Rat care
Diet
Rats need a wholesome diet filled with whole grains,fruit and veg.
The best diet i find for rats is one you make at home, such as a mix of whole grains,raw pasta,cooked rice , cherrios,rolled oats,muslie with fruit sunflower seeds, cat food like supercoat, healthy table scraps,puffed corn,puffed rice,cashews, goji berrys,processed bran,and a good mix of nuts for protin if you dont want to use cat or food dry food and daily serve of fruit and veg, (cooked red meat or chicken weekly), flax seeds,dryed fruit like, coconut, almonds,puffed wheat and corn,porpor, low GI cearal such as wheat biscuits ,weet bixs. also nice treats are unsalted crackers,and dog cookies but to a small amount. They love veggies like carrots,green beans,cauliflower,fruit like apples,bannanas,pears,cherries,peaches, mangos. i also found my rats love salmon and smoked tuna,cucumber is food for them too
Some other wonderful things you can put in your rat home made mixs are
-Dry Dog food (Super coat lite and mature is a good choice)
-Veggeroni pasta
-Cheerios
-Rolled oats
-Puffed rice (NOT rice bubbles as they contain too much added sugar and salt)
-Pepitas
-Puffed corn
-Puffed Wheat
-Processed Bran (Best kind is from the health food aisle)
-Natural Almonds
-Green Split Peas
-Dried goji berries
-Sunflower seeds (Without Shells, to help control mess)
-Puffed Millet
-Buckwheat
-Whole Quinoa
-Rolled Barley
-Soy Protein Grits
-Puffed Kamut
-Cummins rat blocks
-Puffed Amaranth
-Special K Cereal
The best diet i find for rats is one you make at home, such as a mix of whole grains,raw pasta,cooked rice , cherrios,rolled oats,muslie with fruit sunflower seeds, cat food like supercoat, healthy table scraps,puffed corn,puffed rice,cashews, goji berrys,processed bran,and a good mix of nuts for protin if you dont want to use cat or food dry food and daily serve of fruit and veg, (cooked red meat or chicken weekly), flax seeds,dryed fruit like, coconut, almonds,puffed wheat and corn,porpor, low GI cearal such as wheat biscuits ,weet bixs. also nice treats are unsalted crackers,and dog cookies but to a small amount. They love veggies like carrots,green beans,cauliflower,fruit like apples,bannanas,pears,cherries,peaches, mangos. i also found my rats love salmon and smoked tuna,cucumber is food for them too
Some other wonderful things you can put in your rat home made mixs are
-Dry Dog food (Super coat lite and mature is a good choice)
-Veggeroni pasta
-Cheerios
-Rolled oats
-Puffed rice (NOT rice bubbles as they contain too much added sugar and salt)
-Pepitas
-Puffed corn
-Puffed Wheat
-Processed Bran (Best kind is from the health food aisle)
-Natural Almonds
-Green Split Peas
-Dried goji berries
-Sunflower seeds (Without Shells, to help control mess)
-Puffed Millet
-Buckwheat
-Whole Quinoa
-Rolled Barley
-Soy Protein Grits
-Puffed Kamut
-Cummins rat blocks
-Puffed Amaranth
-Special K Cereal
Do not feed to your rats
Raw sweet potato - Contains compounds that form cyanide in the stomach.
Green bananas - Inhibits starch-digesting enzymes.
Green potato skin and eyes - Contain solanine, a toxin.
Wild insects - Can carry internal parasites and diseases.
Raw bulk tofu - Can contain bacteria, packaged raw tofu is safe.
Blue cheese - Contains toxic mould
Poppy Seeds - Can cause neurological damage, or may cause death!
Licorice - Contains a suspected neurotoxin.
Raw red cabbage and brussel sprouts - Contain anti-nutrients that destroys thiamine.
Raw artichokes - Inhibit protein digestion.
Rhubarb - High levels of oxalates which bind up calcium.
Raw onion - Can lead to anemia and an upset stomach.
Green bananas - Inhibits starch-digesting enzymes.
Green potato skin and eyes - Contain solanine, a toxin.
Wild insects - Can carry internal parasites and diseases.
Raw bulk tofu - Can contain bacteria, packaged raw tofu is safe.
Blue cheese - Contains toxic mould
Poppy Seeds - Can cause neurological damage, or may cause death!
Licorice - Contains a suspected neurotoxin.
Raw red cabbage and brussel sprouts - Contain anti-nutrients that destroys thiamine.
Raw artichokes - Inhibit protein digestion.
Rhubarb - High levels of oxalates which bind up calcium.
Raw onion - Can lead to anemia and an upset stomach.
Bedding
The best bedding you can use for your rattie is newspaper and care fresh bedding, or breeders choice cat litter pellets/ Woodshaving,aspen ,cendar is a 100% NO for your rats its very dangerous and destroys there lungs from the oils in the shaving,also straw/hey isnt good for your rats and it can do them more harm and hurt an eye more then help them keep warm.
Play time & Company
Rats thrive on attention, unlike mice rats need alot more time being handled and played with, male rats are more laided back and lazy then females but also need time to play and run around, females on the other hand have alot more energy and need at lest a few hours daily to be patted and free roam.
Rats in genral are not hard to keep there like any cat or dog they need good food, bedding and time with there owner. some tips on giving you rat some exerise is use an old table and cover it with a cloth or newpaper, try placing a roll of newpaper with there fav treats in it and watch then rip into it, or in the hot weather try a shallow bowl of water and use frozen peas, rats love to pea fish, its funny to watch as well.
