|
 Rat Essentials
Before you buy, think about these things...
- Can you afford to buy the cage(s), food, bedding, toys, the rats themselves and pay the vet bills?
- Do you have the time to look after them - they must be handled for at least half and hour a day, and out of their cage for at least 1 hr a day?
- Will you be able to continue to look after them (for 3yrs+)?
- Are you able to house at least 2 rats (rats must not be kept alone)?
Also, please read this before you even consider getting rats.
Now that you are absolutely sure that rats are the pets for you, below is a list of the recommended items you need for them and things to think about....
Bucks or Does?
Female rats (does) are generally smaller and more active than males (bucks). They can be more playful, and in my experience are easier to train to do simple tricks or come to their names. Bucks are lazier and more likely to sit on your lap for a cuddle. I think bucks may be more suitable pets for children as they are slower and more solid (although I'm 13 and have 2 does quite happily). Bucks and does have different smells, but as long as their cage is kept clean, neither is unpleasant or strong.
Cages
Wire cages are by far the best housing for rats. In addition to providing good ventilation they are a ready-made rat climbing-frame, and they allow you to interact with your rats -- you can feed and stroke them through the bars. Rats have keen senses of hearing and of smell; a cage provides extra stimulation as your rats can pick up new smells and sounds which they find interesting. Don't worry about cages being draughty - all that is needed is a warm, sheltered nestbox for a sleeping place. They must not have wire floors, as this can cause 'bumblefoot', a painful condition on the rats paws, which cannot be cured, and as a bare minimum, the floor-space should be at least 24" long and 12" wide. To check how many rats your cage will accommodate, type in the measurements in the Rat Cage Calculator.
This is the bottom of the cage. As you can see, there is a nestbox (with blankets and shredded paper) a plastic flowerpot, shredded sponge, boxes of treats, toilet roll tunnel, a hair scrunchy and a ball of treats.
This is the middle of the cage. You can see the Lucky Dip game, and some ropes, as well as a brick - to blunten the rats' claws.
This is the top of the cage. You can see the Fruit Necklace, a wooden sleeping place, a rat food bowl and another for water, and at the side there is the hammock.
%20rats.PNG)
This is the whole cage - minus the rats. I hope this gives you a feeling of what a cage could look like. This is a small cage, but suitable for two rats.
Aquariums can also be used, but make sure that they are more than 15 gallon ones. They must have a mesh, or wire lid, to encourage ventilation, and must be cleaned out more often than a wire one. Both cages should have shelves, layers, and toys - See http://www.freewebs.com/lizzysrats/rattoys.htm
ALSO, ALL CAGES MUST HAVE A SOURCE OF WATER. - I use a 'ball point' or 'gravity' bottle, which attaches to the sides of wire cages, and allows the rats to drink at will, and keeps the water off the cage floor, and clean. Bowls can be used, but your rats are more likely to sit in it, go to the toilet in it, or spill it [although they do enjoy one once a month or so - as well as the bottle].
Litter/Bedding
I use a shredded cardboard horse litter in the base of my rat cage. This comes under many names, such as AndyB bedding, SafeTBed, Ideal Bedding and others. It is clean, dust free and limits the mess my rats can make by throwing their litter around (it doesn't easily fit through the cage bars). An additional bonus is that it is very cheap, at around £5-6 for a 20kg bale, which lasts 25 rats about a month (or two rats around 6 months - in my size cage that is!). I buy mine from the breeder I got my rats from, who buy it from a farm, but it is possible to order a pallet of approx 20 bales online. You can also use Biocatolet. It is a 100% recycled paper cat litter, available from Sainsbury's and some other supermarkets and pet shops. Bob Martins and Yesterday's News are similar products safe for use with rats, and Carefresh, Cell-Sorb Plus and Harlan Sani-Chips are also recommended by some breeders/rat owners. Any cat litters described as "clumping" or containing clay or perfumes are not safe. It is also best to keep away from most types of woodshavings as they can contain toxic oils which irritate the rats' lungs, and possibly also cause liver damage.*CEDAR AND PINE SHAVINGS ARE HIGHY POISONOUS TO RATS*
As well as litter, rats need bedding in their nest boxes. I use hay, but hemp (This makes an nice smelling bedding, but the disadvantage is it turns lighter rats' bellies yellow) and straw (people who keep their rats in outside sheds or garages tend to use hay or straw for extra warmth. The main disadvantage of hay or straw is that if the source is not too good, it can bring mites with it.) are fine too. Most people use soft bedding in the nest area, not the cotton wool type bedding, as it can be dangerous to the rats, who can catch their claws in it. The shredded tissue paper or J-cloth bedding is available from most pet shops, and is a safe bedding too.
Nests
All rats need a dark place which they can go to and sleep. You can buy igloos for rats, but I just use a box with the bottom cut off, and a hole for a door. Although there are many wonderful sleeping dens out there to be had, if you're on a tight budget, simply use an empty Kleenex box, replacing it as it gets soiled. Hammocks are a HUGE favorite with rats, but they do tend to get chewed up and thus need to be replaced often, and they must be 'closed' ones, so it is dark inside. You can also use nestboxes made for birds, but wood ones aren't recommended, as the wood gets soaked in urine, and it is very hard to remove (and you will have to do it again every day or so!).
Food
Rats need a wide range of food for a balanced diet. I feed my rats Burgess Supa Natural, or Burgess Supa Rat. Other recommeded dry foods are Regal Rat and Herbal Alpha. Lab Blocks are not suitable, as they are dull to eat - some rats many refuse to eat them, and Hampster food is too high in protein for rats. As well as the dry food mix, a daily supply of fresh fruit or veg. is neccesary (rats like broccoli, carrot, lettuce, tomato, pear, apple, cucumber,peas and many more) Raw sweet potatoes are poisonous, as are citrus fruits (pineapple, orange etc.) and the avacardo close to the skin. Also, rats under 3 months old, and does feeding kittens need extra protein - I use EMP, but porridge, dry cat food and chicken bones are also fine.
You will need a food bowl (actually I have 4 - one for dry food, one for EMP, one for the fresh fruit & veg., and one for when the others need washing). I have a sturdy china one for the dry food, and two plastic, smaller ones for EMP and fruit&veg, and a smaller-still china one. But one or two should be enough, especially if your rats don't need EMP, or any form of sloppy protein substance.
Run
Also, I have a run for my rats. This is not really neccessary, but I do have one, so that on nice days they can go out in the garden, and on bad days can stay in a different room. I have food, water, and some toys for them in there, and they seem to like it - especially outside on the grass. The run is a rabbit run [4ftx3ftx19"], and cost about £30. No other rat websites suggest this - but my rats like it. You have to be carefull your rats can't dig out under the frame [as I learnt to my cost - don't worry - 3 hours searching got them both safely back!] or squeeze out under it. Put some chicken wire around the edge, or just have the run indoors or on concrete.
|
Site Navigation