LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Rats
built 350 days ago
Rats and mice can be a problem in urban, suburban and rural areas. They infest old buildings and crowded, unsanitary areas that exist in an urban environment. However, they can ... be a problem even where newer homes and sanitary conditions exist. Since these rodents eat practically anything humans eat, they get plenty of food from home gardens, fruit or nut trees and even parts of some ornamental shrubs and flowers. Garbage disposals also attract rats into household and street sewer lines. Rats and mice have long been a problem on farms where food is plentiful and convenient nesting sites are both numerous and hard to eliminate.
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New Bern, NC--At the River Rats' end-of-season banquet, four team members were singled out for awards by their peers. Outfielder Nick Hogan was named team MVP, pitcher Chris Gloor was named Best Pitcher, first baseman David Towarnicky was named Best Hitter, and pitcher Greg DiMarco was named Best Teammate. Voting on the awards was done by River Rats players.
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Rats grow very quickly. They are born without fur and with their eyes closed, but after a few days they begin to grow hair. At 2 weeks, they open their eyes. The rats can be weaned at 4 to 5 weeks. At 5 weeks (yes, just after weaning), it is important to separate any male babies from their mother and sisters. If the males are left with the others, the rats will mate!
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Rats love to climb, and will make good use of ladders, ropes, hammocks, tunnels, and platforms. Toys should be provided as well - blocks of wood for chewing, cardboard tubes, and toys designed for ferrets or parrots are good choices. Look for rope and wood toys as many plastic toys can't stand up to chewing by a determined rat. Simple items like large cardboard mailing tubes, crumpled paper, paper bags, and cardboard boxes can ... make wonderful toys. Remember that rats are very intelligent and need to be challenged, so rotate the toys on a regular basis so the rats do not become bored. For more ideas, see "Homemade Rat Toys" and "Top Rat Toys Online".
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Rats should not be kept on their own, there is an excellent article on the NFRS website on why rats should not be kept alone. Rats thrive with company of their own kind and it's much easier to let someone else scratch and groom the bits you can't quite reach. Also even the rats who get the most attention are likely to spend about 20 hours per day in their cages.
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Rats are very social and do best if kept with other rats. Same sex pairs or groups are ideal. Males usually get along fine with other males especially if introduced at a young age or they are littermates. Keeping rats in groups does not make them more difficult to tame if they are handled from a young age.
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