mark

Has there been any serious studies done to extend the health and
longevity of rats? I've only had one rat and she died only 7 months
after buying her. It was extremely heart breaking to go through as she
was probably the sweetest pet I've ever had. Since then I've been
hesitant to buy another rat but now I'm looking into buying one from a
good breeder.

mark

Also, typical rat lifespan is about 2-3 years right? How do you
calculate rat years into human years? I suppose its all genetic. a
shame though because they make great pets.

mark tomlinson

Rats are typically used for longevity studies. So far as I know, adding
blueberries to their diet is about the only proven technique for improving
health and alertness in later years.

As far as "rat years" calculations go, I read 10 days = 1 year. But that is
really not relevant to anything except the end of their lives because they
mature quickly but keep growing into their second year. They can start
breeding at what we would calculate out as four years old. But the same
rats hadn't reached their adult size until they were what I'd figure as
being in their 40's. Plus, I find wide variation from rat to rat. I
suppose that applies to people, too. One of my grandmothers was very old at
60, while the other was young into her 90's. I find that I've given up on
"rat years" and just treat them as old as they act.

--
Mark Tomlinson
"I'm not a trouble maker; I am a catalyst for change."

amaral

I had rats for ten years and I found you'll get about a year to 1 1/2
years of good health out of them and then it's all downhill from
there. I still like rats but I gave them up because of too many
health problems resulting in too many little funerals.

cj.green

I've known rats to live up to five years, though that's the exception
rather than the rule; three years is pretty good. Our alpha girl is
two-and-a-half now and not slowing down at all.

Freedom from disease is probably the biggest factor: mycoplasmosis is
very common, and it shortens the life span even of rats that don't
show symptoms. Cleanliness, quarantine, and antibiotics are good ways
to keep myco under control. Pet-store rats are likely to bring bad
cases of myco with them, so dealing with local fanciers is better.

Diet appears to be at least as big a deal for rats as it is for
humans. Rats don't thrive on anything like the Atkins diet: lots of
fat and protein are not good for them. "Lab blocks" are pretty much an
ideal food, but they will prefer stuff that tastes better and isn't so
healthy, just like we do. They seem to respond well to natural
antioxidants, especially blueberries for still-unclear reasons that
scientists are anxious to capitalize on.

--
Chris Green

kate

Hi Mark,

I was reading in my Rat Care book by Debbie Ducommun about aging. She
worked out the equivilent years of humans to Rats. She maintains that at 6
weeks it is 10 human years. 6 months = 16 years. 9 months = 25 years. 18
months = 38 years. 2 years = 45 years. 2 1/2 years = 53 years. If you ever
had a Rat live to 7 years it would be the equivilent of 120 years.

Sadly with store bought pets its hard to determine how long they will live.
If you have access to a breeder then that would be the best way to go as
they know of their history etc. Please don't be put of having other Rats
because they don't live to a great age, you are denying yourself some
wonderful companions..

Regards Kate

kate

A quote from The Rat Guide.... " Chromium picolinate, a compound of chromium
that is very easily absorbed by the body, has been shown to extend the
average lifespan of lab rats." It went on to say about the experiments
done and the outcome, which was indeed very favourable. She did say that
the study was done on Myco free lab rats so the results for "Pet Rats" may
not be as outstanding. The Article was very good but I am a lazy typist and
I couldnt be bothered typing it all out...LOL.

Regards Kate