Ratties....

[luckies4me]

Originally posted by ChewmonkeyBC
OK here are my questions....

What kind of food do you recomend?

What kind of bedding?

If Im able to get a rat Aspen&Misty recomended getting 2..so would getting a two story cage be better??

And what kind of rat toys do your rats like the best ,and what toys should I not buy.....

Thanks everyone for the help!!

Kay

FcR

Ok for food I recommend lots of things. I feed my rats a staple diet of lab blocks and kibble. For kibble I chose Innova Senior or Nutro Natural Choice Light. For Lab Blocks any type is ok as long as it doesn't contain corn. Mazuri is an excellent brand and that is what I currently use. They also receive fresh fruits and vegetables such as apples, bananas, mango, grapes, blueberries and salad greens. They also get any leftover pasta I have. They receive chicken and porkchop bones. They are not dangerous to rats like they are to dogs. Then they also get my grain mix. To see what is in the grain mix and to read more information on my rats feeding practices please refer to my web page at:
what my rats get


For bedding I reccomend either aspen pellets or shavings. Cedar and Pine are toxic to small animals and contain phenols that cause respiratory problems. Carefresh is also a good choice for bedding but can be more expensive. It is also prone to mites, therfor if you do use this type of bedding it is recommended to put it in your freezer for a day before using it. They will also need some type of nestbox. Rats can get VERY big so make sure you get one that will grow with them. For nestboxs I use chinchilla dust baths, wooden bird nests made for parrots (also good for ratties to chew on) pvc pipes, hammocks, and snuggle pouches. You can use leftover cardboard boxes that are small and fill them with some flufy bedding. For bedding that goes in their sleeping quarters I use this shredded paper (no ink), toilet paper or old tshirts etc. Just make sure if you use tshirts that they cannot fray. This can cause your rattie to ingest string which is potentially fatal. Another good bedding is wood stove pellets. These are made out of hardwoods so are safe. They are very absorbent and you can buy a 40 pound bag for around 2 dollars. If you only have two rats this can last a few months.


Rats should always be bought in same sex pairs. When I adopt out my babies it is never singly, unless the owner can prove that they already own another rat. Make sure you get the same sex! Do not rely on petshops to know what the sexes are. Do research frist. Rats can easily be distinguished from eachother if you research. There are several sites online that show pictures of males/females for comparison. Just type in "Sexing rats" or something similar. Make sure you do not buy a pregnant doe. Babies can be hard to place and it would be hard to give them up as feeders.