General Pet Rat Care Information

So. You’re looking into getting a pet rat. A Wise Choice. Pet rat care is a snap! Out of all the small animals I have ever kept, I have to say, without a doubt, rats were some of the most friendly and entertaining pets. They’re intelligent and curious, and treated right, are sure to win your heart.

The pet rat you find in pet shops is a descendant of the Norwegian Rat, known as the Brown Rat to most people. They’re smaller than the black rat and can be very friendly.They have been specially bred over the years to get the colours and hair types you find today. The colors range from white, to black with all manners of fur types.

Rats in general suffer social stigmatization, due to the involvement of the black rats in spreading the bubonic plague etc as well as being regarded as dirty creatures. Though wild rats do indeed carry diseases, the lovable pets you find in stores are some of the cleanest rodents, most scrupulous groomers. They even designate a corner to toilet in!

Selecting A Pet Rat

When you are at the store, picking out a rat, you should be careful to watch out for the following things... Pet rat care starts with selecting a healthy individual.

Red mucus around eyes.

Sniffing, wheezing, and coughing very audibly.

Bare patches.

Lethargy when held, weakness of muscles.

These are all signs of an unhealthy rat. You want to look for the following good signs.

Eyes should be clear and bright

Should be very curious when held

Shouldn’t be able to hear breathing, unless it is sniffing your ear!

Pet Rat Care Housing Information

Rats are very active at night, the girls especially, and do need a large cage. The larger the cage the happier the rat, is the basic pet rat care rule. Each rat should have at least a foot square of floor space. They are also great climbers so wire walled cages are perfect.

However, rats are also escape artists. They can easily escape through the wires of a cage if it is wide enough. As a general rule, make sure the gap between the wire is no bigger than the rats head. A rat can squish it’s body up to squeeze under doors, so I’m pretty sure it can escape through wide-gapped-wire.

Rats can get bored very easily, so plenty of toys and puzzles are essential to keep them from going crazy with boredom and gnawing the cage. Chew toys, and ferret toys where they have to find a way to get the treat out of the middle are great. One toy that rats don’t find too impressive, however, is the wheel.

Rats are very clever little critters, and unlike hamsters, regard the wheel as a bit useless. For the most part they will give it a look that says “You want me to keep running on that when it doesn’t go anywhere? Pffft no chance.” They know it’s pointless, the same goes for those hamster balls. I'll agree they look cute in them, but your hard earned pet rat care money can be used elsewhere.

Pet Rat Care Bedding Information

Rats bedding should comprise of the shavings you find in most pet stores, usually compacted in air-tight bags with pictures of cute hamsters or bunnies on the front. They could also be kept on Care Fresh, which is made from wood that was not made into paper for whatever reason. Each is fine.

Rats should have some nest bedding. The stuff that looks like shredded j-cloth is fine for this, but you should not use the hairy stuff, as this can strangle and suffocate small animals.

Straw and hay must NOT BE USED as it can irritate the rats sinus’, cause the rats red mucus to flow. (Yes rats have red mucus, so do not be alarmed if you ever see any around the nose or eyes, it is just red snot and probably means they have a cold)

Company and Reproduction

Proper pet rat care would require us to buy other rats to keep each other company. In the wild, rats are very social animals, and it would be terrible to deprive them of social interaction.

The best way to do this, is to select same-sex rats from the same litter. If, however, you need to get them separately, it is best to introduce them while they are still juveniles, as fights can occur between adults. For most pets, it is the male who is most aggressive, but in rat-world that is not the case.

In rat world, you can take a young boy rat, introduce it to an adult and they should get along fine. The males of the species, just like in humans, are generally lazy and get along well with other males. There sometimes may be some fighting between hormonal males. Typically males will sleep a lot, and are more docile while being held.

The female rats seem to be quicker at times than their male counterparts.

If you introduce two strange females to each other, they can fight and seriously injure, if not kill one another. If you want to introduce two adult females, it is best to place them in cages next to each other, to see what the reaction is. If they sniff each other through the wire with no sign of aggression, it should be safe.

I wouldn’t recommend keeping a boy and girl together unless you want a house over run with rats. I know it seems like a sweet idea for your pets to be parents, but the reality is that people would rather go to pet shops and professional breeders for their pets so it may be difficult placing the offspring in good homes.

Remember that females come into heat about every 4/5 days. The gestation is around a mere 22 days, and each litter is about 10-12 babies. They reach sexual maturity at 5 weeks, so should be separated before then, as rats have no clue about incest. Brothers, sisters, parents… lovely eh?

Pet Rat Care Nutrition

Pet rat care, as far as nutrition is goes, isn't difficult at all. Rats are omnivores, and survive well on the rat pellets you can find in most pet stores. This is better than muesli-type products as it gets rid of any desire to pick and choose favourite foods, meaning they get all the goodness they need. However, you can also get your rats treats.

In the wild, rats would snack on anything from bugs to baby birds, so a mealworm (available at most exotic pet shops) or some fatless grilled chicken would not go amiss. Red meats, however, should be avoided.

Rats needs a constant supply of clean fresh water, so a gravity operated ball point bottle is perfect. Bowls could be used, but would probably get knocked over, pooed in and made quite unsanitary.

Everyday Pet Rat Care

Rats need to be held every day. To pick a rat up, you can scoop it up under the belly, or grasp it just beneath the shoulders. Make sure the rat knows you are there before you pick it up, as a surprised rat may nip.

If your rat suffers from ailments such as coughing or wheezing, the best thing to do is to change all the bedding. If it continues, make an appointment at the vet.

Another common ailment is tilting head. This involves a permanently cocked head, and usually means an inner ear infection. A course of anti-biotics from the vets should do the trick.

Yet another common ailment is lumps. Rats are prone to tumours. Especially girls. A good protection against this is to get the young ladies spayed. These tumours are either cancerous or benign (harmless). A quick trip to the vet is needed to find out what’s up.

But not all lumps are tumours. Some are abscesses, an infected scratch, and it doesn’t take long for a vet to get the pus and yuk out of, and some anti-biotics will clear up any remaining infection.

What to Expect From Your Pet Rat

Rats can be friendly creatures who pretty soon will love hanging out with you. The girls will like to climb all over you, the boys just to relax and watch television. If you treat them right, they’ll treat you right. I told you pet rat care would be a snap.

Good luck!

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