# Pet Rats Anyone?



## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

I know this is such a long shot... But does anyone have or had pet rats? I'm looking into getting some in the next month or so. My best friend has a pair and I'm super familiar with their care but if anyone has any tips or anything I would much appreciate it.


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## pftrex (Feb 27, 2015)

I've had pet rats a few times in my life, and I absolutely love them! They're really sweet, intelligent, social animals. If I didn't have cats right now, I'd have rats again 

The most important things I can tell you about their care is:
1) They're very social. Buy at least two so they can interact and keep each other company.
2) Let them exercise. I let my rats out daily for about 30-45 minutes and supervised them. They'll chew on cords and wires, so keep a close eye on them!
3) Feed them fresh fruits and veggies! On top of their daily dry mix, you can feed them small bits of fresh carrots, lettuce, apple, etc. They're very healthy little creatures.

My little ones also LOVED having a hanging hammock in their cage. They snuggled in it all the time.

PM me if you have any other questions.


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## kittenfish (Dec 1, 2013)

I have four girl rats. They're great pets! I have them in a Critter Nation single level cage and feed Oxbow regal rat. For treats, they love all sorts of fruits and veggies, yogurt, baby food, and low-sugar cereals. They have very sensitive noses so I use fleece to line the cage and paper pellet litter only in the litter boxes. They are very active at night and I would not recommend keeping the cage in your bedroom. It is 2:30 AM right now and my girls are going nuts behind me.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

kittenfish said:


> I have four girl rats. They're great pets! I have them in a Critter Nation single level cage and feed Oxbow regal rat. For treats, they love all sorts of fruits and veggies, yogurt, baby food, and low-sugar cereals. They have very sensitive noses so I use fleece to line the cage and paper pellet litter only in the litter boxes. They are very active at night and I would not recommend keeping the cage in your bedroom. It is 2:30 AM right now and my girls are going nuts behind me.


they sound adorable 

hahaha unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I live in a one room apartment. It is a large room but it is still one room so the cage would be in my "bedroom". I don't mind though honestly. I need a little noise when I fall asleep.


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## scampers4010 (Apr 19, 2015)

pftrex said:


> I've had pet rats a few times in my life, and I absolutely love them! They're really sweet, intelligent, social animals. If I didn't have cats right now, I'd have rats again
> 
> The most important things I can tell you about their care is:
> 1) They're very social. Buy at least two so they can interact and keep each other company.
> ...


This is about spot on. Another thing to kind in mind with rats is that you should NEVER underestimate them. Rats are REALLY smart. When I used to have some, they figured out how to open their cage. Make sure you're careful about that.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

I am very aware of how intelligent they are. As I said above, my best friend has rats. I babysit them when she goes out of town (which is usually for at least a month) and I spend a lot of time with her rats. I love how intelligent they are actually. 

also if anyone has any links or ideas to find a cage fairly cheaply that would great. I am checking craigslist (thats where my best friend found her cage). I want one that is big enough for two rats and then some. Space isn't a concern right now. I will find space for the cage in my apartment. Id rather they have a good cage. I work more of a 9-5 schedule so I want their cage to be comfortable for them during the day. Once I get home I will gladly let them out to explore and play in my apartment.


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

My ratgirls found a way to open their cage. They could open anything that could slide, lift, or twist. I eventually had to duct tape the parts together and put a teeny lock on the cage door. o_0


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

awwwww babies <3

I'm sure they will figure it out eventually. I'll just be sure to keep an eye on them. I like the cage my best friend has. You have to push down one part while pulling up on another at the same time to get the cage door to open.


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

If I'm not mistaken, rats need about as much space as a ferret. I bought wisp's cage at tractor supply for $35 and just made the various levels myself. It's actually just a plain wire rabbit cage that's 30x24x36 so it's pretty big. You can buy the extra stuff that goes with it, but like I said, I just made everything. All total, with accessories and all, I spent like 40 bucks. It's very sturdy, but I just added extra wire around the sides just for my assurance that there would be no way she could squeeze her way through.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

yes I know how much space they need. $35 sounds reasonable. I'll of course look out for better deals.


