Steps
- Get your pet rats. Getting at least two of the same gender (unless they are spayed/neutered) is strongly recommended, and most good breeders/stores/rescues will not let you have one rat unless you have proof you already have one at home. It is also important you get two because rats will get very lonely and even depressed if they do not have another rat buddy to play and cuddle with. Rats are best acquired from a breeder or rescuer. They have a more intimate knowledge of the rats in their care and can help you find the "right" one. Always thoroughly research any rescuers/breeders before getting rats from them. This is often a better choice than buying pet store rats (which are usually from "mills" and little consideration is taken for their health). If you do decide to buy from a pet store, avoid rats with the following problems: red discharge around the eyes and nose, noisy breathing, open wounds, lethargy, cloudy eyes, or runny poop. The danger of getting rats from a pet store is that often mix-ups occur and the genders may be mixed. You may be only buying two rats initially, but a few weeks down the road you may get quite a surprise!
- Find a veterinarian who has knowledge of and experience with rodents. It is important to do this before or right after you get your rats, so when you have an emergency you don't have to waste time flipping through the phone book looking for emergency small-animal clinics.
- Buy a large cage with solid flooring, levels, and ramps. Wire flooring is painful for your rat. For every rat, there should be a minimum of 1 square foot, but 1.5 square feet or more is better. Supplement your cage with toys, hammocks, hideaways, nesting material, as well as the necessities (water bottle and a food dish). Rats love to be busy and will play with toys while you're away.
- The barspacing should be no more than a 1/2 inch (chicken wire can be used to seal gaps) and the bars themselves should be powder coated to avoid rat urine corroding the bars. Rats are excellent jumpers and climbers and should be able to execute their acrobatics in their cage without flying through the bars.
- The barspacing should be no more than a 1/2 inch (chicken wire can be used to seal gaps) and the bars themselves should be powder coated to avoid rat urine corroding the bars. Rats are excellent jumpers and climbers and should be able to execute their acrobatics in their cage without flying through the bars.
- Wood chips and shavings (Pine and Cedar) are dusty and contain oils that could cause respiratory infections, among other things, in rats. The ONLY wood shavings okay for rats is aspen shavings. Use a hemp, cloth, or paper bedding. Be sure the cloth isn't frayed however as they could cause your rats harm if they snag a claw and rip it off. Fleece (absorbent, and won't fray) or towels (might fray, but more absorbent) are a good bet, but you will need to change them several times a week. Another good alternative to shavings is Carefresh, a reclaimed cellulose bedding, or recycled newspaper beddings like Yesterday's News.
- Spend time with your rats. The more attention you give, the more bonded, active, healthy, and friendly your rat will be. A single rat is a lonely rat and this can cause behavioral issues. Unless your rat is aggressive, they are best not left alone. It is advisable to get the rats from the same place at the same time, so as to not have to worry about quarantining them or possible introduction problems. Rat introductions can also get a little ugly especially with territorial male rats. A good spot for introductions is a big box or a bath tub.
- The staple diet of your rat should consist of lab blocks or a homemade grain mix, (you can look up one called "Suebee's Diet") and, depending on the quality of the lab blocks, dog food. The rest should be supplemented with fresh and frozen fruits, veggies, cooked beans, seeds etc. Avoid giving citrus juices to male rats, as a chemical in the peel (which is usually in commercial citrus juices) binds with a protein in their kidneys, and causes cancer. Fresh citrus is fine, as long as you remove any skin and pith (the white stuff) before feeding male rats. Females do not have this problem. If you must purchase commercial rat food be aware that the corn and alfalfa pellets are undigestable and small seeds will likely go uneaten. Many vets recommend Oxbow Regal Rat, Mazuri, or Harlan Teklad lab blocks, most of which can be bought in bulk online.
- Make food readily available. Rats will stop eating when they are full. Buying pre-made "rat mixes" isn't necessarily the best choice as some rats will eat only the pieces they enjoy and leave the rest. Some recommend buying "lab blocks" which are "nutritionally complete" and supplementing with fresh fruits, veggies, dry bread, yogurt. Rats may become bored eating the same thing every single meal, and can stop eating. Dog food made for Seniors (which has a lower fat content) can be a good supplement to their regular diet.
- When buying rat food, ensure that it is not just seeds and nuts! These mixes contain too much protein and fat for rats. Also ensure that corn is not the number one ingredient in the mix as too much may contribute to cancer. Instead of searching for a good rat mix, you can choose to make a homemade mix such as Suebee's (see external links).
