Financial Considerations
Please be aware that vet bills can cost much more than you would expect for such a small animal - these days I usually expect that each rat will cost me around £200 in vet bills over their lifetime (for most rats, this averages just under 2 years). Some cost less, some have cost me a lot more. It is essential that you plan for this before getting rats (or any pet, for that matter). It is quite ridiculous the number of times I read about people who don't have the money to take their pet to the vet and an animal is suffering as a result. The vast majority of the time, it could have been avoided if people were aware of the costs involved and had prepared accordingly. To quote a well-known saying: 'If you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet'. And then there are some people who can pay, but won't because 'you can just buy another one' or 'it's only a rat' or 'I really wanted that new console game'. To these people, I would like to remind them that vet care is not a luxury, it is a necessity which any domestic animal is entitled to, it is your duty to protect your pets from harm.