BASIC RAT NEEDS
Cage: If you don't want to pay $100 for a brand spankin new cage from your petstore, I highly suggest checking your local craigslist.com or, for those of you in Utah, ksl.com's classifieds. There are usually really cheap cages to be found there.
Bedding: Pine/cedar shavings are toxic to rats. Don't use them. I recommend Sunseed Fresh World Bedding. It's recycled papers that have fresheners in them. Really good for rats and excellent at controlling odors, especially with male rats.
Food: Rats are omnivores - they eat both meat and veggies. I feed my rats a mixture of lab blocks (to help them keep their teeth worn down and get vital minerals), rabbit feed, sunflower seeds and dog food. Don't do too much protein (dog food and sunflower seeds) because it will harm their kidneys. Treats can be pretty much anything you eat. Avoid citrus fruits with male rats as it tends to increase the odds of prostate cancer.
Buddies: If you aren't able to get your rat out every day for several hours of one-on-one time, you need at least two rats. A second rat doesn't really add to the smell or take up that much more time. Your single rat will most likely get depressed really quickly. They start to bite and scratch themselves and lie listlessly in their cages. Rats are highly social animals.
Toys: You can make toys at home out of "junk" you already have. Put the cardboard tube from the toilet paper roll in the cage and watch the rats tear it apart (and use it for bedding sometimes). Empty Kleenex boxes are great hidey boxes. Remember anything cardboard (excepting the tubes) will need to be replaced periodically because the rats will urinate/defecate in it and it will start to stink. Plus, it's bad hygenie. Bird toys work well in rat cages for them to climb and chew on. I also use some cat/dog toys. Try not to get the ones with tiny bells on them that they can choke on.
HOW TO DEAL WITH UNEXPECTED PREGNANCY:
So, you just picked up a rat from the petstore and they told you she was a he. Don't panic. If you feel like you just can't handle babies at this point, talk to the store manager and they will most likely let you exchange for a different rat. But honestly, it's not too difficult and you picked the sweetest rat, right? Here's what you do:
Cage: If you don't want to pay $100 for a brand spankin new cage from your petstore, I highly suggest checking your local craigslist.com or, for those of you in Utah, ksl.com's classifieds. There are usually really cheap cages to be found there.
Bedding: Pine/cedar shavings are toxic to rats. Don't use them. I recommend Sunseed Fresh World Bedding. It's recycled papers that have fresheners in them. Really good for rats and excellent at controlling odors, especially with male rats.
Food: Rats are omnivores - they eat both meat and veggies. I feed my rats a mixture of lab blocks (to help them keep their teeth worn down and get vital minerals), rabbit feed, sunflower seeds and dog food. Don't do too much protein (dog food and sunflower seeds) because it will harm their kidneys. Treats can be pretty much anything you eat. Avoid citrus fruits with male rats as it tends to increase the odds of prostate cancer.
Buddies: If you aren't able to get your rat out every day for several hours of one-on-one time, you need at least two rats. A second rat doesn't really add to the smell or take up that much more time. Your single rat will most likely get depressed really quickly. They start to bite and scratch themselves and lie listlessly in their cages. Rats are highly social animals.
Toys: You can make toys at home out of "junk" you already have. Put the cardboard tube from the toilet paper roll in the cage and watch the rats tear it apart (and use it for bedding sometimes). Empty Kleenex boxes are great hidey boxes. Remember anything cardboard (excepting the tubes) will need to be replaced periodically because the rats will urinate/defecate in it and it will start to stink. Plus, it's bad hygenie. Bird toys work well in rat cages for them to climb and chew on. I also use some cat/dog toys. Try not to get the ones with tiny bells on them that they can choke on.
HOW TO DEAL WITH UNEXPECTED PREGNANCY:
So, you just picked up a rat from the petstore and they told you she was a he. Don't panic. If you feel like you just can't handle babies at this point, talk to the store manager and they will most likely let you exchange for a different rat. But honestly, it's not too difficult and you picked the sweetest rat, right? Here's what you do:
- Make sure she has a place to hide - a small cardboard box with a lid cut in it should work very nicely. Cut the lid almost to the size of the top of the box so you can lift the flap and count the babies every day, but be able to apply some tape to keep it shut.
- Give her lots of bedding material like paper towels ripped into chunks. Don't give her any bedding she can chew holes in (towels, sheets, etc). Feed her mainly sunflower seeds and dog food. Pregnant rats need tons of protein.
- Try to feed her from your hand as much as possible so she gets used to you, but make sure she has food if you aren't around.
- Baby rats are very vocal. Don't worry, it's normal.
- Check in on mom and babies about 2 hours after the birth - you're checking the babies for the cream-colored band on the right side of their abdomen (if you have them on their back in your palm) - that's their stomach and the cream color is milk. You want to make sure mom is feeding them. If she stops, you'll need to feed them every 2 hours or they'll die.
- Use puppy or kitten formula and the smallest dropper/syringe you can find if you have to take over feeding (hairless rats usually have a hard time lactating - if at all - so be ready!). My dropper only holds about 6-8 ccs. Each pup needs about 2-3 ccs of formula every 2 hours during the first week. You can bump that up to as much as they'll take in (they'll be able to refuse the dropper when full at this point) the second week and feed every 3-4 hours. Don't suddenly jump from feedings every 2 hours to feedings every 4 hours. Work up to it gradually. You should be between 3-4 hours at the end of the babies second week. Now you can start mixing in baby food or soft cat food with soy milk. The middle of the third week you can stick a water bottle and a dish of normal rat diet in the tank with them and let them start experimenting with that. Leave a heavy, ceramic dish in the cage with them with soy milk/baby food or cat food in it so they can still drink if they want. Start them trying out new foods (change the baby food/cat food flavor, add fruits/veggies) so they are a little more flexible as they grow up and will accept treats.
- Development: You'll start to see markings about day 4; light, pearch-fuzz fur comes in by the end of the first week; eyes open at 12-14 days; babies start eating soft foods at around 14-16 days (weaned at 4 weeks old) and you need to separate the boys from mom and the sisters at the end of 4 weeks (beginning of 5 weeks) or they will breed.
Above all - HAVE FUN! Baby rats are the cutest balls of fluff ever!
