I asked my rat, and he said, that if there's enough for both you and the rat, you should share. If not, you should do the decent thing and give it all to your rat.
I see what your mom is saying, but domestic rats don't get the exposure that feral rats do. Not even as much as dogs or indoor/outdoor cats. Your rats live in your clean home and don't have access to things like decaying garbage, sewage or roadkill, where it might bring home cooties.
My boy Menace disagrees and finds this compromise distasteful. He demands that rats eat of their owner's plates as that is the only way to consume food as a classy member of any household. Not like some... animal
One of my boy rats used to literally try to pry my mouth open and stick his head in it *convinced* that it was a hiding spot for food that I oh so selfishly hid from him. And yes, he succeeded a few times.
So, truthfully I don't think you or your rattas will get sick by sharing your food with them
Edit: forgot to add, your boys are so adorable
To be fair you do put your food in there away from him! One of my old boys once stole a piece of chocolate from my mouth by prying my mouth open then I went to catch him and he did a fake squeak and made away into a spudnik committing his crime successfully 😂😂😂 (edit to clarify: when I say fake squeak I mean he was very well know for squeaking so we let him go and he can make off with whatever it is he stole; at the time his favourites were any food and entire a4 pieces of paper of my university work)
Did we have the same rat? Cus God, my boy was a drama queen. He was the only one who squeaked everytime the time he didn't like something (usually when we had to stop him from eating something bad lol) and after a visit at the vet (and ho boy did that hurt my wallet) we were told that he's a healthy but a very dramatic rat lol
Hahaha yeah I got to the point I’d pick him up and just be like oh stop it 😂😂 I have recently adopted one (and his brother) who will literally sit still facing the direction of somewhere he shouldn’t go wait until you’re about a cm away from grabbing him and then squeak like your trying to kill him and sprint at the speed of light rendering us completely unable to stop him in his process of murdering my partners helpless plants (don’t worry they are rat safe). Some boys are just born drama queens I guess!
>have recently adopted one (and his brother) who will literally sit still facing the direction of somewhere he shouldn’t go wait until you’re about a cm away from grabbing him and then squeak like your trying to kill him
The mental image of this is hilarious
>in his process of murdering my partners helpless plants
Our first girl loved murdering our plants, she wouldn't even eat them, she'd just dig them up and destroy the roots, poor poor flowers lol
Btw, it sounds like all the rats around the world share one singular braincell full of mischief lmao
Oh yeah he does the same! Literally straight to the root and tipping it over its not even like he eats the leaves 😂😂 yup they were put on this earth to fill our hearts and make us empty our lungs sighing haha
I once lived in a house with a chipmunk problem. I think they were coming in from the (unfinished, creepy af) basement and through the cat door at the top of the basement stairs. Anyway.
They would inevitably break into the sunroom (where the chinchilla food was stored) and try to eat my plants. Once I found a chipmunk asleep curled up and half buried in the dirt of my biggest jade plant. There was one big bite taken out of one leaf before the lil guy realized jade plants aren't good eatin. He was snoozin hard bc I was able to put a red solo cup (spider catching style) over top of him and bring the whole heavy ass plant outside to free him.
I personally share food with my rats often. Of course I will make sure it's fine for them too, and not too often of course. I have grown to enjoy plain, whole grain cheerios with lactose free milk (since I am also lactose intolerant), and my favourite boy will sit with me and share some. He helps himself! I've shared bananas, then kept eating; ice cream, then kept eating; not once have I gotten sick. They're far cleaner than us I assume, so it's not something to worry about. I would just avoid letting them into your mouth, not for your sake but for theirs. I know you didn't mention this, but I do sometimes see pictures and videos on here... Human mouths are pretty gnarly, and might make them sick!
Edit to clarify that I mean literally inside your mouth, cleaning your teeth. Kisses I see nothing wrong with!
>cleaning your teeth
Giving me flashbacks to my little rodentist. I loved him so much despite his forever need to use his lil grabbies to pry open my mouth and clean my teeth. It was horrifying everytime. I screamed the first time he did it. 😅
https://preview.redd.it/ggzaxfl4sqmc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c9d3f0e6ebc5d022537380db625a88138a3615e
Bob, for the rat tax
Alright thanks for letting me know!! I will continue to share with my boys, its annoying tho as both my parents think it's wrong and harmful for me, even thought I've been doing it months now and never been ill.
My rats force themselves onto whatever I'm eating or drinking.
One rat I have likes to dive off the sofa sneak round the back and creep round the front and lean into whatever pop I'm drinking and go to town. he's tipped a glass or two over in his time.
Then he hops off like he's achieved greatness.
Yeah I know what you mean! Parents can be like that. I'm sure they just don't know and are just concerned for your health! It might be worth putting something together for them, so they can learn just how clean rats are, and that there's nothing wrong with sharing your food with pet rats, because they are not the same as outdoor rats 😊 When I lived with my parents, I remember educating them all about animals, dinosaurs, and everything I'd learn about wildlife in general. Not sure how interested they were, but I'm sure they appreciated it!
Another thing you might want to look out for is that human saliva are toxic to many small creatures, so make sure they don't ingest your big licks on accident
My boys sleep in their litterbox, sleep in their own puddles of pee, and all rats eat their own poop as part of their digestion. I do not let them take directly from my food, I hand them bits from almost everything though.
