Information

What we feed:

I feed my rats a well balanced diet of Suebee’s mix, using only the best ingredients. This is mixed with either the best lab blocks available to us, or a high quality senior dog food such as Innova Evo senior, or Canidae dog food. These daily staples are also supplemented by fresh fruits, vegetables, yogie drops, and the occasional treat like cooked fish. We understand that our adopted rats may have a lab block diet supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables. However, we do require that you feed a higher quality block. Harlan Teklad is one of the best blocks available, with Mazuri and Oxbow Regal Rat being the midline to low grade blocks. Most blocks available in petstores, such as Kaytee, are not at all suitable for rats. Kaytee blocks are not a good quality food and do not have the proper daily nutrients to properly supplement your rat. Also diets seen in pet stores with mostly seed mixes are not acceptable forms of diet.

Housing:

Our rats are caged in either large Superpet cages made for ferrets, or in Martins Cages. The cage issue has been the bane of many rat owners' existence! These are the cages that we use but there are other cages out there that are suitable for rats. Keep in mind the bar spacing, and flooring when seeking other options for caging. Cages often used for larger animals with only vertical running bars, rather than squares, can let rats feet slip through and risk your pet breaking a limb. At NEO rats aquaria are never an acceptable form of housing. Rats are very susceptible to upper respiratory infections, and aquariums do not have the proper air flow or allow for enough circulation. This can also cause more problems with rats as far as regulating their body temperature when the weather is warm. Rats need at least two square feet to themselves. So if you want a cage that will hold two rats you will need a cage with four square feet of space. This also should be more vertical since rats are great climbers and love to climb. Any cage considered should also be multi- level. Just like people, rats occasionally would like their own space. To determine if the cage you are interested in is of the proper size, use the cage calculator at the Ratty Corner.

Martins 685 and 680 Stacked

Martins 690

Bedding:

For litter we use only Yesterdays News pellets or Cellsorb, a similar product. The absorption and odor control has been proven to be the best to us of the brands we have tried. And believe me, we have tried them all! The use of any kind of soft wood shavings is not promoted by our rattery or allowed to be used with any of the rats we adopt out. Soft wood shavings are pine and cedar and contain dangerous phenols which are a natural aromatic chemical which can harm your rats respiratory system and after long term use can affect the function of their organs.  Aspen is a hard wood shaving and does not emit phenols. Carefresh often looks soft and comfortable, but gets wet faster and retains a bad urine smell. It also releases a lot of dust, which can be inhaled by your rat and make them sick. Carefresh also releases a lot of dust, which can irritate your rat's respiratory system and cause sniffles and sneezing. We suggest using Carefresh Ultra for bedding rather than a litter. A handful in your pet's igloo or shelter can make them more comfortable .

Toys and Enrichment:

Rats enjoy lots of places to hide and sleep in, as well as toys to stimulate them. Housing should be plastic, not wood. Some wooden huts are made from soft woods and will contain harmful chemicals that can endanger your rat's health. They all absorb urine, making it impossible to clean. You will buy and throw away more wooden huts than if you buy a plastic igloo which can be easily cleaned.

Nylon rope can be strung from one side of the cage to the other for rats that enjoy agile climbing. PVC piping is a cheap but fun toy that you can add on to, and has many different shapes and lengths. One of a rat's favorite things is a Hammock! It is a necessity to any cage! It is where most rats spend their time grooming each other or ratnapping. You can buy them at local pet stores, but often cost upwards of 7-8 dollars and are rather flimsy. I choose to use Dearpie hammocks or Wonderrodent Cubes for my cages. However, many rat enthusiasts soon learn that it can be fun and cost effective to create their own hammocks!

A good thing to teach your rat is to come when you call it's name. Once you create a basic bond with your rat, this is a fun way to get even closer. It may come in handy one day should the cage door ever come open .

Name Recognition/Coming when called:

1. Find a space that can be 'rat proofed,' such as a bathroom. Make sure there are no holes or crevices that your rat can get in to, and use a towel to seal the space under any doors. Rats can collapse their backs, so they can fit through anything the size of their head .

2. Make sure to bring a tasty treat. Many rats like yogurt drops, but part of getting to know your new friend is finding what they like and dislike. If you have already found something that they are crazy for, that is great. Use the treat that they like best.

3. Take your rat into the bathroom and let them explore for a few minutes while you just sit calmly and watch. If they come up for petting, by all means give them scritches! Other than that, give them a little time to smell and figure out their new surroundings .

4. Once the rat has had some time to themselves to run about, you can either make little noises on the floor, and call their name, or do one or the other. It is up to you what your would like to do to call them. Keep in mind when choosing how to call you friend, that if their name is more than one syllable like “Socrates” it may be easier to come up with another calling!

5. Make sure to give your rat treats when they come up to you when you’ve called them. Only give them a little nibble so that you can repeat the exercise a few times during their Out time. If you give them their tasty treat all at once, it will be quite hard to get them to come back to you again! You can also practice saying their name while they are receiving their treat. This helps them recognize that this is a good sound, I get food when I hear this sound.

6. Don’t get discouraged! It can happen quickly or take some time. Some more adventurous rats may take longer if they are distracted by what is going on around them. Make sure not to constantly repeat their name if they are clearly not interested in coming to you. This will teach them to ignore the sound and they will be less likely to come when they hear it.

Rats also like to play “tag” with their human companions, and will also enjoy playing with different cat toys. String with feathers or toys attached are often fun and good exercise for a rat to chase.

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