Rats! *Pics Added!*

[critter crazy]

Okay guys I am seriously thinking about adding soem rats to my family. I Have never owned any rats before, so this is all new to me! I have a few Questions:

Breeds: What are the best breeds for beginners, or does that even matter?? I would definitely prefer something other than white! LOL!! Hairless would be okay!

Housing: I have a 55 gallon aquarium, i thought I could transform into a rat condo. Adding different levels and such. Would this work, or is wire cages better?? Also howmany could I fit in the Aquarium, if it is suitable??

Litter: What is the best type of litter to use?? can you use pine shavings??

Food: Best type of food, and what other snacks can they have??

Other: best way to tame/train rats? What type of toys do they enjoy? And other special care needed? ie. Vitamins, meds ect...

And of course any other info would be of great help!!

Thankfully hubby dosent to mind as much as before, so I am pretty excited about this!! Woohoo!!

[Christmas_Hamster]

Breeds: There is only one domestic species of rats so no worries. There are different ear types (dumbo and top ear), there are different hair types like rex, standard, double rex and hairless. And of course different colours. But none of it matters as it doesn't make the rat. Pick out the ones that you like.

Housing: Rats cannot and should not live in aquariums. Their respiratory systems are very sensitive and the tanks do not provide adequate ventilation for them. Wire cages only.

Litter: Never ever pine. Pine is bad for all small animals. Both pine and cedar contian phenols which cause respiratory problems. Try carefresh, aspen or yesterdays news.

Food: Look for brands like mazuri rat lab blocks or harlan teklad(only found online). They cna have just about any fruits, veggies and foods just avoid sweets and fatty foods.

Other: They don't need special vitamins or anything. But expect to need the vet at least once. Remember that rats must live in groups or pairs. And do lots of research rats are more complicated to care for then say hamster or mice but once you figure it out it is easy! Check out www.goosemoose.com and www.jorats.com/forum

Good luck!

[critter crazy]

Okay after spending most of the day Reasearching, I have decided that we might build our own rat house. The aquarium idea just dosent sound feasable. So I have looked at many options, and have gotten quite a few ideas. I have made up some simple plans. What do you think??



The doors will be woden framed, with wire mesh. We have left over lumber here, so it realy shouldnt cost us too much.

it would be roughly 5 feet tall, 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep.

[Christmas_Hamster]

That cage should be plenty of room! So you are going for a Grotto style cage? Cool! It was what some people call these cages. There will be so much room for toys and stuff, I love decorating the rats cage yours would be fun.

Good luck!

[critter crazy]

Thanks!! Hubby seems to like it better as well!! Of course he will be the one building it as I just aint that good at this stuff! LOL!! It will be made out of Oak, so it should look pretty good. Hubby wont allow plywood or anything! We are going to be putting casters on the bottom of it, so we can move it around. I am realy excited to get started!! I cannot wait till we are able to get our first Rats!!

[IRescue452]

Thought I'd add my own two cents.

Breeds: Yep, only one breed, many varieties. Only the hairless needs a little extra consideration. Hairless and haired can be housed together. You'll be more concerned about males or females. Males get bigger and CAN be more calm (not always). Try not to be a hater of white rats if you post on any rat forums, you could be hurting feelings of others. Whites tend to be the first to go as feeders because people consider them boring. Besides, himalayans are born white and don't change for 8-12 weeks. The next white rat you see could be a himalayan baby.

Housing: People will argue to the death over aquariums. They are used for mother rats with small babies without harming the rats. Also, lab rats are kept in plastic tubs with only top ventilation. There isn't much real evidence that a properly kept aquarium is harmful. But its not ideal.
A wire cage should have 1/2" mesh, not 1". Shelves should be covered somehow so they aren't always walking on wire.

Litter: Kiln-dried pine can be ok if you use pine from a company that dries it properly. Phenols are believed beneficial to mammals, other hydrocarbons in the pine are harmful when not removed. I prefer to buy cheap fabric and make squares big enough for the cage floor. If you make 7 of them you can change them daily and wash at the end of the week. Smaller pieces of fabric serve as beds. Much cheaper in the long run then bedding.

