Caring for Rats

Food

Balanced Diet

A healthy diet is essential for your pets health and wellbeing. Rats are omnivores and their food pyramid should be:

Fats (4 - 8%)
Protein (12 - 20%)
Carbohydrates (72 - 84%)

Science Selective and lab blocks from us, NZRR or A Rat's Tail are a great staple. Vetafarm Rodent Origins are also good pellets readily available from most pet stores in New Zealand but feeding only Origins can lead to weight gain.

You can create your own dry mix with items available at the supermarket such as Weetabix, rolled oats, puffed rice, seeds, dry pasta and other low sugar cereals like Cheerios. When I make a mix to supplement the lab blocks I track the ingredients so I can keep the macros correct.

Feed approximately 20 grams of dry food per rat per day.
I do not recommend Tui or Topflight rodent mixes as they have too many seeds, while seeds are healthy, too many can cause weight gain and other health issues.

Fruits, vegetables and 'people food'

Should be offered daily and human food makes great treats such as cooked pasta, boiled egg, chicken and dehydrated coconut or banana chips. Before feeding any 'people food' check that these are safe for rats, there are plenty of extensive lists of 'safe food' for rats like this one: Pet Helpful

Clean water should always be available for your rats and I suggest having at least two water bottles in case one leaks or gets finished while you are away from home particularly when weather is hot and your rats are likely to drink more water.

Feed roughly one tablespoon of fruit/veg/chicken etc per day, try to limit sugary foods.

Treats

Treats now and again are a great way to bond with your rat, gain their trust and as a reward for training them.

Suitable treats include yoghurt drops, frozen peas and corn, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, cheerios or baby food. There are some good treats available from A Rats Tail and NZRR as well as pet stores.

More useful info can be found here.

Housing

Like humans, rats need shelter and the best way to keep them safe and secure is in a cage (enclosure). Their cage will keep your rats from getting into trouble in the home, and keep any other potential danger eg interaction with other pets.

Your cage should be chew-proof and provide at least 1.5 cubic feet per rat (preferably 2) there is a handy calculator here. Bigger is better and I recommend the Strong rat cage or you can keep an eye on secondhand markets for a Critter Nation type of cage as they become available from time to time. Pet One RSK or a converted Avi One bird cage can also work well if you add lots of 'fall breaks'.

For small or young rats you want to have bar spacing of approximately 12 mm, wider is OK for bigger adults but keep in mind if they can fit their head through a gap their body can (and will) follow.

Glass aquariums and wooden cages are not suitable for rats.

Bedding

Kiln dried Pine, Aspin or hemp bedding, recycled litter pellets, fleece liners and shredded undyed paper all work well. Fleece and paper are not as absorbent as wood or paper pellets therefore need to cleaned or replaced more frequently. If you use pine or aspen it should be replaced every 5-10 days depending on how many rats you have and how well you spot clean.

Hygiene

Your rats cage needs to be cleaned regularly, spot clean every 1-2 days, replace the bedding and give the cage a wipe down of bars and other surfaces once a week (I use fragrance free baby wipes). A deep clean should be done every 2-4 weeks (depending on number of rats and how well you spot clean). This involves removing all toys, bedding, litter boxes and other accessories and hot wash with a mild liquid dish soap or diluted vinegar. Rinse well and allow to dry completely.

Then give the full cage a good spray/wipe, you can dilute water and vinegar 50:50 in a spray bottle or buy a pet safe cleaning spray. Wash water bottles, bowels and any other cage items well with hot wash (baby bottle brushes or toothbrushes work well for cleaning drink bottles) allow to dry thoroughly before replenish with fresh bedding and replace toys etc.

Accessories

Rats teeth never stop growing so providing them chewable things is essential for their health as well as boredom busting. Pumice, lava stones, rat friendly wood are all good choices. Hiding places like sputniks, wooden houses or cardboard boxes are also essential cage accessories. Hammocks and igloos and rodys are also great, aim to have at least 1 more sleeping place than the number of rats you have, so if you have 2 rats have 3 cozy spots where they can snooze.

I highly recommend a wheel and ropes for exercise and climbing. While you might be tempted to get a small wheel when you first get your rats, but it is better to get a large one (30 cm diameter) as the rats will grow into it.

There are also bendy tunnels, wooden bridges, plastic or wire baskets, bird perches, forage toys and so many other wonderful things you can buy or make for your pet rats.

5 Questions to ask before Adopting Rats

Every person who loves animals has felt the need to get a new pet right away. Rats need a lot more care than most other small animals, so it's important to plan and research so you know about their needs. If you're thinking about adopting rats here are some questions you should ask yourself.

1. Are rats naturally social animals?

Rats like to live in groups, both in the wild and when they are kept as pets. When you adopt rats, you should always get more than one at a time. They need a friend or two to keep them company and make them feel safe while they grow up and learn how to get along with others.

