# How to convince parents



## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

I need some tips on how to approach my parents. 

I really want rats ,two or three females. 
I don't think my mum will be keen on the idea...I don't think she likes them. Probably put off by their tails  

Plus when I finally(after many many years) convinced my mum to get a dogpart of the agreement was No more pets after the others die!    

So how to get round this...


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Rubythedog said:


> I need some tips on how to approach my parents.
> 
> I really want rats ,two or three females.
> I don't think my mum will be keen on the idea...*I don't think she likes them*. Probably put off by their tails
> ...


Do you know for a fact that she doesn't? Parents can be surprising sometimes
There are a lot of things to consider when thinking of getting rats- they're not particularly cheap in the long run when you consider all the associated one-off and ongoing costs- a decent cage will cost a fair bit unless a second hand one can be got, & without trying to sound gloomy they may need vet treatment which can be costly. Then there's food, cage furniture, substrate, bedding, hammocks, toys.
I hope I haven't put you off & I've probably missed something off the list but they're just a few points to consider before approaching your parents


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

simplysardonic said:


> Do you know for a fact that she doesn't? Parents can be surprising sometimes
> There are a lot of things to consider when thinking of getting rats- they're not particularly cheap in the long run when you consider all the associated one-off and ongoing costs- a decent cage will cost a fair bit unless a second hand one can be got, & without trying to sound gloomy they may need vet treatment which can be costly. Then there's food, cage furniture, substrate, bedding, hammocks, toys.
> I hope I haven't put you off & I've probably missed something off the list but they're just a few points to consider before approaching your parents


Yeah I know they cost a lot, especially the cages. Have been looking at rat cages for days. The new ones cost a bit much so am hoping someone will sell a decent sized rat cage in my area(no luck so far though) also have an eye out for rats in my area but the breeders and rescues seem to be everywhere but where I am.

I'm planning to save my pocket money as well to buy them extra stuff for their cage(will make sure already stuff in their first)

Hmmm if i can think up some tactics I might approach on weekend. Fingers crossed she has a secret love for rats.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

I always found the just going to look around the rescue centre a good tactic


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

emzybabe said:


> I always found the just going to look around the rescue centre a good tactic


That sounds fun  do you know of any near romford? As in reachable-without-car nea?


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

Rubythedog said:


> I need some tips on how to approach my parents.
> 
> I really want rats ,two or three females.
> I don't think my mum will be keen on the idea...I don't think she likes them. Probably put off by their tails
> ...


Just ask your Mum - she might surprize you

My Mum's reaction was the same when I said I wanted a rat "urgh no way am I EVER having rats in this house, their tails are horrible and they're just uuurgh, no chance". Eventually I won her round by promising I wouldn't let her see it and keeping it out of the way. Day after I bought Tia home guess who was the first person who wanted to see her? And hold her and have her running around them? Now I have another 3 so parents CAN be won round!

BTW I may have a ferplast furet cage up for sale in the near future, as it's too small imo for my 4. It flat packs so posting wouldn't be a problem.


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## Lavenderb (Jan 27, 2009)

Hint dropping, crying, nagging, begging, pleading, offering to do more chores, being nice, being extra nice....

repeat above until desired effect is achieved


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## labyrinth001 (Aug 6, 2011)

Haha, oh mothers...my mom wouldn't even come near my room when first got rats. She was horrified. She still can't stand my rats' tails and she won't touch them, but I catch her coming in to feed them treats every once in awhile  They've grown on her over time because they're so stinkin' loveable and hang out at the front of the cage all of the time when people are in the room (little beggers, they are). They're really very loyal pets--my two girls have never bitten me or shown any aggression towards me. Only excitement.


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## labyrinth001 (Aug 6, 2011)

Also, I kind of just bought them and brought them home...the next day my parents were walking by and were like "Where'd that cage come from?" They've learned to always expect the unexpected.

And on finding ones to adopt: a lot of people on here are always saying there are free rats on a site called preloved? Where I live (in the U.S.), craigslist always has them---I feel like there are always people who buy rats and then don't want them so they just give them away on those websites. Something I will never understand


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## Shrap (Nov 22, 2010)

If you're going to be saving up your pocket money for bits and bobs... Will you really be able to afford it if one of your rats needs the vet? You won't have time to save up small amounts then - is it really fair to ask your parents to fork out for animals they don't want?


