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Pet Info Packets :: Rats

Rescue Spotlight


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Your Pet Rat

Contrary to popular belief rats are very clean, affectionate animals. They are constantly grooming, much like hamsters, and usually bond very closely with their owners. Rats are also very social animals and should be kept in same sex pairs or groups.


Important Pages

Some of my topics got so big I had split them into separate pages:

Rat Names


Behavior

Most rats will learn on their own not to use the bathroom on you or anywhere outside of the cage after getting used to their new home.


Playtime

I have found that the best place to let my rats run around during play time is the bathroom. It seems to pose less hazards since there isn't usually as much to disappear under or as many cords to chew and the tile floor makes for a much easier clean up. Always make sure to be careful of cords, chemicals, holes, and other dangers. Another thing to make sure of is that the toilet bowl lid is down, as rats can be rather incredible jumpers.

Rats should have a bare minimum of a half hour daily of out of cage play time. Ideally they should be getting at least an hour or two. Keep in mind that what size cage you have also plays a part in how much out of cage time is necessary. If you have a small cage, more out of cage time should be given. If you have a large cage you can be a little bit more lenient on it.

Wheels are not usually seen as an absolute necessity for rats. Some rats will completely ignore them, while others will love them. A rat exposed to wheels from a young age is more likely to use one. Males tend to become rather lazy as they get older and are then less likely to use wheels than females who remain more active into adulthood. For those who provide wheels for their rats it is important to make sure it is of proper size for them. Wheels designed for smaller animals like hamsters will not be suitable or comfortable for the rat (particularly an adult). You should never let your rat run on an open runged wire wheel, as these can cause injury to the feet and tail. Solid wheels are the best bet when it comes to safety and comfort.


Gender, Reproduction, and Breeding

It is not recommended to breed your rats unless you are looking to become a responsible breeder and know everything you should know about genetics, coat colors, health problems, etc. You should have a good, experienced breeder mentor you and start with healthy breeder rats (not pet store rats!). If you do not know the genetic background of your rats (such as in the case of pet store rats) you could be breeding in genetic illnesses. Please think before you breed.

Tips for unplanned litters: If you have a female rat that has given birth or is expecting there are some important things to consider. For one, a female who is nursing or pregnant needs a nutritious diet (which she should be getting anyway) plus some added protein. Some ways extra protein can be given would be scrambled eggs, soy baby formula, and some high quality cat food (Innova, Wellness, Felidae etc.)

Remember to separate the female from other rats before she gives birth, especially any males. Females will have a heat cycle shortly after giving birth which could result in a back to back pregnancy if any intact males are left with her. This would be very stressful to the mother and should be avoided at all costs. It's generally seen as best to allow a female to raise her litter alone so that there isn't any chance of fighting over the babies among females or back to back pregnancies in the case of males.

The babies must be born in a safe environment. This means it must be made sure that the maternity cage has nothing dangerous in it. A wheel can cause babies to become trapped underneath and bar spacing that is too wide can also be a danger. Many people use an aquarium for moms who are raising litters (a 20 gallon should work well as long as it is cleaned often and mom is allowed out frequently for free time). Make sure to provide mom with plenty of safe nesting material like torn up paper towels (plain, without ink).

Leave mom alone for the first day and just change the nesting material (the birthing process can be a bit messy) and take a quick peak to get a head count and check if all the babies are nursing. You can tell if a newborn baby has been fed by the white line of milk visible in their stomach. Depending on how tolerable mom is to handling you'll want to start handling and socializing the babies fairly soon. If mom is protective you can try removing her from the babies before attempting to handle them or distracting her with a treat.

Lastly, remember to separate the males from their female siblings and their mother by five weeks of age. Rats reach sexual maturity at that point and it is possible that the youngsters will impregnate their sisters or mother if kept with them any longer.


Rat Types and Coat Colors


Lost and Found


Traveling With Rats


Informational Sites in General


Rat Books


Breeders and Breeder Lists


Rescues and Rescue Lists


Rat Clubs and Societies


Showing Rats


Rattie Ambassadors


Reviews and Recommendations


Good Online Stores and Product Sources


Rattie Photo Galleries (View Only and Uploadable)


Rattie Forums


Rat Chats


Livejournal Communities


Science Bits


Rainbow Bridge Rats