#rat care
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Some things I wish I knew when first getting a rat:
You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on a cage. Rat owners get so pissy over getting name brand fancy cages that can survive 12 world wars when you can actually just stack some cheap larger rabbit/guinea pig/ferret cages. I put a $60 dollar cage on top of my fancy ass $200 ferret one and my rats love it. No injuries or spontaneous exploding into smithereens like rat owners think will happen. I line the sides with cloth and it helps a lot.
If you're American, Oxbow is your friend. I used them with my rabbits years ago when I had them and they're great.
DIY decorations are fun but it gets exhausting after a while. If you want to play it safe, just using hides, hammocks and chew toys work!
All natural cages are cool if it's like an aesthetic thing but in reality they rot, get stinky and gross very fast. Very nasty and smelly.
Rats DO NOT like chew toys for cats or dogs. They love paper, wood, cloth, sticks, pumice, etc.
A rat injuring another rat is not by default always aggression. Only time I've seen it happen is either 1) They're sick/in pain, super grumpy and you need to get them to the vet or 2) You're still bonding them and someone got angry because they're still strangers. Best to rule it out both before neutering or seeking other options for aggression.
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Random rat-care tip of the day:
If you have to give your rats oral medication, try to maintain that they willingly take the medicine. If you have to force your rat to take it then they are likely to never willingly take it again. This is a testament to just how easy it is for a rat to be conditioned to never eat food they have a bad experience with, even if it was only 1 bad instance
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Rat Care: Housing
A major part of owning pet rats is determining how to house them. This involves not just the cage, but also what enrichment you provide them.
Cages:
A rat cage always need cross ventilation, which means that it needs to have at least two sides with bars or mesh that air can flow through. Because rats are so prone to respiratory infections, cross ventilation is a necessity to keep them healthy. The cage should also have a deep pan for digging, and should be chew resistant. The bars should have a spacing of 1/2 inch or smaller, or else babies or small females may be able to squeeze out. You also need to make sure that the cage is big enough for your current rats, and any rats you plan on adding in the future. Cage calculators like this one are a super helpful resource to figure out how many rats a certain cage can hold. The usual estimate is 2.0-2.5 cubic feet per rat. Just make sure to subtract one from whatever number it gives you, to account for the space that decorations and toys take up.
Because rats need such high ventilation and so much space, glass aquariums are not suitable for rats. These can easily cause respiratory issues because of their lack of ventilation. Similarly, CritterTrail type cages are also unsuitable because of their small size.
Critter Nation or Savic Suite cages are perfect for rats, since they have ventilation on all four sides and are huge. A single CN can hold around 5-6 rats maximum, and a double CN can hold up to 10-12. I personally wouldn’t stretch those maximums if possible, but that should give you an idea of how big they are. These cages will need to modified with a deep pan for loose bedding on the bottom, to give rats proper digging enrichment.
[ID: A photo of two Critter Nation cages side by side. On the left is a smaller cage with black bars, wheels, and shelf inside. On the right is a similar cage that looks like two of the smaller cages stacked on top of each other. /end ID]
Rabbit cages are also good options, but they do need to be covered with hardware cloth since they usually have a 1-inch bar spacing. However, if you’re willing to do this DIY, they can often be a cheaper option than buying a full CN or SS cage. If you’re really wanting to save money and create a cage yourself, I highly recommend bin cages. A 50-gallon bin (modified into a bin cage) is an appropriate permanent cage for a pair of rats, and bin cages also work amazingly as hospital or quarantine cages. There are some guides on how to make bin cages here and here - the most important thing to note is that the hardware cloth should be inside the plastic (with the sharp edges trimmed down), otherwise the rats will be able to grab an edge of the plastic and chew their way out. Bin cages need at least two sides to be ventilated in order to be safe for rats. You can often buy a big bin for around $20, a roll of hardware cloth for $20, and then all you need is zip ties and the tools like tin snips and pliers. It can definitely be a more cost effective way to house a small number of rats.
