I am getting two rats and ....................?

Question

Which gender should I get (I don't want babies)?
How large of a cage should I get?
What should I put in the cage?
How much time should I spend with them?
What food can I feed it (other than normal rodent food)?
Where should I get my rats, pet stores or breeders?

Answer 1

i own 7 girls, 2 rescue, 2 adopted from a previous owner the rest came from a pet store. when you get rats from a breeder they are bred for temperament and health which alleviates any worries they will be ill upon purchase. i have been lucky with my pet store girls, no major aliments. i have all girls and no boys for the simple fact that i don't want babies so if you stick with same sex pairs you won't have a problem.
i recommend girls, but thats my personal choice, boys tend to have their own "scent" which i find offensive to my nose!
as far as cages go, all rat owners will tell you the bigger the better. i have 2 girls in a ginea pig cage with one level, a wheel, hammock (made out of an old towel) and their house. i choose to keep the rescued girls in this particular cage because its easier for me to access them since they were traumatized with their previous owners, and are now afraid of people. all the other girls are in 3 story cages with all the same furnishings. i use ferret bowls because they screw on to the side of the cage and can't be tipped. i have one water bottle per cage and keep spares just in case they spring a leak (been there and done that).
as for foods most "rat food" in pet stores are not good because they pick out what they like and leave the rest.
i use a lab block and supplement my girls with fruits, veggies, meat and oysters. rats are NOT vegetarians and i don't think its fair that they be forced to be something their not. its important to familiarize yourself with the foods they shouldn't have, or foods that can be toxic such as sweet potatoes, they can have this COOKED but shouldn't have it raw as its toxic raw.
it would be a good idea to join some yahoo groups that are geared towards pet rats and you can ask rat owners with many years experience the things that you need to know. and if you have questions there is always someone there with an answer for you.
also are some invaluable links below, bookmark them and read threw them.
if you have anymore questions you can email me at
[e-mail]. if i don't know the answer, i know of some people that can.... good luck to you!!!

Answer 2

Two boys from the same litter, or who otherwise know each other, should get along fine. Our rescue brothers have always been great together, they're about 1.5 yrs old now & we've had them over a year. They wrestle while playing (so do girls) but don't really fight.
Usually, boys are more laid-back & girls more curious & active. There are exceptions & of course each rat has his or her own personality. One of my most adventurous rats was a boy, & one of our current girls is a total lap rat.
Get as large a cage as you can offord & have room for & keep it where the rats will be able to enjoy lots of human interaction. The more time you can spend with them, the better, they are very social & playful. Give them boxes, hammocks & other things to play with. Our guys like cat toys, sometimes bird toys, as well as the chew treats sold for small animals.
If there is a rescue or a breeder near you, that's probably the best place to get your new friends. We've had very mixed results with pet stores, but if you do adopt from a pet store, handle the rats before making your choice. Our little hooded "lap rat" is from a pet store & we've had others through the years that were very sweet & healthy, but we've also had some considerable health & temperment challenges from pet store rats. Our hairless girl is from a breeder & she's sweet & healthy. Our rescue boys are delightful, cuddly & healthy.

Answer 3

Females are fun, they are very fast and active (especially as babies they jump amazingly high). They love new things, but they also like to be petted but not for long!

Males smell a lot worse then females (and females smell!) and need to be cleaned twice a week, big, calmer then felmale and will just kind of sit there but they can be more loving then females. Also, males tend to fight with each other .

In my opinion females are the best but its just your opinion.

Get the largest cage you can affored and they love wire cages with multiple levels the best.

Put food, water, carefresh bedding( this bedding is best becuase others can fgove infections), a wheel, (some may not use it howerver) chew sticks, lots of boxes! I found that old food cardboard boxes I had are perfect. You can use certain kinds of tape and make a castle. The crazier the design the better! Rats love enrichment. Hide their food around the cage. They also love shredded newspaper and wherever they sleep is where they will put it.

Rats need about an hour of attention per day but honestly, theywill survive if you can't give it to them.

I feed my rats fruits and veggies. Their is some stuff you can't give them so I would look into that. My rats love apple and carrots.

Pet stores usually breed rats to feed to snakes. I got mine thereto save a life and they are great but they have horrible immune systems and I have spent a lot of money at the vets office. One is also nippy. They may not live as long.

Breeders carry the best quality of rat. they may cost more but they usually are very sweet, and many of them are in interesting breeds. Watch out for breeders just trying to get money and not doing it because they love it. Those breeders may carry sick rats so make sure to ask lots of questions to the breeder.

I have also always wanted to rescue animals. You may not know it but many rats are at shelters because they were unwanted. Check petfinder,com and you can usually find a pair of young already tame rats looking for a home where ypu live. There is also some rat rescue organizations. You can search the internet for those.

And thats all!