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## LynseyB (Jan 30, 2012)

Shrap said:


> If you're going to be saving up your pocket money for bits and bobs... Will you really be able to afford it if one of your rats needs the vet? You won't have time to save up small amounts then - is it really fair to ask your parents to fork out for animals they don't want?


I don't want to sound negative, but I agree that rats can potentially cost a fair amount in vet bills should they suffer any ill health so best just to be sure your parents are able and willing to cover these costs 

On the original question, I won my OH round by showing him lots of cute videos and pictures of rats. His opinion of them changed and he was almost as excited as me when we went to get our first girls


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

Just make sure you tell them how often you will clean them and stuff and stick to it. That was what my mum was worried about as when I was very young I had a hamster that she always had to clean out because I couldn't be bothered!


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

Shrap said:


> If you're going to be saving up your pocket money for bits and bobs... Will you really be able to afford it if one of your rats needs the vet? You won't have time to save up small amounts then - is it really fair to ask your parents to fork out for animals they don't want?


Well I wouldn't be able to afford it but if they were really negative about paying it out I'd let them take the amount out of birthdays and christmas money e.t.c. I've heard you can get insurance for them too, how much is that a month?


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

colliewobble said:


> Just ask your Mum - she might surprize you
> 
> My Mum's reaction was the same when I said I wanted a rat "urgh no way am I EVER having rats in this house, their tails are horrible and they're just uuurgh, no chance". Eventually I won her round by promising I wouldn't let her see it and keeping it out of the way. Day after I bought Tia home guess who was the first person who wanted to see her? And hold her and have her running around them? Now I have another 3 so parents CAN be won round!
> 
> BTW I may have a ferplast furet cage up for sale in the near future, as it's too small imo for my 4. It flat packs so posting wouldn't be a problem.


Hopefully she'll suprise me 

How much would you be selling the cage for?


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

Just tried and she said Never. She is sticking to the promise of no more pets after Ruby. I'm going to perserver though.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

Rubythedog said:


> Just tried and she said Never. She is sticking to the promise of no more pets after Ruby. I'm going to perserver though.


Keep trying if you think you have any chance at all of changing her mind. You could point out that rats are a lot less work than dogs are. My mum was adamant I couldn't have another dog but she was ok with more rats.

Furet plus sell for around £85+ new so I'd be after about £40 + postage as its only a few months old and in good condition barring one snapped bar.


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

I'd drop it for the time being. If she's said no more pets while you're still at home then you've got to respect her wishes. I don't know how old you are, but maybe getting a part time job and saving up your money will help your mum see that she won't be the one responsible for their welfare. Also do as much research as you can which will also help. If all else fails, you will have to wait until you move out. I've always found nagging gets me the opposite of what I want.


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## Lavenderb (Jan 27, 2009)

Rubythedog said:


> Well I wouldn't be able to afford it but if they were really negative about paying it out I'd let them take the amount out of birthdays and christmas money e.t.c. I've heard you can get insurance for them too, how much is that a month?


I've never heard of insurance for rats . You might be needing a few christmas's and birthdays behind you then....one of my rats had to have a scratched eyeball removed after it became septic overnight and surgery was the best option for recovery....cost was £140. Vet consultations start at £11 in my part of the country, that's without treatment, surgery, care etc...They aren't as 'cheap' to look after as you might think...and they also have a 'smell' .


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

I think theres a chance, I've wanted to get a part time job for aaaages but I have to be 16. I'll do similair stuff to what I did to get a dog, Pros and cons, speeches, presentations, research e.t.c any other ideas welcome


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

Leave it until you've got a job then bring it up again. I'd also recomend saving up at least £100 per rat for your vet fund before you get any at all. You can easily spend that and more on one course of treatment.


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

Hamster/rat/ small Animal cage | eBay is this suitable for 2 or three rats?


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## Guest (Mar 31, 2012)

Rubythedog said:


> Hamster/rat/ small Animal cage | eBay is this suitable for 2 or three rats?