As part of their social requirement, they also need to spend time with you, the owner. Make sure you'll have enough time to play with your rats and talk to or hold them often. Because of this, they will feel more at ease when you hold them, and this will help keep them happy and healthy.

2. Do you plan to buy toys and extras for them?

Rats need things to chew and play with. They also like to hang out in hammocks, where they can cuddle up to each other. They will, of course, tear or chew at the same hammocks they love when they aren't relaxing.

Most bird toys in pet shops are good for rats too, there is also a lot of DIY things you can make for them.

3. A proper rat cage may take up more space than you think.

Rats need space to move around and exercise. In addition to the space inside the cage, there needs to be enough space around the cage because rats like to grab things that look fun to chew (like curtains or power cords).

4. Do rats often get sick?

Having a sick pet can be one of the saddest things about having one. Rats are prone to a few health problems, which can make their lives less enjoyable or even cut their lives short.

Rats often get tumors, and some of them can be cancerous. Even tumors that aren't harmful can cause other problems and make it hard for rats to move and exercise. Tumors can be taken out with surgery, but it is important to have them removed early on to give them a chance to survive the surgery .

Rats have weak respiratory systems and tend to be prone to respiratory infections. You can reduce likliness of respiratory problems by keeping their cage, bedding and hammocks clean. Also avoid direct draughts of fans blowing onto their cage and remove any air fresheners or fragrant candles from around their cage, better yet out of the room.

5. How long do rats live?

A rat can live between two and three years. We are actively breeding rats from longer lived, illness free lines to try for 3+ years. Often people will adopt a new pair when their rats reach about 1-1.5 years old to ensure you always have these cute animals in your life.

Rats may not live long, but if you love them and take care of them, they will give you some of the best years of your life.

7 Ways to Enrich your Rats Lives

Rats are smart, social, and active animals that need lots of mental stimulation to stay happy and engaged. A rat that is happy and at ease is also more likely to be less stressed and healthier.

What does it mean to enrich the environment?

Simply put, environmental enrichment is anything that makes an animal want to interact with its surroundings, both physically and mentally. We often think that new experiences and "changes" from the usual are good for us.

Animals get used to and even bored with the things in their habitat, just like you might want to rearrange the furniture in your home, paint the walls, or move the pictures around.

How would you feel if you had to live your entire life in the same room that still had a baby crib as your bed? You should keep your pet rat's environment interesting and fun, changing the layout and some of the toys when doing the weekly cage clean will reduce the likliness of them getting bored.

How can I keep my rat engaged?

1. Keep several pet rats in the same cage (same sex pairs or de-sexed).

Getting your pet rat a friend is one way to make his environment more interesting. The best way to keep pet rats happy and healthy seems to be to keep them in small social groups, rats should be kept in minimum of a pair but 3 to 5 forms a family bond.

I would never suggest having just one rat. If you only have one now, it might or might not accept a new friend, but if you're just starting out with keeping rats, you should definitely plan on having more than one.

Rats have fun with each other by playing games, cuddling, grooming, and competing with each other. In general, they love living together as a small, social family. Having a friend who is another rat is not the same as having a friend who is a person, no matter how much they like them.

2. Buy a big cage and let your pets spend time outside of it while you supervise and play with them.

Rats are very active. If you let them be on their own, they will always find ways to have fun. By choosing a big cage, you can give your pet rats the space they need to run around and play.

The minimum housing space required per rat is 2.5 cubic feet or 0.7 cubic meters. Rat cages should be wire for ventilation and aim for at least 45 x 95 x 55 cm. The more space they have in their cage the better. Two good-sized cages are Strong Rat Cage (SRC) or Pet One (RSK) you can convert an Avi One bird cage too by adding some covered wire baking trays to give it more levels.

Rats like to climb, but if you have a two-story cage you need to add some ‘fall breaks’ like hammocks to make their home a safe place. Pet rats are prone to respiratory infections, but wire cages let air flow, which might help keep them from getting sick.

Larger, two-level cages give rats more options for bedding and toys, which are all important for keeping their sharp minds active. A bigger cage also allows for a dig box, or even a bioactive base.

3. Give them a variety of toys and switch them out.

Pet rats play with toys all the time. They'll even use the toys to make up games to play with each other. Mine invented a ‘hide the peg’ game with their treat puzzle and after they played with it during free roam, I would have to dig out the pegs from their cage.

There are so many rat toys to choose from in pet stores, tunnels, bridges, chew toys and so on. Don’t overlook the bird section when shopping for toys for your rats as there are some good finds there too like perches. But you don't have to spend a lot of money if you don't want to.

Rats like to play with cardboard boxes, toilet paper tubes filled with shredded paper and a handful of treats, small pieces of apple branches cut from a tree in the yard that hasn't been treated with pesticides, ping pong balls, and paper bags from the grocery store.

