Pet Rats - Everything you ever wanted to know!
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Fancy Rats Make Great Pets
They are the most friendly, intelligent and sociable of pets. They are always pleased to see you, are less likely to bite and are very easy to train... which is more than can be said about any of the hamsters I've ever owned.
My aim here, with the aid of my own rats, is to provide people who are curious about the pet rat and are considering buying, a little bit of information to see if rats really are the right choice of pet for them.
Basic Rat Facts
- 1Average life span of 2-3 years (can live longer)
- 2Noctural (active at night) but they will adapt their sleeping pattern somewhat to match their owner.
- 3Average body length is 9-11 inches + a 7-9 inch tail. (My largest rat measured 21 inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tale)
- 4Males (bucks) are larger than females (does).
Fancy Rat Breeds
Fancy rats or pet rats come in a variety of breeds and colours which make them a lot more pleasing to look at than the wild rat.The most common breed is the hooded rat. As the name suggests, their heads are a different colour to the rest of the body (white) and they also have a stripe which runs down their back. The colour of the 'hoods' can vary. My rat Slippy (see pic) is a Hooded Agouti. Agouti is the same colouring as the wild rat.
You can even get hairless rats and ones which have curly coats. There's a full list of breeds and colours at London & Southern Counties Mouse & Rat Club
Pet Store or Rat Breeder
Pet stores tend to only stock the most common breeds and colours. My local pet store here in the UK only ever has Hooded rats or Berkshire rats which are all one colour with a white belly. The colours tend to be blacks, browns and varoius creams.
If you're looking for a more exotic breed (eg, hairless, russian blue) then it would be better to buy from a breeder.
The Rat-Kins Diet Pt. 1 - Dry Foods
The main part of your rats diet should consist of a dry mix. This is what you will use to fill up their bowl(s) every day. Just like people, rats are fussy eaters so experiment with different combinations of dry food until you find a mix that works.My current rats like a mix of rat/rabbit mix, dry pasta and dog biscuits. I recommend always using the rat/rabbit mix as the basis for your dry food mix.
Try out different combinations of these foods.
- Rat/Rabbit Mix
- Dog Food (dry kind)
- Dog Biscuits
- Dry Pasta
- Weetabix
- Puffed Wheat
- Walnuts
- Bran
The Rat-kins Diet Pt. 2 - Fresh Food
As well as your main dry food diet, I recommend feeding fresh foods to your rat(s) every few days. This mainly consists of fresh fruit and veg and can cause diarrhoea if too much is given so be careful.Here's a list of some of the fresh foods my rats love!
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
- Peas
- Bean Sprouts
- Fruit (not citrus)
- Corn
The Rat-kins Diet Pt. 3 - Treats & Cooked Foods
Just like children, rats have a sweet tooth and treats are a great way to help train your rat. You can also feed treats about once a week just to keep their diet interesting.When using treats as a training aid, I recommend you use a different food to what you feed them 'just as a treat'. I found it easier this way but to be honest, when it comes to getting their paws on something sweet, rats will do just about anything!
The basic rule to finding out if the food is classed as a treat or not is; if it's high in fat or sugar or protein, then it's a treat. Just check the label.
Just like with all foods, you will have to experiment to see what foods your rat(s) like. My current rats all love nuts apart from 1!
- Avocado (Rats go crazy over this. Personally I find it yakky!)
- Boiled Egg
- Spaghetti
- Breakfast Cereal (great as a training aid)
- Nuts
- Biscuits
- Chocolate
- Cheese
- Sardines
- Cooked white or brown rice (make sure it's cooled first)
Food You Should Never Feed Your Rat(s)
Cramped Home = Miserable Rat
I've been keeping rats for well over 10 years and as of yet I'm still to find a rat starter kit that would actually be suitable for housing rats. There isn't actually anything wrong with the cages themselves as they are large enough to house 1 rat. The fact that they house only 1 rat is the problem... rats should be kept in pairs or groups (same sex).
Super Pet My First Home for Pet Rats
Amazon Price: $31.44 (as of 06/03/2012)
It is recommended that a rat has around 2 cubic feet to itself. The cage I am using here as an example measures 24.5" x 12.5" x 14.5" which is around 2 to 2.5 cubic feet and is ample space for 1 rat. Unfortunately, because rats should be kept as a pair or as part of a larger group (of the same sex) it makes this cage too small!
A cage like this should only be used as a quarantine cage for a poorly rat or as a half way house when introducing new rats into the group.
Every Rat Needs...