No, far, far too small. It isn't even big enough for one hamster IMO.


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

B3rnie said:


> No, far, far too small. It isn't even big enough for one hamster IMO.


Ok glad I asked would hate to get a small cage. Back to ebay/preloved/gumtree


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

As bernie says that cage is classed as a hamster cage.
The best way to tell if a cage is big enough for a pair of rats or more is this
Ratty Corner Cage Calculator


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

my parents were the same. i asked for rats as pets and they refused. on my 17th birthday they asked what i wanted and i said some rats, they said no. they offered me some budgies instead so i reluctantly said yes. then a week later they said no to the budgies as the dogs might eat them. and then said what about some goldfish :shocked::shocked: so i went from rats to goldfish. i did get my goldfish and i really loved them but not as much as i love rats. 

when i was 20 when i moved into a new flat with my boyfriend. 2 days later i bought 2 male rats. 3 and a half years later i have 29 rats, and have owned 51, all male. my now husband hates them. oh well


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

CRL said:


> my parents were the same. i asked for rats as pets and they refused. on my 17th birthday they asked what i wanted and i said some rats, they said no. they offered me some budgies instead so i reluctantly said yes. then a week later they said no to the budgies as the dogs might eat them. and then said what about some goldfish :shocked::shocked: so i went from rats to goldfish. i did get my goldfish and i really loved them but not as much as i love rats.
> 
> when i was 20 when i moved into a new flat with my boyfriend. 2 days later i bought 2 male rats. 3 and a half years later i have 29 rats, and have owned 51, all male. my now husband hates them. oh well


Cool  I made some progress but now have a throat infection so when I recover I'm gonna confront Mum again, fingers crossed. If anyone has a Savic Freddy or something similair to sell for about 20 pounds and is in my area pm me.


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

If you're looking for cheap cages then have a look on ebay, preloved and gumtree. If you don't mind a product then look for a Ferplast Jenny. They can be really cheap, and for the cost of a tin of jacplac and a new door then it is a fantastic cage. Also look for aviaries. Sometimes you can find older ferplast aviaries that just need a good scrub. They are also great for smaller rats as the bar spacing is small.

It's a shame you're not closer to me because I'm giving away a large rat cage at the moment.


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## bewitched (Jun 9, 2010)

I was told no to a hamster when I was younger so I saved up then went back to the good old parents and said right, I have the money for the hamster, the food, the cage, cage accessories and a starting amount of £50 for vet bills. I really wanted that hamster 
They said yes as they could see how hard I'd saved and it wasn't just a passing fad.


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

Snippet said:


> If you're looking for cheap cages then have a look on ebay, preloved and gumtree. If you don't mind a product then look for a Ferplast Jenny. They can be really cheap, and for the cost of a tin of jacplac and a new door then it is a fantastic cage. Also look for aviaries. Sometimes you can find older ferplast aviaries that just need a good scrub. They are also great for smaller rats as the bar spacing is small.
> 
> It's a shame you're not closer to me because I'm giving away a large rat cage at the moment.


Yeah I've been looking on them sites but all the good ones are ages away and we don't have car.

I bet when I'm not looking for one they'll be loads in my area. My area sucks animal wise, the people around here seem to not keep small animals or give away/sell good cages


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

Just keep looking. Some of the best rat cages aren't advertised as such. Try looking for ferret or chinchilla cages as well, or consider saving up and getting a brand new cage.

EquineCanineFeline have a good selection, free postage on cages, and if you use the code FANCYRATS at the checkout you get 10% off.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

Rubythedog, I still have my ferplast furet plus for sale, as I haven't gotten round to putting it on ebay yet. It's on the classifieds threads if you want to know more. 

Yeah it sucks to not have anyone around where you are with small animals. It's even worse when you also live too far away and in the middle of nowhere to go fetch any of the ebay bargains too


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

colliewobble said:


> Rubythedog, I still have my ferplast furet plus for sale, as I haven't gotten round to putting it on ebay yet. It's on the classifieds threads if you want to know more.
> 
> Yeah it sucks to not have anyone around where you are with small animals. It's even worse when you also live too far away and in the middle of nowhere to go fetch any of the ebay bargains too


Thanks, If I can't sort out something else I might be able to buy it but I have only saved 45 pounds so then I would have to save up for the rats as well.