- Clean their cage often! Daily "spot-checks" help maintain a clean cage, and at least weekly cleanings will ensure healthy rats. Harsh chemicals, like bleach, can harm their sensitive respiratory systems. Retail pet-friendly product like Nil-Odor work well, as does vinegar. You can even litter train your rat to make things easier on you. (See 'Tips.')
- Do not leave your rats exposed to extreme temperature changes or drafts. Rats should be kept between 35 and 75 degrees Farenheit. If it is a particularly hot day, provide your ratties with some cool, shallow (1/2") water to play around in; on a cold day, a nice warm blanket.
- Consider teaching your rat some tricks! Rats are very intelligent, and can learn many tricks, such as jumping through a hoop, spinning in a circle, standing up, and even giving a handshake all on spoken command. Teach tricks by starting slow, rewarding, and reinforcing with treats and praise if done correctly. No negative reinforcement. It is bad pet ownership and will confuse the rat.
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Rats get a bad rap! They are some of the friendliest and easiest to train pets available.Tips
- This is the most important thing of all: Start saving up for vet bills! Rats might seem like low-maintenance pets, but they are prone to health problems. The most common health problems are respiratory infections, (take them to the vet if they are sneezing and wheezing!) mites, (microscopic bugs that cause tiny scabs to appear on your rat, and makes them itchy!) abscesses, (cysts, easily treated but you might need antibiotics!) and tumors. (Girls are more prone to them than boys, but if you spay them it reduces their chances of getting tumors.)
- Rats love other rats! A pair or even group of same-sex rats (unless they are spayed/neutered)will result in happier, healthier pets, while a lone rat may become bored, timid, clingy, or suffer depression and neurological problems.
- Males can easily be differentiated from females by the presence of their large testicles. They are also larger in size. As well, girls rats have nipples, and boys don't.
- A happy and contented rat will "brux" by chipping their teeth together. Sometimes their eyes bug out a little when they are really bruxing hard, but don't worry! This is just like a cat purring, it means your rat loves you, and it helps them to wear down their teeth.
- Rats love treats. Fresh veggies and fruits, healthy cereals, and baby foods are some of their favorites. Rats don't tolerate lactose well.
- Giving your rats ropes to climb, mazes to solve and things to chew will make them very happy.
- Rats don't sleep all through the night or all through the day. They are neither nocturnal nor diurnal. Instead they sleep about an hour at a time, constantly going to sleep and waking back up again. So essentially they are active at all times of the day with naps in between. Also they can sometimes be quite noisy, but usually at a tolerable level. You may prefer to keep them in a room separate from your bedroom. If you do choose to keep them in your bedroom, it is handy to keep a basket of rolled up socks nearby to throw at the cage if they get too noisy (this may sound mean, but it works really well and the worse it can do to the rats is scare them for a short while).
- Find an exotics vet that specializes in small mammals. They're worth their weight in gold. Keep their number on hand in case of emergency.
- Talk to your rats. They like it.
- Make food a puzzle, wrap up a snack in some paper towels or cardboard, for example.
- Don't overdo protein in their diet, it can cause (among other things) a nasty rash.
- Give your rat something to chew on, such as a toilet paper roll. They love using the chewed up pieces in their nest.
- Female rats tend to be more active. If you want your rat to sit on your lap for petting sessions, get a male.
- A good method of cleaning cages to remove the smell is to use a spray bottle of white vinegar and a spray bottle of peroxide. First spray the vinegar on the cage, then the peroxide, and wipe clean with a paper towel. This will remove odor and disinfect the cage for cheap.
- You can quickly train your rat to use a litter pan. Place the pan in the corner they most often use and put in a small amount of the soiled bedding. If the rest of the cage is clean, they will pick up on where the toilet smelling area is. Use a different litter in the pan than what is in the cage to help them differentiate the area. This will only work for their solid waste, as they use urine for communication and won't confine where they pee. Females tend to litter train better than males.
- Training a rat to come on command is easy and useful. They can be trained with positive reinforcement with food rewards. Common food rewards are rice crispies, sunflower seeds, cream cheese on finger, etc. This can be used to find missing rats and is something an owner should take the time to do.
- It is a misconception that rats get bumble foot from wire floors and shelves. It actually comes from walking in urine and feces all day.
- Rats like to hide. So put like a small box in your rats cage so it can sleep and hide there.