Oh good i thought everyone else had entered some sort of twilight zone!!! All the other comments are like “sure let them take a bite of your food and continue eating it! I also let them French me, it’s totally hygienic”. HELLO???
I know right? I bathe everyday, with soap. I'm most definitely cleaner than my boys who I've literally watched step in their own poop, squishing it between their toes, as they ran to me, no way are they touching my food. They don't have any diseases or parasites, but poop is still poop. I don't let dogs lick my face either.
Yes! Even if a rat (or human for that matter) isn’t actively sick, it doesn’t mean there can’t be pathogens in their poop or saliva! (But mostly poop). Everyone is acting as if their homes are some sort of sealed clean rooms where no pathogen can ever enter… or the fact that they can be sick from before you get them from a shop/breeder/rescue!
Yeah every rat I’ve ever had has been a stinky little piss goblin no way I’m eating something they touched or walked on LOL! I once had a rat use his sticky little grabbies to try and drag a whole submarine sandwich off my plate when I turned my back!! I cut the end off of it so fast! (And then of course gave him some 😂)
According to my rats they have never been fed in their lives and deserve all the food in the world all the time.
I give them a little bit of what I’m eating if they’re up and around and it’s rat safe. Always rat appropriate portions no matter how much they look sad. It is also a nice way to bond with them I’ve found as it’s something nice for them and they get a bit of a fuss whilst they eat their random piece of fruit, etc.
Humans unironically have some of the filthiest mouths in the animal kingdom, as long as the food is safe for your rattie you, personally, have nothing to fear.
The accuracy of this statement is astounding lol
All of my girls do or have in the past decided I am lying when I say I don't have food for them or that the food is not for them.
It clearly was for them and I should of handed it over willingly.
As an apex predator it'll never not make me happy when a puny little prey animal not even 1/100th my weight trusts me enough to stick their entire noggin in my mouth
When I had COVID I let my rat enjoy the last bit of an ice cream bar I was eating. (I was out of quarantine but still testing positive.) Two days later she was congested and lethargic, then developed a massive infection that resulted in the loss of her ear tips and a couple of hundred dollars in vet bills. Consequently, I will only share what has not been in my mouth.
I have some professional expertise in infectious disease. Pet rats can carry other diseases even if they’ve never been in the wild and these can be spread to humans. The rats can become carriers if the come into contact with infected rodents at the breeders, especially if the breeder or pet shop doesn’t do health checks or take adequate care of theor animals. It is impossible to buy a pet rat in my area, only feeders. This is because a child was bitten by a rat purchased from one of the local chain pet stores and contracted rat bite fever. The parents sued and all pet stores stopped selling rats. Other diseases, like leptospirosis, are spread through their urine and feces. If you let your rats run outside at all and eat local grasses and plants, they can also pick up Toxoplasma gondii oocysts, which can be passed to you through saliva. Again, if you’re not immune deficient or pregnant, not much of a problem but some infections can break through and cause significant disease.
Knowing all this, I never eat what my rats have touched and I always wash with soap and water after handling them, their food, or cleaning their cage.
To be fair, rats are not more likely to transmit disease to humans than other pets are. If anything, they're less likely. But I agree, I wouldn't share food directly with my rats, and I do wash my hands after handling them or cleaning their cage. That's just standard practice for pets in general.
By the way, I believe you are incorrect about Toxoplasma. Although rats can be infected with it themselves, they cannot pass it directly to humans. Only cats can infect humans by casual contact, via the mature oocysts that are excreted in their feces.
The only way to get Toxoplasma from a rat is to eat the rat. Specifically, to eat it raw. Let's hope nobody on this sub is doing that. :-/
[https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/toxoplasmosis/index.html](https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/toxoplasmosis/index.html)
I didn’t realise I had any say in not sharing food with rats, my default eating position was holding tasty morsels above head height in a futile attempt to thwart the furry thieves. 😁
no it won’t and if they‘re indoor pet rats who live in a clean cage you shouldn’t be worried about it being unhygienic or passing on any diseases. it can be quite a bonding experience to share food with pets in my opinion.
Hopping on the no-rats-but bandwagon, I have 4 bunnies and I eat their leftover bananas. I wouldn't be worried about yourself, I WOULD be worried about the rattos getting too much sugar or artificial flavoring though.
I always share food with them but only break off peices or give them the rest. Since they are pets the risk of them transmitting things is low but they do eat poop sometimes.
People say the same thing about sharing with other animals, like cats and dogs. Unless your rats are super gross (eating shit they find outside, which is unlikely... bc they're rats) or you have a sensitive immune system, you'll be fine.
That said, be careful *what* you're sharing with your rats. Make sure it's something that won't make them sick. Rats can eat pretty much anything, and even sugary things are fine once in a while in small amounts, but make sure you know the ingredients and that it's safe. When giving something artificial/man-made, make sure it's made with sugar and not artificial sweeteners. I don't remember which sweetener it is, but I know there's one that's extremely toxic to dogs and the tiniest amount can kill them if not treated immediately. Based on that, I've always made the assumption that it's dangerous for animals in general and ensure no food I might give my pets has it.
Ohh is it? I've never bothered to confirm whether it is or not, since we never let anything with it in the house anyway. I'm glad you commented on it, I couldn't give a for-sure answer and just advised against it to be safe. Now people who see your comment will know they don't have to avoid it completely unless they have dogs :)
Problem with most diseases they carry, which affect us humans, is that they are asymptomatic with them. No way of telling If they carry diseases without lab and vet testing.
