First time rat owner: pets for my 5yr old

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Meleigh

New Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2020
Messages
1
Location
New York
Hi all. I just bought two fancy rats at a pet store who are remarkably well bred considering the source. I, myself, have owned small animals but these guys are for my daughter. I looked for months to find a pet rat in NYC but there is such a stigma attached to them here I could not find one. We finally settled for a hampster but he had overgrown teeth that were out of allignment and I, sadly, had to return him. When we were picking out a new hampster we saw they had just gotten two rats!! We were so excited and got one instead of the hampster! Having only owned mice, hampsters, and rabbits, I was unaware that rats do not thrive alone. I discovered this upon googling the breed for care instructions. Long story short, I was at the pet store the minute they opened to get his brother and now we are parents to a proper pair! I guess I need some help with rat knowledge. The interwebs brought me here. I did already make a thread under behaviors if anyone is interested in interjecting. Thanks!
 
Congrats on your new pet! I’ll share a couple of tips:

1. big, wire cage. It should be 2.5 cubic feet per rat. A store bought hamster cage won’t work. Critter nation cages or large bird cages are great though. However make sure you cover the bottom with a tray and bedding because wires can give them bumble foot which will lead to pain and expensive vet bills. They should have plenty of toys and wood chews. Also make sure you have a hammock per rat and a hide out at the bottom. Baskets and zip ties work magic too. Include some foraging toys like a tube full of toilet paper and so on.

2. Treats, pellets, veggies. I recommend oxbow adult rat food as their primary diet. That can be unlimited. You can either put in a bowl for them, or scatter it across their cage for enrichment. For treats I recommend cereals like Cheerios, rice crispies, or baby puff cereal (that’s my favorite). Fruits and baby food are good treats to feed weekly. Google is your best bet for veggies but some safe ones are: bell peppers, kale, COOKED sweet potato and potato (not the eye though), peas, and more.

3. 1 hour of play. Rats need one hour out of their cage every day. I know you have young kids so make sure your to tell them to treat them gently. You can set the rule to keep the pet on the ground (unless of course they climb on you!) but stick to no picking up because that can lead to tail pulling, dropping, and possible aggression. Rats are usually super docile but there’s always acceptions. So, just make sure the rats get an hour out of their cage every day. Super beneficial for bonding and stimulating the rats.

4. Good ventilation. When I got my rats I made the terrible mistake of using scented products and my rats ended up with respiratory infections. Rats have super fragile respiratory systems. So, they should be a ventilated area away from dust and strong smells. When cleaning the cage only use unscented products and rinse rinse rinse. I spot clean using unscented baby wipes.

5. Clean the cage weekly and monthly. Youtube is great for this. There are plenty of you tubers who teach how to clean cages. But overall, throw the hammocks in the washing machine and everything else in the dishwasher. Then proceed to cover the cage in diluted vinegar and soap. Then rinse like crazy.

6. prepare for vet bills. It’s important to have an emergency fund incase your rat gets sick or injured. Also try googling “exotic vets near me” and then call around to see if theoretically they’d see rats.

good luck and hope this helps!
 
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