Children and Rats Rats make excellent pets for children, but there are some ground rules you should follow in order to keep your children and their rats safe. For Children Ten and Under... Male rats tend to make better pets for younger children as they are larger and usually much more mellow than female rats. Do not introduce any rat to a child until it has settled into it's new home and has been handled enough to be comfortable around people. Explain to your child that rats love to climb, and that the rats will climb right up your child's body, so that they are aware of this and don't become frightened the first time this happens. Explain to your child that rats love to burrow into people's clothing, so that they are aware of this and don't become frightened the first time this happens. Explain to your child that rats are very scared by sudden movements and loud noises. Your child needs to stay calm and quiet around their pet rats. Be sure to explain and demonstrate to your child the correct way that they should interact with their rats, such as how to properly pick up, hold, handle, and pet them. Make sure your child understands that a rat is NOT a stuffed animal, but a fragile living creature, which needs to be handled VERY gently or it could be easily hurt. This is very important to make clear to your child so that they don't squeeze it, or throw it, or drop it. Your child should ONLY be allowed to handle a rat with STRICT supervision from a parent, or adult, who knows how rats should be properly handled. Make it clear that your child is not to open the rats' cage door without asking permission first. All interaction between your child and your child's rats should be well supervised. You don't want a cage door being left open and rats getting loose. When handling their rats, your child, with a supervising adult, should be in your chosen rat safe play area. Instruct the child to sit, and stay seated for the entire duration of play time so that the rat does not get accidentally stepped or sat on. Set the rat in their lap. (Children under three, should just be allowed to pet the rat, while being held by an adult, to keep the rat safe.) Be sure that the child has long pants, and long sleeves on. Rats love to climb, and their sharp claws can be startling, and painful to a child.     An example of the scratches that can be received if you     do not wear long pants. Do not allow the child to get rough with the rat. Do not allow the child to walk around with the rat. Do not allow the child to tease the rat. Be sure that the child understands NOT to poke food through the cage bars of the rats' cage to prevent accidental biting. (See "Biting Prevention" in this Guidebook for more information on this subject.) Your child should NOT be counted on for any of the responsibilities for caring for their pet rats, such as feeding, cleaning, or filling water bottles. They are too young for such a responsibility. Children this young do not comprehend how much it hurts an animal to have no food or water, or to be left in filthy conditions, and so children left entirely on their own to do these responsibilities frequently forget. Instead, schedule it as a fun family activity to do together. That way they can watch, and help, and learn, what it takes to care for a pet until they are old enough to do it on their own. For Children Thirteen and Up... If they would like to have rats of their own, you should sit together with your child first, and go over this entire guidebook together. By this age, they should be able to completely understand everything in it. Cover all the subjects in the table of contents. Help them with any questions they might have (or have them email me.) If your positive that they are mature enough to handle the responsibility, let them follow the guidebook to getting their own rats. They can be left alone to care for their rats, and play with them as they see fit, with you helping them whenever they need it. Let it be their responsibility to care for them, but teenagers will be teenagers. Take the time yourself to frequently check to make sure that the cage is getting cleaned, and that their rats always have food and water. For Children Eleven and Twelve... This aged child could possibly fit into the top category, or the bottom category. It depends on their level of maturity. It is a call only you can make. General Rules for Children and Rats... If you have more than one child, absolutely DO NOT let them fight over a rat. This could cause serious injuries to the rat. Be sure they understand how to share, and be sure that they are indeed sharing the rat with the other sibling. Be sure that your child knows not to shut the rat into a container where the rat could suffocate. Let the child know that if the rat squeaks while being played with, it means they do not like whatever is happening to them, so the child should immediately stop whatever they are doing to the rat. Do not let the child have the rat loose anywhere other than the rat safe play area. Do not let the child use their rats as entertainment at a birthday party, or any other gathering of friends. Do not let your child tease people with their rat who are scared of rats. Never let your child take the rat outside, or to school, or to a friends house. Never let your child pick the rat up by it's tail as this is very tempting for a child to do. And in general, be informed as a parent by reading through this site, so that you can keep on top of things, and know what is in the best interests for your new members of the family. Conclusion... Just as a personal statement from us, we are a firm believer in having children grow up with, and around animals. Animals teach children love, compassion, and responsibility. The benefits of living with animals are too many to count. However, we DO NOT agree with the kind of parent who adopts an animal companion for their child, and thinks of that animal as being just a "disposable" toy. We DO NOT agree with parents who give there children no support or guidance with there new animal companion, showing no care if that animal dies from mishap. This teaches a very poor lesson to your children. If you think of an animal as just a possession, than do that animal a favor, and buy your child a stuffed animal instead. Do the right thing. Be a part of this new experience with your child. Teach them, through your actions of research, and guidance, that caring for another life is precious, and a responsibility, and a commitment, that should be taken very seriously...