#rat faq

[hindbodes]

Uhhhhh... help?

My rats are safe, but they don’t like me and I feel like little Granite is unhappy with me 80% during this daily playtime and I fear I’ll just increase the percentage by continuing to approach him.

[rathelp-blog]

Rat Cages & Bedding

 Please make sure your rat cage does not have a wire bottom! These bottoms can cause your rat to have bumble feet. Also an aquarium tank is not really recommended either because rats need lots of ventilation! Rats should have a rather large cage. But if you get your rats as babies it is harder to find bigger cages because they are still small enough to slip between the bars. If you find a cage with a wire bottom that is big enough for your rats with bars close enough together where they won't slip out and you have to have it: make sure you get something to cover the wires. A sheet of plastic (like one of those plastic cutting boards) should do the job.

  A cage with horizontal bars will be much appreciated by your rats because they love to climb.

 I personally recommend the Rat Starter Kit cage that's sold at PetsMart. It's huge, three stories, and comes with a good amount of stuff. Also the bars are perfectly spaced and my baby rats had no problems with them.  It is 100$ but even seasoned rat owners that it's a pretty good deal. I have a picture of it on this blog.

                              BEDDING

Please follow this link: http://ratguide.com/care/environment/cage_bedding_litter.php

It has an easy formatted guide for what is perfect for rats and what is dangerous. Recycled paper beddings mixed with things like cotton is what I usually get and it works out just fine. I only have to clean out my cage like once a week or so and it doesn't smell at all.

[rathelp-blog]

Important things to ask at the pet store

  Some of these things I didn't ask and I could REALLY kick myself for it. I sincerely suggest you write these things down. Even if you think you'll remember you may not and ANY of these questions could be very useful to you! 

- How old are the rats (you should always get two rats! This is a must!) > [also if you get baby rats check if they are water bottle trained! If they are water bowl trained and you wish them to be water bottle trained you really should start while they're still young. If there is no water bottle you can assume they're bowl trained but it doesn't hurt to ask.]

-Usually the pet store where you get the rats will be where you'll be coming back for food, bedding, toys, etc. Ask to be shown to the rat section and check out their selection. If they do not have proper food or bedding that you can buy regularly you may want to call around and find someplace that does! [I will be making a post on what brands of food and bedding are best!] The store where I bought my rats had a good selection for food and a few nice toys. But besides that, they did not have much.

-Please ask before if they box or bag the rats when you buy them. I didn't know that they boxed the rats at the pet store I went to and hearing their screams when they went into that box broke my heart. Many rats are terrified of being boxed in or bagged. If you can bring a small cage just to bring them home in that is best! If not, depending on the age of your rat you're getting, bring an open topped box. If you are getting baby rats, the box should reach about mid calf. Young rats should have a box of about almost knee height and full grown rats, especially if you're getting males, should be okay with a knee high box.

- You may want to ask if the pet store owner knows a good vet in the area that will treat small animals, including rats. Rats are prone to URIs and it is good to have a vet just in case of an emergency.