Jannie Ariola: I have had pet rats before and i loved them, I usually always give them an empty toilet paper roll to chew on, get them some sort of house to sleep in so their comfortable. I'm not sure what the food is called but i use these tannish yellow cubes of food and that usually lasts a while. You could just go to Petsmart, Petco etc. and find everything you need.
Arlene Maycumber: Rats are one of the most intelligent rodents. They need lots of brain stimulation, and therefor require tons of time, patience, attention, work, and money. Although a single rat is relatively cheap, it's the supplies and necessary veterinary visits that can really add up.Socialization: Rats are extremely social animals. Because of this, they need to be kept in pairs or groups. Just like humans, rats kept singly may develop several physical and mental problems. When kept alone, rats can develop neurotic or aggressive behavior. They may also become lonely, depressed, ill, or may even! self-mutilate. Rats separated from a social group too early in life have been found to exhibit symptoms similar to that of schizophrenia. Rats need each other for grooming, playing, sleeping, sharing, and even sometimes fighting. It would be extremely cruel to keep one of these amazing animals on their own. Of course a rat will survive by itself, but it will not have an ideal life. Keeping pets is not just about keeping them alive, but about giving them the best life possible. If for whatever reason you are not able to keep 2 or more rats, you should not get any. Keeping a rat by itself would be both selfish and cruel.Cage and Bedding: Since rats should never be kept singly, a suitable cage for two rats can easily cost $100. 2 cubic feet per rat is the suggested minimum. Check this link to see if your cage is appropriate: http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml. Aquariums should never be used as they provide very little ventilation which can lead to health issues. Lar! ge wire cages are best since they provide climbing opportuniti! es for the rats and multiple shelves can be added to the inside. When choosing a cage, pay attention to bar spacing. 1/2 inch or smaller is recommended. Rats are great escape artists and can fit through any opening that their heads fit through. Another thing that can become costly is proper bedding. Most people know that cedar is harmful to small rodents, but what they don't know is that pine isn't much better. The scent-producing chemicals in soft woods, phenols, are a major irritant to a rat's delicate respiratory system. In the long run, rats can develop devastating respiratory infections that lead to costly vet visits and, in many cases, death. Some very good beddings are Carefresh and Aspen. I use Aspen myself, and it's my absolute favorite. It's not dusty, it's comfortable for the rats, and it's relatively cheap when bought in bulk.Feeding: Food is another concern of many rat owners. Healthy, balanced, and affordable rat food is hard to come by in many places. A lot ! of people resort to feeding their rats rabbit, hamster, or parrot food since it is so readily available. Although the rats will have no problem stuffing their faces with whatever you give them, these foods are not healthy and will inevitably cause problems in the future. Most hamster mixes contain alfalfa pellets that the rats have problems digesting. They also contain lots of seeds that are high in fat. Rabbit food also contains lots of alfalfa pellets. Then there's parrot food mixes; rats love it, but the seeds, peanuts, and other contents of the mix are very high in fat. Rats require a well-balance, specially formulated lab block feed. Sometimes these can be found in pet stores, but even then the brand is also something that needs to be considered. Although it is labeled rat food, many feeds are still not healthy. Some good brands of feed are Harlan Teklad, Oxbow Regal Rat, and Mazuri. Before purchasing a rat, you should know what kind of food is good for them and where ! to get it. When commercial rat feed is not available, a healthy alterna! tive is to make your own homemade rat feed. Rats also love a variety of fruits veggies, and some other human foods.Chewing: Chew toys are a necessity when caring for rats. Their teeth grow constantly throughout their life, so they need things such as wood blocks and dog bones to chew on to keep their teeth at an appropriate length. Many rats result to chewing on cage bars when they have nothing else, and the resulting sound is very obnoxious and loud. Without things to wear their teeth down, a rat's teeth can grow up into their head causing extreme discomfort and eventually death. My rats absolutely love to chew on leftover chicken bones after dinner.Cage Furnishings: Inside a rat's cage you will need several things. A water bottle is preffered more than a dish because it keeps the water clean and prevents bedding/feces from contaminating it. However, a small dish may be provided underneath the water bottle to keep it from soaking the bedding. Water should be changed every ! day to keep it fresh. Food dishes are often used, but not needed. Almost all rats will immediately take food out of the dish to store in a corner of their cage. A hide-away hut or an igloo is ideal for a sleeping area. Rats like to sleep in dark, comfy, enclosed spaces where they feel safe. A simple tissue...Show more
Clark Lachowski: www.goosemoose.com Will tell you everything you need, and there's people there to support you when you need it.Cage: Do NOT use an aquarium. Rats have very sensitive respiratory systems and an aquarium does not allow for enough air flow. Rats should be kept in pairs and need larger cages. Go for a ferret cage, rather than a "rat" cage. Cages labelled as rat cages are too small.Food: You want lab blocks. They're orangey little blocks. Don't get Kaytee, they use a cancer causing ingredient.I feed Harland Teklad.Toys: Hammocks! Most rat owners don't realize this, but rats love hammocks. Don't bother buying the ferret ones sold in pet stores! . Rats will chew right through them and they are way over priced. If yo! u're handy with a sewing machine, you can make your own. I use old clothes, and hang them using old shower curtain hooks. Also, on goosemoose.com, there are people who make really nice hammocks for really good prices.I've bought those a couple of times, and I love them...Show more
Refugio Gastineau: you can get them at your local petstore lol. might be in your local mall. a good sized aquarium. fresh water and litter that should be scooped daily and cleaned fully every three days. rodent food you can buy at pet stores, rodent toys( wood chews, running spheres). and lots of attention. maybe another rat friend. get a rat menu for like 2$. The people at the pet store will tell you everything you need.