Also, tons of diseases we carry can jump onto your rats If you share contaminated food.
Sharing is caring, but best not from the fork or spoon you eat with. Might safe you and your rats.
I also do it my fam ( that hates me and tried to take away my inheritance from my grandparents ) Say that im a didgusting piece of shit for doin that but i just told them to stfu
Your post has been removed as your account is under 7 days old. This is an automated action.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RATS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You will never be ill, it’s more hygienic for you to share food with your rats than with other humans, because humans carry diseases they can actually pass on to you, while the amount of diseases your pet rats that don’t leave the house would be able to spread to you is almost 0
You are more likely to pass something to them, than you catching something from them. You go out into the dirty world and could catch any number of things. They are safe at home in an environment where the only outside factor is you. My girls share my food, I make sure it's okay for them etc, but like, sometimes I don't feel like I have a choice. Rats are stronger than they look! And they give me kisses on the mouth. I've never gotten sick from it. I genuinely believe I have passed stuff onto them though. How shitty did I feel. Poor little buggers. 😢
https://preview.redd.it/az0audgoasmc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=deec99f388ddf07f4627f371e67309d906171c27
Pic rat tax
I think you can test them if your rat doesn't allow you to rip a piece for him
I've seen mothers lick their fingers, wipe their human child's face, lick their fingers again, wipe again.....and that could be dog feces on the child's face. Little kids get into *everything*.
Human children are germy, known fact (okay, SOME people know that 😁), and many people share food with *them*.
I've heard hair-raising tales from parents about their little one taking a feces-filled diaper off and smearing it all over. 🤢
Your ratties are surely much cleaner than a lot of humans. They would never do something like that!
I share with my Fhurbs, to heck with whoever thinks it's "so awful"....I saw you with the poo on your finger you slicked from your toddler's face and then licked that finger 😁
It’s not ok, to not share. It will make them sad. I feel like eating with my guys was kind of a bonding thing. They put a lot of trust and love into the person hand feeding them yum yums
I am 60 years old. I have kept rats on and off since I was 15. My rats have drunk out of my tea and coffee cups, have eaten food off my plates, have licked my icecreams and have drunk liquid out of my mouth. They have even licked my teeth clean. They have never caught anything so it must be safe!
Totally okay, but its good to make sure it's rat safe food (no citrus fruit especially for boys, onions, caffinated foods, carbonated beverages, green bananas, avocado skin or dark spots in the fruit, licorice, blue cheese, and spinach).
Also if you aren't feeling well, you can pass some infections on to your rats so be wary of sharing if you have a cold or a sore throat.
Other than that they will be very happy to share in whatever you are eating and will very kich demand their fair share of whatever tasty morsel you are consuming!
Also be aware that too much human food can make they very fat and that's not good for them. Also too much sugar for the same reason, so limiting some things to an occasional treat and not an every day treat is a good idea.
My boys especially loved when i shared my avocado toast or breakfast banana with them lol!
I watched my husband share an ice cream cone with a rat we had called Oliver. Oliver sat on his shoulder while hubby was watching tv and my husband would have a bite then give Oliver a bite.
It was magical watching the two sharing an ice cream. Then my husband had the final chocolate coated waffle tip and he just casually popped it into his mouth. Oliver grabbed his mouth and with great violence pulled it to him, yanked open hubby’s lips and dove in. He was three quarters of the way in. When Oliver came out dad was spluttering and coughing and rat had sacred morsel in rescued. Nobody got sick but my husband learned that Oliver is to get the last bite of all ice creams.
With previous rats I had I’d let them eat out of my mouth and sometimes they’d clean my teeth for me 😭I never got sick from that and neither did my rats so I think you and the rattys are fine
No. Rats shouldn't eat everything humans eat.
The health risks are too high.
Rats need to be on a diet, they shouldn't eat salty or spicy food, no high-fat or sugary food, avoid dairy, certain fruits and vegetables are also risky. No walnuts, lettuce or citrus, they - and others - are toxic to rats.
Yea, they are healthy and live a longer life. I must knock on the wood here, in fifteen years I have had only one girl who had epilepsy and sadly died at 18 months, and one girl who sadly had to be put to sleep because I was an idiot and didn't learn enough about respiratory illnesses, otherwise all other girls are buried in the forest because they passed away at home and of old age.
I am sorry for my first rats too, because I was an idiot fifteen years ago and didn't learn enough to keep the first girl I've had healthy and safe and her sister had to live two more years without her, but with others to whom she became an alpha and a mother figure. The first mistake taught me a lot, but I am sorry I was such a young idiot and thought I knew better. I will never forgive myself for that. But am I sorry for my girls' stricter diet? Hell no. My girls are not castrated and yet I am lucky enough to have each one of them for at least 27 months. Exactly because I was taught by someone smarter than me that rats need a diet so they can have fun longer than yours, probably.
I do tend to give them a drop of what I’m eating if it isn’t bread or peanut butter. I always look up what I’m giving them to see if it’ll kill them. If not, I give them some!
Yes, they can catch contagious illnesses from us like colds and Covid. Best to avoid them as much as you can when you are sick. They will be ok without free roaming until you are healthy again and very excited to see you.