- Rats are prone to mites and skin parasites. If your rat starts to look mangy or you can see tiny orange specs moving on him, he has mites. Fortunately this is easily fixed with a spot-on flea treatment meant for kittens that is easily available from a vet. Revolution is the best bet, as some flea treatments like Frontline can be harmful to rats.
- Every time you are going to spend time with your pet or even feed it, try whistling, clicking your tongue, or making some other kind of noise. Whatever you choose, make sure you use the same sound all the time, every time you are going to come into contact with it. This will help your pet associate who you are and become familiar with you faster. They will become more sociable with you and may even begin coming to you when let out of their cage. Be careful though because sometimes they may associate the sound with food and may expect a treat once called, so don't give them a treat every time!
- If one of your rats is very timid take time to hold it. Hold him close to your chest and let your pet rest on your forearm then after a while offer your hand to him and let him/her climb on your hand. Don't pick him/her up. This will take time for your rat to trust and like you but in the end it will work.
Warnings
- If you don't want your females to get pregnant, then it is required that you don't keep males and females in the same cage together unless the male is neutered or the girl is spayed or else you would have more rats on your hands then expected.
- Avoid the urge of mating your rat and using the offspring for gene-knockout experiments.
- Never pick your rat up by the tail! Always use two hands to pick them up. Grasp them around the middle with one hand and use the other hand to scoop up their backside. If it is absolutely necessary you pick them up by their tail, grab them at the base of their tail. It makes it less painful for the rat and the tail won't break.
- Do not feed your rat sticky foods (peanut butter, caramels, marshmallows, etc.) or carbonated drinks in large amounts. They cannot regurgitate so they can choke and are not able to release gas buildup.
- Rats chew on everything! Keep cords, shoes, clothing and other things you don't want chewed on out of their way when they are let out of their cage.
- Rats are very clever and can get into spaces you wouldn't think they'd be able to. Keep a close eye on them when they're out. They like to jump off things, too.
- Rats have quick and severe reactions to sugar. They will become hyper should you give it to them.
- Rats can get sick often and are expensive to treat. They can cost a lot of money to keep, so be prepared to spend it.
- Rats have a bad rep. People may act really strange, mean, degrading and grossed-out when you mention you have rats. Be ready for this.
- Rats can be very timid, or aggressive when you first bring them home (this is especially true for pet-store rats). Be patient when handling them.
- Rats tend to see other animals as either predators or food, and they can kill smaller rodents.
- Be careful with cats and dogs. A housecat may investigate a rat as an interesting new family member, but a rat will see a cat as what it is: a predator. The rat may very well decide that the best defense is a good offense.
- Many rats will use a running wheel, although some will just ignore a wheel, as they are quite intelligent animals who can bore easily. Also, many rat owners argue that the wheel is damaging to the rat's back. Unlike hamsters, a rat's spine is not designed to bend that way and it could cause problems especially if the wheel is too small. A wheel for a full grown rat should be at least 15 inches in diameter. If your rat does use a running wheel, avoid wheels made with wire as their feet and tails can easily become tangled in them and cause serious injury. Solid plastic wheels are safer and can provide extra exercise.
- If you have a wire cage, make sure your rat, in its cage, is not walking around on the wires. Always have the floor of the cage be bedding. Placing bedding beneath the wires is unacceptable; this walking on the wires may cause your rat to develop Bumblefoot, creating serious bumps and bruises on their feet from walking on just wire all the time; imagine if you had to!
- Never feed a rat through their cage. Always open the door and let them take scraps of food from your hands. By feeding them through the cage they will associate everything outside as food and begin to try and bite whatever happens to brush by the cage including: people, clothing, and other pets. If you really want to despite this warning, make a certain sound, click, or noise right before giving them food through the cage, and only give them food after the noise. Alternating noise/food and no noise/finger will help them learn to lick or gently nibble your finger instead of treating it as if it were food.
- If you happen to get food from a pet store or come across food that is not sealed in a bag or has holes in it be sure to freeze it for a few hours before serving it to your pet. Sometimes unnoticeable, harmless bugs may drift in there and it can get rid of any unwanted pest in the house.
- If you get an albino rat (white fur and red eyes) be sure to keep him or her away from the sun. The sun's strong rays are harmful to albinos and can damage their eyes.
Related wikiHows
Sources and Citations
- http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html
- http://rmca.org/
- http://www.dapper.com.au
- http://www.ratfanclub.org/
- http://www.ratclub.org
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