We adopted an all white, full grown, male rat

[deba822]

 Guess that puts us at 3 females and 3 males. We put him in Henry's old cage till we can see if he can join the other 2 males. He's huge but terrified of everything. Poor thing! Everytime I pick him up he squeaks a little like he's afraid I'll squeeze him! Vet says he's fine. We decided to name him Alfonzo. He hid under my arm the whole drive home. The tippy tip of his tail is gone, like it was pulled hard! I  can't understand why someone would buy a rat if they weren't going to take care of it.

[zebrajanie]

We need "baby" pics of Alfonzo !
I love rats, darn shame the boys would "fraaaaaaaaaeeek" if I brought one home now !
Snuggly, cuddly lil fur bunches !  Oh and their kisses, always sweet !
Janie.
Okay, so now the secret is out, I love critters

[puffdaddy]

Hey my friend's rat has a huge tumor does this mean it will definetly die? It's still eating.

[puffdaddy]

They got the rat for 5 dollars and they dont think that it's worth it to spend 50 bucks for them to take a look at it.

[ladyknite]

I agree that a vet visit is needed to assess the tumor.  But rodents are subject to fatty body tumors that hold no malignancy, just as humans do.  They consist of "chicken skin" looking fat deposits and lay just under the skin or on the surfaces of muscle.  It may complicate their outward appearance a bit, but typically pose no threat unless they constrict an airway passage or urethra.

BTW......congrads on the fuzzy baby.  If you're in the area, drop by and pick up his future girlfriend. 

[Veggieburger]

I lost my rats the end of this past year. Unfortunatley the have a short life span Alot of them will develope tumors in the latter part of their life, usually the are cancerous  :'(

[replvr]

To the OP: Congrats on the new rat. Rats make wonderful pets as you already know. I personally like males personalities better and even better when they are neutered (no marking, lol). They are extremely intelligent! I hope he is able to come out of his shell soon. Congrats again!

To the others posting on rats and cancer...

Female rats who are not spayed tend to develop cancerous mammary tumors or  'breast cancer'. Males also get fatty tumors and cancerous tumors. We see a lot of rats that have tumors that are NOT cancerous, and if the owner opts to get them taken off, it can add a lot of time for the rat to stay with the owner. However, those that are allowed to grow, cancerous or not, can become so large that it makes it impossible for the poor things to breath, eat, walk, etc... The original cost of the pet should not govern what is spent on the pet in its lifetime, cost of the pet shouldn't have anything to do with what type of care it deserves. Responsibility is responsibility no matter which way you look at it or how much you initially paid for it. Working for a vet, I hate hearing...Well I only paid 20 bucks for it, I could get a new one for that much. So whenever I hear it, it irks every fiber of my being.

*Stepping down from soap box*

[Veggieburger]

I hate that too replvr.  And I totally agree, they are WONDERFUL loving babies. I just hate they only live max 3 years :'(

[deba822]

3 years MAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hubby is going to cry!! He loves the rats. Has a name for every one of them. The three girls are by the door and do the "Daddys home dance" in their tank every morning when he comes in.

[Veggieburger]

I know......sorry :'( I lost my 2 girls last year. They were right at 3. Thats the only bad thing about them.