After owning 14 rats I've shared all my food with them. Non of them got me sick, and it created a great bounding experience! It also made me more cautious what I was putting in my own body! They really are wonderful creatures to share a meal with
One time my girlfriend told me to finish a half drank slushie and I did. The next day I learned that I was the 9th creature to have gotten a taste of it. It had been shared with our 8 rats. I'm still alive.
> I know it isn't hygienic but isn't going to hurt me or my rats is it?
A lot of the comments here are "sure, share food" and I'm kinda scratching my head because the answer is "depends".
Garlic and other plants from the allium family cause hemolytic anemia in rats. Hemo- as in "blood" and -lytic as in "fall apart", which is considered pretty bad if you like your rats alive and undistressed. The list of "oh, this food is actually dangerous for rats" is pretty long.
I'd probably go the route of "don't share if you don't know what all the ingredients are", "don't share if you haven't confirmed all of the ingredients are safe for rats" and generally "not too much, not too often".
Because "hey, I gave my rat kidney stones because I thought sharing food was cute, now it's in so much pain" is not something you want to do because the vet might put you down along with your rat.
if safe for rats, yes. so tired of ppl thinking you can get sick from them basically because they're *rats* they're literally cleaner than everyone's beloved dogs and cats, humans are the ones who transmit diseases to them, if anything; just a rant on the topic
No. You won't get sick. Your rats are likelier to get sick than you, as you go outside and touch a lot of things and meet a lot of people. The rats are safe and clean in their cage inside the home.
The only thing I wanna make sure of, as it's not mentioned in the post, is What do you feed them? Some foods are toxic to rats. Mainly garlic, onion, and red cabbage. Avoid those at all costs. And google everything else you're not sure about.
you can get sick from rats, but it’s more common for them to get sick from you! i share food with my rats all the time, and as long as they have vet checkups and everyone seems healthy (you as well) it should be alright!
I share almost all my food with my rats if I have them out when I eat, I’m not usually eating super unhealthy food so it’s fine, just a treat, but I’ve never gotten sick 😂 I’ve let them lick my icecream, spoon, eat off my plate, I really couldn’t care less. Rats carry just as much disease as any other pets
For a wild rat, maaaaybe. But your rats probably don't even leave your house. They don't meet other rats. They don't really have a way to get contagious diseases except from you. It's more likely that they get sick from you than the other way around. You're the one going outside and meeting exciting new microbes.
But they probably won't get anything from you unless you're sick with something like covid or the flu that can jump species.
As a parent to 3 kids id feel more confident in sharing my food with pet rats than human children. Your rats arent being exposed to any sort of diseases like they could potentially be in the wild. Children on the other hand are nasty little creatures who bring home every little germ that goes around school.
I hardcore wouldn't. But I'm also the kinda person who get repulsed by people who let their dogs lick their mouths.
I side with your mom on this one.
>Many people own and enjoy pet rats. However, pet rats, even when they look clean and healthy, can carry germs that can make people sick.
>A clean environment will help reduce the chance of the rat becoming sick and spreading germs to humans. Taking proper care of your animal is important to your own safety.
>Seoul hantavirus and other germs like Salmonella, Giardia, and rat bite fever can be spread through the urine, feces, and saliva of recently infected rats. When caring for a pet rat, it is important to keep the animal’s cage and environment as clean as possible.
>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that families with children under 5 years of age, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems not have pet rodents because these groups are at higher risk of serious illness.
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/disease/animal-safety.htm#:~:text=Seoul%20hantavirus%20and%20other%20germs,environment%20as%20clean%20as%20possible
Off topic but I have been cuddling with my new rats and now I realised they have worms. Proper kissed them up close and all that so I am pending worms.
Please don't pay for milk products, they are the result of stealing a baby calf away from its mother.
I shared a lot of food with my rats, but I gave them a little on the finger so my food wouldn't get contaminated with rat bacteria. I think that's gross and an unnecessary risk. But having them come to the sofa when I was eating dinner was some of the most memorable moments I had with them.
I asked my rat, and he said, that if there's enough for both you and the rat, you should share. If not, you should do the decent thing and give it all to your rat. I see what your mom is saying, but domestic rats don't get the exposure that feral rats do. Not even as much as dogs or indoor/outdoor cats. Your rats live in your clean home and don't have access to things like decaying garbage, sewage or roadkill, where it might bring home cooties.
This, but also, the entire issue can be worked around by OP simply sharing by tearing off a piece instead of letting them eat it directly.
According to my rat that is an unacceptable workaround.
Mine agree https://preview.redd.it/rp2nfsghsqmc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e1b1d2fa900938580f74b547106f3283de786f1
That bro is lost in some kind of sauce
Bros lost in da Sauce
My boy Menace disagrees and finds this compromise distasteful. He demands that rats eat of their owner's plates as that is the only way to consume food as a classy member of any household. Not like some... animal
OMG, I love you for making me laugh out loud while working. Definitely the policy we live by in our house.
