Rat Guide

[The Blackangel]

PART 1 - CHOOSING YOUR RAT
You need to decide first off whether you want them to breed or not. If you don't want them breeding then you need to choose only one sex. Either male or female. Both genders typically get along well with each other, but there is always a hierarchy. One rat will be dominant. They will "battle" for dominance, but it is almost never true violence. They tend to wrestle or box more. Once you decide on your gender, decide how many you want. Rats are social animals and will not do well alone. I highly recommend a minimum of 4 rats. The more rats you get the better their health will be. Both physically, and mentally. They need the companionship of other rats to survive.

PART 2 - RAT BEHAVIOR AND MENTALITY
As said already there will always be a hierarchy. Dominance will often be challenged and you will see your rats battling it out. But just because they are chasing each other and wrestling doesn't mean mutiny. They are very playful animals. They romp and run just like children. They are actually quite entertaining to watch. They are also extremely smart animals. They remember like an elephant. If you mistreat them they remember it and will not trust you. If you are kind to them they will like you better.
They love to explore. New surroundings mean new places to see. But unless you buy a rat ball, this is not a good idea to let them do. A full grown rat can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter. Once they do that, they are most likely gone for good.
Rats are nesters. They need a lot of material to build a nest. In the wild a colony can have up to 100 rats that are constantly maintaining the colonies nest.
They sleep a lot. They burn a lot of energy when they are playing, and tend to wear themselves out fairly quickly. It's not good for their health to try to play with them when they are trying to sleep. Wait until they wake up on their own.
Typically rats don't bite or claw, unless they feel threatened. If you don't present yourself as a threat you will do fine, but you do need to present yourself as the dominant one. If they feel that they are dominant over you, you will never be able to handle them.
Rats will however, give you a very light nibble from time to time. This is what's known as a rat kiss. It's the same as when a dog licks you. It's a sign of affection, and nothing to be afraid of.

PART 3 - RAT HOUSING
There are many types of housing choices for rats. You can get what are called "rat cities", which tend to run $200-$300 typically. Or you can get a simple wire cage or aquarium. I recommend an aquarium for beginners, because rats are extremely skilled escape artists. Depending on the number of rats you get would determine the minimum size of aquarium you need. It would be best to base it by rat. A typical aquarium for example is 20 gallon. With 4 rats, that's 5 gallons of space per rat. That's a good base to start. Of course you can go bigger if you want, but you should choose a reasonable base of space.
You will need to have a very secure way of keeping their habitat secure so they don't get out and run all over. Clips on an aquarium lid work well. The clips do slide off, but can be difficult to get off, so you may have to slip something under the clip top to lift it such as a screwdriver or a heavy blade knife.
Rats need something to chew and gnaw on. They have a natural instinct to chew. If they don't have something steady to chew on, they will start chewing on each other. They will go after the weakest link in the chain. Then you'll lose one of your babies. The best thing is an edible shelter. A good brand is SnakShak. It doesn't have to be anything super fancy, but you need something that would stand up to however many rats you get. If it doesn't last at least a little while, you will be spending a lot of money replacing them.
Rats need exercise. Just romping in their home doesn't do it. You need to get them a wheel. Or two if you prefer. These are great for letting them run to their hearts content and keep them in shape.
The type of bedding you choose matters a lot. There are a lot of bedding's you will see at your pet store. You will see everything from wood chips, to pebbles, to sawdust. For rats, get the sawdust. Wood chips are dangerous for rodents. They can get splinters, or pieces of wood stuck in their teeth, which can cause a lot of problems. The pebbles would also cause health problems since you can't just clean out the pebbles and put new ones in when you clean their cage. And if they were to eat them, it would most likely kill them. The healthiest for them, and your wallet is the sawdust.
If you go with a wire cage, you need to put something soft on the bottom so they're not on wires all the time. A fleece blanket or sweatshirt is perfect. They will move it around to where they want it, and they will tear it apart, so you will need to replace it once it gets super torn up. I always keep a couple extra cheap sweatshirts and fleece blankets on hand for my rats.

