how easy r rats 2 look after?

Question

how much do they cost altogether
(4 cage,rat,food,etc)

Answer 1

Taking care of 2 rats is as easy and cost effective as taking care of 1. The difference between rats and other small rodents is that your rat will be more personable and it will want to interact with you. You will enjoy spending more time with your rat, then you would with other rodent pets. Some people treat their rats like any other rodent but I find rats too intelligent to be treated like mice, hamsters, or gerbils. My rats are treated more like small dogs.

You sound like you are getting all the right stuff to be a good pet rat owner :)

For me to sit here where I am in Canada and tell you how much it cost me in start up costs when I first got into rat-keeping wouldn't even come close to what it would cost you because prices are different from place to place.

Your cage can be as cheap as a Hagen-style guinea pig cage or as expensive as a Martin's R670 cage.

Your food dishes can be purchased at Dollar stores. Glass bottles might be expensive to begin with but rats chew on plastic bottles and will cost you more in the long run.

Commercial rat food can be expensive and you can make your own rat food for cheaper.

When it comes to exercise, your rat would prefer to be out and about with you, but some people still feel that they need to get a wheel for their rat. Rats seem too intelligent for wheels, and they look silly going around and around, getting no where fast. Some rats develope a neurotic behavior when they use wheels to frequently. Remove the wheel for a few days at a time to avoid this. Rats are not fond of the excercise balls. Some are downright scared when placed inside the ball. Most rats use wheels as toilets or sleeping quarters.

If you want to get a wheel for your rats, don't worry about price, you need think of their safety. Feet and tails can get caught and injured in any other wheel except these ones,
Wodent Wheel: http://transoniq.com/
Solid wheels: http://www.erodent.co.uk/Wheels.htm
Super Pet solid mesh wheel: http://www.superpetusa.com/index.html

Toys can be as cheap as what you might think of throwing away like empty paper towel rolls, balled-up paper, tissue boxes, etc. Or go for the cat, dog, and bird toys that will be a little more expensive.

Rodent treats are expensive in the pet store. Rats love yogert chips which you can buy cheaper as a bulk item in the baking department. Human foods, like mixed nuts, can be a treat for rats.

Hidey huts, again expensive in the pet store. I use stacking storage bins found in department stores like Wal-Mart.
http://www.globalindustrial.com/gcs/product/productInfo.web?infoParam.mode=1&index=1&options.parentCategoryKey=122&infoParam.itemKey=30001961&infoParam.picGroupKey=154&CMP=KNC-overture. They come in all sizes, just turn it over and it makes a hut.

The only thing that does seem consistant anywhere in the world is the cost of the rats. The cost of my rats have been anywhere from free to $12.99, with one exception, a pedigreed rat for $25.00. These rats were either from friends, breeders, or pet stores. The reason that a breeder would charge more for their rats is because, even though they can't guarantee health, care has been put into their breeding program to get better quality pets intended for the public and not reptile food.

If you would like to talk to other pet rat experts on keeping rats as pets, you may join Holistarat, a rat-only forum, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/holistarat

Or you may e-mail me anytime. I love talking to others and helping them get into keeping rats as pets. Just moments ago I answered this question for a new rat-keeper:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ar2ylIDwIYGTx6JYXPNuqQ3sy6IX?qid=20070314150434AAZc9sS&show=7#profile-info-vxTsMxOyaa

spazrats
"my life has gone to the rats"

Answer 2

Depends on what you want. Rats from Pet stores are pretty cheap but they are not likely to be very healthy or well bred. They cost anywhere from 7 dollars to 10 dollars for the pet kind in the store. If you go with a Rat breeder they are slightly more money. The cage for 2 should be very large and varied in levels to keep them active and busy. Bored rats get destuctive. You need a full metal cage, no plastic parts. They can chew right through. Cages can range in prices, you need to shop around. I made my cages, but I have boughten from Martins Cages.com
http://www.martinscages.com/
They have good ones to copy or buy and ship. Food is really about the quality, and you can give him treats... I think when all is said and done your looking at 50$ to 75$ for a comfortable, healthy set up.... 100$ and up for a delux life for your new ratties.

Answer 3

Ive had about 4 rats,They are the most perfect pets in the world! You should get a large cage, ratties need room to move around. and plan on taking her out at least 1 hour every day, no less because they are very social animals and need lots of your love and attention, and they do get lonely. food costs about 6 bucks every 3 weeks to a month, the rat itself is usually very cheap(about $3-4 for a small rat, maybe $7-8 for a large one), of course because they mainly sell them as food :( They need chewys ($3 a month) a plastic or wood house ( about $5) water bottle( $4) bedding($6 or $7 a month) and treats($2 every month or two)Ideally you should get 2 rats, because like i said they are social and would be much happier with a companion.

Answer 4

Rats are fairly easy to own. I have 3, and I love them. They need a big wire cage so they have plenty of room to climb and move around. They also need a big wheel, and a bed to sleep in (my rats have a big plastic igloo they sleep in, and they love it). They should be cleaned about once a week but I've found that with all the animals I've owned, rats have by far the least amount of odor. The cost may vary but after you buy the cage and accessories, it's not very expensive to own pet rats.


A good cage will vary in price, usually from $50-$100, give or take. You might be able to find a used cage at a rummage sale, or you could post a want ad in your local paper, stating that youre looking to buy a used decent sized (in decent condition) cage. Many people just throw their old cages in the basement after their pets die, and would probably be willing to sell them for a decent price, just list how much you're willing to spend, and the approximate size you're looking for)

Rats are usually cheap to buy. I've gotten a rat for as low as 2 dollars because it was suppose to be a feeder rat. Some "feeders" I've gotten have made terrific pets, with a little extra love and attention. (feeder rats usually dont get much socialization, since theyre meant to be food, but rats are usually very gentle, and while it might take a little longer to train them, its definitely do-able. Fancy rats will cost much more, but unless you plan on putting your rats in a "rat show", you probably wont need a fancy rat. Unless of course you want one....then go for it.

Food varies but is still pretty cheap. I bought a plastic tote for my rats food. I fill it up with rat food, and a bag or 2 of grainy cereal mixed in. (nothing too sugary, cheerios, rice puffs, grape nuts, etc) it makes the food last twice as long, plus they love the treat. I'd say for me, it costs about 20-25 dollars per month to keep my rats happy and fed. That also might vary though.

Once you've bought the cage, the wheel, the bed, etc. The cost per month for owning pet rats will be far less than dogs,cats, rabbits, etc. And the reward of owning them is priceless. They're smart, playful creatures who are constantly doing funny things. I've had lots of different small animals, rats are my favorite. (Jack hannah once referred to rats as "the dogs of the rodent world" he couldn't have been more right.)

Answer 5

Its not expensive to have a rat because they can eat the same food what you eat (bread,corn...)My friend has a rat and she said that it is very easy to take care of rats. They don't need your attention very much. I like them very much. Sometimes we go for a walk with my friend's rat. It's really funny. They are so nice :-).

Answer 6

i have over 20 rats and pregnant ones they eat 2 10 dollar bag of food every week

Answer 7

My brother got 2 rats and it didn't cost a lot to keep them. Then the girl got pregnant. He separated them but put some boys in with the dad and the dad ate them. Not good. So remember separation is good.

Answer 8

i am not sure about the costs, but they are easy to look after, just feed and water them, but they are social animals so you either need more than one so they can play, or you have to take it out and play with it a lot, otherwise it will become angry/sad and sometimes agressive

Answer 9

they're cheap...and easy to look after...and EXTREMELY boring.