Good Home = Happy Rat
As previously mentioned, when buying a cage for your rats it is important that it is big enough to house at least 2 rats as they should never be kept as individuals as they are very sociable creatures. It just isn't fair on the rat! Rats are naturally more active when you are asleep and will therefore have nobody to play with during the night if kept on their own.It's also important that your cage has at least one other level. For some reason, rats love to sleep high up and so providing them with different levels to explore is great enrichment.
If you have spotted a cage that you are interested in buying, the best thing to do is find out how many rats it would be suitable for. This involves working out how many cubic feet fit into the cage. For quickness you can visit Ratty Corner Cage Calculator which will work it out for you... but if you're feeling brave, you can do the math yourself.
For example:
Most cages give the measurements in inches. You will need to convert these to feet.
24"(H) x 18"(W) x 12"(D) cage. Divide each number by 12 to give you the measurement in feet. In this case it would be 2ft x 1.5ft x 1ft. Then multiply these numbers together and divide by 2. This will give you the average space of the cage in cubic feet. The example I've used has 1.5 cubic feet which is way to small to house even one rat.
Midwest 142 Ferret Nation Double-Level Ferret Cage with Ramps, 36 Inches by 25 Inches by 62-1/4 Inches
Amazon Price: (as of 06/03/2012)
This cage's measurements are 62 inches high, 36 inches wide and 25 inches in depth and can house up to 12 rats. Although it is labelled as a ferret cage it's also suitable for rats. If it's good enough for a ferret then your rats will love it too. This cage is also made entirely of metal which is better to use than a plastic/wire mix if you can.
A Few More Recommended Cages
Do Aquariums Make Good Rat Houses?
The short answer is no! While it may stop your rat from pushing bedding and food out of the cage, they aren't really a great choice of home for your rat.They don't provide very good ventilation and make cleaning a lot more difficult. You'll also find that the mixture of poor ventilation and inability to clean the aquarium thoroughly will cause it to smell more.
You are better off sticking with a cage that has plastic flooring and wire sides, or metal flooring and wire sides. Your rats will be able to make more of a mess outside of the cage but at least they'll be easier to clean.
Expert Escape Artists!
Dealing With Escapees
I have found that 9 out of 10 cages have a 2cm gap between the bars and when you've got a cage full of rebellious 6-10 week old rats, it might just mean trouble.You put your new little furry friends in their cage. They scurry round exploring their new home and everything is great. You say goodnight and go off to bed but what you don't realise is that once you're out of sight, the escape begins!
You may be lucky, but I can guarantee that at least 1 will make a bid for freedom and squeeze through the bars! If you do have a cage with 2cm bar spacing, after much experimenting, I found that cladding the entire cage in wire mesh will keep them in! Make sure the mesh is made up of 1cm squares if you can.
If you do tighten your cage's security, you're still going to need access to doors. You'll need to make doors in your mesh corresponding to the cage doors. Make sure the mesh is held tight against the cage... if there's even the smallest gap, they'll find it.
You'll probably need to keep the cage clad in mesh until your rats are around 4 month old. One of my rats was 6 month old and he was still somehow managing to squeeze the through bars!
Rat Care Books
Rat Toys and Enrichment
Rats are very intelligent and need a lot of stimulation. It's essential that you provide them with things that will keep them entertained when you aren't fussing over them.
When looking to buy rat toys don't go looking for a rat section because 9 times out of 10 you won't find one! You're better off going to the cat, parrot and ferret sections.
In the cat section, cat toys (fishing rods with bells and feathers on) are good and so are bell balls. Although I have found that as a rat gets older (and especially the males) they tend to lose interest in the cat rods. The parrot section is good for wooden ladders (which double as chew blocks), rope perches and authentic looking branches / perches. The rope perches can be stretched across the cage to form rope bridges and my rats love scurrying across them. The ferret section is where you'll find tunnels and tubes. Ferretrail do a great range of tubes which can be connected together to make mazes.
You needn't spend a fortune a toys either. There are lots of things lying around your own home that make great rat toys. See Recylcled Rubbish Makes Great Rat Toys
Pets International Ferretrail Bubble Wave Elbow
" FerreTrail Bubble Wave Fun-nel Elbows creat more...0 points
Super Pet FerreTrail Bubble Wave Fun-nels Tube
Contains one 10" Bubble Wave Tube and two con more...0 points
Aspen Pet Booda Comfy Perch Multicolor 14in Small Bird Toy
The BOODA Comfy Perch can be bent into unique form more...0 points
Vo Toys - Vip Treat Ball Small Cats - Small Dogs - Ferrets
This small treat ball dispenses treats as it rolls more...0 points
Dr. Noy's Cat Toys - Swizzle Bird - in.Cat's with an Attitude in.