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to imply that you didn't know. I don't know. So I wasn't sure. In my area, I unfortunately wasn't able to find anything to beat that because everyone here was selling rusted broken bs cages for over 100. And all my pet stores here had for under 100 was way to tiny for a freaking hamster. But I'm sure that you may have better selection. Plus you have some extra time, unlike I did.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

yeah that's the main problem in my area. the cages are super expensive. my best friend was able to find a cage for free on Craigslist, so I'm going to try there.


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## Littlefin (Oct 18, 2014)

I don't have a rat, nor am i planning to get one soon, however pet rats sound pawsome!  
(PAWsome.. get it?) 
It's a shame that so many people think that rats are disgusting little creatures and never show interest in pet rats. Pet rats aren't the same as sewer rats..


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## Axeria (Feb 6, 2015)

Ooh! Rats are one of my favorite animals! I have had many and every one where very dear to me. I kept rats for 7 years and bred for tree of them before I had to give it up. Lol I had 21 rats one time, 5 males 5 females and 11 kits. It took up my whole day but I loved it! 

I can recomend the Royal Suite cage from Savic! I had two of them and they made putting accesories in, cleaning and bedding shifts really easy! Its really big and a great cage for rats. You also get custom cage sets designed for those cages in adorable or cool patterns . Rats loves hammocks so I would invest in or make some good ones for your babies 

You have gotten much good info but I would like to stress the fact that rats have many health issues. Tumors and respitory problems are the majore ones so buy from a breeder with good healthy parent animals and find a vet knowlegable in treating rats 

I have thought about getting rats again after having to stop 3 yrs ago, but dont have the space for my remaining Royal suite and would have to buy a new smaller cage. I wish you all the luck in the world with your little fuzzies! Rats are amazing animals I know you wil have tons of fun with yours!


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## livenatso (Mar 1, 2015)

sadly I haven't had rats since me and my boyfriend broke up but one of the things I found most important is researching good food brands since a lot of pet store food that says "for rats" contain lots of stuff they shouldn't be eating (alfalfa, dried corn etc). Oxbow though pricey is worth the money. If you can get a cage with doors that open wide like a critter nation it makes life so much easier than trying to maneuver through a tiny hole in the side of the cage. When we first got the babies a lot of the info I got was from the wonderful community over at ratforum dot com


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

I kept some of my rats in a converted aquarium. If I were to do it again, I'd use a 20 gallon tall with a wire mesh lid, and make a multi-level habitat on the inside with bits of this and that.. large hamster tubes, bedding, a big wheel, and whatever else I thought they'd find appealing.

Extra care needs to be taken to keep the bedding clean and the tank well-ventilated, but it worked pretty well before, and would be a heck of a lot cheaper than any of the nonsense "habitats" that the pet stores sell.


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## MCW (Oct 13, 2013)

hrutan said:


> I kept some of my rats in a converted aquarium. If I were to do it again, I'd use a 20 gallon tall with a wire mesh lid, and make a multi-level habitat on the inside with bits of this and that.. large hamster tubes, bedding, a big wheel, and whatever else I thought they'd find appealing.



You can also buy a tank topper which is bascially a multi-level cage that sits on top of the tank: http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/toppers/

Rats don't need routine vet care but have the name and phone number of a vet and nearest vet ER available if your rat gets sick or has an emergency. Here's the AEMV's vet finder page: http://www.aemv.org/index.php/members/vet-locator A regular cat / dog vet may also treat small animals but the care is usually limited as these vets may not be very familar with small animals.


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## Lumenite (Apr 13, 2015)

I have also had a few pet rats. They are awesome! As always just know they poop quite a bit but you can also train them to go in a designated spot which is pretty neat. 

I had a hairless pet rat and a dumbo. Unfortunately Alice, the hairless one got a mammary tumor which I got surgery for but came back later. The hairless ones have a tendency to be prone to tumors but she lived a pretty long happy life. The dumbo lived to his full expectancy and happy. I will say it's pretty crazy how they can seem to age overnight. 

Anyways! They are very curious little guys and so full of energy!


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## Synapse (May 10, 2015)

I've owned a couple. They're intelligent and social animals. 2+ is best. Adequate space per rat is about 2 x 2 x 2 feet, plus. No less than 18" across and do some research on cages. Critter Nations are best in my own personal opinion and are good for the price. They house 3 - 4 rats per size (there's a double unit that can hold 8 - 12 rats).


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

Thanks everyone!

I will definitely be getting a cage over an aquarium. From all the research I've done, many sites say to not use an aquarium. 

I'll look into the Critter Nations cages. I've heard good things for a bunch of people about their cages. 

I'll only be getting two rats. I am planning to adopt them and I will be adopting a bonded pair for sure.


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## chipsahoy (May 10, 2015)

I have two female rats and I absolutely love them! I'd highly recommend them as pets


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## Synapse (May 10, 2015)

Then you could (likely) get away with a smaller cage, but if it's not much less it may be worth buying this cage in case you want to give them a lot more room in the future, ect. They last a long time, as well. I have not owned one myself, but know people who do-- and ferret nations. They're worth the money in my opinion, and for 2 females they'd be the happiest little critters.
Rats are super active. They love to climb and burrow and climb, so more is better for these guys. x)


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

Yes I agree that more is better. I am going to get the biggest cage I can. Since I'm not pressured for time, I will be looking on craigslist and a few other places to see if I can get a cage for low cost or free. I do live in NYC and someone has to be looking to get rid of a cage for rats.


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## kittenfish (Dec 1, 2013)

Before I bought my critter nation I made a DIY cage out of wire mesh for about $40. It was nice to be able to customize the dimensions but really hard to secure the doors since the wire mesh is flexible and they were always finding ways to squeeze through. I went on vacation once for a few days and came home to a loose rat, even though all of the doors were still closed. When I moved I wasn't able to bring the cage with me, so I decided to make my life easier and spend the ~$130 on the critter nation. Totally worth it. The doors are impossible for a rat to open and it's so easy to clean. Plus it allowed me to go from two rats to four


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

I actually was just able to find a cage on craigslist and emailed the seller. The cage is technically a bird cage but it will work for rats. The doors are very secure and the cage is in great condition. The seller actually lives about 10 blocks from my apartment too so it would not be a big deal to pick up. The cage retails for $130 and the seller is selling it for $50. Hopefully it is still available and the seller agrees to sell it to me.


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## Synapse (May 10, 2015)

VivianKJean said:


> I actually was just able to find a cage on craigslist and emailed the seller. The cage is technically a bird cage but it will work for rats. The doors are very secure and the cage is in great condition. The seller actually lives about 10 blocks from my apartment too so it would not be a big deal to pick up. The cage retails for $130 and the seller is selling it for $50. Hopefully it is still available and the seller agrees to sell it to me.


I've done that. Works the same, right. As long as you're handy. Re-use old clothes and stuff.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

I talked to the seller and she agreed to sell it to me. I told her I was planning to use it for rats and she said that she actually kept rats in the cage at one point and they loved it! She is a elementary school teacher and she ended up taking home two rats that a classroom had because they were getting bad care and putting them in that cage. She said they never managed to get out of the cage either.


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## Synapse (May 10, 2015)

kittenfish said:


> I have four girl rats. They're great pets! I have them in a Critter Nation single level cage and feed Oxbow regal rat. For treats, they love all sorts of fruits and veggies, yogurt, baby food, and low-sugar cereals. They have very sensitive noses so I use fleece to line the cage and paper pellet litter only in the litter boxes. They are very active at night and I would not recommend keeping the cage in your bedroom. It is 2:30 AM right now and my girls are going nuts behind me.


Fleece + potty training = GOLDEN.


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