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Rat Cage Checklist

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Water bottle: It is very important that your rat has a water bottle. Or at least a water source. From my experience a water bottle is much better than a bowl because my rats will tip over the bowl and put food in it making their water dirty. It is also suggested that their water is poured out and refilled everyday to keep it as safe and refreshing as possible. Food bowl: Food bowls are just as important as water. they should always have enough food in them to be eating throughout each day. Rats like to graze rather than having a few large meals. Unlike some pets you do not set out a dish of food and expect them to be done with  it in 5 minutes. You set out a bowl of food and should expect to top it off later in the day. Bedding: Paper bedding or fleece bedding are some of the best for critter cages. I personally started with paper bedding and migrated to fleece after I realized how much easier it was to clean their cage without all the little paper pieces. The bedding, or dirty ...
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Am I too young?!

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  A Little Introduction One issue I have run into is the fact that I am not an expert. It’s true that I’m not a vet or that I haven’t owned rats my whole life, but I have done lots of research. I have owned my rats for the last 8 months and they are living happy healthy lives. There have been ups and downs in those 8 months though. One of the best moments was when they let me walk around with them on my shoulder. One of the worst moments was when I got home from a trip and found half of my curtain demolished. All this to say it’s been a learning curve. Trial and error has been my friend. I have learned so much along the way about being a rat owner. I’m here so you can learn from my mistakes and successes.  In the Beginning When I first got my rats it took awhile to figure out how I wanted their cage to be set up. The first thing I ended up changing was my rats bedding. I started my cage off with some paper rat bedding. It became increasingly difficult to clean their cage. I di...
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How to Learn About Your Rats

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  How to Learn About Your Rats -Quirks and Personality Rats like most pets have distinct personalities. Figuring out their quirks will be helpful in training and playing with them. For example one of my rats likes to run around and jump on my hand while I clean their cage. For my rat (Scabbers) that likes to chase my hand I make a point of playing with her while I clean the cage. Learning that she likes to chase my hand helped me realize she is more interested in rough play than her sister. Her sister (Remi) likes to run around and inspect their little hutches after I return them to the cage. This has helped me learn that she is the more adventurous of my two rats. When I first got my rats I noticed how they acted. Remi would come out of her little corner and sniff my hand but Scabbers would stay and watch. Occasionally Scabbers would follow Remi but only rarely. It was obvious almost immediately that Remi was more adventurous. She is the leader most of the time too. Surprisingly S...
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What Can I Train My Rat to Do?

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 Simple Tricks Responding to name - use your pets name often, whenever you hold then and give them affection. When you walk over to their cage and they come to the door use their name in a greeting and give them a treat. When you start to train your rat to respond to their name give them treats when the react to the name. Standing on back legs when commanded- say stand and lift your hand up with rat treats only just out of reach of your rat. They will stand on their hind legs to try and reach the treat. At that point give them the treat. Then when your rat is accustomed to this try it without a treat. Then start saying "stand" without the hand motion. Litter training- Find the corner of the cage where your rats tend to go to the bathroom. Now put a small rodent litter box with rodent litter inside. Multiple times a day pick up the pieces they have left around the cage and place it back in the litter box. At the end of the day empty it and put one or two pieces of poop in the...
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How to Bond With Your New Rat

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Forming Trust When you first bring your pets home put them in their cage and give them some time to wrest. Once they seem more adjusted open the cage and reach your hand in, lay it down on the bottom of the cage and stay still. This will help your rats learn that you aren't dangerous, and that the large hands entering their cage won't hurt them. If your rats don't come to your hand and investigate put some treats on them and wait. If they still show no interest leave the treats in the cage and give them more time to settle in.  Continued Bonding There is a concept called pocket time that is a time when you hold your rat. They might be comfortable in little pockets in a jacket if you are wearing one. It is simply a time when your rat is somewhere near you and in contact with you. This will let them get comfortable with you as a whole. Holding them close to your body so they can feel your warmth and feel stable is a good technique.  Bonding Through the Cage If you want to spe...
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What Food to Buy Your Rat

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A Little Background When I first got my rats I walked around the isles of PetSmart looking at all the different kinds of rodent food. I personally picked out my rat cage and then noticed it had a "sample" bag of food inside. I decided that would be enough and I went looking for rat toys. Luckily the "sample" food that came with the cage was the same food that PetSmart had been feeding my rats so there didn't need to be an integration of old to new food. The sample lasted for about 2 weeks. I have continued to buy that brand since. In addition to my rats everyday food, I have also given them treats that I bought at PetSmart.  General Information Rats will eat almost anything, but it is important that they have specialized rat food. This can be bought at PetSmart or online. Rats enjoy treats like strawberries, Cheerios, and vegetables, all in small portions as to not overfeed them.  Changing Food When it comes to integrating foods to switch your pet rat from one f...
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Reasons Rats are Great Pets

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  Reasons Rats are Great Pets These are just a few of the reasons why rats are good pets.           1. Training One of the coolest things to do with a pet rat is training him or her. One basic training activity to start off with your rat is litter training. Rats can also learn to do simple fun tasks such as putting a paper ball in a hoop. Since they can be litter  trained that eliminates some of the cage clean up.  Hygiene Rats clean themselves much like cats but way more frequently. Whenever they feel that their natural scent is being threatened they clean themselves.  Rats Cleaning Habits Rats keep themselves clean and can keep their own cages relatively clean. Rats are clean animals. When they are litter trained it also eliminates a lot of the cleanup an owner would have to do otherwise. Feeding and Bonding Rats are smart just like dogs. They become rather attached to their owners and recognize them. Rats are easy to take care of to...
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