Answer 4

females are more active when out of the cage, and males are more content to cuddle. also males have large testicles which may be awkward for the handler, lol. My two rats currently reside in a three story cage, that is about the width and length of an average hamster cage. if you have your rats in a rabbit or large animal cage, be aware that your rats, at any age, can probably get through the bars, even if they look too big. also if the spaces between the bars are squares of diamond shapes, they may get their head stuck in it, and if this is at the roof of the cage, the will hang by their neck and struggle, until hopefully you find them. This happened to me twice, luckily I was in the room, so I could free their heads. I switched cages soon after. If you have tw or three small cages, you could attach them with tubes, and this would also be a nice home

Answer 5

Rats are not guinea pigs, so prove to your mom that you are a good rat keeper. Be thankful that your mom let you get one rat; many moms would have said, "No way!" Later, assuming that you really end up liking rats as much as you think you will, and Mom learns to like them, too, approach the idea again. A good record and a positive experience for your mom could make a huge difference. And... absolutely no nagging.

Answer 6

Get two female rats as they are smaller and cuter and don't smell as bad.
Get a big cage with shelves.
Put in a bed , A container of cat litter (toilet) , food bowls, water bottle, Tunnels and thing (rats like tunnels) and a treat bowl.
You should get them out at Leta an hour a day.
Rats love baby food and cereal with no milk.
It will probable be a healthier rat if you buy them from breeders.

Answer 7

gender - bucks kept together fight NO MORE THAN GIRLS and no they dont have to be related or the same variety to get on

general rule of thumb: girls are pingy and zippy and nosey and climby all their lives come to you when they wnat to then scamper off again
boys are all that upto about 8-12months and then turn into big squishy monsters happy to be held and carried and generally loved
of course this is a generalisation and you can get the opposite

how large a cage - as big as you can afford but no smaller than 2 cubic foot per rat
boys need more base space than height and girls other way round go for a cage where rat is listed as the smallest creature not largest and never one that has gerbil/mouse/hamster connections please go for a cage not a tank rats like to climb and need good ventialtion tanks, even those with toppers, are not suitable
i have this one
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/rodents/cages/ferret_cage/13325
suitable for 14 and housing 11 boys

whatever cage you go for spot clean EVERY day and full clean INCLUDING washing the cage bars and bases once a week is sufficient IF you have good bedding. thats all mine get and believe you me there is no smell in my house and my rats live in the living room along with 3 oparrots 6 people and two dogs
smells not allowed =)

what to put in cage - hammocks, tubes, ropes you could try a wheel like a silent spinner
http://www.exoticnutrition.com/SPINNER.jpg
make sure its as large as possible
look here for inspiration
http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/community/viewtopic.php?t=43155
bedding - not woodshavings or sawdust, these will shorten your rats life and it will be forever having resp problems. use carefresh, chopped cardboard [ i use this], shredded paper [ no, ink is not poisonous anymore but dont use the glossy mags], hemp, 100%paper cat litter

how much time - as much as possible mine have an hour free range in mornings and then the cage is left open t from about 7 til bed

what food-

http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/community/viewtopic.php?t=31042

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/community/viewtopic.php?t=64533

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/community/viewtopic.php?t=64533

where to get -an ethical breeder is best, you should get well socialised, healthy big babies used to being handled and longer lived
pet store rats come from mills and you have pot luck to health, temperament and size at adult, due to poor breeding. most mills breed for feeders and the pretty ones get sent for pet
rescue is another option but if you are a first time owner id go for breeder
so its your choice

when choosing look at your rats make sure you can either count to two as many pet store/rescue workers cant,[breeders however can =)] and miss boy rats huge bits, how i just dont know, as they pretty obvious from about 10 days old
or if you go for females look through the belly fur for nipples, whatever your told boy rats do not have them

colour - who cares? stick your hand in the bunch of your choice and see which ones run up to look and climb, theyre the ones you want, they want to socialise and know you

good luck with your choices

Answer 8

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/

I'm getting some rats soon, too, and that was the most helpful site for me. By the way, there are a lot of good cages on Ebay. I recommend one with a metal bottom, not plastic.

Answer 9

get two girls. thats what i have and they get along great. get a reasonably big cage...at least 2'x2'. i have a 4.5'x4.'5x4.5 cage. its really big...you dont need one that huge...but rats do appreciate lots of room it keeps them from being bored and fat. you need bedding...get pine or aspen shavings b/c cedar is toxic. get at least two houses for them that they can fit in easily. that way they arent forced to sleep together. they like toilet paper tubes too, they tear them up and make nests. get two water bottles so that you dont have to worry as much about running out of water. and a tail safe wheel keeps them fit, those plastic balls are nice too, but you need to be with the rat when they play in them other wise they can get stuck or roll away. spend as much time as possible with them b/c rats are very social and love attention. you can teach them tricks they are very smart. rats will eat anything, mine like cheerios and little pieces of apple the best, but anything healthy and small they like. oh and they love unshelled peanuts. it gives them something to do. most people would say to get rats from breeders, but i got mine from petco and they have been really healthy so whichever you can more easily access. have fun! rats pretty much pwn

Answer 10

well i would say blue rat and at a pet store there exactly the same from a bretter butt less $$$

--->laure<----