Food: There are few foods rats can't have. I really don't like feeding anything with soy to my animals, especially rats. Do your research and see what food you find acceptable. Trying to push nutritional info on people would be like trying to get all dog owners to stop feeding kibble. I don't like harlan teklad, but its probably one of the best lab blocks made.

Other: Rats are expensive when they need vet care for respiratory infections. There are some things you learn as you go. For instance, I give my rats alcohol-free echinecia tea in their water bottles one day every two weeks to help with their immune system.
Boy rats like the wheel about as often as girl rats do. Don't exclude a great toy because people tell you their boys are too laxy for the wheel.
Quarentine new rats away from other rodents.

[critter crazy]

Awsome info thanks!!! We were going to be using fabric on the floors, and having them litter trained. So should be much easier to clean up. I am not a huge fan of picking up Pine Shavings! LOL!

I am not a hater of white rats, I would just prefer some color variety. I am sure I will end up with one, especially if I like the temperment! LOL!

Hubby has already squashed my idea of having hairless rats! LOL!! he says I am pusing the limit with rats as it is, he dosent want any naked ones! LOL!!

[Christmas_Hamster]

Yes but you could get a double rex. They are nearly hairless some of them are more furred then others, example:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y28...s/PICT0099.jpg

lol

I don't know I think the white ones are the cutest:


Good luck! Don't forget to put some sort of seal on the wood so that any urine or water doesn't ruin it.

[critter crazy]

Yes but you could get a double rex. They are nearly hairless some of them are more furred then others, example:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y28...s/PICT0099.jpg

lol

I don't know I think the white ones are the cutest:


Good luck! Don't forget to put some sort of seal on the wood so that any urine or water doesn't ruin it.

we were going to cover the wood on the inside of the cage with Shlf liner. That way it protects the wood,a nd it is much easier to clean. Seems alot of people have good luck with it!

[Christmas_Hamster]

What ever works! I want pics when you are all done =D

[critter crazy]

So another question just popped in my head!! Male or Female??? I am gonna probably have a few, so obviously I want the same sex. Is there any big differences between Sexes?? do males get along together just fine?? How about females??

[IRescue452]

I know you aren't a hater of any animal just because of their color, I just meant you should be careful about the color comment and rat forums. Many rat people are especially sensitive about the pink-eyed whites being seen as lowly feeders. Your first post would have been taken the wrong way immediately if you were posting in say, the goosemoose rat forum (hint hint on good place for rat advice). You'd have been eaten alive.

As for gender, no big deal either way. Females get along with other females as often as males get along with other males. The rare male will be a fighter in its teenage years and be just asking for a neutering, but usually they are fine. Its always best to find two that are already buddies or to find a rather young one to introduce to an older one. Males tend to grow larger and be lazier and snuggle more, but that only comes with age. My 5 males defy all of those stereotypes, except the getting larger part. None of mine are over 400 grams though. You bet those picture of large "squishy" man rats on forums make me cringe.

[3muttsandaboston]

I have also heard that females are more prone to cancer/tumers than males. Am I right about this?

[IRescue452]

Oh yes, forgot about that one. Mammary tumors of course. And spaying hasn't proven to be very preventative. A well bred rat shouldn't get tumors at a young age, but pet store rats do more often. Most of the time the tumors are removable.

[Christmas_Hamster]

Typically females are more playful and hyper while males are lazier but none of my girls fit this description although Nattie certainly is close. My girls love to cuddle and be pet and are content to just snuggle. But they also love to play around and explore.

I think there is a fine line between cute a squishy rat and sadly obese rat. I do how ever love seeing squish photos, hehe.

Yeah some of the people at goosemoose will eat your heads off which has gotten them a bad reputation unfortionatly. I have been on jorats more often for this reason. =)