Care and Helpful Links
Bringing Home Your Rats:
You are probably very excited to bring your new rat home to meet your current rats. But first, if you already have rats, it would be safe to quarantine your new ones. You don't want to introduce any sickness from either end. 3 weeks at a home with no other rats is an ideal quarantine environment. I know this can be hard to arrange and sometimes cannot be possible. But if you are able to, set up a quarantine home before you think of adopting other rats to make things easier in the end.
Once the 3 weeks are up, it is time to bring babies home and introduce them to your current rats. Adults usually accept babies. Make sure they are in a large area you can easily supervise with no hiding spots or places to easily corner and attack a baby. I suggest the bath tub. You can even leave the water on as the sound will distract them and actually cause them to huddle up. A little display of dominance is normal, but beware of excessive screaming and fighting. Don't leave the rats alone in the cage together. They should have a good hour or longer to adjust to each other. The cage needs to be cleaned of any rats' previous scents so it is as neutral as possible. And of course, always make their experience with you a positive one. Bring treats, talk calmly, don't do anything that may scare them. Babies go home at 5 weeks old. This means they have had their vision for 2 and a half weeks. Everything is new and scary to them. Please understand this and do not over stimulate them at first. They will need to learn to trust you.
If you are a first time rat-owner, then make sure you have a safe cage for your new little ones. Half inch bar-spacing is recommended as babies can escape anything bigger.
You are probably very excited to bring your new rat home to meet your current rats. But first, if you already have rats, it would be safe to quarantine your new ones. You don't want to introduce any sickness from either end. 3 weeks at a home with no other rats is an ideal quarantine environment. I know this can be hard to arrange and sometimes cannot be possible. But if you are able to, set up a quarantine home before you think of adopting other rats to make things easier in the end.
Once the 3 weeks are up, it is time to bring babies home and introduce them to your current rats. Adults usually accept babies. Make sure they are in a large area you can easily supervise with no hiding spots or places to easily corner and attack a baby. I suggest the bath tub. You can even leave the water on as the sound will distract them and actually cause them to huddle up. A little display of dominance is normal, but beware of excessive screaming and fighting. Don't leave the rats alone in the cage together. They should have a good hour or longer to adjust to each other. The cage needs to be cleaned of any rats' previous scents so it is as neutral as possible. And of course, always make their experience with you a positive one. Bring treats, talk calmly, don't do anything that may scare them. Babies go home at 5 weeks old. This means they have had their vision for 2 and a half weeks. Everything is new and scary to them. Please understand this and do not over stimulate them at first. They will need to learn to trust you.
If you are a first time rat-owner, then make sure you have a safe cage for your new little ones. Half inch bar-spacing is recommended as babies can escape anything bigger.
Rat Care
Choosing a rat:
Make sure you check your new rat for parasites, scabs, infections, and lumps. You want a rat that looks and sounds healthy. Check its eyes, nose, and ears for any discharge. Look for a rat that is not timid or hand shy (unless of course you would prefer to work with bringing a shy rat out of its shell). This goes for adopting from a breeder as well. Babies may be cautious so do not let this alarm you. Adults should be more out-going.
Housing:
Rats require multilevel cages because they love to climb and are very active rodents. Rats are like mini dogs and need a lot of stimuli to keep from getting bored. Tanks are good for supervision of a sick rat, but are terrible choices for long-term living as there is little air-flow and can cause respiratory distress in the long run. Plus, it's very boring! Check out the page below for reviews on popular cages I have used over the years:
Make sure you check your new rat for parasites, scabs, infections, and lumps. You want a rat that looks and sounds healthy. Check its eyes, nose, and ears for any discharge. Look for a rat that is not timid or hand shy (unless of course you would prefer to work with bringing a shy rat out of its shell). This goes for adopting from a breeder as well. Babies may be cautious so do not let this alarm you. Adults should be more out-going.
Housing:
Rats require multilevel cages because they love to climb and are very active rodents. Rats are like mini dogs and need a lot of stimuli to keep from getting bored. Tanks are good for supervision of a sick rat, but are terrible choices for long-term living as there is little air-flow and can cause respiratory distress in the long run. Plus, it's very boring! Check out the page below for reviews on popular cages I have used over the years:
Diet:
Rats should have access to fruits, veggies, and either a home-made diet or supplemented with name brand diets such as Oxbow Regal Rat. Seed mixtures are not adequate for a rat's diet as they can pick and choose what they want to eat, thus not getting the nutrition they need.
Bedding choices:
NEVER use pine or ceder as the oils are toxic. Carefresh and other similar brands are very dusty in my opinion. I suggest sticking with aspen shavings, or shredded newspaper. Aspen is pretty absorbent. Newspaper holds in no smell and you still need to clean it almost everyday. But if you get it free from an office, then it's worth the extra work. Make sure you FREEZE any store bought food or bedding as they often come with parasites. Fleece also works but you MUST change daily as it holds in the pee and you don't want to create a stinky, damp environment. I will put dirty linen in a cat litter container which is tightly shut so I'm not smelling dirty laundry until I wash it.
Supply Check List:
- Cage
- Bedding
- Small boxes or flower pots for hiding in
- Ladders to climb on
- Exercise wheel (solid, no rungs)
-PVC tubes for tunneling
- Rodent block, veggies, and fruit
- Attachable water bottle
- Dog biscuits or safe chew toys for dental health
- Rodent-appropriate toys
Rats should have access to fruits, veggies, and either a home-made diet or supplemented with name brand diets such as Oxbow Regal Rat. Seed mixtures are not adequate for a rat's diet as they can pick and choose what they want to eat, thus not getting the nutrition they need.
- Fruit: Apples(NOT the seeds), cherries, grapes, banana, strawberries, other berries, and melons (careful with melons as they can be quite watery and cause diarrhea)
- Vegetables: Broccoli (great for calcium) potatoes, peas, carrots, cooked sweet potato, greens, and squash.
- Meat: Cooked liver, other very lean meats (cooked, and oysters )...they also love to chew on chicken bones.
- Others: Whole wheat pasta and bread, cooked beans, and yogurt
Bedding choices:
NEVER use pine or ceder as the oils are toxic. Carefresh and other similar brands are very dusty in my opinion. I suggest sticking with aspen shavings, or shredded newspaper. Aspen is pretty absorbent. Newspaper holds in no smell and you still need to clean it almost everyday. But if you get it free from an office, then it's worth the extra work. Make sure you FREEZE any store bought food or bedding as they often come with parasites. Fleece also works but you MUST change daily as it holds in the pee and you don't want to create a stinky, damp environment. I will put dirty linen in a cat litter container which is tightly shut so I'm not smelling dirty laundry until I wash it.
Supply Check List:
- Cage
- Bedding
- Small boxes or flower pots for hiding in
- Ladders to climb on
- Exercise wheel (solid, no rungs)
-PVC tubes for tunneling
- Rodent block, veggies, and fruit
- Attachable water bottle
- Dog biscuits or safe chew toys for dental health
- Rodent-appropriate toys