i was looking into getting a pet rat, i dont know exactly what kind, can someone please tell me what kind of things will i need to buy, whare i should buy them and about how much its gonna cost? i have 2 male dearf hamsters so i know about some about taking care for small animals.
Answers:
Rats are wonderful pets, I have four right now, they are very intelligent, clean and friendly animals. Every time I walk into my pets room they are up on the sides of their cage wanting to come out and I have never been bitten by any of my rats however they do kiss alot. They also know their names and the sound of their treat jar. Their basic care is pretty simple, they need their cage cleaned at least once a week and their food dish and water bottle full at all times and they should also get fresh veggies every day. Also they love time out of their cage and should get a minimum of thirty minutes out every night, if you cant spend the time with them on some days you can rat proof a room such as the bathroom and let them play together. Room temperature is fine, try to keep them out of direct sunlight and drafts. The price per month that it takes to care for a rat depends alot on what you are feeding, using for bedding, etc. An average range would be $25-50. And of course you could go up from there and depending on where you buy your food and bedding it could be a little cheaper. This amount does not include any amount for vet bills, they need checkups every six months and they are prone to tumors, respiratory problems and as they age cysts. I would start putting a little money back each month just in case of an emergency. Supplies you will need include
Cage: at least two square feet per rat and wire, aquariums do not give good enough ventilation and can cause illness because of this. Ferret or Guinea pig cages work great. Make sure whatever cage you get does not have wire on the floor this can cause bumble-foot in rats. Also check the bar spacing to make sure a rat could not get out or get its head stuck.
Bedding: AVOID CEDAR AND PINE these cause respiratory problems and liver damage, aspen is safe if you are looking for a cheaper alternative, carefresh and yesterdays news are good as well.
Food dish and water bottle: I recommend a ceramic dish for food because they cant be chewed like plastic and are heavier so dont tip as easily as the stainless steel ones.
Food: Pellets called Lab block or rat block are best because they will pick only what they want out of the seed mixes and leave the rest so they dont get a complete diet. Mazuri is a good brand.
Chews: They need chew sticks to keep their teeth trimmed down whole nuts in the shells, dog biscuits and lab blocks work great for this also.
Hides:A shoebox with a hole in the side works well as does commercially bought hides
Toys: Hammocks, ladders and bird toys are great, rats are very intelligent and will get bored easily without stimulation. Here is a site that shows you how to make your own toys http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm.
Treats: Fruits, yogurt, pasta and dog biscuits are great as are hamster and rat treats that you can buy from the pet store.
Another rat: rats are very social and do best in at least pairs (same sex) they groom each other and snuggle and play together they will not bond any less with you if you get pairs and they will enjoy their lives so much more.
Good luck and here are pics of my babies and cage
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/mf.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/mf.
Also here is a great site for more info.
http://www.rmca.org/
Good Luck and thank you for doing some research before you buy the pet.
The main things to consider when thinking about keeping rats are cage size and attention.
Rats need really large cages. If you want to keep two rats should really have a cage at least 3 feet high and wide by about the 2 feet deep.
Also they need lots of attention and should be taken out of the cage for ideally an hour a day.
Actual care (food and bedding) is much the same as any other rodents.
A sizeable cage, shavings (NOT CEDAR OR PINE), plenty of toys, nice sized water bowl, and you need plenty of love. Also, rats can roam the house from time to time with supervision. The whole thing+rat costed me about 50, but I already had stuff around the house.
A cat with a hat to keep your rat fat.
What You Need to Know about Pet Rats
Rat Facts
Average life span of 2-3 years.
Length: body 9-11 inches; tail 7-9 inches.
Nocturnal, so will be most active at night.
Males are called bucks, females are does, and babies are pups or kittens.
Rats are social so do best if kept with another rat (or group of rats).
Rats reach puberty very young - at 6-8 weeks of age. They shouldn't be bred this young, though, so make sure males and females are separated before this age.
Females go into heat every 4-5 days (for about 24 hours) and may seem agitated or restless during this time.
Wide range of markings, as well as varieties (e.g. standard/smooth, rex, hairless, tailless).
About Keeping Rats as Pets
Rats are intelligent, social animals that can make wonderful pets.
Easily tamed.
Relatively easy to care for, but are not low maintenance pets.
Require a fair amount of attention and exercise time outside of their cages (at least an hour a day is ideal).
For more info, see site below
The post above was awesome! Just wanted to emphasize what they said about pairs. Rats NEED friends! Never get a single rat.
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