Free roam:
Rats should get at least 30 minutes each day outside of their cage. This time can be spent either in a playpen or in a rat-proofed room. I personally recommend this cardboard playpen - it’s super easy to make and is relatively sturdy considering how inexpensive the materials are. I also use foam kids puzzle pieces to cover the floor of the playpen — it makes cleanup easier and prevents any damage to the floor. Just make sure to put duct tape over the edges or the rats will chew them.
[ID: A photo of a cardboard playpen with various rat toys inside it, including cardboard boxes, paper bags, puzzle toys, and a dig box. There is a cage partly visible inside the playpen, and the floor is covered with a multicolored kids play mat. /end ID]
Enrichment:
Rat enrichment is a critical part of owning rats since they are so smart and get bored easily. However, it’s pretty much only limited by your imagination! This google doc is a great resource that has a bunch of easy, cheap, DIY enrichment toys so I won’t repeat myself here. Most rat toys can be made out of recycling, the rats won’t mind. My boys’ favorites are just empty paper bags.
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hi! im thinking about getting rats, is there any advice you could give?
You wanna get more than 1 they need friends for a healthy life.
Girls are more playful and rambunctious than boys, boys are more laid back and chill.
Girls I recommend getting spayed because of their high chance of getting mammary and uterine tumors/cancer. It has to be done less than 5-6 months of age or it won't really help. Boys can get mammary and testicular tumors but it is not as common.
this cage can hold 3, this 5, this 10. When its time to clean I like to use dilute chlorhex. (the link is concentrated, dilute 1-2 capfuls in 16 oz water sprayer.)
for bedding i use a layer of cotton fabric under a layer of fleece, the fleece is soft for their feet and the cotton's absorbable. Then they have hammocks and castles and i use extra cut up fleece as little blankets to put in them.
For food I use oxbow rat food, (there are smaller bags) which can generally be free-fed but sometimes you can get one who eats too much so you have do do maintenance for them. That is their weight in grams divided by 100 times 5. that number would be the amount of oxbow crackers in grams they get a day, which can be split into two feedings. If they need to lose weight just cut the final number in half and feed them that for a couple weeks before going back to maintenance.
They can have most fruits and veggies. for treats i don't use rat treats because they tend to have too much sugar, I just use baby food, so like the mush or puffs just things without too much sugar or sodium. They can't digest lactose very well so little to no dairy products
pretty much any oxbow toy is fine for them, I will also use bird toys with the paper they can shred.
They can be potty trained, I've only been able to get mine to poop in their litter boxes but not pee yet. Just pick up the poops and put them in the box they eventually get the hang of it. I use this potty and this litter. An air purifier is a good thing to have around too, make sure they don't get to the wires.
I do let mine free roam my room when i'm in it, they have cat trees to climb on but the room has to be rat proofed. they will chew on everything, cords, carpet, walls, gotta be prepared to have a few things ruined. they will climb everything to get to a place they haven't been so you have to watch for that. also any little places they might be able to squeeze into. I have a heavy carpet under my door 'cause they can squeeze under and that thing is torn up so much.
Health wise respiratory infections are gonna be your main one, they can get sprains just from climbing and being curious. tumors: mammary, uterine, testicular can all be removed. lung and pituitary cannot. ear infections are rare but can happen those need to be taken care of fast bc they can quickly eat through to the brain an kill the rat. With them chewing on things they're not supposed to they can get abscesses which can resolve on their own, but they can also displace the jaw if they're bad enough and then cause tooth issues, and since their incisors are always growing that may mean frequent tooth trims.
But I think that's about all I got right now.
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Seeking advice for elderly rat!!!
Hello guys! I'm just trying to get some opinions. My husband and I have been faced with a difficult problem. Our 3 year old rat has developed another tumor. She's had 2 tumors in the same spot already, and during her last mass removal the vet had to remove some skin. It left a pretty big, itchy scar.
It's been about 4-5 months since her last surgery. We went to the vet about this recent one, and the vet said she would advise against another surgery given our girl's age. She said at this age she's on borrowed time, and she would hate for her to be in pain for 2 weeks post surgery only for her to go a different way. But she also said if we wanted to try the surgery, she would do it because she felt she was in such good health that she's not worried about complications.
About the only difference in our girl's behavior is she's slowing down. She has lost a small bit of weight and she naps more. She also hasn't been as excited about things like her wheat grass, for instance I got her a new one and it's been untouched in her cage for 24 hours. But she is still excited about treats and love from her favorite human, my husband. I also do want to say she is a solo rat, as she is our last rat. When her sister died a year ago we discussed options with the vet and if we should re home her, and we decided it was best for us to keep her and have her out of her cage whenever we were home with her.
Also, if we do the surgery, this would be her fourth surgery in her 3 years. She was spayed two years ago and has had 2 mass removals this year. As of now, we are using miloxicam under the vets orders to help with pain and to slow the tumor growth.
So I guess my question is has anyone else had to deal with giving a rat surgery at such an old age? And even if not, what would you do if it was your rat?
I know at the end of the day it will be our choice, but this choice feels like such a crap shoot. We either accept she will die in a month or so, or risk surgery knowing she could die during recovery or soon after...but she could also easily live a few more months to a year given her good health. I just really don't know what to do here.
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Rat cages do and dont's
I thought this would be a good reference post for those who have rats are or are thinking about getting rats, considering the amount of misinformation I see on this site about rat enclosures. I honestly could make a series of posts about rat care misconceptions as a whole but I think this is a really important one. Of course there are some exceptions to these, such as in the case of hospital cages or travel/temp cages, but that's not what I'm talking about in this post.
1. Do make sure it's the proper size
Rats need about 2.5 square feet per rat, and adding height or extra levels doesn't add to this, only adding floor space will. A critter nation, a popular rat cage, can only hold four rats. Adding a unit on top doesn't increase the amount of rats you can keep in one, only adding floor space by adding a unit on the side can increase the rat limit. 32x20x24 is the absolute minimum cage dimensions. There are many other brands that meet the requirements and are suitable, make sure to always check the dimensions. Plastic neon critter trails from PetSmart are never ever acceptable.
2. Do use loose substrate all along the base.
Rats are a fossorial species that need to be able to dig and burrow, and thus need at least a few inches of a suitable substrate to be properly enriched. Lining your cage with fleece or blankets is not suitable at all and is something I see many people doing too often. This is not proper rat care. Additionally do not use paper or clay pellets as a substrate through the whole base. Certain types of pellets are okay in litter boxes but aren't a suitable substrate.
Paper bedding is often used and it's not inherently harmful but paper has very poor ammonia control and the ammonia in rat pee is very bad for their delicate respiratory systems. You will need to change this out much more frequently to insure they're not breathing in a bunch of ammonia and it will stink alot more. Plus paper bedding can be more expensive. All around I wouldn't recommend it at all.
Wood shavings are a really good option, depending on the type. Certain woods like cedar and raw pine will release chemicals that aren't good for rats at all. Pine bedding is alright if kiln dried, but some rats still may be sensitive to it, in my experience. Aspen bedding and hemp bedding are great options. Make sure the bedding isn't too dusty, certain brands are less dusty than others, but it isn't too hard to sift the dust out on your own usually.
In the case of bio-active enclosures eco earth and other types of soil make really good substrates, but this type of cage set up honestly deserves its own post.
3. Do have proper ventilation
Like stated before the ammonia in their pee is very bad for their respiratory systems, therefor a cage needs to be properly ventilated. Bin cages, tanks and aquariums, any cage that doesn't have proper ventilation on all sides, is harmful. They need to have proper air flow in and out of the cage. That's why cages with the typical four wired sides and wired top is best. I even see homemade cages with two sides made of wood and two sides made of wire cloth and this isn't okay either. (Not to mention wood cages are improper as well do to pee absorption and being able to be chewed through)
4. Don't use too many levels
Little to no levels should be used in your cage if you want an active lay out. Try replacing them with lava ledges, ropes, branches, baskets and the like, to make the cage layout more enriching and to keep them active and healthy. Ramps especially aren't recommended, this can cause laziness, hind leg degeneration, and wired ramps can cause bumble foot. Wired anything except for the sides of the cage are a big no.
Some people keep one or a minimal amount of levels and I think this is okay depending on what you do with it. I keep one level in my cage to hold a dig box but all other additional levels have been removed.
5. Do fill it with the right things
A big cage that goes above and beyond the size recommendations but isn't filled properly is still subpar. They need lots of enrichment and alot of "clutter" so to speak, to feel safe. A wide open bare cage will not make them feel secure and they will be extremely bored.
They should have lava ledges and ropes and the like for climbing. Sea grass mats and branches made of safe wood also are great. Check beforehand to see if any wooden item is made of a wood that's safe for rats, as some wood is toxic to them. I personally use grape wood and apple wood in my cage.
Foraging toys are also a great, and I'd say necessary, addition to any proper cage. They need things to keep them from getting bored, they are extremely intelligent animals and foraging toys or small puzzles like that are great for them. Actually lots of toys for parrots are great for rats.
They should have at least a few different places to sleep, such as hammocks or hides. I like to have at least one of either for everyone rat.
Fall breakers. This is extremely important to insure the safety of your rats. If your rat falls from the top of the cage, fall breakers are there to catch them and avoid potential injuries. Seagrass mats, nets, and Ikea tie holders are amazing for this, I recommend multiple. You should have enough that there's not too many open spaces your rat can fall through. They also additional give your rat more things to climb on, making the layout more active.
Rats can be littered trained, and paper litter pellets are good for litter boxes, or a different type of substrate then the one you use for the rest of the cage. Just make sure the litter tray doesn't have a wired bottom.
Also additional I recommend having nesting material available in the cage, such as Timothy hay or orchard grass or anything along those lines. They really do enjoy putting nests together with them and it adds some texture variety for them.
6. Do have proper water sources
Rats should have access to clean, fresh water at all times. They should have multiple sources of water.
Bowls aren't bad but are very likely to be spilled, spoiled, or contaminated and need to be changed at least daily. If you do give them water in a bowl they should still always have at least one bottle, though I would recommend more depending on how many rats you have.
7. Don't house rats alone
I think most know this but I'm adding it on in case. Rats are social animals and you cannot replace their need for same species companionship. They should be grouped in groups of two at minimum, and two is the absolute minimum. Three or more is actually much more recommended. Housing a rat alone for long periods of time is down right cruel.
Also don't house them with non rat animals, such as mice and hamsters and the like. They should not under any circumstances be interacting with other species, other than their fellow rats and their humans. Your cat grooming them is not cute.
If there's anything I forgot to say, feel free to add on.
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FRESH FOOD DIARY FOR MY RATS
I try to aim for as much organic produce as possible but alas I am disabled and poor, and not all the foods I want to give them for health benefits are available as organic all the time. I always keep my eyes peeled for organic stuff, and always grab it if I see it’s reduced.
I’m feeding: 2 boys who are both 2+ years old and 2 younger girls (probably a year to a year and a half old)
todays finds:
- organic beetroot
- organic mint
- golden kiwi
- organic rocket
- tofu
- bell peppers
- mungbean sprouts
- pureed parsnip baby food! (it was on sale and they love love love pureed pumpkin so i have to try it out) it also has literally no other additives which is hard to find for ratties.
- wholewheat breadrolls I’m gonna cut up into bite size chunks, i’ll leave them on my counter for a day to harden up as I use this for their daily medication and vitamins
Stuff already at home that I’ll mix in: Zucchini, garlic, carrot, parsley and broccoli.
I cut all this up into various shapes (smaller but thicker chunks for my old boy so he can eat it more easily) and sprinkle seeds and grains on top (typically: sesame, flax, wholegrain spelt, popped millet, a small handful of buckwheat, sprinkle of oats, and red lentils for protein if I don’t have tofu on hand).
They get one small bowl of this every evening to supplement their diet (Science Selective Complete Rat Food).
Having rats is not the easiest but preventative care is so so important to try mitigate any future health problems.
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Pee rocks
Okay so apparently if you put a rock- a washed, fairly smooth rock like you'd get at a river or the beach- in a rat cage, the rats will pee on it. It'll become the rat's litter box.
I was told this last week, so I found a rock a little smaller than my fist, and stuck it in my rat cage. And you know what?
It worked!
I put it in the lid of a peanut butter jar, and just now I cleaned it up and they had been using it. The appropriate thing to do when cleaning the rock is to rinse it off, not scrub it. It's a scent marking thing, folks guess. I also noticed that the rats were pooping all around it, so I'm gonna put a litter box there.
#You have to wash it#it has to be smooth#it has to come from outside#I don't make the rules#but those are the rules#if you don't follow them the rats won't use it#or so says my coworker who owns rats and told me about this#and gosh darn it she was right#rats#rat care
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I have been bonding nicely. I give them a puzzle every day or put treats in a snuffle mat. Dangerous Beans always wants to know what I'm up to. They are getting pretty big! I will be putting a ladder down to the floor and setting up a play pen for them on the floor. I plan to put old towels I can't use and like the play pen with them.
#rats#pet rats#fancy rats#domestic animals#domestic rats#ratties#rattraveler#rat care#ratters#rat#dangerous beans
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Some rat first aid/health tips:
Infant tylenol/painkillers is good for rats if they're experiencing pain and can't get them to a vet yet. Make sure to research how to measure it. Usually I weight the rat and then use the dosing on the back.
Polysporin is good for scrapes or cuts for rats and are safe.
Preservative-free eye drops are good for rats if needed. Ones that don't vasoconstrict but lubricate are safe. Use a warm wet towel to dab and clean. Best bet always is see the vet.
You kind of need a nebulizer! Rats are prone to respiratory problems. The best inhalant to use is medical grade saline you can get on amazon.
I know some rat owners are opposed to it but human nail clippers work better than the rabbit ones to me. If you feel the small pet ones work better, feel free to use them.
Never wash your rat like you would wash a dog regularly. They can clean themselves. But if they're dirty, usually dabbing them off with baby shampoo or baby wipes work. If they're super dirty, you can wash them in a sink but try to dry them off since they get sick easily.
I'm not a doctor at all so don't take my word as gospel. Always take your rat to the vet. A lot of medication that works for humans do work for rats so a lot of what I learned was through research.
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It was taken down? I can see it just fine, weird. Anyway, I downloaded it, here
Rating: Cute (with some caution)
Egg is a good treat for rats as long as its fully cooked. The egg pictured here seems to have a bit of a gelled inside, which should mean that it was fully pasteurized during cooking and therefore safe for rats to eat. The only thing of concern here is that it looks like the last rat filmed may have a respitory infection, as in the brief time they were on camera, they had a bit of labored breathing. However it's hard to tell from this very brief clip if that is the case. but its always important to be alert and aware for signs of respitory upset in rats.
This video is a great example though of why food should split up into multiple parts in order to prevent any fighting over treats. Once a rat has a snack (this this hard boiled egg) in their mouth, they will NOT want to give it up.
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So my rats don’t bite me intentionally, but I’ve had occasions where they get aggressive when I give them treats and accidentally nip my fingers. Is there a way to make them less aggressive with feeding?
Some rats can be very grabby with treats, and that doesn't necessarily indicate aggression. I highly recommend trying out feeding them wet treats (apple sauce, baby food, malt paste) on a metal spoon for a few weeks instead of giving them treats using your fingers. They will bite the spoon and won't enjoy the feeling of metal on their teeth. This helps a lot of rats to learn that they should be more gentle when grabbing treats.