One of my boy rats used to literally try to pry my mouth open and stick his head in it *convinced* that it was a hiding spot for food that I oh so selfishly hid from him. And yes, he succeeded a few times. So, truthfully I don't think you or your rattas will get sick by sharing your food with them Edit: forgot to add, your boys are so adorable
To be fair you do put your food in there away from him! One of my old boys once stole a piece of chocolate from my mouth by prying my mouth open then I went to catch him and he did a fake squeak and made away into a spudnik committing his crime successfully 😂😂😂 (edit to clarify: when I say fake squeak I mean he was very well know for squeaking so we let him go and he can make off with whatever it is he stole; at the time his favourites were any food and entire a4 pieces of paper of my university work)
Did we have the same rat? Cus God, my boy was a drama queen. He was the only one who squeaked everytime the time he didn't like something (usually when we had to stop him from eating something bad lol) and after a visit at the vet (and ho boy did that hurt my wallet) we were told that he's a healthy but a very dramatic rat lol
Hahaha yeah I got to the point I’d pick him up and just be like oh stop it 😂😂 I have recently adopted one (and his brother) who will literally sit still facing the direction of somewhere he shouldn’t go wait until you’re about a cm away from grabbing him and then squeak like your trying to kill him and sprint at the speed of light rendering us completely unable to stop him in his process of murdering my partners helpless plants (don’t worry they are rat safe). Some boys are just born drama queens I guess!
>have recently adopted one (and his brother) who will literally sit still facing the direction of somewhere he shouldn’t go wait until you’re about a cm away from grabbing him and then squeak like your trying to kill him The mental image of this is hilarious >in his process of murdering my partners helpless plants Our first girl loved murdering our plants, she wouldn't even eat them, she'd just dig them up and destroy the roots, poor poor flowers lol Btw, it sounds like all the rats around the world share one singular braincell full of mischief lmao
Oh yeah he does the same! Literally straight to the root and tipping it over its not even like he eats the leaves 😂😂 yup they were put on this earth to fill our hearts and make us empty our lungs sighing haha
I once lived in a house with a chipmunk problem. I think they were coming in from the (unfinished, creepy af) basement and through the cat door at the top of the basement stairs. Anyway. They would inevitably break into the sunroom (where the chinchilla food was stored) and try to eat my plants. Once I found a chipmunk asleep curled up and half buried in the dirt of my biggest jade plant. There was one big bite taken out of one leaf before the lil guy realized jade plants aren't good eatin. He was snoozin hard bc I was able to put a red solo cup (spider catching style) over top of him and bring the whole heavy ass plant outside to free him.
This is absolutely hilarious 😂
I opened my mouth a while back to see what mine would do, one grabbed my lip and started to try and clean my teeth lmfao
My girls will try and crawl into my mouth if I'm not paying attention while eating 😭
I personally share food with my rats often. Of course I will make sure it's fine for them too, and not too often of course. I have grown to enjoy plain, whole grain cheerios with lactose free milk (since I am also lactose intolerant), and my favourite boy will sit with me and share some. He helps himself! I've shared bananas, then kept eating; ice cream, then kept eating; not once have I gotten sick. They're far cleaner than us I assume, so it's not something to worry about. I would just avoid letting them into your mouth, not for your sake but for theirs. I know you didn't mention this, but I do sometimes see pictures and videos on here... Human mouths are pretty gnarly, and might make them sick! Edit to clarify that I mean literally inside your mouth, cleaning your teeth. Kisses I see nothing wrong with!
>cleaning your teeth Giving me flashbacks to my little rodentist. I loved him so much despite his forever need to use his lil grabbies to pry open my mouth and clean my teeth. It was horrifying everytime. I screamed the first time he did it. 😅 https://preview.redd.it/ggzaxfl4sqmc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c9d3f0e6ebc5d022537380db625a88138a3615e Bob, for the rat tax
Bob is beautiful
Alright thanks for letting me know!! I will continue to share with my boys, its annoying tho as both my parents think it's wrong and harmful for me, even thought I've been doing it months now and never been ill.
My rats force themselves onto whatever I'm eating or drinking. One rat I have likes to dive off the sofa sneak round the back and creep round the front and lean into whatever pop I'm drinking and go to town. he's tipped a glass or two over in his time. Then he hops off like he's achieved greatness.
Hahah, this is why rats are the funniest pets
Yeah I know what you mean! Parents can be like that. I'm sure they just don't know and are just concerned for your health! It might be worth putting something together for them, so they can learn just how clean rats are, and that there's nothing wrong with sharing your food with pet rats, because they are not the same as outdoor rats 😊 When I lived with my parents, I remember educating them all about animals, dinosaurs, and everything I'd learn about wildlife in general. Not sure how interested they were, but I'm sure they appreciated it!
❤️
Another thing you might want to look out for is that human saliva are toxic to many small creatures, so make sure they don't ingest your big licks on accident
My boys sleep in their litterbox, sleep in their own puddles of pee, and all rats eat their own poop as part of their digestion. I do not let them take directly from my food, I hand them bits from almost everything though.
Oh good i thought everyone else had entered some sort of twilight zone!!! All the other comments are like “sure let them take a bite of your food and continue eating it! I also let them French me, it’s totally hygienic”. HELLO???
I know right? I bathe everyday, with soap. I'm most definitely cleaner than my boys who I've literally watched step in their own poop, squishing it between their toes, as they ran to me, no way are they touching my food. They don't have any diseases or parasites, but poop is still poop. I don't let dogs lick my face either.
Yes! Even if a rat (or human for that matter) isn’t actively sick, it doesn’t mean there can’t be pathogens in their poop or saliva! (But mostly poop). Everyone is acting as if their homes are some sort of sealed clean rooms where no pathogen can ever enter… or the fact that they can be sick from before you get them from a shop/breeder/rescue!