The only limit to what fun toys you can find for your rat family is your imagination.

You can put a "new" toy in the cage every few days and take out the "old" one for a few weeks. When you rotate their toys your pet rats will be less likely to get bored when they have a variety of toys on hand.

4. Remember that food is also a form of enrichment.

I HIGHLY recommend that the majority of your rat's diet be made up of something called "lab block," which looks like kibbled dog food and has the correct balance of nutrients for rats.

You could hide or scatter their dry rat food, so it takes the rat a while to find it. This encourages foraging and rats like to play "find the food".

The same goes for small amounts of treats or snacks. You can hide a piece of carrot under the bedding in a corner of the cage.

5. Cage Location

Keep in mind that naturally rats go out of their burrows to explore, while they should be kept safe in the cage while you aren’t around, they can see out of the cage. So, don't put it in a dull corner of the room.

You might want to put their cage somewhere like the TV room, since they like to know where you are and what you're doing. This can really make them part of the family. Wherever you decide to keep their cage ensure it is away from direct sunlight and draughts.

6. Pea Fishing

This is especially great when the weather is warm, add water to a shallow container (could be just about anything) and some frozen peas (mixed vegetables also work) then add rats. Very entertaining for you to watch, keeps them interested because they can 'fish' for their treats and assists in cooling when it is hot.

7. Digging

Pick up a deep storage bin, at least 60 litres and some coco-coir. Make sure it is plain coir and doesn't include any fertiliser. Rehydrate the coir in the storage bin and let your rats dig and tunnel. You will need a Clean Up Crew (CUC) to keep the coir clean, springtails and isopods are both good options. There is some great information here on bioactive which you can either incorporate into the main cage, or the play area: https://azulinerattery.wordpress.com/an-introduction-to-creating-a-bioactive-rat-cage/

Rat Body Language and Behavior

Don't let their small size fool you. Rats can say a lot for such small creatures. You might be able to figure out what your pet rat is trying to tell you just by watching his body language.

Tools for communicating

Rats often use scent to talk to each other (scent trails) you might be able to spot the scent marks that rats leave behind.

Squeaks and Cries

Most of the time, people can hear the sounds rats make when they are in pain, sick, or angry. Extreme fear or pain causes rats to make loud squeaks (screams) we can hear.

Short or long, whiny squeaks are a sign that a rat is upset about something, like another rat bothering it or stealing its food. Recent studies show that rats may be able to laugh by squeaking, but humans can't hear these sounds because they are too high-pitched. Thank goodness, their body language is easy to understand.

That Nosy Rat!

Rats are naturally curious, so when they see something interesting, curiosity takes over. They'll stand on their back legs, look around, sniff the air, and move their ears forward.

Rats might even stare and sway their heads slowly (especially those with pink eyes!). Some people might be surprised by this behaviour, but it's just the rat's version of a squint. Rats can't see well and don't have a sense of depth. By moving their heads, they can get a better look at what they're trying to see.

How to tell if a rat is mad

You shouldn't ignore a rat's angry body language, such as a swishing tail. When fighting for fun, the swishing tail is a sign of excitement, but when fighting for real, it shows anger, fear, and aggression. If you see a rat demonstrate aggressive behaviour you should safely remove the rat from the cause of concern.

When rats are excited, they can wag their tails, short twitches usually indicate they are planning an adventure.

When a rat is scared or uncertain, it will shrink back and move its ears back and forth.

Rats demonstrate they don't want something by using their front paws to push away, like a snack, or when they don't want to be petted. Often, they just turn their backs and leave you alone.

When you shouldn't touch rats

Be aware that your rat's fur may puff out if it's cold, scared, angry, or sick. This is one way rats demonstrate anger. If a rat is angry or afraid it may will puff up its fur and arch its back. If you try to pick him up now, he might try to bite you. If the rat is trying to hurt another rat, you should separate them as soon as possible. You can pick up the rat in a towel to make it less likely that it will bite you, but keep in mind that a rat that is sluggish and puffy may be sick.

Boggling & Bruxing

Rats are very social animals who can show affection. To show how much they love you, they might even lick you or another rat. When a rat is completely happy and at ease, it will grind its teeth and make a soft noise. If he likes you, he might clench his teeth (called "bruxing") or let his eyelids pop (called "boggling"). So, when you pick up your rat and see that his jaw moves or his eyes googly, you can be sure that he is a happy, contented rat.

It's getting warmer!

Romance may be clear in a rat's life when a male rat chases after other female rats and tries to mount them.

Female rats have even more obvious signs when they are in heat, which can happen every 4-5 days. The female rat on heat often gets more animated than usual, and their ears often look like a blur because they flap (vibrate) so quickly. When a female is in heat, she may also “freeze” on the spot and arch her back when touched on the lower back. She may also jump suddenly when touched ("popcorning") Some people say that this is the most reliable sign that a female rat is in her heat cycle.