many vets even know how to do it.

[ratty_ratkins]

it was really simple.
i got a rubbermaid under the bed storage container at the dollar store that was cracked for 4 dollars. and a roll of heavy grade wire mesh for about 10 dollars.
i already had my "tin cutters"
i used my tin cutters to cut the pieces to size and fileing is rarely necissary with the tin cutters because they cut super close.
and i got cable ties and tied my pieces together and placed it down in the rubbermaid storage container.
and made my doors and stuff, or course.
ohh, by the way, i have never had a problem with rats chewing the cable ties.
maybe i can find a picture for you!

[pinkie1205]

ratty please post a pic

[Fane81]

hello

well, since i have males and females i neuter the males and have never had a problem with the operations. however, i only ever once spayed a female and she died two weeks later from infection. i wish i had never done it. i wil never spay a female again and the only tumors my girls have ever had have been benign, not cancerous. and once i had them removed they never came back. plus, i feel that neutering my male rats relieves a lot of stress, because when they are not neutered they always clean their "areas" a lot and i feel bad for them. and plus, i'm not ready for rat babies yet!

[Zouave]

Quote: Originally Posted by ratty_ratkins it was really simple. i got a rubbermaid under the bed storage container at the dollar store that was cracked for 4 dollars. and a roll of heavy grade wire mesh for about 10 dollars. i already had my "tin cutters" i used my tin cutters to cut the pieces to size and fileing is rarely necissary with the tin cutters because they cut super close. and i got cable ties and tied my pieces together and placed it down in the rubbermaid storage container. and made my doors and stuff, or course. ohh, by the way, i have never had a problem with rats chewing the cable ties. maybe i can find a picture for you!

I thought that was how you did neutering and spaying, as that was the topic of the thread!

Yea, we need a photo.

Two other things. I have a big strong bird cage suitable for a macaw or cockatoo. Not quite as much floor space as a twenty gallon tank, but a lot of vertical climbing room. What do you think of it for rats?

When your rats are out, do they potty all over? What's with that; if they are out for a long time don't they have to "go"?? Or do they return home to potty as a rabbit might?

[pinkie1205]

If you can build them ladders and levels and stuff I think a bird cage would suffice if the bars aren't that wide. I thought about doing that myself. I think you can even buy the levels. I heard that rats usually go back to their homes after awhile. But even if they do pee it's just a little, and like I said before, it's just poop. When I let my mouse out, he poops everywhere and I just pick it up with a tissue.

[ratty_ratkins]

my rats have never poop on me or peed on me when they are having thier free time UNLESS they are new, and babies.
a bird cage may be fine. just need to add levels etc.