Also, never feed through the bars - it can make them associate anything sticking through the bars with food, so if you stick in a finger to pet them they will assume it's a treat and try to grab your finger with their teeth.
With some work it's definitely possible to teach rats to be more gentle when taking treats from your hand. I wouldn't consider it aggression (biting with intent to harm), more just a mistake since rats have extremely bad eyesight and if they feel like the food may be taken away, might want to grab it as quick as possible.
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What types of wood are chew safe for rats? I'd like to add more naturalistic stuff to my cage. Are most wood bird perches a good bet? Thanks!
Honestly just Google! I have to double check every time I think of adding wood to the rats or hamster cage, I never remember. 😅 There's some various safe & unsafe lists out there to check. I just err on the safe side if I can't find it or I'm not sure.
Kind of a positive of rats and mice, though it's controversial with those who love them, being used for medical research means it's often pretty easy to find toxin information & toxic doses for a lot of substances with them. So you can also check plant information & such to narrow down safety.
#asks#rat care#sorry this took a bit to get to!#guessing you may have already found an answer anyway
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Hello!! Im not sure if youve made a fallow up post or if this is now irrelevant to you and your blog now or anything but I was scrolling around the rat care tag and saw your post about cages and LOVED it!! Ive always had a deep love for rat and finally im in a space to get some of my own and I was so interested and excited by bio-active enclosures that you mentioned! Do you have any advice or resources about them or more to say about them??
Omg I love that!! Rats really are amazing pets to have, I still into rat husbandry myself
I have to preface this with all my knowledge on bioactive setups is that based on research I've done, and I've done a lot of research but I haven't yet made the switch to bioactive myself but I hope to soon. If you want advice from people who've already gone through the process, the naturalistic and bioactive rat setup group on Facebook is an amazing source of info and advice.
So from my understanding of it, it's best to do with a large cage like a critter nation, with either a custom acrylic base or with one of those home Depot cement mixing tubs in the base. Other large cages may be available that will also work, depending on your location, but this is from the perspective of someone based in the US.
The substrate is usually comprised of a mix of something like coco fiber and top soil, but ofc make sure the top soil is pesticide free and pest free. You want to have a good balance of moisture in the substrate, enough that it's not dry and irritating their respiratory systems, and not too wet to where mold will develop. Turning the substrate over every few days or so, or when you spot clean is really good for preventing mold. Also that brings me to a CUC, you need a CUC for it to be bioactive in the first place. Some clean up crews will actually eat mold, and keep that in check as well. I see people mainly recommend springtails for rats, and also pill bugs, but I hear rats will eat pill bugs, or really any critters over a certain size. Another reason why springtails are good choice, they're mostly small enough to go unbothered by the rats.
You'll need to keep a colony of your cuc of choice and may have to add more to the setup every so often. A large part of a bioactive enclosure is balance, balance between the amount of rats you have and the amount of waste they're outputting, the amount of CUC you have, the amount of soil to coco fiber, amount of moisture.
I hear it can take some trial and error to get it right, and often it won't be 100% bioactive, you will probably still need to spot clean. There is some debate on if you need to change the soil out with a bioactive enclosure, some saying if it's a good enough setup it shouldn't need to be changed and others saying it needs to be changed every six months to a year. I personally don't have the experience to say, but at the very least it's much less upkeep once you getting it going than say changing wood bedding every two weeks, but it can be very expensive to first start up.
Other than that, how often you reconstitute moisture into the substrate will depend on the time of year, your climate and local humidity. People often add other things to the substrate mixture, like peat moss to help the soil retain shape and moisture so your rats can dig and tunnel.
I hope this was helpful!! Again there are groups and pages with people who have hand on experience with this that are also very great resources
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Also just incase anybody doesn't know because I had no clue until a bit after I got them but male rats can't have citrus!!! Female rats can but it'll give male rats kidney issues, a bite here and there won't hurt them but they shouldn't have it consistently or a lot
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