There's a cage on eBay I really want but it's in Braintree,Essex and we're in Romford,Essex but Mum says it's too far . Is their anyone in or near Braintree?


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

Well I am defo getting rats  i have saved up almost 80 pounds (still don't know how i done that in a month when i get a fiver a week...) and will hopefully be collecting cage on the 5th  Can't wait! I will be ordering 25 quids worth of stuff of Zooplus soon to make sure it comes in time and will use homemade hammocks at first to save on costs


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

Good news. Where are you going to be getting the rats?


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

chrisd said:


> Good news. Where are you going to be getting the rats?


I'm getting them on the 5th of May  I've ordered some stuff from Zooplus so hopefully that will arrive soon. Unfortunately there are no rescues or breeders(and there doesn't seem to even be any rat owners for miles!) so I have to get them from a pet shop. I can't wait


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

If you email the NFRS you can get a list of breeders in your area. I know that there are at least 3 in Essex.


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

chrisd said:


> If you email the NFRS you can get a list of breeders in your area. I know that there are at least 3 in Essex.


Yeah I done that but they were far away from my area and we don't have a car. The nearest one is hours away and we would have to go by train and I don't think it would be fair on the ratties to have to go through a long journey.


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## EllesBelles (May 14, 2010)

I'd really consider finding another way to get the rats...

From a breeder, they are likely to be healthy. From a pet shop, they will be from a rodent farm. 

It's especially important in your case because you wouldn't be able to afford any expensive treatment. You'd save yourself a lot of hassle.

Which breeders did you contact? Maybe somebody here can help.


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## Rubythedog (Mar 5, 2012)

EllesBelles said:


> I'd really consider finding another way to get the rats...
> 
> From a breeder, they are likely to be healthy. From a pet shop, they will be from a rodent farm.
> 
> ...


I had another check of the breeder list and other ratteries but I can't find any close enough  Anyone know of any breeders or rescues near Romford?


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

EllesBelles said:


> I'd really consider finding another way to get the rats...
> 
> From a breeder, they are likely to be healthy. From a pet shop, they will be from a rodent farm.
> 
> ...


Try finding a pet store where you know where their stock comes from. Not all of them are from rodent farms, my 3 came from a small independant store that breed their own animals. They have the parents in the store so you can see/hold them and the babies so they're used to people coming and going. Might be worth asking in small stores around you.

Also if your stuck on fetching them from a breeder I can give you the details of a pet courier based in Kent, but who go around the country, who are very reasonably priced, in particular if they're not going too far or 'going that way anyway'. I had one of my bunnies delivered by them (she came from Essex) and they were fantastic - I very highly recommend them


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

colliewobble said:


> Try finding a pet store where you know where their stock comes from. Not all of them are from rodent farms, my 3 came from a small independant store that breed their own animals. They have the parents in the store so you can see/hold them and the babies so they're used to people coming and going. Might be worth asking in small stores around you.


But they're going to have exactly the same problems as pets from a rodent farm as I doubt they'll be keeping tabs on the health of rats that aren't kept back for breeding. And I don't think it's a great idea to be supporting an industry that pretty much encourages impluse buying.

OP, I'd wait until you've moved out and have your own transport so you don't support the pet shop trade and get rats that are healthy. And rats do fine on public transport if you're set on getting rats now.


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## Jay Martinez (Dec 14, 2015)

Listen, I feel your struggle as I want some baby ratties as well, but my dog was euthanized, and now I have fish that I SOLELY TAKE CARE OF. I have been asking my parents as well but they are saying 'not now' and stuff. If you can, please answer my thread as well. Thank you and I hope you get your rats soon!!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Jay Martinez said:


> Listen, I feel your struggle as I want some baby ratties as well, but my dog was euthanized, and now I have fish that I SOLELY TAKE CARE OF. I have been asking my parents as well but they are saying 'not now' and stuff. If you can, please answer my thread as well. Thank you and I hope you get your rats soon!!


This thread is from 2012 not even sure the poster still comes on here.


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