Basic Rat Care
Rats make wonderful pets, but are not low maintenance and it is important to understand their needs before deciding to add rats to your family.
Companionship
Rats are extremely social and should be kept in same sex groups of at least two. It isn't natural for rats to live alone, even though they love (and need) time with their humans, a human companion cannot entirely replace the company of another rat. Rats that live together have fuller and more active lives. Rats are nocternal and need companionship throughout the night, their person cannot be with with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Since rats are extremely intelligent and will get bored if left alone. Though it is "acceptable" for a rat to live alone with enough interaction it isn't what is best for them...and as owners we want our pets to have the best lives we can give them! Occationally rats will become too aggressive to live with another, but this is very rare, in most cases all that is needed is a more gradual introduction or altering (spay/neuter).
Since it is unnatural for a rat to live alone they can devlope neurotic tendencies or behavioral problems, including agression. There is a common myth that only a single rat will bond with their human, while in reality as long as each rat gets some alone time with their humans they will strongly bond.
Housing
Rats should have as large of a cage as possible, the more time they spend in the cage the bigger it should be. Sometimes cost and space limit the size of a cage that you can get, so the cage calculator can help you pick a suitable cage for your rats. Two cubic feet is the minimum space pet rat, though I would recommend 2.5 or more.
Safe bedding types:
- Fleece - reusable (wash when dirty), absorbs moisture but doesn't help with odors
- Paper/wood litters (CareFRESH, Yesterday's News) - absorb and hold moisture in one place
- Aspen shavings - absorbant and reduces odors
- Newpaper - must use soy-based ink to be safe, cheap, requires frequent changes
Dangerous bedding types:
- Pine and Cedar - give off aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) and acids that are toxic
Diet
Tekland Lab Blocks - Complete Diet (The Rat Shop)
- Teklad Global 2014 - Best as a maintenance diet for adult rats (8 months and older)
- Teklad Global 2018 (Native Earth 4018) - Recommended for pregnant, nursing, and growing rats (8 months and younger) (Cheapest place to get: Native Earth 18% Protein 4018 Rodent Diet)
- I recommend fresh fruits and vegetables with the lab blocks for variety
Popular homemade diets
Soy and corn free diet
- I had been working on creating my own diet that was soy and corn free (January to August 2011), I later decided more research was needed in order to truely balance the diet and I was concerned it wasn't as complete as I would like so I switched back to lab blocks. For those interested here is what I fed:
- The dry mix: Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance® Original Ultra® Reduced Calorie Formula for Dogs, Buckwheat groats (can use wheat germ), Pumpkin seeds, dried fruit (bananas, papaya, golden raisins, raisins, pineapple), and Total cereal.
They should also get fresh fruit, veggies, and probiotics(avaliable in yogurt).
Forbidden Foods
Never feed your rats:
- blue cheese - toxic mold
- green bananas - inhibit starch digestion
- green potato skin and eyes - toxic solanine
- licorice - suspected neurotoxin
- orange juice - contains d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer in male rats
- raw artichokes - inhibit protein digestion
- raw bulk tofu - can contain bacteria (packaged tofu is safe)
- raw dry beans or peanuts - antinutrients, cause red blood cell clumping (roasted and cooked is safe)
- raw onion - can lead to anemia and an upset stomach
- raw red cabbage and brussel sprouts - antinutrient that detroys thiamin
- raw sweet potato - cyanide-forming compounds
- rhubarb - high levels of oxalates which bind up calcium
- Mold Warning - Spoiled or moldy food can contain deadly toxins. Never give food that looks or smells odd or spoiled. If you see mold growing on a food, throw the whole thing away. Do not attempt to cut away the moldy section as invisible mold filaments penetrate deep into the food.
Feed with caution:
- avocados - high in fat and a good treat to feed rats that need to put on weight but make sure the fruit is ripe. The pit, rind, skin and leaves of avocados are toxic, and the part of the fruit in contact with the pit has a higher concentration of toxins
- carbondated drinks - rats cannot burp
- chocolate - contains stimulants that can lead to heart failure or neurological poisoning in high quantities. A bit of chocolate is okay and can actually temporarily alleviate respiratory distress
- dried corn - can have high levels of fungal contaminates which can lead to liver cancer. A little fresh corn is fine
- peanut butter - can cause choking in rats, mix it with jam or something liquid to make it less sticky
