# Cane Rats...



## miffikins (Feb 25, 2007)

Hi all! Don't often venture on here but I've been mooching around and thinking of getting a rodenty/mustelid type pet, I was thinking along the lines of a gambian pouched or ferret...

Anyways, I came across cane rats on a few classifieds, I'm not that interested in keeping them myself as they are mahoosive, but I was really intrigued. I did a quick google, but most of what I got back was recipes for them - they appear to be used a lot in African cooking:lol2:

Has anyone kept any of the cane rat species before and give me a bit more info?? Just to fill my curiosity :lol2:

Cheers

Kate


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## snakelover (Dec 17, 2006)

If you live on a mine field Gambian Pouched rats can be trained to sniff out mines, and they are to light in wieght to set em off :no1: :lol2:

Seen it on a documentry yesterday lol

Mysef i would get a polecat ferret female  Lovely colour and they dont smell as bad as males. Never kept a ferret so dont really now what i am talking about. But polecat ones are nice.


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## soozthecat (May 24, 2008)

They sound wicked but it also sounds like there isnt much info out about them, maybe have a pair or trio of ferrets and see if theres a boom in the rats over a few years (which would mean more correct info being about).


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## Matt Harris (Aug 21, 2007)

wikipedia has a nice photo of one. Thryonomys swinderianus. They're more closely related to porcupines than they are to true rats. Hunting them is a bit of a national sport in some W African countries. Males have a very musty flavour which I find quite disgusting, but females aren't too bad


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## fern (May 25, 2008)

ferrets are amazing pets  so funny keep you entertained contantly! 

id go for ferrets rather than something which isnt known much about


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

cane rats.. funny beasties... seen them on simons rodents lists recently for £325 a pair with VAT on top..

the only anecdotal thing i know about them, is they suffer badly from stress in captivity and drop dead very easily...

sound fun!

N


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## miffikins (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks guys! I was totally intrigued, hard to imagine a giant rat, let alone how you would house it....Definatly don't think I fancy something that will drop dead on me, thats happened once already this year.

I think I'll go back to mustelids, I do love polecats, one of my lecturers does a lot of trapping and monitoring their populations down here. As I can't have a 'real' one I think I may go for a polecat ferret :flrt:

What sort of price would I be looking at for a male?? I'm not looking to buy any time soon, I just like to get ahead with my 'research'

Cheers

: victory:


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## tilly790 (Jan 24, 2008)

Lots in rescues...id look there first.


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## JEnegan (Dec 5, 2009)

*Cane rats are the best!!!*

Hello
I have owned an African cane rat for the past 8 years and he is the best peti have ever owned. He's super friendly ; he loves being scratched under his chin and on his belly. He's extremely smart ( 10x smarter than my dog). He knows his name and also understands "no" and "stop". Cane rats are also extremely clean and don't smell at all unlike ferrets. They also don't shed much since they have quill like hairs rather than fur. When keeping a cane Rat I suggest getting a big cage since they do get to be pretty big- mine is about 10 pounds. I also recommend letting them out of their cage once a day to run around n get exercise. Anyways hope this info helps. Let me know I'd you have anymore questions about cane rats and I'd be happy to answer them.
- Jen


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

Here's a thread about some that were kept in the UK - there are some pics • View topic - Greater Cane Rats


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