{"id":140819,"date":"2022-07-11T15:24:02","date_gmt":"2022-07-11T15:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/"},"modified":"2022-07-11T15:24:02","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T15:24:02","slug":"do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Gambian pouched rats make good pets?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy counter-decimal ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Do_Gambian_pouched_rats_make_good_pets\" title=\"Do Gambian pouched rats make good pets?\">Do Gambian pouched rats make good pets?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_big_do_African_pouched_rats_get\" title=\"How big do African pouched rats get?\">How big do African pouched rats get?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_long_do_Gambian_pouched_rats_live_for\" title=\"How long do Gambian pouched rats live for?\">How long do Gambian pouched rats live for?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Are_pouched_rats_friendly\" title=\"Are pouched rats friendly?\">Are pouched rats friendly?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_big_do_Gambian_pouched_rats_get\" title=\"How big do Gambian pouched rats get?\">How big do Gambian pouched rats get?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#What_rat_makes_the_best_pet\" title=\"What rat makes the best pet?\">What rat makes the best pet?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_big_are_African_pouched_rats\" title=\"How big are African pouched rats?\">How big are African pouched rats?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Can_you_have_a_giant_pouched_rat_as_a_pet\" title=\"Can you have a giant pouched rat as a pet?\">Can you have a giant pouched rat as a pet?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_long_do_African_giant_pouched_rats_live\" title=\"How long do African giant pouched rats live?\">How long do African giant pouched rats live?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#What_is_the_biggest_rat_in_Africa\" title=\"What is the biggest rat in Africa?\">What is the biggest rat in Africa?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Are_Gambian_pouched_rats_good_pets\" title=\"Are Gambian pouched rats good pets?\">Are Gambian pouched rats good pets?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_long_do_giant_rats_live_for\" title=\"How long do giant rats live for?\">How long do giant rats live for?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_long_do_pouched_rats_live\" title=\"How long do pouched rats live?\">How long do pouched rats live?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Can_pouched_rat_live_alone\" title=\"Can pouched rat live alone?\">Can pouched rat live alone?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Can_pet_rats_be_friendly\" title=\"Can pet rats be friendly?\">Can pet rats be friendly?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_big_is_a_Gambian_rat\" title=\"How big is a Gambian rat?\">How big is a Gambian rat?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Why_rats_make_the_best_pets\" title=\"Why rats make the best pets?\">Why rats make the best pets?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Do_pet_rats_like_to_be_held\" title=\"Do pet rats like to be held?\">Do pet rats like to be held?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Do_pet_rats_make_good_pets\" title=\"Do pet rats make good pets?\">Do pet rats make good pets?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Do_pet_rats_like_to_cuddle\" title=\"Do pet rats like to cuddle?\">Do pet rats like to cuddle?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Are_giant_rats_good_pets\" title=\"Are giant rats good pets?\">Are giant rats good pets?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_long_do_giant_pouched_rats_live\" title=\"How long do giant pouched rats live?\">How long do giant pouched rats live?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#What_is_the_biggest_rat_you_can_buy\" title=\"What is the biggest rat you can buy?\">What is the biggest rat you can buy?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#Do_giant_African_pouched_rats_make_good_pets\" title=\"Do giant African pouched rats make good pets?\">Do giant African pouched rats make good pets?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-25\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-gambian-pouched-rats-make-good-pets\/#How_long_does_an_African_giant_rat_live\" title=\"How long does an African giant rat live?\">How long does an African giant rat live?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Gambian_pouched_rats_make_good_pets\"><\/span>Do Gambian pouched rats make good pets?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Gambian pouched rats <b>generally aren&#8217;t good pets for children, as they need careful handling and a knowledgable owner to keep them tame and meet their care needs.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_big_do_African_pouched_rats_get\"><\/span>How big do African pouched rats get?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Description. The Gambian pouched rat is native to Africa and is the world&#8217;s largest rat, reaching <b>up to 9 pounds. The average size is 3 pounds, measuring 20-35 inches from the head to the tip of the tail.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_do_Gambian_pouched_rats_live_for\"><\/span>How long do Gambian pouched rats live for?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>9 years<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_pouched_rats_friendly\"><\/span>Are pouched rats friendly?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Pouched Rats who are completely relaxed and friendly towards their owners can act aggressively towards people they don&#8217;t know much like a parrots behaviour with their owners. Even the slightest scent on you of someone else in your family can result in a very rude telling off from your pouched rat.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_big_do_Gambian_pouched_rats_get\"><\/span>How big do Gambian pouched rats get?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Pouched Rats who are completely relaxed and friendly towards their owners can act aggressively towards people they don&#8217;t know much like a parrots behaviour with their owners. Even the slightest scent on you of someone else in your family can result in a very rude telling off from your pouched rat.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_rat_makes_the_best_pet\"><\/span>What rat makes the best pet?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>9 years<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_big_are_African_pouched_rats\"><\/span>How big are African pouched rats?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Description. The Gambian pouched rat is native to Africa and is the world&#8217;s largest rat, reaching up to 9 pounds. <b>The average size is 3 pounds, measuring 20-35 inches from the head to the tip of the tail<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_you_have_a_giant_pouched_rat_as_a_pet\"><\/span>Can you have a giant pouched rat as a pet?