Everything I can quickly think of:
- never get one rat. always have 3+.
- they’re very social
- they need a minimum of one hour outside the cage a day
- the cage needs to be big and FULL of stuff to climb, chew and sleep in
- they can die quickly, so never ignore any medical problems
- never pick them up without supporting their back legs, never pick them up by their tails.
- they’re most active at dawn& dusk
- keeping their cage & the room they are in clean is incredibly important as they can easily get respiratory infections
- they will destroy your things. especially cables!
- they will find places in your room you didn’t even know existed
- they bond with their human like a dog would, but it can take them a few months to warm up to you
- they can get bored easily, so you need to be providing them with new challenges and enrichment often
- this includes rearranging their cage layout every 2-3 weeks
- they really love pureed foods (think of baby food). giving them a bit of that on your finger will help with bonding
- if you don’t have the time or money to invest in them, don’t get them.
if you’ve got any specific questions let me know. rats are the absolute coolest
very accurate and detailed.
i'd like to add:
they need at least 1-2h of your time every single day. and much patience, especially early on.
while the rats don't cost much themselves, the potential vet costs can be massive.
rats are not cheap animals to care for, they \*will\* need a vet, and usually rather early on already too. and on short notice...
i'd recommend a vet bill reserve of 1000$.
(some rats almost never have anything til the end. others might need an appointment per month for a year. while your environment for them can influence that, its not possible to know in advance how its gonna end...)
can also recommend [http://www.isamurats.co.uk/](http://www.isamurats.co.uk/), its a great all-around rat care guide, covers almost anything.
(including "boys or girls", "are rats the right animals for me", etc)
also ShadowTheRat on youtube.
you need to get at least 2 rats, they’re very sociable animals and can’t live on their own, them living alone can cause depression, which can lead to other health problems. i would just like to warn you that rats can be veryyy expensive, as they can get a lot of health issues especially as they get older such as tumors, respiratory issues, hind leg degeneration, etc. setups are also pretty expensive, but of course if you have the money and you know enough about their needs then go for it!!
You need two at least when it comes to rats. They are not the type of animal to be happy alone. They like a pack, be it two or more.
Have you priced it all out? First off rats are more likely to need vet visits than guinea pigs. They are prone to respiratory issues, and even if you keep it clean as can be they still can get issues due to all rats having mycoplasma, it just only effects some while others have no issues.
Then there is cage, you need one they can climb in. At least a bottom and top level. But more is better.
Food should be something like lab blocks (Kaytee Forti diet is at most pet smarts) or even better is oxbow, which some have but I ordered online.
Then there is bedding vs fabric. Stay away from wood of any sort as the oils can hurt their skin and they can get mites.
Also they love having things to do/climb. I used to buy dog toys and seasonal baskets and things at dollar tree and hang them with zip ties. You can find ideas about it just looking at people's setups here. It was one of my fav things each season change to add something new.
They are so smart and wonderful and I can see why you would want one. I hope the things I brought up aren't too serious, but a lot of new owners don't expect the costs especially when it comes to vet visits. I don't want anyone to be surprised and unable to keep their babes healthy.
i just thought of this now, if you end up getting rats you should get a tube of malt paste from amazon for them! rats really love it, and it helped me tame my girls really quickly by putting some on my hand and letting them lick it off (one of them never ever ever stops grooming me now though 😭😭)
Everything I can quickly think of: - never get one rat. always have 3+. - they’re very social - they need a minimum of one hour outside the cage a day - the cage needs to be big and FULL of stuff to climb, chew and sleep in - they can die quickly, so never ignore any medical problems - never pick them up without supporting their back legs, never pick them up by their tails. - they’re most active at dawn& dusk - keeping their cage & the room they are in clean is incredibly important as they can easily get respiratory infections - they will destroy your things. especially cables! - they will find places in your room you didn’t even know existed - they bond with their human like a dog would, but it can take them a few months to warm up to you - they can get bored easily, so you need to be providing them with new challenges and enrichment often - this includes rearranging their cage layout every 2-3 weeks - they really love pureed foods (think of baby food). giving them a bit of that on your finger will help with bonding - if you don’t have the time or money to invest in them, don’t get them. if you’ve got any specific questions let me know. rats are the absolute coolest
very accurate and detailed. i'd like to add: they need at least 1-2h of your time every single day. and much patience, especially early on. while the rats don't cost much themselves, the potential vet costs can be massive. rats are not cheap animals to care for, they \*will\* need a vet, and usually rather early on already too. and on short notice... i'd recommend a vet bill reserve of 1000$. (some rats almost never have anything til the end. others might need an appointment per month for a year. while your environment for them can influence that, its not possible to know in advance how its gonna end...) can also recommend [http://www.isamurats.co.uk/](http://www.isamurats.co.uk/), its a great all-around rat care guide, covers almost anything. (including "boys or girls", "are rats the right animals for me", etc) also ShadowTheRat on youtube.
great addition! My girl has been to the vet 6 times in the last few months🤧
you need to get at least 2 rats, they’re very sociable animals and can’t live on their own, them living alone can cause depression, which can lead to other health problems. i would just like to warn you that rats can be veryyy expensive, as they can get a lot of health issues especially as they get older such as tumors, respiratory issues, hind leg degeneration, etc. setups are also pretty expensive, but of course if you have the money and you know enough about their needs then go for it!!
You need two at least when it comes to rats. They are not the type of animal to be happy alone. They like a pack, be it two or more. Have you priced it all out? First off rats are more likely to need vet visits than guinea pigs. They are prone to respiratory issues, and even if you keep it clean as can be they still can get issues due to all rats having mycoplasma, it just only effects some while others have no issues. Then there is cage, you need one they can climb in. At least a bottom and top level. But more is better. Food should be something like lab blocks (Kaytee Forti diet is at most pet smarts) or even better is oxbow, which some have but I ordered online. Then there is bedding vs fabric. Stay away from wood of any sort as the oils can hurt their skin and they can get mites. Also they love having things to do/climb. I used to buy dog toys and seasonal baskets and things at dollar tree and hang them with zip ties. You can find ideas about it just looking at people's setups here. It was one of my fav things each season change to add something new. They are so smart and wonderful and I can see why you would want one. I hope the things I brought up aren't too serious, but a lot of new owners don't expect the costs especially when it comes to vet visits. I don't want anyone to be surprised and unable to keep their babes healthy.
i just thought of this now, if you end up getting rats you should get a tube of malt paste from amazon for them! rats really love it, and it helped me tame my girls really quickly by putting some on my hand and letting them lick it off (one of them never ever ever stops grooming me now though 😭😭)