Rat Care
Fancy rats are those that have traced genetic lines, and are bred in "ratteries" by knowledgeable and experienced rat owners. Fancy rats typically live to 2 or 3 years of age, and are less prone to diseases. Research your prospective breeder before purchasing your rat. The average life span of pet rats is 2 - 3 years. This is only a rough average. Some die younger, and a rare few make it past 3. Of course all of this varies depending on breeding, diet, health and environment. Our rats are bread and hand raised to have a friendly demeanor and a long life. Please read our tips for rat care below to ensure a full healthy life for your new pet.
Housing Information
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Cage Requirements
You will need a cage that provides at least two cubic feet of space per rat, with an additional 2 cubic feet for each additional rat in the habitat. This means for two rats, you should ideally be looking for a cage that provides four cubic feet of space. While this is a good rule of thumb for most rats, there are some situations where rats will require more space for rats who are very large, or who are very sensitive about sharing elbow room in their cage with other rats (such as many intact male rats). Keep in mind that your rat is going to spend the majority of their life in their cage, giving them a spacious environment will help keep them happier when you are not able to take them out and play with them. Bedding & Cage Liners Pine and cedar are not safe bedding for your rats. Both contain phenols, which can be harmful to the rat's delicate respiratory system. It also does long term damage to the liver. Unfortunately pine and cedar are very popular in pet stores. However, do NOT use them. If you can, use aspen shavings, or paper based cat littler such as Breeders Choice or Yesterdays News. Cloth cage liners and toilet paper or paper towels can also be used. We use a combination of cage liners and a litter box with Yesterdays News pellets in the corner of the cage. Sometimes we purchase baby receiving blankets from my local thrift shop (just make sure to wash well in the laundry before using) and we put them in the rats hut/house for them to curl up in and it's not a big deal if they chew holes in the blankets as they are very cheap to buy used. We wash the cage liners and blankets every 2-3 days depending on how messy the cage is. Toys Cotton rope toys are great for rats to play on and climb. They can be found in the dog and bird sections of the pet shop. The bird section has stiff rope perches which rats enjoy walking along, and the dog section has chew/tug-of-war toys which can be hung and used for climbing. The rats love to chew on the rope! Some cat toys can also be used, balls with bells and cat toys with feathers are also fun for your rats. I also use some plastic baby toys like the linking rings shown below. It's good to change the toys around on a regular basis so your rats don't get bore of the same toys. |
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Rat Diet
- Fresh/healthy/balanced diets meeting their nutritional needs; easily achieved by feeding balanced commercial pelleted diets especially for rats.
- Occasional variety. Consider supplementing diets with small amounts of fruit/vegetables/cooked egg/grains/seeds, given as part of their daily ration, not in addition or it could cause obesity/health problems. Rats are omnivores eating both plant and animal materials.
- Rat food! Don’t feed food designed for rabbits/guinea pigs/hamsters/other herbivores - they won’t meet rats’ nutritional protein needs. Rats need essential amino acids/fatty acids/vitamins/minerals from their diet - they cannot produce these themselves.
- To avoid harmful foods (e.g. onion/citrus fruits/walnuts/rhubarb/grapes/raisins/chocolate).
- To avoid sugars/high-fat foods (i.e. dairy). Use only as treats/rewards during training. Rats like sweet/fatty food, which can cause obesity/other health problems if eaten in large amounts.
- New foods introduced gradually. Introduce new food to rats as a group so individuals don’t smell different, preventing aggression. Don’t change diets overnight. Rats can be cautious/fearful of new foods.
- Natural foraging behaviours (e.g. handling/manipulating food) encouraged. They enjoy holding/manipulating food in their paws.
- To eat fresh faeces - it‘s natural behaviour helping them absorb all the nutrients/minerals they need to stay healthy. Stopping this could cause nutritional deficiencies/health problems.
- Fresh clean drinking water continuously. Without water rats become seriously ill. - Check water bottles morning and evening, refill twice daily; ensuring they’re never thirsty; - Provide water bottles not bowls to avoid contamination - clean regularly to avoid algae/bacteria build-up; - Check for blockages, ensure drinkers aren’t leaking; - Make multiple drinkers available so all can drink simultaneously, avoiding competition, ensuring that should one become blocked they still have access to water.
Vet Visits
When your rat is sick you would most likely see a red tinged secretion called porphyrin, not blood. It comes from the Harderian gland and the secretion appears around the rat's eyes and nose. It can be an indication that your rat is sick or stressed, however a little crusting around the nose and eyes occasionally is normal. When in doubt, a vet visit is in order.