Damaris Weiler: http://www.ratfanclub.org/http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htmhttp://ratguide.com/We have 5 rats and they really make good pets. I have our 3 girls running around on the couch right now. If you're going to get a rat, you should definitely get 2 inst! ead of just one. Believe it or not, they get REALLY lonely and anyone who has experience with rats will tell you exactly the same thing. It's actually kind of cruel to have only 1. They're really smart and are very social and need a cage mate to be happy like they deserve to be....Show more
Cassondra Vanholland: Food: What I did was asked what the pet store fed them and I got a little bag of that and what I wanted to feed them and slowly mix in what I wanted to feed them. I noticed the pet store's food had a combination of pellets, seeds and dried fruits and my rats didn't eat any pellets! For treats, I give them cut up fruit, quartered Cheerios and even ice shavings.Toys: What you have to remember about rats is that their teeth never stop growing, so I give them wooden blocks. I had a rat that ran nonstop and my current rats don't use their running wheel at all unless they sleep on it. I also have a homemade hammock I hide treats on. But I think my rats play with ! each other more than anything I can ever give them :)Care: I clean my c! age every week and freshen it up if it stinks too much. Speaking of cage, you can get wire tops and a pan, which is easier to clean, and pleasant for the rats to climb on. Or the aquarium, which is nice because it's harder to escape and they can't kick the littler out. Oh, NO PINE LITTER.Where to get them: I got mine at a pet store because I'm in a small city, but I strongly recommend getting them from a good breeder that handles them from birth and are used to humans. Mine were jittery for a while untilt hey got used to me....Show more
Roland Stampley: 'Take care of' as in mob style? Feed it to a snake.Trust me, you'll be better off.
Rena Pepe: i what to make sure i take care of them
Rosalyn Olivera: I'm 16 and i've had rats since I was 11 (: The most common species of rat is the fancy rat, along with the dumbo rat, they have many different markings including the Hooded, Masked, Badger, and they come in so many colours it's untrue :') There are pedigree b! reeds including the Rex, British Blue, Powder blue, agouti, black, rusty, fawn, champagne, the list goes on and on ahah! the most playful, well I've had girls and boys and I don't really think it's up to the breed, but more the gender. Female rats tend to be a lot more adventurous and fun, while males prefer to snuggle up in your bed or on your knee for a nap (: There are a few kinds of rat bites. There are the "GO AWAY I DON'T LIKE YOU!" bites, these are when the rat moves it's bottom two teeth apart and they go either side of the top teeth and can go right down to the bone, these are the most painful bites EVERRRR. then there's the "nomnomFOOD! OH WAIT YOU'RE NOT FOOD SORRY!" bites, they start off as though they are going to bite your finger off, but just before they bite down, they realise it's your finger and you end up with a small, painless nip then there's the playful bite, which is just basically a playful nip, which is usually painless(: I think both genders of rat! are equally nice, although when the females are in heat they can be a ! bit irritable, but also when males are in season they tend to be a bit territorial, so no, I think they're both the same in terms of niceness (: and unless you have about 3 hours a day, YES get two rats. Rats are very sociable and love being with company, human or rat. Rats can get very lonely and depressed on their own, which sometimes leads to health problems such as not eating and drinking, which is ultimately fateful ): I hope this helped and I hope it didn't take you too long to read ahha!...Show more
