i have just bought my daughter a pet rat?

Question

she wanted it for one of her birthday presents,but the thing is im not quite sure what to feed it,its 7 wks old,how often do you feed them,clean the cage out,& change the bedding,etc,is it ok to put blocks of wood in the cage,for it teeth,it sounds a silly question but im not sure what to do,can someone please advice me,thanks

Answer 1

to start have to say great choice of pet. feed once a day, pet shop will have rodent food mix. also add fresh veg and fruit but in small portions as it can waste easily. clean cage every day and replace fresh sawdust. you can leave the bedding a bit longer best to change it every one to two weeks as your rat will sort it out to its own liking and if you keep changing it your rat wont be as comfortable. you can get good pet chews for rodents at the pet shop. wood can cause gum and stomach problems. best to give it something harder like cuttlefish. make sure you also handle it frequently and it will become a loved member of the family. have fun.

Answer 2

i clean my rat's cage every week with 2 rats in it. it also depends how messy the rat is. put a little box in the cage too. my rats love boxes. you can get rat food at grocery stores, pet stores, etc. just make sure they always have some food in their bowl and they should be ok. you should give them fresh stuff to, like fruits anf veggies. blocks of wood are actually good for them, it keeps there teeth at a normal level so u won't have to trim them, just be careful about any paint, or other chemicals on the blocks. and be aware that rats don't live long and are prone different illnesses.i think its best not to buy wood shaving because 1 of my rats died of respiratory problems, but i buy them any way because it's the cheapest bedding - i know i'm horrible. do some research on it. you'll find a lot. good luck!!

Answer 3

first off, you are an EXTREMELY irresponsible adult to buy your daughter a pet rat that you know nothing about. your kid is obviously a spoiled brat who gets whatever she asks for. i did a ton of research about mice before i got mine. from what it sounds like, you wouldn't know if lives for 2 years or 12, eats steak or corn, is social or vicious. i am sympathetic for your irresponsibility, so i will answer your questions.

you should go to your local pet store and look for a pellet based food source, such as lab block. it is foods like this that give your rat a balanced diet. seed based mixes, they will just pick out the good stuff.

a food dish of pelleted food should always be available to your rats. so should a water bottle! not a water dish, a bottle.

you should change the bedding and clean the entire cage once about every five days. rats can be litter box trained, which can save you a ton of money in bedding, but i bet you didn't know that, didn't ya? i reccomend carefresh bedding to cover the floor of the cage.

blocks of wood are good to put in the cage. also put ladders, boxes to hide in, ropes, and chew toys in the cage.

rats need a companion, but you probably didn't know that.

also, i can almost guarantee that your cage is too small. here is the link to a cage calculator that will let you know that it is too small.

http://www.kristinewickstrom.homestead.com/files/PanelApplet.html

try to be more responsible. chances are your daughter isnt responsible enough for a pet, she won't ever clean the cage, this will be a fad thing, and in 3 1/2 weeks that poor little rat will be back at the pet store.

i'm not trying to be mean, just informative. i tell it like it is.

Answer 4

Rats are good pets! Ive had 1 the only thing that disturbed me was their tail but anyways, my HAMSTER is 7 weeks old just get a regular sized food dish and put rat food in it ( found at pet stores
you feed them( depends on how much its appetite is just fill up the little bowl and let it chow when it wants you should clean out the bedding at least 1-2 times in a week, and YES! you definitaly should put Little blocks of wood BUT DONT PUT PINE OR OAK WOOD in his/her cage b/c it has bad oils for it and could pass(die) and good luck! my mom wasnt so happy when i brought home my rat but at least you know about it! hehe!

Answer 5

The first answer is correct. Use only plain bedding, not cedar, pellets, cat litter or the green stuff. The additives will kill the rat. They also like blocks or toys with holes in them to hide in. My daughter got one of those cozy bags to hang in the cage for them to sleep in. They also like ears of dried corn to chew on, like you get from a farmers field to feed the squirrels.

Answer 6

It will love wood and things to chew on, but make sure therss no splinters obviiously. they eat fruit and veg, grains, seeds, nuts but will eat most things as a treat.

They need their bedding changed and cage cleaned at least twice a week . also don't line the cage with sawdust as many are allergic to it, newspaper is better.

Answer 7

Blocks of wood are good for rodents to chew on. It can eat dry pet food, ask a pet shop and they may have a special rat food but I expect it is similar to the food of guinea pigs and rabbits etc. Rats will probably also enjoy supplements to their diet e.g. cheese and fresh vegetables, stale bread.

Answer 8

My son had a gerbil which I presume is what you have. They make lovely pets. My brother used to bring one home from school at weekends, the class shared it.
I would like to give you a few tips which worked for me and a warning as well about my mistakes.
You will need to have

1. Bedding or hay, you will find this in a petstore.
2. A special cotton wool to hide in and keep warm, also in a pet store.
2. A nest box to feel secure
3. block of wood are great for chewing.
4. We bought ours a cage with tunneling which it loved to climb through, those little wheels they can run on are fun as well.
5. They chew the cardboard from kitchen rolls and run through them as well.
6. Hamster food, have a bowl of it in the cage, check it every morning to see there is enough there, they generally are not greedy creatures and eat at their leisure. You buy a special water container at the pet store, change the water each day.
7. Introduce little pieces of vegetables and fruit to them, the kids will love handing it in and watching them take it and eat it. Introduce it slowly so they dont get diarrhea. (very good for them).
8. There is a little ball they can run in on the floor, start with 5 minutes, dont have them in too long.
9. Spare cage or high box to put them in while you wash the cage.
10. Visit your pet store and see what other little food treats or toys you can give them. (if you would enjoy that).

Tips for making life better for your gerbil and everyone.
1. Take them out of the cage to wash it, in the summer you can take the gerbil out in the garden and put the top of the cage, over the grass while you hose the cage, watching your gerbil all the time and not weting him. I'm talking about washing the botton of the cage not the part on top of the gerbil. I used a tiny bit of washing up liquid to clean it. DO NOT TAKE THE GERBIL OUT WHEN IT GETS COLD, it was just a bit cool when I did it and he got a cold, and died soon after, things had been fantastic for years before and it may have been his age but I would only take yours out on warm days, they do enjoy it a lot. (dont leave them unattended)
Have the cage in the kitchen so you can talk to him and hand him snacks, they are nosy and like to watch you.
Every day touch him or put your hand out to him so he gets tame. We used to put our hand near first and eventually he climbed on our hand and we would give him a tour every day of the house, ours would go to the door to get out.
they love attention and for you to talk to them.

Good luck! you will do just fine.

Answer 9

a rat is a rodent like a sewer rat, I think you mean a mouse, but if its a rat you should seek help or increase your medication.