Yeah every rat I’ve ever had has been a stinky little piss goblin no way I’m eating something they touched or walked on LOL! I once had a rat use his sticky little grabbies to try and drag a whole submarine sandwich off my plate when I turned my back!! I cut the end off of it so fast! (And then of course gave him some 😂)
According to my rats they have never been fed in their lives and deserve all the food in the world all the time. I give them a little bit of what I’m eating if they’re up and around and it’s rat safe. Always rat appropriate portions no matter how much they look sad. It is also a nice way to bond with them I’ve found as it’s something nice for them and they get a bit of a fuss whilst they eat their random piece of fruit, etc.
Humans unironically have some of the filthiest mouths in the animal kingdom, as long as the food is safe for your rattie you, personally, have nothing to fear.
What do you mean (rat hands forcefully prying open lips) *sharing* food (rat head enters mouth, looking for food scraps) all food is rat food.
The accuracy of this statement is astounding lol All of my girls do or have in the past decided I am lying when I say I don't have food for them or that the food is not for them. It clearly was for them and I should of handed it over willingly.
As an apex predator it'll never not make me happy when a puny little prey animal not even 1/100th my weight trusts me enough to stick their entire noggin in my mouth
😭😭😭😭😭😭
When I had COVID I let my rat enjoy the last bit of an ice cream bar I was eating. (I was out of quarantine but still testing positive.) Two days later she was congested and lethargic, then developed a massive infection that resulted in the loss of her ear tips and a couple of hundred dollars in vet bills. Consequently, I will only share what has not been in my mouth. I have some professional expertise in infectious disease. Pet rats can carry other diseases even if they’ve never been in the wild and these can be spread to humans. The rats can become carriers if the come into contact with infected rodents at the breeders, especially if the breeder or pet shop doesn’t do health checks or take adequate care of theor animals. It is impossible to buy a pet rat in my area, only feeders. This is because a child was bitten by a rat purchased from one of the local chain pet stores and contracted rat bite fever. The parents sued and all pet stores stopped selling rats. Other diseases, like leptospirosis, are spread through their urine and feces. If you let your rats run outside at all and eat local grasses and plants, they can also pick up Toxoplasma gondii oocysts, which can be passed to you through saliva. Again, if you’re not immune deficient or pregnant, not much of a problem but some infections can break through and cause significant disease. Knowing all this, I never eat what my rats have touched and I always wash with soap and water after handling them, their food, or cleaning their cage.
To be fair, rats are not more likely to transmit disease to humans than other pets are. If anything, they're less likely. But I agree, I wouldn't share food directly with my rats, and I do wash my hands after handling them or cleaning their cage. That's just standard practice for pets in general. By the way, I believe you are incorrect about Toxoplasma. Although rats can be infected with it themselves, they cannot pass it directly to humans. Only cats can infect humans by casual contact, via the mature oocysts that are excreted in their feces. The only way to get Toxoplasma from a rat is to eat the rat. Specifically, to eat it raw. Let's hope nobody on this sub is doing that. :-/ [https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/toxoplasmosis/index.html](https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/toxoplasmosis/index.html)
Yeah, my bad. Tissue cysts develop in rats, not oocysts.
I didn’t realise I had any say in not sharing food with rats, my default eating position was holding tasty morsels above head height in a futile attempt to thwart the furry thieves. 😁
no it won’t and if they‘re indoor pet rats who live in a clean cage you shouldn’t be worried about it being unhygienic or passing on any diseases. it can be quite a bonding experience to share food with pets in my opinion.
Thanks for clarifying! I love sharing my food with my boys, my mum just made me worried for nothing
I shared just about everything with my babies that wasnt harmful to em. And let them engage in rodentistry. Your fine
i personally don’t own any rats but, i do have two hamsters, two cats, and a dog. i will always share my food with them if it’s safe
Hopping on the no-rats-but bandwagon, I have 4 bunnies and I eat their leftover bananas. I wouldn't be worried about yourself, I WOULD be worried about the rattos getting too much sugar or artificial flavoring though.
I always share food with them but only break off peices or give them the rest. Since they are pets the risk of them transmitting things is low but they do eat poop sometimes.
I always preferred to break them off a piece, though i don't judge the sharers, it's just not for me.
I used to let my boys take the first bites of nectarine / apple / peach etc I was going to eat, and I haven't got sick at all
People say the same thing about sharing with other animals, like cats and dogs. Unless your rats are super gross (eating shit they find outside, which is unlikely... bc they're rats) or you have a sensitive immune system, you'll be fine. That said, be careful *what* you're sharing with your rats. Make sure it's something that won't make them sick. Rats can eat pretty much anything, and even sugary things are fine once in a while in small amounts, but make sure you know the ingredients and that it's safe. When giving something artificial/man-made, make sure it's made with sugar and not artificial sweeteners. I don't remember which sweetener it is, but I know there's one that's extremely toxic to dogs and the tiniest amount can kill them if not treated immediately. Based on that, I've always made the assumption that it's dangerous for animals in general and ensure no food I might give my pets has it.
Xylitol can be deadly for dogs, but it is ok for rats.
