Basic Rat Info
By Emily of EaglesEye Rattery

Of all the animals I have ever owned rats are my favorites. Rats are playful and very clean. Rats are incredibly smart and social- always begging for attention! This and their small 'compact' size makes rats an excellent companion for anyone seeking a loyal, lovable, intelligent 'pocket' pet.

Rats do best in same sex groups (Unless the opposite gender is spayed or neutered to prevent unwanted litters). Rats need the added companionship of their own kind for grooming, and to have someone there when you can't be. Rats that live in groups tend to live longer, healthier more stress free lives. It is ALWAYS reccemonded to keep rats in atleast a pair.

Finding a Pet Rat

There are many places that you can purchase pet rats. Pet stores often sell them (As pets and as feeders) and there are rescue organizations and shelters that take in and place pet rats. There are also many rat breeders that breed specifically for health and temperament. Depending on your personal preference most people prefer obtaining a rat from either a rescue or from a private breeder.

The advantage of obtaining a rat from a rescue you are giving the rescue more chances to help other animals in need. You are giving an animal a caring home when he or she has probably never had one before (Other then the rescue). The disadvantage of course is the rescue rats often come out of abusive or negligent situations and are many times not well socialized making them unsuitable for children or new rat owners. Just as with any rescue animal an un-socialized rat can, with work become a very loving pet- making all your hard work worth it! Rats obtained from rescues usually have unknown origins and there for the health background of the animals are unknown. Many rat diseases, and aggression problems are genetic and usually shows up after the rat has matured (After 8 months old) which is a concern whenever you adopt a rat of unknown lines.

Obtaining a rat from a pet store- as with any animal should be done with caution. The animals sold in stores are not typically raised by caring people and normally no digression is taken in choosing breeding partners. A pet store is also not going to keep track of it's rats once they are placed... they do not care about the health or temperament of the animals they sell and usually do not care about the care they receive before leaving the store. Feeder rats are bred as food for snakes, birds, and other predatory animals. If you buy a 'feeder' rat you are only encouraging the store to order more hence having the supplier breed more... Just as with buying any animal from a pet store. They will breed to meet supply and demand. You may have saved one rat but what about the 2 more that will take his place next week?

Rat breeders are usually very caring individuals who want the best for the pet rat in a whole and work hard to produce healthy rats with superior temperament. Most breeder raised rats are handled from birth which releases endorphins in the brain, and has proven to help the babies cope with stress and every day situations better when they are older. Most breeders are very knowledgeable about rats and have owned and cared for them for many years. You will want to ask any breeder you consider adopting from as many questions as you can, seek out a reputable and responsible breeder. The goal should be to find a breeder active in the rat community studying and learning as much as they can, who is willing to share their knowledge with you. You should find a breeder that you get along with who cares about the animals and has a vast knowledge of what they they are breeding and offers support by answering any questions you may have throughout the life of your rat. You should talk to the breeder indepth and ask about their breeding facilities. Most reputable ratteries are 'closed' meaning no visiters allowed due to viral, and bacterial health risks ensuring adopters will get a healthy rat with no health bugs!

You want to discuss the health and temperament of the parents of the babies you are considering, and get information on the genetic background of the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles and more to be sure there are no temperament or health problems in the line. Ask about what health issues have occured in the line, and about any temperment issues seen in relatives. Most rat problems have a genetic base so a breeder should research their rats backgrounds indepth. A responsible breeder will keep track of, and know the lines they are breeding well, and be able to tell you a lot about the background of any animals they are breeding.

Rat Health Concerns

Rats tend to be very hardy creatures and some rarely if ever get sick. Of the problems that rats can have respiratory infections and tumors are the most common.

Myco is the most common respiratory illness in rats. All rats have myco- but some are more resistant to it then others. Myco (Mycoplasma bacteria) causes sniffling, stuffiness, and sneezing. Some rats have myco outbreaks often. These are often caused by many reasons including stress, change in environment, allergens, and others. A rat suffering from myco will normally develop poryphin around his nose and eyes. Poryphin is a red liquid that crusts on the rats nose and eyes. Many new rat owners panic when they first see this thinking it is blood. It is only a red pigmentation in the rats mucus and a rat shows the staining during times of stress. Poryphin is not necessarily a sign of myco- but a sign of stress in general.

Tumors are fairly common in rats- esp. females where mammary tumors occur. Spaying has been proven to prevent and/or lessen the chance of a tumor. Most tumors can be removed by a veterinarian, but may return right after removal. Rats also can suffer from other illnesses that affect other animals such as urinary tract infections, etc.

A type of strep that affects humans is deadly to rats so you should avoid handling your rats if you suspect you may be ill. If you catch strep see your veterinarian as soon as possible to seek medical attention for the rats as a precautionary measure.

Rat Care

Rats should never be kept on pine or cedar beddings. Pine and cedar have oils which wreck a small animals respiratory system causing problems. It has been proven that pine and cedar oils also have ill effect on humans and other animals which have constant contact with it. Hard woods like Aspen are OK for rats if you like the convince and price of wood shavings. Paper based beddings such as carefresh and good mews work well. Personally I use hardwood stove pellets which are cheap and work well at controlling odors (Something most paper based beddings don't do). You can get them at almost any hardware or feed store for a very low cost. Make sure they are made of hard wood which is safe for rats and other animals and are all natural. (No additives or chemicals)

Rats cannot live off of mouse, hamster, or other rodent foods. There are special rat foods (Often called 'lab blocks') or many owners and breeders make their own mix such as feeding a base of grains, with lite dog food added (I prefer the nutro lite natural dog food). I feed my rats a mix of human grade mixed grains, nutro lite dog food, black sunflower seeds, dried veggies and small amounts of dried fruit, egg and whole wheat noodles and veggie pastas with roasted (unsalted) soy beans and other dry treats. I also give cooked meat and bones, and often give cooked rice or pasta to them for variety. You should read up on different foods and mixes as there is a lot of debate as to what is the best diet for pet rats. Rats have very similar nutritional needs to humans so following the human nutrition guide is a great start for choosing a diet for your pets. It would be best to do as much research as possible and talk to your Veterinarian about what would be the best diet for your pets.

Rat Biology

Rats live an average of 1-3 years. There are some rats that live as long as 4-5 years but this is fairly uncommon. Many breeders are working to breed longer living healthier strains of rats but this may still be a few years off yet. A male rat is sexually mature at about 5 weeks of age. Females are sexually mature at about 7 weeks. A female rat goes into 'heat' (Is ready to breed) once every 4-5 days. The normal gestation period of a rat is 21 days but births as early as 18 days and as late as 25 days are not unheard of.

Once a doe has given birth she goes into heat again within 48 hours. For this reason you should remove the buck from the does cage before she gives birth. Rats are weaned at about 3 weeks of age and can eat on their own. (In other words the mother if allowed to breed right after giving birth will have her new litter right as the first litter is weaning and this cycle can go on for the breeding life of the doe. It is very unhealthy for the mother and her litters and should never be practiced!) When baby rats (rittens) are born they are pink, tiny and hairless. A darker color or marked baby will begin showing colors and patterns at about 3 days of age. By 1 week of age the baby has fuzz on his body and you can usually tell the color of the babies by then.

Once a ritten opens their eyes at 2 weeks of age they become very curious and playful. They will rough house and play with each other- similar to the way kittens or puppies play. They also already groom them selves and usually defecate in one spot of the cage.