Thinking about buying a rat?

Question

How much would it cost me to buy one? (£)

And, how much do they cost to feed, clean cage out etc?

Cheers

Answer 1

Igwig says it all :-)

Just wanted to reiterate that rats are social animals and you should never have one.

Also wanted to add that although rats seem reasonably priced in theory, they are very expensive to keep as it's impossible to not keep buying them accessories and goodies.  And they are very addictive, once you have a couple you will definitely want more :-)

(btw great bebo page Igwig :-D )

Answer 2

you can get em cheap under £10 but its best ot buy them from the free ads as theyre usually free and theyre often more handled and tame, a cage can cost £10 for small or £20-£30 for a large 1, they usually come with accessories, you will need woodshavings and paper shreddings about £5-£10 a month, its best to buy them a ball to roam around in theyr under £5 and you should clean them out every week. rats are very affectionate and coool animals but if you dont clean em out reguarly they smell and also dont b scared of em if u dont handle they dont become tame and then ur screwed.

Answer 3

They are usually around £10. The cage is the expensive bit though, to get a cage that is good enough for a rat I have never bought one for less than £50. Hamster cages arent big enough and do not get a wheel, unless it is a rat wheel (bigger than hamster ones) which does not have gaps between bars, plastic ones are better but get chewed. It is really common for them to get their tails stuck in the bars and do it real damage as it goes round, when people use the ones with gaps. Still, if you are handling them enough you neednt resort to balls or wheels for exercise, they are not a good form of exercise for them, in my opinion.

The best cage I ever got cost £70. Then you have to get bowls, water bottles, toys etc

A 1kg bag of food costs about £2 which will last a couple of weeks probably. Bedding and stuff is pretty cheap too. Though don't use sawdust/wood chip on the bottom of the cage as rats commonly suffer from respiratory problems as a species and the miniscule bits you get in sawdust gets in their nose and makes it worse.

Answer 4

Okay, before you even consider getting a new pet, you should read some books, visit some owners and websites to research what you are getting before you commit yourself - I assume you have not done this, or you would know it is unfair to buy one rat as a pet.

Rats are highly social animals and it is essentially cruel to keep them on their own. Rats should be kept in pairs, or even better small groups. If you are choosing your first set of rats and are new to the area of rat keeping I would suggest you opt for a pair of males (they are usually more sedentary than females so make more laid back and easier pets for the beginner). You have mentioned £ so I'm assuming you're English - the New Animal Welfare Act makes it illegal to not care for pets properly and to not allow them to carry out natural behaviors - therefore although not necessarily illegal, keeping a single rat would be considered cruel by most major animal welfare charities. So please get a pair instead! :)

Rats are very prone to respiratory problems and tumors and because they are so easy to breed, many litters of rats from pet stores or random/back yard breeders are likely to be sickly pets that will not live much longer than 1.5 years - a healthy rats should live for 2-3 years. Make sure you get your rats from a responsible breeder who is happy to answer any of your questions, shows you the parents of your new rats and provides you with a diet and basic care sheet before leaving. The best breeders will want to know the size of your rat cage before they offer you some rats. All responsible breeders will insist you buy a pair or more of rats and will not sell rats single. Make sure any babies you choose have clear eyes, ears, noses and genitals, are definitely sexed and appear interested in you even if they are shy.

Rats grow to be quite big animals, are very active and require large cages - a hamster or mouse cage is simply not big enough. You should buy a large wire cage with a plastic base made specifically for rats or ferrets with a bar space of no more than 1.5cm. Do not buy a tank or gerbilarium as they are not suitable for rats. Your rats cage should provide a minimum of 2 cubic feet per rat (or 4 cubic feet for the pair). An ideal cage for a pair of rats is the Savic Freddy 2 which is good quality and easy to clean and available in most pet stores for around £80. Check the internet first though, because I got my Freddy brand new for only £20 off Ebay. Whatever cage you choose, put in the measurements on this website to checks its suitability - -

Rats usually cost around £5-£10 each and most animals shelters and breeders charge around £16 a pair. Food must be a COMPLETE cereal mix specifically designed for rats or if possible good quality lab blocks ordered online - hamster or gerbil food will not be suitable. Food for a pair of rats is usually around £2 a bag and will last for 1-2 weeks. You should supplement the diet with fresh fruit and vegetables every other day.

Your rats cage will need a furore clean out and disinfect once a week, but to keep your rats healthy and smelling fresh you should remove poo and wet patches and mop up urine on platforms and in tubes at least once a day. Paper wool bedding (A bag of Safebed is 90p and lasts a week) should be replaced every 2-3 days to ensure freshness. Carefresh, Eco Pet Bed shredded cardboard or Back-2-Nature Ferret Litter should be used for a floor covering - wood shavings are not ideal. Cedar and Pine in particular will seriously harm your new pets. A bag of Carefresh is £4 and fills the cage base once - a bag a week. Back-2-Nature is £6 a large bag and fills two cage bases - a bag a fortnight. Eco Pet Bed is around £10 for a giant sack that will last around 4-5 weeks. However, you need to live near a supplier for it to be collectible.

The initial cost of your rats is what will be the most expensive - the cage, accessories (i.e tubes, platforms, ladders, toys, hammocks), rats themselves but the upkeep of food, bedding, accessory replacements, disinfectant e.t.c is reasonably cheap - around £6-£10 a week. Rats are however, very susceptible to an amount of diseases and illnesses so do not buy rats if you have not set aside some money for emergency vets bills - if you can't afford the vets, you can't afford the pets!

Most of all your rats will need playing with - at least an hour a day free-running in a rat-proofed room with extra time for cuddles and general handling. Rats that are not handled regularly will become depressed and ill. Rats make brilliant pets but they do need a little more time and attention than some of the other small pet species.

If you have more questions on rat care and acquiring your first rats feel free to email me at [e-mail]. Alternatively you can check out my rat page on bebo - www.bebo.com/ratsxrock to talk to other rat owners about your queries. I would also recommend you visit to read the blog section which has a num