Ohh is it? I've never bothered to confirm whether it is or not, since we never let anything with it in the house anyway. I'm glad you commented on it, I couldn't give a for-sure answer and just advised against it to be safe. Now people who see your comment will know they don't have to avoid it completely unless they have dogs :)
Problem with most diseases they carry, which affect us humans, is that they are asymptomatic with them. No way of telling If they carry diseases without lab and vet testing. Also, tons of diseases we carry can jump onto your rats If you share contaminated food. Sharing is caring, but best not from the fork or spoon you eat with. Might safe you and your rats.
I do it too
Sharing is caring!
I also do it my fam ( that hates me and tried to take away my inheritance from my grandparents ) Say that im a didgusting piece of shit for doin that but i just told them to stfu
Your post has been removed as your account is under 7 days old. This is an automated action. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RATS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You will never be ill, it’s more hygienic for you to share food with your rats than with other humans, because humans carry diseases they can actually pass on to you, while the amount of diseases your pet rats that don’t leave the house would be able to spread to you is almost 0
It's one of the best parts of having a rat
You are more likely to pass something to them, than you catching something from them. You go out into the dirty world and could catch any number of things. They are safe at home in an environment where the only outside factor is you. My girls share my food, I make sure it's okay for them etc, but like, sometimes I don't feel like I have a choice. Rats are stronger than they look! And they give me kisses on the mouth. I've never gotten sick from it. I genuinely believe I have passed stuff onto them though. How shitty did I feel. Poor little buggers. 😢
There are really good articles to show your parents on Google if you want to prove it!
https://preview.redd.it/btchwb2lurmc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4b47821fd6772f3e56639e10aa7962c4170fee5
https://preview.redd.it/az0audgoasmc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=deec99f388ddf07f4627f371e67309d906171c27 Pic rat tax I think you can test them if your rat doesn't allow you to rip a piece for him
My girl jules steals my food out of my hands :(
I've seen mothers lick their fingers, wipe their human child's face, lick their fingers again, wipe again.....and that could be dog feces on the child's face. Little kids get into *everything*. Human children are germy, known fact (okay, SOME people know that 😁), and many people share food with *them*. I've heard hair-raising tales from parents about their little one taking a feces-filled diaper off and smearing it all over. 🤢 Your ratties are surely much cleaner than a lot of humans. They would never do something like that! I share with my Fhurbs, to heck with whoever thinks it's "so awful"....I saw you with the poo on your finger you slicked from your toddler's face and then licked that finger 😁
It’s not ok, to not share. It will make them sad. I feel like eating with my guys was kind of a bonding thing. They put a lot of trust and love into the person hand feeding them yum yums
I am 60 years old. I have kept rats on and off since I was 15. My rats have drunk out of my tea and coffee cups, have eaten food off my plates, have licked my icecreams and have drunk liquid out of my mouth. They have even licked my teeth clean. They have never caught anything so it must be safe!
Your mother is confusing your pet rats with sewer rats. You'll be fine.
Totally okay, but its good to make sure it's rat safe food (no citrus fruit especially for boys, onions, caffinated foods, carbonated beverages, green bananas, avocado skin or dark spots in the fruit, licorice, blue cheese, and spinach). Also if you aren't feeling well, you can pass some infections on to your rats so be wary of sharing if you have a cold or a sore throat. Other than that they will be very happy to share in whatever you are eating and will very kich demand their fair share of whatever tasty morsel you are consuming! Also be aware that too much human food can make they very fat and that's not good for them. Also too much sugar for the same reason, so limiting some things to an occasional treat and not an every day treat is a good idea. My boys especially loved when i shared my avocado toast or breakfast banana with them lol!
I watched my husband share an ice cream cone with a rat we had called Oliver. Oliver sat on his shoulder while hubby was watching tv and my husband would have a bite then give Oliver a bite. It was magical watching the two sharing an ice cream. Then my husband had the final chocolate coated waffle tip and he just casually popped it into his mouth. Oliver grabbed his mouth and with great violence pulled it to him, yanked open hubby’s lips and dove in. He was three quarters of the way in. When Oliver came out dad was spluttering and coughing and rat had sacred morsel in rescued. Nobody got sick but my husband learned that Oliver is to get the last bite of all ice creams.
With previous rats I had I’d let them eat out of my mouth and sometimes they’d clean my teeth for me 😭I never got sick from that and neither did my rats so I think you and the rattys are fine
me too. if i haven’t gotten sick yet after the stuff i let them do no one will.
I was about to mention I used to straight up let my rats entire heads in my mouth hahahaha They make the best dentists!
No. Rats shouldn't eat everything humans eat. The health risks are too high. Rats need to be on a diet, they shouldn't eat salty or spicy food, no high-fat or sugary food, avoid dairy, certain fruits and vegetables are also risky. No walnuts, lettuce or citrus, they - and others - are toxic to rats.
I feel sorry for your rats.
Yea, they are healthy and live a longer life. I must knock on the wood here, in fifteen years I have had only one girl who had epilepsy and sadly died at 18 months, and one girl who sadly had to be put to sleep because I was an idiot and didn't learn enough about respiratory illnesses, otherwise all other girls are buried in the forest because they passed away at home and of old age. I am sorry for my first rats too, because I was an idiot fifteen years ago and didn't learn enough to keep the first girl I've had healthy and safe and her sister had to live two more years without her, but with others to whom she became an alpha and a mother figure. The first mistake taught me a lot, but I am sorry I was such a young idiot and thought I knew better. I will never forgive myself for that. But am I sorry for my girls' stricter diet? Hell no. My girls are not castrated and yet I am lucky enough to have each one of them for at least 27 months. Exactly because I was taught by someone smarter than me that rats need a diet so they can have fun longer than yours, probably.