Rats also need company with there own kind, same sex pairs in groups of two and over, males and females should be only put together when and if you are to breed then, if so research and experience in rat care is a must!.
Rats in genral are not hard to keep there like any cat or dog they need good food, bedding and time with there owner. some tips on giving you rat some exerise is use an old table and cover it with a cloth or newpaper, try placing a roll of newpaper with there fav treats in it and watch then rip into it, or in the hot weather try a shallow bowl of water and use frozen peas, rats love to pea fish, its funny to watch as well.
Rats also need company with there own kind, same sex pairs in groups of two and over, males and females should be only put together when and if you are to breed then, if so research and experience in rat care is a must!.
Cages
Rats need room to run around in thats why when it comes to caging it is best to buy the biggest cage you can afford. Entertainment is also a must for your ratties as they love to explore and chew, useing hamalocks, bird rops and ladders are a great way to keep your rats active and healthy, also chew blocks and seed treats that can be attached to your rats cage is another great way to keep your rats happy, i find that the 2 dollor double pegg holders do wonders for my rats, they love sleeping in them and playfight in them it a great pass time.
Toys and keeping them busy
Cardboard
Cardboard boxes and rolls from paper towels, toilet paper, and other rolls make good toys. Boxes are great for hiding in, though they will often be shredded fairly quickly (but that is fun too). Another great idea is to take a variety of boxes and other items to create a rat playhouse for enjoyment outside of the cage during playtime. You can tape together a bunch of boxes and create a network of rooms connected by doors, ramps, bridges and ladders.
Most rats love shredding paper. Small plain brown paper lunch bags are great for playing in as well as shredding. Crumpled up paper makes a fun, if temporary, ball. Your rats will likely love digging, diving, and hiding in a plastic bin or box filled with crumpled or shredded paper. Paper towels and tissues are also great for shredding, and your rats can make a nice bed out of these too. Also, try wrapping or folding a piece of paper in layers around a favorite treat; shredding and unwrapping the treat will keep your rat busy for a while.
Wood
Wood is good for chewing (and rats need to chew on to keep their teeth in good condition). Make sure wood is untreated, not painted, and non-toxic. Branches from apple or willow trees are good as well (make sure no pesticides have been used).
Nuts
Hard-shelled nuts provide good chewing opportunities as well as a tasty treat inside (use sparingly as many nuts are high in fats).
Digging Box
Most rats love a digging box. Take a small cat litter pan or other shallow plastic box and fill it halfway with plain sterilized potting soil (not treated with any chemicals or fertilizer, and with no additives like vermiculite). Plant some birdseed or wheat grass and water it for a while to let the seeds sprout and grow for a bit, then let your rats go crazy in the box. To minimize the mess, don't water the box for a day or two before offering it to your rats, and place it a bathtub or spread a tablecloth or newspapers around the box to contain the mess. Your rats will love to dig in the soil and snack on the sprouts or unsprouted seeds.
Lazing About
If you are a person wanting a cheap way to construct a alway for the laziest of rats to lounge around , Try some old jeans, cut the legs of a pair of old jean and then cut inbetween leg of the jeans , Get some safety pins and hang it in your rats cages they will love to lay in them and have an afternoon nap, If you dont have an old pair of pants, cheap salvo shops and second hand shops always have jeans for sale for a few dollors.
Cardboard boxes and rolls from paper towels, toilet paper, and other rolls make good toys. Boxes are great for hiding in, though they will often be shredded fairly quickly (but that is fun too). Another great idea is to take a variety of boxes and other items to create a rat playhouse for enjoyment outside of the cage during playtime. You can tape together a bunch of boxes and create a network of rooms connected by doors, ramps, bridges and ladders.
Most rats love shredding paper. Small plain brown paper lunch bags are great for playing in as well as shredding. Crumpled up paper makes a fun, if temporary, ball. Your rats will likely love digging, diving, and hiding in a plastic bin or box filled with crumpled or shredded paper. Paper towels and tissues are also great for shredding, and your rats can make a nice bed out of these too. Also, try wrapping or folding a piece of paper in layers around a favorite treat; shredding and unwrapping the treat will keep your rat busy for a while.
Wood
Wood is good for chewing (and rats need to chew on to keep their teeth in good condition). Make sure wood is untreated, not painted, and non-toxic. Branches from apple or willow trees are good as well (make sure no pesticides have been used).
Nuts
Hard-shelled nuts provide good chewing opportunities as well as a tasty treat inside (use sparingly as many nuts are high in fats).
Digging Box
Most rats love a digging box. Take a small cat litter pan or other shallow plastic box and fill it halfway with plain sterilized potting soil (not treated with any chemicals or fertilizer, and with no additives like vermiculite). Plant some birdseed or wheat grass and water it for a while to let the seeds sprout and grow for a bit, then let your rats go crazy in the box. To minimize the mess, don't water the box for a day or two before offering it to your rats, and place it a bathtub or spread a tablecloth or newspapers around the box to contain the mess. Your rats will love to dig in the soil and snack on the sprouts or unsprouted seeds.
Lazing About
If you are a person wanting a cheap way to construct a alway for the laziest of rats to lounge around , Try some old jeans, cut the legs of a pair of old jean and then cut inbetween leg of the jeans , Get some safety pins and hang it in your rats cages they will love to lay in them and have an afternoon nap, If you dont have an old pair of pants, cheap salvo shops and second hand shops always have jeans for sale for a few dollors.