PART 4 - RAT NUTRITION
You need to get the right food for rats. Also you need to make sure it's age appropriate. There are many types of rodent food to choose from. But just because it's good for a mouse or a guinea pig, does not mean it's good for a rat. They have a different metabolism than other rodents, and need a food that is specifically formulated for them. I feed my rats Oxbow pellets. The pellets you buy will be enough, but I highly recommend giving them fresh fruits and vegetables with the pellets. Nothing canned or cooked. Stay away from soft fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and grapes, or citrus fruits. They need something they can crunch and chew. Carrots, lettuce, and cabbage are good choices for vegetables. Apples, watermelon, or cantaloupe would be good choices for fruits. You need to get them a food dish that is safe for them and that will hold enough food for them so that you don't have to refill it several times daily. They eat a lot, so be prepared to be spending a good amount of money on food.
DO NOT EVER FEED THEM ONIONS OR ANYTHING CONTAINING ONION. ONIONS ARE LETHAL TO RATS WITHIN MINUTES.
Also be aware that you can over feed your rats. Over feeding can cause a lot of problems. Obesity, diabetes, and breathing problems just to name a few. So watch how much you feed them, and make sure they have a balanced diet.
You need to get water bottles that will survive their chewing. Plastic will have to be replaced regularly, unless they can be mounted on the outside of their cage. You can buy glass chew proof bottles. They are a few dollars more expensive, but will save you a lot of money in the long run. If you go with smaller bottles you will need at least one bottle per rat. If you go with larger bottles you won't need quite as many. For example I have 4 rats. With large bottles, I would need 2. For larger numbers dividing by 2 would be a bit impractical. For example if you had 10 rats, 5 bottles would be a bit overkill.
You will need to wash their food dish at least once every few days. Rats don't try to aim any specific direction when they have to go, unless they're marking territory. So they will go in their food dish.

PART 5 - CAGE MAINTENANCE
When you clean their cage, don't just scoop the bedding out and put new bedding in. You have to get all the feces out, and wash not only the bottom, but the sides with soap and water. When rats pee, they tend to spray. This is how they mark their territory, the same as dogs. You will have it on every surface in your rats cage if you're using an aquarium. After washing it you need to make sure you get all the soap cleaned out of the cage before you replace the bedding and put the rats back in. Soap residue can make them sick if they lick it up. And scented soaps can be attractive to them. Don't use cleaners such as Windex or Pledge. Just use simple soap and water.
If you're using an aquarium, you need to check it periodically to make sure there are no breaks in it. If it gets cracked it will need to be replaced. They can easily crack it further which will allow them to have a way out, and also hurt themselves on the broken glass at the same time.
If you want, you can get a small heating pad to put under the cage. A small one would be enough. You don't want anything big, or extremely powerful, as if it's too hot, they can burn their feet. So I would recommend against it, but if it has a low heat setting that is VERY lukewarm, you can try it. Just remember to keep a close watch if you do.

PART 6 - RAT HEALTH AND LONGEVITY
Rats are very clean animals. If you watch them you will see them cleaning themselves quite a bit. But rats can also carry a lot of health problems if they're not cared for properly. They can have organ problems, bone problems, respiratory problems, or emotional problems. The symptoms range from small things such as mood changes, to self harm, to violence toward you and other rats. You just need to keep an eye on them to make sure everything is going good for them. You need to keep not only their cage clean but the area around them. Remember germs can jump.
Rats don't have the lifespan of animals such as dogs who live to on average 12-15 years. Rats typically live between 2-3 years depending on the breed. So technically they don't live long, but they love hard.

PART 7 - MISCELLANEOUS
Contrary to what many will tell you, rats are very high maintenance. Their home has to be cleaned regularly, their food has to be specifically for rats, their water has to be clean, their home has to be sufficiently supplied for them to maintain their mental health, they have to be kept out of stressful situations, and above all they have to be loved. If you get rats and then lose interest in them, then that is cruel to them, because they will no longer be taken care of properly. You have to give them attention and love. Just because they live in a cage or aquarium doesn't mean they don't need you.
It will hurt when you lose them, the same as any of your other companions. But your life will be that much richer for having had them. They will always love you if you love them.

[Reality vs Adventure]

That's some pretty good advice. As an owner of rabbits, I try to care for them as you have stated. Seems a bit harder for rats though because at least rabbits chew on hay!!! I've had a couple of accidental litters, but it is simply amazing to welcome them to the family. Rabbits are vegetarian, but rats are omnivores right?  Do their pellets have meat in it or can they survive on vegetable proteins? Must be pretty awesome to have them as pets. Sure they are entertaining pets!

[killamch89]

11 hours ago, Reality vs Adventure said:

That's some pretty good advice. As an owner of rabbits, I try to care for them as you have stated. Seems a bit harder for rats though because at least rabbits chew on hay!!! I've had a couple of accidental litters, but it is simply amazing to welcome them to the family. Rabbits are vegetarian, but rats are omnivores right?  Do their pellets have meat in it or can they survive on vegetable proteins? Must be pretty awesome to have them as pets. Sure they are entertaining pets!

Also remember that rats can go pretty much anywhere because they can contort their body to fit in incredibly small spaces. Imagine opening the medicine cabinet and there's one of your rats chill in there lol. I find it fascinating that no matter the species of animal, you can always tell which one's which by their personality and behavior even if they all look alike. The amount of info @The Blackangel put into this article is fascinating. This is typically what happens when you spend a significant amount of time with your pets.

[Reality vs Adventure]

56 minutes ago, killamch89 said:

Also remember that rats can go pretty much anywhere because they can contort their body to fit in incredibly small spaces. Imagine opening the medicine cabinet and there's one of your rats chill in there lol. I find it fascinating that no matter the species of animal, you can always tell which one's which by their personality and behavior even if they all look alike. The amount of info @The Blackangel put into this article is fascinating. This is typically what happens when you spend a significant amount of time with your pets.

