How do you look after rats?

[Birth-Peace]

So how do you look after rats?

 

What do they need?

 

 

Can you have one on its own etc

[DaFoot]

Keep mine on paper cat litter. Do not use woodshavings.

Tey need lots of attention as they are sociable animals, alwas keep at least 2 together for company (I currenty have 3 boys).

Give them lots of places to hide in their (big) cage and they will tame down much faster as they are less nervous if they have a dark hole to run to

[pet-walkiz]

http://www.quite.co.uk/rats/

[mezzymess]

http://ratmad.proboards74.com/index.cgi

 

This is run by a friend of mine, still new but it would be good to chat to others

 

Rats love company, if you did keep a lone rat (I don't really recomend this) then it would need a lot of interaction with you and your family

 

I personally think they are great, I have 4 myself and they are just superb pets!!!

[hels1977]

Yep as others have said, you need 2 or more, never 1, they pine horribly when alone:(

 

The bigger the cage the better (there's a cage calculator on the FR forum), but if it has big drops then make sure you've got lots of hammocks to break any falls. They need lots of human time and cuddles. Boy rats are more cuddly than girls rats, both have different aspects though that different people prefer, girls are usually more nosey for example. They are very intelligent (as a rule), very inquisitive and will always be looking for treats.

 

Diets vary but you can mostly use pet shop nuggets as a base and top it up with fruit, veg, nibbles, no sugary cereal etc. If you google "fancy rats" you'll find some pretty cool links and forums.

 

They get very sneezy on dusty litter so bio-cat let or bob martins or good old fashioned self-shredded paper is the best litter. There is an ecopetbed stuff but it's expensive!

 

Vet bills can be suprisingly expensive for such a little creature as well. Female rats are prone to non-cancerous lumps (and cancer) in older life. Sometimes they can be removed, sometimes they can't, all factors play a role. That's not to say don't get girls, it's just something to be aware of.

 

With regards to getting your rats. Some people do frown on buying pet shop rats and I can see why. You have no support, don't know where they've come from and it may be a bad line that's prone to illness. There are rescue centres about that are looking for people to rehome, or better still go to a breeder, again there are plenty of them about on the various forums and hopefully one in your area. They will also take the rats back if for any reason you can no longer care for them as any responsible animal breeder would - something a pet shop just wont do!

 

Lots of toys, lots of cuddles, ratty company and a stash of yoggie drops and you'll have happy rats! Very rewarding little critters in my opinion!

[Strix]

We do have one member who isn't keen on the side effect of rat keeping....

 

.... the smell

 

Is this a new addition to your menagerie Ollie, or have you been asked to pet sit?

[hels1977]

We do have one member who isn't keen on the side effect of rat keeping....

 

.... the smell

 

Is this a new addition to your menagerie Ollie, or have you been asked to pet sit?

 

But rats don't smell

 

If they are cleaned properly, they honestly don't smell! Especially does, bucks do have a boy-aroma sometimes but even that I wouldn't have described as overpowering by any means.

[baileys_mum]

I have 2 girls, well, my partner does. Ours are kept on cardboard squares but have been fine on shavings too

[Lotti]

But rats don't smell

 

If they are cleaned properly, they honestly don't smell! Especially does, bucks do have a boy-aroma sometimes but even that I wouldn't have described as overpowering by any means.

 

That's what I thought! They're actually very clean animals aren't they? Unfortunately because of their wild ancestors living in sewers they have been branded with a reputation! Poor little critters.

 

I'd love rats but I have two cats (who live in my room) and two dogs and I have decided not to get them because a) my mother doesn't want anymore animals in the house and b) I don't have space for a good sized cage for them!

[hels1977]

Lotti - Yeah they do get a rather bad rep because of their ancestors! They are indeed very clean little critters, obsessed with washing infact! It is possible to litter train them as well, I just haven't!

 

Baileys_mum - I have heard a lot that shavings are bad for them (annoyingly pet shops just won't listen half the time), the dust irritates their lungs and often causes problems later in life as they are naturally prone to respiratory failure. May I enquire where do you get your cardboard squares from? Is it that ecopet bed stuff if have you found something cheaper? I'd be interested to find out as I looked at the ecopetbed stuff but it's so expensive! PM if you like! Thanks:thumbsup: