I have two new female baby pet rats, i need all new rat owner tips i can get!?

Question

training tips, general information, they don't seem to like those balls they can roll around in, anything you think important i would like to know. thanks!

Answer 1

rats make great pets first you should feed them rodent blocks fruits and veggies rats love the yogurt drops you can get for hamsters. you should change there food and water every day. use care fresh bedding for the cage don't use ceder bedding for your rats ceder shavings are toxic to many animals. pine is OK but it can cause respiratory problems. get a large hamster cage or a small ferret cage for your rat. the bars should be about 1/2 a inch apart so the rat can not get out. rats like the cloth ferret tents and cubes. interact with them daily so they will remain tame.

and for the first person I rather have a rat any day then a hamster

Answer 2

well rats love to walk throw hair for food u just can give them a mix of seeds  and give them lots of thing that they could do in there cage if they dont like there ball

hope i helped=)

Answer 3

I'm copying parts of this from another question I answered....

There are some great sites online to help you figure out what to get your rats, but I'll give you some advice.

Make sure you get a large cage, preferably one that is taller than it is wide. Rats like to sleep up high and climb on things. Rats have sensitive respiratory systems, so getting a wire cage vs an aquarium is a good idea. Check out Martin's cages (http://www.martinscages.com/products/cag... and get a powder coated one. They're not too painful to put together and while it can be expensive, it's a good investment to make toward your rats' happiness. I got the Rat Tower for my two girls. Since all the levels are wire, and that could hurt your rats' feet, I went out and bought the cheapest linoleum tile to cover the levels with from a hardware store (Home Depot, Lowe's, etc). It also makes it easier to wipe down when you see messes.

While you're waiting for it to get to you, you should probably buy a cheaper small cage. I have some crappy thing from petco that's pretty small (1ft x 1ft x 1.5ft with the tile stuff on the wire bottom) that I use to transport my rats. It also came in handy after my rat had surgery to keep her from climbing and jumping all over the place and to initially keep her separate from her sister.

Food: Your best bet is to get lab blocks from Kim's Ark (http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/content/vie... Studies have shown that giving your rat a low fat and low protein diet is the best way to increase your rats' lifespan. Usually the stuff they have at normal pet stores has high protein content. Additionally, Harlan Teklad Lab Blocks are specifically designed for lab rats. I know that might sound bad, but it is in the scientist's best interest to keep the rat as healthy as they can while doing experiments. You can't buy directly from Harlan unless you want to buy like a ton of lab blocks, so this is your best bet. I spend about 20 bucks every 6 months or so for 2 rats. You can supplement the blocks with vegetables and fruits or the occasion treat.

You shouldn't feed rats that seed mix you commonly find at pet stores.  It is not nutritionally balanced (way too many seeds) and it can cause cancer in rats.

As a side note: I'm a proponent of feeding my rats in the morning vs making sure their food bowl is always full. I think rats are more likely to keep eating and get fat if you always have food in there. Plus it's easier to monitor how much they are eating in case one gets sick or fat. I give them snacks of fruit, cereal, vegetables in the afternoon.

Bedding: Shredded newspaper is cheap but smells horrible when they pee on it. Additionally, the ink isn't that great for them. I use CareFresh because it's environmentally friendly and absorbs a lot. Some people don't like the smell (I clean up wet spots and p**p I see every morning and scrub the cage down once a week so I don't notice a problem). You can also use Yesterday's News or use old towels (you can then wash them). Once you get them used to a bedding, you can then start working on getting those buggers potty trained.

Food bowl: Any old thing will probably be fine for the most part. My rats are not big chewers so I've had a plastic bin in there and dump blocks in it in the morning. I also got a hanging basket like thing later on to put grapes and lettuce in for them to eat.

Water bottle: get a clear, hard plastic, sipper one, vs a bowl. Make sure it's one that hangs outside the cage as some rats might chew it to death. Don't hang it over the food.

Chew toys: Mine really don't chew much. The hard blocks really help in keeping their teeth nice and trim, same with carrots. Toys and things they can climb on (safely!) really keep them entertained and stimulated. Rats are very smart so they need new things to do to challenge them. Some of the sites I've recommended have great homemade toy ideas.