Yeah it's pretty amazing that rats can get into anything, climb almost anything, swim, build nests out of anything. They are survivors and pretty intelligent. There are a lot of wild rats where I live by the woods and yes they get into everything. I wonder how different wild vs tame rats are. I know that a tame rabbit can't produce babies with a wild rabbit. And wild hogs grow large tusks compared to tame ones. They all really do have unique personalities. There is a squirrel I have been feeding outside for a couple months now. There are other ones that also come around to get some food and they all look exactly alike. But that one I can always tell which it is by its behavior. It will stretch out on a branch and watch me, and seems comfortable around me, not so much yet to hand feed it. I haven't really bothered with that though. Other squirrels don't hang around for long and always do certain things that I know is not my squirrel friend. But that same one will run down a branch and make a noise for me to feed it sometimes when I open my door.  

[The Blackangel]

21 hours ago, Reality vs Adventure said:

That's some pretty good advice. As an owner of rabbits, I try to care for them as you have stated. Seems a bit harder for rats though because at least rabbits chew on hay!!! I've had a couple of accidental litters, but it is simply amazing to welcome them to the family. Rabbits are vegetarian, but rats are omnivores right?  Do their pellets have meat in it or can they survive on vegetable proteins? Must be pretty awesome to have them as pets. Sure they are entertaining pets!

Rats are actually scavengers, and will even resort to cannibalism if they need to. They won't turn anything down. But they do love fresh vegetables and fruits. Especially carrots and apples.

8 hours ago, Reality vs Adventure said:

Yeah it's pretty amazing that rats can get into anything, climb almost anything, swim, build nests out of anything. They are survivors and pretty intelligent. There are a lot of wild rats where I live by the woods and yes they get into everything. I wonder how different wild vs tame rats are. I know that a tame rabbit can't produce babies with a wild rabbit.

Rats can cross breed with tame or wild. The genetic difference isn't enough to block breeding. And rats are extremely intelligent. They are one of the most easily trained pets a person can have. They love to explore, they love to groom their people, they're curious about EVERYTHING. They're happy to curl up on your shoulder and take a nap. Mine like to play thief and steal my glasses. If I can get some good pics of them, I'll post them. The only issue is that they don't usually sit still long enough to take a good pic. Like I said in the article, they're like children.

 

10 hours ago, killamch89 said:

Also remember that rats can go pretty much anywhere because they can contort their body to fit in incredibly small spaces. Imagine opening the medicine cabinet and there's one of your rats chill in there lol. I find it fascinating that no matter the species of animal, you can always tell which one's which by their personality and behavior even if they all look alike. The amount of info @The Blackangel put into this article is fascinating. This is typically what happens when you spend a significant amount of time with your pets.

The thing that makes rats the most sacred creature with a pulse to me, is that one saved my life about 20 years ago. So now I have an emotional need to have them and be around them.

[The Blackangel]

One thing I forgot to mention about cages is the bars. Make sure that any cage you get the bars are spaced no more than ½ inch apart. They will escape if it's more than that.

[killamch89]

On 12/24/2020 at 9:38 AM, The Blackangel said:

One thing I forgot to mention about cages is the bars. Make sure that any cage you get the bars are spaced no more than ½ inch apart. They will escape if it's more than that.

I figured that much because rats can easily contort their bodies to fit through very small openings. They're pretty crafty if I'm being honest. By the way, how often do you let them out of their cages?

[The Blackangel]

Between 10 rats, 4 dogs, 2 birds, and 2 dragons, it can be hard to give everyone the attention they all deserve. But I try to play with them every day. Some of them don't like being held as of yet, but I'm working with them. I'm trying to train them to come to my hand when I put it in their cage. My girls are always ready to come to me, but the boys aren't so much. I have a naked dumbo male that always comes to me. The other 5 boys aren't wanting to so much yet. It takes time, but rats are easily trained. You just have to let them know that they can trust you.

[killamch89]

On 1/22/2021 at 11:58 AM, The Blackangel said:

Between 10 rats, 4 dogs, 2 birds, and 2 dragons, it can be hard to give everyone the attention they all deserve. But I try to play with them every day. Some of them don't like being held as of yet, but I'm working with them. I'm trying to train them to come to my hand when I put it in their cage. My girls are always ready to come to me, but the boys aren't so much. I have a naked dumbo male that always comes to me. The other 5 boys aren't wanting to so much yet. It takes time, but rats are easily trained. You just have to let them know that they can trust you.

I think that goes for most animals though. Sometimes it's best to sit and eat with them so that they get pretty comfortable with having you around (at least, that's how a friend of mine gained the trust of his rabbits). Most animals always follow me around especially stray dogs and cats. Dogs are particularly aware of a person they can trust because when they smell the scent of your dogs on your clothing in addition to your demeanor towards them, they tend to start following you around.