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Rats
Rats are small, friendly, easily available, and relatively
inexpensive pets that are extremely underestimated. Here is a brief
outline of their care...
Housing
Rats have similiar housing requirements to other rodents, except
for their size. Rats grow to be quite large, and therefore require
large cages. Retail hamster cages are generally much too small.
Recently, there have been rat cages for sale. They are made of wire
mesh, but are much larger than many other rodent cages. They also
have small built in shelfs and ramps, which allow climbing behavior.
Wood shavings are usually the best substrate for rats, but it would
be best to avoid any cedar shavings, or shavings that have been
scented, as these have been linked to respiratory problems.
Rats have continually growing teeth, which means that they need
things to chew. In terms of toys, things like toilet paper tubes,
old cereal boxes, wooden blocks, and safe tree branches would be
the best. Most rodent wheels are too small for rats, and their large
tails sometimes get caught in the spokes.
Feeding
Rats eat similiar foods to other rodents also. A good
diet would consist of a good seed mix (avoid mixes that are 99%
sunflower seeds), some timothy hay (very nutritious for most rodents),
and small amounts of safe vegetables and fruits (such as apple,
carrot, broccoli.) Be careful to only feed vegetables and fruits
in moderation, as they can cause diahrrea.
Other Considerations
Rats are generally social animals, and can be kept
in small groups of two or three. Be careful not to mix males with
females, as breeding will result. Rats should be kept in cages with
secure doors to prevent escape. Generally rats are very handleable
animals, which are easy to tame and train. Some have even learned
to do tricks. If you have any animals which may conflict with rats,
be sure to use extra precautions (ie cats.) Rats will also attack
and possibly kill birds, so be careful.
Resources
Below are several links to rat care:
American Fancy Rat
and Mouse Association
Pet Rats Canada
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