Dr. Noy's in.Cats with an Attitude in. toys are fi more...0 points
(Price/1)Wood Parrot Ladder 18"
Price is for 1. This item only ship to the US and more...0 points
Treetop Perch - Large
Tree-top perches are natural-looking branch style more...0 points
Let Your Rats Sleep In Style and Comfort
Rats love to sleep up high if they can, so why not get them a hammock or something similar which can be hung from the roof of the cage or placed on a high shelf. If it says ferret on the packet then your rat will love it too! Remember to place it somewhere which allows your rat/s easy access.
Ferret Hammock With Fleece Lining
Cozy Hammock is the perfect playtime accessory for more...1 point
Comf-E-Cube Sleeper
Super Sleepers Comf-E-Cube gives your pet the luxu more...0 points
Biddie Buddies Ferret Hammock
Our Biddie Buddies Ferret Hammocks are the perfect more...0 points
Marshall Pet Hanging Ferret Tube in Assorted Colors
Our hanging tube features a 5" square opening more...0 points
Marshall Pet Fleece Ferret Hanging Tube
Fleece, 18 1/2" length/5 1/2" diameter o more...0 points
Super Pet Pet Igloo
Super Pet Igloos come in four cool colors and they more...0 points
Recycled Rubbish Makes Great Rat Toys
You needn't spend a fortune on toys for your pet rats. There are plenty of things lying around the house which make great rat toys. You're only going to throw it out anyway so why not give it to your rats first.
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Cardboard tubes.
Toilet roll, paper towel, clingfilm, even the tube from a roll of carpet! -
cardboard boxes.
For example: shoe boxes, frozen food box, tissue box, cereal box. -
Wood offcuts.
It must be untreated, non-toxic and not be painted. -
PVC pipe offcuts eg, drainpipe.
Make sure it is large enough for your rats to fit through. -
Paper and tissues.
Rats love to chew and shred paper. Give them a box of tissues and they'll spend hours pulling the tissues out and making a nest from them. Or how about filling a plastic storage box full of shredded paper for your rats to dig in. -
Jars and pots.
Empty food jars and plant pots (clay or plastic) make great hidey holes if placed on their sides. -
Old clothing and fabric.
Instead of throwing out those jeans that don't fit anymore, give them to your rat. The legs make great play tunnels and or sleep-sacks.
Miniature Rat Art on eBay
Train Your Rat
Penny for your thoughts!
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sukkran Apr 28, 2012 @ 12:22 pm | delete
- a wonderful informative page on pet rats. nicely done
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lilymom24
Dec 14, 2011 @ 10:59 am | delete
- Very nice lens on rats. We'll be purchasing a pair for our boys soon and I am looking for all the information I can find to make sure they are the right pets for our household.
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LaraineRose
Nov 20, 2011 @ 4:49 am | delete
- I enjoyed this very much. I've never had a pet rat. My brother and I had white mice when we were very young. We bought a cage for them but they escaped and we never found them. No doubt they have relatives frolicking in the nearby woods somewhere.
Great lens. Blessed.
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lorindaleigh
Nov 17, 2011 @ 1:34 am | delete
- I love love this lens! I just spent over an hour reading it and absorbing all the details. I have had my girls (3 rats) for almost a year. I love love love them! I'm surprise this lens isn't more popular as it is extremely helpful.
Quick question/comment:
I never knew that you could feed rats rice before. Is there anything to worry about as far as the rice swelling in their small little bellies? Or do you feed it to them cooked?
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LisaMarieArt
Nov 17, 2011 @ 1:59 am | delete
- Glad you like my lens! I absolutely adore rats. Far less prone to biting like a hamster, more intelligent, and they have the sweetest faces EVER!!!
To answer your question: As long as the rice is cooked first there shouldn't be a problem (I need to move it from the dry-food mix didn't notice I had it under the wrong one). Uncooked rice could potentially swell in their stomachs and if they've eaten a lot (as most rats do) could damage their stomachs. Uncooked rice can contain a bacteria (Bacillus cereus) which causes food poisoning even in humans so it's not worth the risk.
Say hi to your girls for me! :)
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by LisaMarieArt
I'm an artist/illustrator with a passion for animals, especially cats and rats! I'm a bit of a compulsive painter and have to paint on a daily basis.
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Rat Yummies!
Oxbow Regal Rat Food, 3-Pound Bag
Amazon Price: $13.04 (as of 06/03/2012)
Make sure your rats diet mainly consists of a dry mix. Other foods should be in moderation.
Cheesy but Comfy!
Super Pet Cheese Wedge Fun Bed for Pet Rat
Amazon Price: $7.55 (as of 06/03/2012)
Your rats will love sleeping in this fun bed shaped like cheese!