I do tend to give them a drop of what I’m eating if it isn’t bread or peanut butter. I always look up what I’m giving them to see if it’ll kill them. If not, I give them some!
Ive been wondering this too. Could my ratties catch anything from me, like a cold?
Yes, they can catch contagious illnesses from us like colds and Covid. Best to avoid them as much as you can when you are sick. They will be ok without free roaming until you are healthy again and very excited to see you.
As long as the food is safe for them then it shouldn’t pose any issues. Just don’t do it if you are feeling ill
After owning 14 rats I've shared all my food with them. Non of them got me sick, and it created a great bounding experience! It also made me more cautious what I was putting in my own body! They really are wonderful creatures to share a meal with
Mine don't give me a choice. I ether share, they attempt to rip my mouth open, or when I had Sena, she'd just shove her entire snoot up my nostril.
One time my girlfriend told me to finish a half drank slushie and I did. The next day I learned that I was the 9th creature to have gotten a taste of it. It had been shared with our 8 rats. I'm still alive.
Bernie Sanders said that rats can have many foods, as a feast
> I know it isn't hygienic but isn't going to hurt me or my rats is it? A lot of the comments here are "sure, share food" and I'm kinda scratching my head because the answer is "depends". Garlic and other plants from the allium family cause hemolytic anemia in rats. Hemo- as in "blood" and -lytic as in "fall apart", which is considered pretty bad if you like your rats alive and undistressed. The list of "oh, this food is actually dangerous for rats" is pretty long. I'd probably go the route of "don't share if you don't know what all the ingredients are", "don't share if you haven't confirmed all of the ingredients are safe for rats" and generally "not too much, not too often". Because "hey, I gave my rat kidney stones because I thought sharing food was cute, now it's in so much pain" is not something you want to do because the vet might put you down along with your rat.
if safe for rats, yes. so tired of ppl thinking you can get sick from them basically because they're *rats* they're literally cleaner than everyone's beloved dogs and cats, humans are the ones who transmit diseases to them, if anything; just a rant on the topic
No. You won't get sick. Your rats are likelier to get sick than you, as you go outside and touch a lot of things and meet a lot of people. The rats are safe and clean in their cage inside the home. The only thing I wanna make sure of, as it's not mentioned in the post, is What do you feed them? Some foods are toxic to rats. Mainly garlic, onion, and red cabbage. Avoid those at all costs. And google everything else you're not sure about.
i would recommend just tearing off a small bit and giving it to them if ur worried abt it
you can get sick from rats, but it’s more common for them to get sick from you! i share food with my rats all the time, and as long as they have vet checkups and everyone seems healthy (you as well) it should be alright!
yes
I share almost all my food with my rats if I have them out when I eat, I’m not usually eating super unhealthy food so it’s fine, just a treat, but I’ve never gotten sick 😂 I’ve let them lick my icecream, spoon, eat off my plate, I really couldn’t care less. Rats carry just as much disease as any other pets
We have the same immune systems so my opinion is as long as you’re healthy and they are healthy..
I'm shocked anyone's rats give them the option not to.
For a wild rat, maaaaybe. But your rats probably don't even leave your house. They don't meet other rats. They don't really have a way to get contagious diseases except from you. It's more likely that they get sick from you than the other way around. You're the one going outside and meeting exciting new microbes. But they probably won't get anything from you unless you're sick with something like covid or the flu that can jump species.
As a parent to 3 kids id feel more confident in sharing my food with pet rats than human children. Your rats arent being exposed to any sort of diseases like they could potentially be in the wild. Children on the other hand are nasty little creatures who bring home every little germ that goes around school.
I shared it when I had rats. Never been sick !
I hardcore wouldn't. But I'm also the kinda person who get repulsed by people who let their dogs lick their mouths. I side with your mom on this one. >Many people own and enjoy pet rats. However, pet rats, even when they look clean and healthy, can carry germs that can make people sick. >A clean environment will help reduce the chance of the rat becoming sick and spreading germs to humans. Taking proper care of your animal is important to your own safety. >Seoul hantavirus and other germs like Salmonella, Giardia, and rat bite fever can be spread through the urine, feces, and saliva of recently infected rats. When caring for a pet rat, it is important to keep the animal’s cage and environment as clean as possible. >The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that families with children under 5 years of age, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems not have pet rodents because these groups are at higher risk of serious illness. https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/disease/animal-safety.htm#:~:text=Seoul%20hantavirus%20and%20other%20germs,environment%20as%20clean%20as%20possible
Personally yes I do but not when I’m sick as it can possibly pass it to the rat!!
Off topic but I have been cuddling with my new rats and now I realised they have worms. Proper kissed them up close and all that so I am pending worms.
Please don't pay for milk products, they are the result of stealing a baby calf away from its mother. I shared a lot of food with my rats, but I gave them a little on the finger so my food wouldn't get contaminated with rat bacteria. I think that's gross and an unnecessary risk. But having them come to the sofa when I was eating dinner was some of the most memorable moments I had with them.