Other things to consider:

Create a hammock for your rats to sleep in and hang it near the top of your cage (just make sure if they fall out they aren't going to fall very far). You can take some old pj pants and fashion one of of them and use safety pins to attach it to the cage. You can also buy those nicer clips (like a carabiner) and use those instead. http://www.dapper.com.au/hammocks.htm (Mine looks kind of like a pocket hammock)

A wheel. My rats love running in their wheel. Get one that is solid vs those wire ones you usually see at pet stores. Wire ones run the risk of catching tails and/or feet. Get the biggest one you can find as your rats will grow quickly.

Hideyhole. My rats like sleeping in things (like a covered hammock). I usually put a kleenex box or old oatmeal container. I also bought a big bowl that attaches to the side of the cage that I originally was going to put food in. My rats decided they like to sleep in it better, especially during the warmer months...back to the crappy plastic thing.

Nail clippers/sandpaper/rock. You'll need a way to keep your rats' nails trim. Sometimes your rats will take care of it by themselves, other times you'll end up with death claws. I usually use small nail clippers to cut my albino one's nails as it is easy to see the quick. Other people recommend sandpaper to be used as a big nail file (make sure you get the nails, not the toes!). Another way you can hope they grind them down is with a rock in their cage. Put it on the bottom (you don't want any crushed rats) and they might walk over it. If you get it from outside, make sure you wash it and then bake it to kill any outdoor bacteria or insects.

You should set aside some money every few months for vet emergencies. Just taking a rat to a vet can cost $50. I recently had a tumor removed from one of my girls and it cost $200+. Make sure you can afford to get your rat help if it comes to that, otherwise you should probably not get an animal. Also see if there are veterinarians nearby who specialize in rats/rodents. Surgery on a rat is not the same as surgery on a dog.

Roaming: Don't bother getting a hamster ball. Mine hated them and usually just tried to chew it. Rats are really good about learning to go to the bathroom only in their cage, so you can usually let them run around on a couch or on the floor if you rat proof the room. Make sure they can't escape and can't chew or eat anything hazardous and always do it supervised. A good place to try it out is a small bathroom; bring a towel or box along so they can hide in it until they feel okay coming out. I usually let mine roam my office (where their cage is) with the door closed and cables off the floor. Mine really like to chew coax cables, arg! They like to explore, jump on things, and chase me around the room.  I'd probably hold off on actually letting them free roam until they're a little older and sturdier.  You should wait until they are used to you before doing it.

Try to handle your girls every day.  Don't just grab them though, as they are probably terrified of their new surroundings.  My girls hid in a box together all the time when I first got them.  Instead try to lure them out in steps.  First try to get them to eat from your hand with treats like cheerios, grapes, frozen peas, etc.  Don't do candy or anything too fattening as they will get sick (and fat).  Once they get used to that, try to lure them to get on your hand, or lure them to the doorway to encourage them to come to you.  After awhile of getting treats, any time you walk by they'll be waiting get out and be your friend. :D

I know it's a lot, but I hope that helps!

Answer 4

Things You’ll Need:

rat

big cage

another rat (optional but recomended)

bedding

alot of tous

food

food bowl

water bottle (the kind for animals that you would use for hamsters)

small animal igloo

treats

loveing care

Get your supplys first. you will need to go to the pet store with alot of money. get small animal bedding. it should be carefresh bedding not that woodshaveing bedding. then get a big cage, not a hamster cage because that is way to small. get a big farret cage with all of the diffrent levels on it. you will also need a hamster water bottle, and a small animal food dish. then go get rat food but do not get rat food that is made up of these big brown blocks. also get some treats that are marked yogurt drops. then you will need some toys. rats love most bird toys. there are also rabbit toys and stuff like that. you can also make your own toys, go to this website www.dapper.com.au it is a good website. in the small animal section of the store you will find plastc igloos, get one of those for your rat.

Set up the cage and get the bedding in it. you can arrange the toys however you want. same with everything else.

Get a rat, i suggest not going to petsmart are a place like that. go online and look for ratteries (rat breeders) near you. you should get two rats because they like to keep eachother company. be carefull adding new rats to a cage that already has rats in it because rats are territoreal so they wil sometimes fight. make sure you try to get rats that are the same age.

now how to care for them:

make sure the rats always have a supply of food and water. you sould clean te bedding in the cage ones evry week. play with your rats for a minimum of 30 min a day. ypu can feed your rats every thng that you eat besides things like suger and chocolate. clean the toys every time you clean the bedding in the cage.

Tips & Warnings

teach your rats to come, stay, and laydown.



wash your hands after playing with your rats.



do not let your rats near other animals.

Answer 5

dude rats not cool hamsters very kool