I just got a new rat, and I've got a few questions?

Question

1. What kind of food/treats should I feed him and which ones are bad for him?

2. What items should I be sure to buy?

3. What games can I play with my rat?

4. What can I use as toys and what toys made specifically for rats would you recommend?

5. Any other tips/hints for me?

I wanna make my little Timpleton as happy and comfortable as possible in his new home. I know that rats are very social and are supposed to have at least one other rat living with them, but my mom HATES rats and I'm very lucky to even have one, so I'm trying to spend most of my free time with him and carry him around the house with me so he doesn't get lonely. So please don't tell me about this, I already know about it.

Answer 1

well instead of me blaburing on go to ratsauce.com it very good im onit now

Answer 2

I have a pet mouse, never had a rat, but here's my opinion:

2. Water bottle, food dish, wheel, salt l**k..

3. I don't know about games, but I read that rats are more intelligent than mice that he'll respond to his name, so you could try to teach him his name?

4. For my mouse, I built her a little playground made out of popsicle sticks, it has a hammock (made of mesh fabric), different levels, and this little house/litterbox.

I know what you mean about being lucky to even have one pet rodent, my parents are the same, but i convinced them that my baby needs a companion.

Answer 3

well im sad that you only have one because that is called cruilty i know that you might not beleive it but its true and you are really the only one who makes the desicion

but just look on petco/petsmart website and look at review of things!

Answer 4

1. feed it fruit/veggies.  a rat will also like human food and you may give him some if you want but he might get used to it and not want his good food.  dont feed it a mix of different nuts or it will pick out what it likes best and leave the rest, so feed it pellets.  dont feed it out of a bowl it can chew on.  peanut butter & other sticky stuff is bad for it!  

site info:

Like people, rats are omnivores. They fare best on fresh wholesome foods: wholegrain (brown) rice, vegetables, grains (wheat, barley, oats, millet), wholemeal bread, etc. and some animal protein. High protein puppy food is useful as a supplement to help build up young rats (up to 10-12 weeks), and normal to low protein dry dog food is a good component of a healthy diet. Ideally, an adult rat should be fed some whole-grains, some vegetables, and some protein (lean meat scraps, dog food or mealworms) every day. This can be supplemented with a bowl of 'rodent mix' as a snack food.

2. a big cage, toys, levels for cage, tunnels, beds...

3. tug of war, peekaboo, hide and seek, you can snuggle with it and teach it a ton of cool tricks!

4.

site info:

Baby rats enjoy playing with toys and each other, whilst adult rats tend to use toys for sleeping in or on and reserve their play for humans or other rats. All sorts of objects can be useful for both purposes - some ideas are lengths of plastic drainpipe, large drainpipe connectors, lengths of wide drainage pipe, large glass jars, cardboard boxes, and old clothes. Small toys intended for hamsters or gerbils are good for baby rats. Some rats will run on wheels, but usually they are not interested in them -- probably because they are too intelligent. Wheels with spokes are dangerous -- legs, tails, or even heads can be damaged in them as one tries to jump on while another is running. Toys intended for ferrets and parrots are generally safe and suitable for rats.

5. get it a cage that it can't escape thru, do a lot of reasearch on ur rat before u get it! i did and i'm getting 2 male ratties.

site info:

The more attention you give your new rats when you first get them home, the sooner they will get used to your voice and your smell and begin to make friends with you. Handle your rats as much as possible, whether they seem to like it or not at first -- they will soon learn to enjoy your company. Unless a rat is very nervous or unwell, you cannot give it too much attention or handling. One good way of getting your rats used to you is to let them ride around the house on your shoulder or inside your sweater.

Answer 5

ok see here, ive just told u loads of info!

They are lovley creatures and are kind by nature...If you do get a rat, here are a few thing ur rat will deff need!

~ a large cage

~ another rat 2 play with ( at least 2 rats cuz if u dont have 2 rats it will become depresed no matter how much u play with it)

~Toys

~bedding material (shreeded tisues are good and cheap too!)

Floor material (i wouldnt recomend wood shavings as the tiny dust in it will iratate ur rats eyes and nose, thus maiking it sneeze ad more prone to respiratory disese so i would recomend wood-based cat litter not made from pine tho!)

Here is a little info about the s*x of the rat

Male~ Male rats are laid-back and calmer than female rats, and will gladly sit in your lap. BUT, they mark places with a few drops of urine, this might put u off! ( by places, i mean places inside the cage! =p)

Females~ females are always active, and are hyper! they come into heat ( when they can breed) about every 14 days, so unless you want loads of babys, i would recomend the same s*x pairs!

Vets~ you will have to find a specilist vet 4 ur rats, as not many vets are specilised 2 take care 4 rats as they r 2 small!

Tumors + cancers~ unfortunatly, rats have a high chance of dying from cancers + tumors, this is because of how they were tested upon in the labs and its in all rats genes. If you do get rats, and ur rat(s) get a tumor or cancer, it would be the kinist thing to put it to sleep =[

If u need 2 ask a question, email me on

[e-mail]

Hope this helps + good luck!

Love from,

Rach x

Answer 6

- My diet page will help with this question:

http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratfe...

- Solid wheel (not wire), safe bedding (not pine, cedar, sawdust, corn cob, or cat litter), water bottle, food bowl, large multi-level cage, hideout (Super Pet igloos work nicely).

- 3 & 4 go here:

http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratin...

- Tips/hints research their care, my website helps: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratin...

You should NOT have gotten a rat if you can't keep him with a friend. That was incredibly selfish of you. Spend at least four hours with him daily. Not that human interaction can replace same species interaction.