Pet Info Packets

PetInfo Main :
Contact :

Rescue Spotlight

Donate to help the ratties!

Help keep Pet Info Packets running!

* Please note that many of the products detailed in this packet are U.S. Only!

Custom Search

Your Pet Rat

Contrary to popular belief rats are very clean, affectionate animals. They are constantly grooming, much like hamsters, and usually bond very closely with their owners. Rats are also very social animals and should be kept in same sex pairs or groups.

A Word About Pet Stores

When considering where to get your rats, the word 'pet store' may be the first thing that comes to mind. My advice? Steer clear. Many of us know better than to purchase puppies or kittens from pet stores due to the fact that those pet stores acquire said animals through puppy/kitten mills. What many of us don't know, is that it's no different when it comes to small animals like rats. Where do pet store rats come from? Backyard breeders and rodent mills.

No reputable breeder sells their animals through a pet store as part of being a reputable breeder means screening your adopters, adopting your animals out with contracts, and being able to track your lines down the road. None of that can be accomplished if the animals are being sold through a pet store. As such, the only breeders who supply pet stores are unreputable/backyard breeders.

Even worse, perhaps, are the larger chain pet stores (Petsmart, Petco) that are supplied by rodent mills. These rodent 'farms' focus on turning out as many animals as possible, with little regard to health.

In the end, it's about profit for backyard breeders and rodent farms. Little care is taken in regards to an animal's health history or genetic background during breeding, the only thing that matters is producing more animals to make a profit off of. Animals from pet stores tend to be sickly, poorly bred, undersocialized, and often (in the case of females) pregnant.

So where should you acquire your rats if not from pet stores? There are two good options left. You could acquire your rats through a reputable rat breeder, or you could choose to acquire your rats through a reputable rat rescue.

Why not use Pet Shops?
Buying From Petshops
Inside a rodent farm (Is this really something you'd want to support? Mind you, this is one of the better rodent farms.)
Typical Feeder Rodent Conditions

Stamp created by SicPuppy

Important Pages

Some of my topics got so big I had split them into separate pages:

Rat Names

Behavior

What is my rat doing? FAQ
Trust Training
Bonding with your Rat (or: Rat Socialization 101)
Trust-Training Nervous Rats
The Forced Socialization Method (For problematic/skittish rats.)
A Basic Guide to Socializing Rats by Positive Reinforcement (For problematic/skittish rats.)
INTRODUCING RATS
Introducing New Rats
Rat Introductions
Types of rat bites
Rules of the rats, avoid being bitten (Avoid feeding rats through the cage bars!)
Nipping
How to spot an angry rat
Why Rats Need Company (National Fancy Rat Society)
WHY RATS NEED COMPANY (Rat & Mouse Club of America)
The Case Against Single Rats (The Rat Fan Club)
Pet rats - why it's important to have two or more (YouTube video)
Lonely rats more prone to breast cancer

Most rats will learn on their own not to use the bathroom on you or anywhere outside of the cage after getting used to their new home, though many (particularly males) will continue to mark wherever they walk with little dribbles of urine.

Playtime

I have found that the best place to let my rats run around during play time is the bathroom. It seems to pose less hazards since there isn't usually as much to disappear under or as many cords to chew and the tile floor makes for a much easier clean up. Always make sure to be careful of cords, chemicals, holes, and other dangers. Another thing to make sure of is that the toilet bowl lid is down, as rats can be rather incredible jumpers.

Rats should have a bare minimum of a half hour daily of out of cage play time. Ideally they should be getting at least an hour or two. Keep in mind that what size cage you have also plays a part in how much out of cage time is necessary. If you have a small cage, more out of cage time should be given. If you have a large cage you can be a little bit more lenient on it.

Wheels are not usually seen as an absolute necessity for rats. Some rats will completely ignore them, while others will love them. A rat exposed to wheels from a young age is more likely to use one. Males tend to become rather lazy as they get older and are then less likely to use wheels than females who remain more active into adulthood. For those who provide wheels for their rats it is important to make sure it is of proper size for them. Wheels designed for smaller animals like hamsters will not be suitable or comfortable for the rat (particularly an adult). You should never let your rat run on an open runged wire wheel, as these can cause injury to the feet and tail. Solid wheels are the best bet when it comes to safety and comfort.

Gender, Reproduction, and Breeding

It is not recommended to breed your rats unless you are looking to become a responsible breeder and know everything you should know about general rat care, genetics, and breeding. You should have a good, experienced breeder mentor you and start with healthy breeder rats (not pet store rats!). If you do not know the genetic background of your rats (such as in the case of pet store rats) you could be breeding in genetic illnesses. Breeding should be about bettering the rat species as a whole (temperament, health, longevity), and there is no other reason to breed rats. Please think before you breed.

Tips for unplanned litters: If you have a female rat that has given birth or is expecting there are some important things to consider. For one, a female who is nursing or pregnant needs a nutritious diet (which she should be getting anyway) plus some added protein. Some ways extra protein can be given would be scrambled eggs, soy baby formula, and some high quality cat food (Innova, Wellness, Felidae etc.)

Remember to separate the female from other rats before she gives birth, especially any males. Females will have a heat cycle shortly after giving birth which could result in a back to back pregnancy if any intact males are left with her. This would be very stressful to the mother and should be avoided at all costs. It's generally seen as best to allow a female to raise her litter alone so that there isn't any chance of fighting over the babies among females or back to back pregnancies in the case of males.

The babies must be born in a safe environment. This means it must be made sure that the maternity cage has nothing dangerous in it. A wheel can cause babies to become trapped underneath and bar spacing that is too wide can also be a danger. Many people use an aquarium for moms who are raising litters (a 20 gallon should work well as long as it is cleaned often and mom is allowed out frequently for free time). Make sure to provide mom with plenty of safe nesting material like torn up paper towels (plain, without ink).

Leave mom alone for the first day and just change the nesting material (the birthing process can be a bit messy) and take a quick peek to get a head count and check if all the babies are nursing. You can tell if a newborn baby has been fed by the white line of milk visible in their stomach. Depending on how tolerable mom is to handling you'll want to start handling and socializing the babies fairly soon. If mom is protective you can try removing her from the babies before attempting to handle them or distracting her with a treat.

Lastly, remember to separate the males from their female siblings and their mother by five weeks of age. Rats reach sexual maturity at that point and it is possible that the youngsters will impregnate their sisters or mother if kept with them any longer.