Originally posted by Kfamr
Well, first off, I'm no rattie expert, but i'm going to try and answer your questions to the best of my ability. Since i've been wanting a rattie for a while, i've been doing alot of research and asking alot of questions.

Ratties should have a rather large cage. With different layers,
Tanks are no good because they don't give enough venilation.

I believe hairless rats are called exactly that. It's a recessive gene, I think, not a different 'breed' of rats. I'm not sure how easy they are to find.

Rats should be homed in pairs of two or more of the same sex. They will get lonely housed alone.


I'd recommend trying to find a breeder in your area. Maybe Cass knows of a good one.


Any/all of thse answers could be false, but like I said i'm no rattie expert.
Ooh, Kay has been studying! Yep, hairless is a recessive gene, and they are just called hairless rats. They are pretty common now. There are no "breeds" of rats, just types.

Some good cage makers are www.martinscages.com and www.qualitycage.com and there are also people who make custom cages, such as Enchanted Forest cages. You can visit them online at www.enchanted-forest.biz

I would type a bunch more things out but if you search through pet general you will find my replies with tons of information. I usually do not recommend pet shops due to most of the rats being bred for feeders and by "puppymill" type breeders. I would most certaintly go with a breeder or you can also try Kim's Ark rat rescue. They do ratty trains to get rescues to new owners. I will try to locate a breeder in your area.