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CrazyRatLady

Active Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2020
Messages
31
Location
North Carolina
Hello! I do not have rats, but I want to soak up everything I can about their care and information, since I will most likely be getting them this year. :)

One thing I'm concerned about is the traveling. We travel quite a bit, and I don't have anyone close and reliable in my family or friend group that could take care of them while we're gone- sometimes my Dad would be able to do simple care like food, but he wouldn't do anything extra like playtime or vegetables. Would it be best to pay for a rat sitter? Would I be able to trust them with playtime or veggies, or would I just pay for the essentials- like checking the water bottles and refilling the food bowl?

There are certain places I may be able to bring them along. Which, at first glance would be preferable (UGH! I would miss them!). But going on a road trip with them would be hard, and bringing them on a plane isn't an easy option. Besides, how would I temporarily house them? And we often do pit stops at hotels for the night on trips on the far side- so I'm not sure that would work, either.

Our trips aren't usually longer than a week at most. Would it be possible to leave them at home for a few days if I gave them extra things?

I feel like I would be able to give the ideal home to two rats, but this is the only thing I'm nervous about.
Thank you for your advice :)
 
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I'd either find a rat-knowledgeable sitter or a rat-knowledgeable boarding facility. If it's a day trip, they should be fine, but anything longer and I'd suggest someone sits your pets. You never know what will happen while you're gone.
 
I'd either find a rat-knowledgeable sitter or a rat-knowledgeable boarding facility. If it's a day trip, they should be fine, but anything longer and I'd suggest someone sits your pets. You never know what will happen while you're gone.
Ok, thank you. What could I ask the rat sitter to do? Would it be Ok if the dog sitter just checked in on them daily and checked their water and food, gave them a treat or something? :)
 
When I'm gone out of town, and my kids can't take care of them, I have my mom or sister in law come feed them, water them, and give veggies and treats each day. If possible, I try for twice a day. It all depends on how comfortable you and your sitter are. I would at the very least, acquaint them with each other for a couple of days before leaving them. That way your rats can learn to trust them, and feel comfortable with them, and vice versa. If the rats are fairly new, I wouldn't leave them alone with anyone or anywhere. If you choose to go the boarding route, ask many questions. Like if they are familiar with rats, what kind of knowledge about rats do they have, how do they handle them, do they do play time, what are their schedules like, can you bring your rats in the meet the people who would be taking care of them, would they be exposed to other rats, what about cats and barking dogs (which will stress your rats, possibly making them sick). You need to ALWAYS leave the number for your rat vet, and you could make up little bags of veggies to be given each day. Put them in snack bags or sandwich bags, and label for each day. I made a sign for each of my animals (rats, mice, and at the time, a rabbit) and put instructions on them and safe foods for snacks, vet info, names, colors of each animal, and what to do if they escaped while the cage was open to feed them, and hung it by their cages. I also like my care giver to COUNT each rat daily, and make sure each comes to the side of the cage for a treat. That way, if anything is out of the norm for behavior, or the way they move or look, they can inform me immediately. A lot of info, but hope it helps.
 
When I boarded my rats, I felt like an overprotective dad lol! I wrote them a whole list of what my boys see and do, gave them copious amounts of food, treats, fleece, etc. While the employees had never cared for rats, I felt that they were in safe hands, as these people had my instructions, along with general knowledge of rat care. While I would love someone with rat knowledge, it seemed a little impossible in my extreme circumstances. Given the time and access, my rats would have been placed with my knowledge people. However, I like to think now that facility is a little more equipped to care for rats because of my guys :)
Mega bonus is, when I had to board my rats a second time, I literally heard someone walk out of the small animal room and then yell to coworkers "The rats are back!" My guys were adored on the days I was moving. I wonder how many Snapchat stories my boys became... Food for thought!
 
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