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Gambian pouched rats make interesting, intelligent, and playful pets. They also are fairly quiet and don&#8217;t take up a massive amount of space. However, their diet can be complicated because there aren&#8217;t commercial foods made especially for them. And they need a lot of attention to keep them tame.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_do_African_giant_pouched_rats_live\"><\/span>How long do African giant pouched rats live?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>8  9 years<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_biggest_rat_in_Africa\"><\/span>What is the biggest rat in Africa?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>African giant pouched rat<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Gambian_pouched_rats_good_pets\"><\/span>Are Gambian pouched rats good pets?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Gambian pouched rats <b>generally aren&#8217;t good pets for children, as they need careful handling and a knowledgable owner to keep them tame and meet their care needs.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_do_giant_rats_live_for\"><\/span>How long do giant rats live for?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>around two years<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_do_pouched_rats_live\"><\/span>How long do pouched rats live?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>8  9 years<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_pouched_rat_live_alone\"><\/span>Can pouched rat live alone?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Can a Pouched Rat live alone or should it live in a pair? <b>Pouched Rats do ok living as single animals. Introduced young enough or litter mates, two or more males can live happily together, however two females will often fight. A female and male often tolerate each other but remember.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_pet_rats_be_friendly\"><\/span>Can pet rats be friendly?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Description. The Gambian pouched rat is native to Africa and is the world&#8217;s largest rat, reaching <b>up to 9 pounds. The average size is 3 pounds, measuring 20-35 inches from the head to the tip of the tail.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_big_is_a_Gambian_rat\"><\/span>How big is a Gambian rat?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Gambian pouched rats <b>generally aren&#8217;t good pets for children, as they need careful handling and a knowledgable owner to keep them tame and meet their care needs.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_rats_make_the_best_pets\"><\/span>Why rats make the best pets?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Rats can make great pets! <b>Rats are easy to care for, have very little odor, and they rarely bite. They are affectionate and intelligent animals that often will bond quickly with their owners and easily learn new tricks.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_pet_rats_like_to_be_held\"><\/span>Do pet rats like to be held?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Rats are friendly and outgoing pets who really enjoy human company. Unlike most small pets, <b>rats love being picked up and handled by their human owners. While rats do enjoy human interaction, they&#8217;ll need to be picked up and handled from a young age so they&#8217;re used to it.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_pet_rats_make_good_pets\"><\/span>Do pet rats make good pets?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Rats are very low maintenance pets to own. They are very comfortable in their own environment and can go long periods of the day without much attention. If you are the type of owner that is away for long periods of the day then pet rats may be a good choice for you.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_pet_rats_like_to_cuddle\"><\/span>Do pet rats like to cuddle?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>They are very social and love to hang out with human family members on the couch or on peoples&#8217; shoulders or in their laps. They will even try to groom their human companions as if these people were other rats in their rat pack. <b>Pet rats love the warmth and contact of their caretakers and are actually very cuddly!<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_giant_rats_good_pets\"><\/span>Are giant rats good pets?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Despite the fact that these rats can be very destructive and some can be aggressive, <b>the non-aggressive ones DO make delightful pets. They are extremely playful and fun to watch as they bounce here and there, throw their heads back in excitement, and rolling over to have their belly scratched.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_do_giant_pouched_rats_live\"><\/span>How long do giant pouched rats live?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Pouched Rats live a long time, compared to most domestic animals, their life span is more akin to that of a Dog or Cat and owners should be prepared for this. They need a good quality run for 2 hours every day, 365 days a year, for <b>8  9 years<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_biggest_rat_you_can_buy\"><\/span>What is the biggest rat you can buy?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <b>Gambian rat (Cricetomys gambianus), also referred to as the gambian pouched or African giant pouched rat, is among the largest rat in the family Muridae with an average length of 3 feet including the tail. The gambian rat can weigh as much as 9 lbs, which is comparable to a small domestic cat.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_giant_African_pouched_rats_make_good_pets\"><\/span>Do giant African pouched rats make good pets?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Gambian pouched rats <b>generally aren&#8217;t good pets for children, as they need careful handling and a knowledgable owner to keep them tame and meet their care needs.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_does_an_African_giant_rat_live\"><\/span>How long does an African giant rat live?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The lifespan of the African Giant Pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus) can be <b>more than seven years in captivity. That is quite a difference from the two to three year lifespan of our domesticated pet rats and, in itself, demands a much closer look at the responsibility aspects of keeping one as a pet.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Do Gambian pouched rats make good pets?How big do African pouched rats get?How long do Gambian pouched rats live for?Are pouched rats friendly?How big do Gambian pouched rats get?What rat makes the best pet?How big are African pouched rats?Can you have a giant pouched rat as a pet?How long do African giant&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[622],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pet-care"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140819"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140819\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}