Well the good news is that you can’t decide because they’re both great :)
There are stereotypes about the personalities of boys vs. girls, which I’m sure you know since you’ve done your research! And while these generally hold true, I have had very calm snuggly females and absolutely insane males (*cough* Oliver). So the stereotypes don’t always hold true. But yes generally males are bigger, lazier, and more likely to sit still and snuggle than run around. The girls are more active and usually smaller but they are just as affectionate and in my experience, they are easier to train because they are more active and wiling to try new things. Males that aren’t neutered tend to smell more because they produce “buck grease” that has a distinct smell and makes their fur a little oily. They also have ginormous balls that freak some people out (I don’t really like them lol). Males also go through a hormonal period where they can sometimes become more aggressive or territorial- but not all males do it! Some females have a similar thing happen. Males also are more likely to cause trouble when introducing new rats. Again- it’s just a generalization. Julia (my roommate) has 6 males that, with the exception of the newest baby Marius, were all introduced to each other as adults and she has never had a single scuffle or fight. I had a territorial female (Ellie), that hated new rats and gave me lots of trouble with introductions. But generally, females get along with new rats more easily and males are more of a process to introduce- but it can be done very successfully!!
They both make wonderful, rewarding pets!! I tend to favor the girls because I like their activity level and I find them easier to train but a lot of people want couch potato boys :) The important thing to remember is that each rat is an individual and will have a distinct personality! It is usually very hard to tell what a rats personality will be like before you get it home and it gets settled. If you go with a breeder, they will be babies and won’t really develop their adult personality until they calm down after a few months. So it’s sort of a gamble but having different personalities is part of the fun of owning rats!! My advice would be to focus less on the gender and more on finding rats that are the right age, from a reputable source, and have the colors/fur types/ear orientation, etc. you are interested!!
You can neuter if you want to keep both genders but unless you have a low-cost clinic near you, it can get very pricey. And spaying females offers a big medical benefit since it greatly reduces the risk of mammary and pituitary tumors so if you are going to fix one, I would spay the female. But then you might also want to neuter the male too haha. I would just stick with one gender and it doesn’t matter which you choose!! Good luck :)
Of course I would love to do a promo!!
I never buy hammocks from pet stores- they are worthless lol. Waay too expensive and my rats chew them to pieces in a day. I love finding cute ones from personal sellers- I usually buy from either Ty’s Rat Shack or Chelsea’s Cozies :)
I do make my own hammocks too when I’m feeling creative. I have a ton of fabric!
Haha no not weird at all. I carry mine around on my shoulder or in my sweatshirt a lot. I also tickle them either on their stomach or butt- if I scratch their butt, they usually jump and run away and then run right back for more :)
I also pet them behind their ears and give them lots of squeezes and kisses (which they don’t really enjoy but they tolerate it :P)
Training is a great way to interact with them. Find a treat they love and teach them to stand, give paw, roll over, come when called, play fetch, etc!
