Before you Adopt a Rat - Sarah Spenser

Fantastic pets – of all the “small” pets they are generally about the friendliest – often seeking their owner out for company and interaction. They like to play and they need a lot of room. You need to keep them in groups of at least 2 as they are social creatures. Your main considerations will be:

Environment – rats will need as big a cage as possible – I’m currently waiting for the Tommy 102 T3 to come in stock on zooplus.co.uk – it is 102 cm long, 53 cm wide and 156 cm high (it has 3 levels). This is the roomiest cage I could find and there are smaller ones on the market that would probably suffice but I say you should get the best you can afford and I’ve seen cages much smaller for more money! Rats need things to climb and snuggle in so provide plenty of ramps and ladders in the cage along with hammocks, boxes filled with bedding, bundles of old fleece material etc for them to snuggle in and play with. they need to chew to keep their teeth from over growing so provide them with gnaw sticks, nuts in their shells etc for this purpose (you can even use those little nyla-bone things designed for dogs!). rats need to be kept at a fairly even temperature, they can cope with colder conditions better than they can warm conditions and they can very quickly over-heat so do not place them in an area that will get very warm, ie a conservatory.

Environment Enrichment – as mentioned above, rats like to climb and burrow so providing them with toys and ladders to climb along with other items such as the sleeve from an old jumper or a pair of child’s trousers are great. Provide them with cardboard boxes filled with bedding to chew on and burrow into, tubes, balls, willow tunnels etc. are all appreciated. Some rats will use a wheel (make sure it is plenty big enough!) but normally only if they are introduced to it at a young age.

Expense – the main expense will be the purchase of the cage and the toys and accessories you buy to go in the cage, although a lot of toys and cage accessories can be sourced from around the house or charity shops.

Feeding – rat nuggets plus a small amount of rat muesli and dried dog food is a good staple diet, supplement this with a small amount of fresh food daily too – I basically give my boys a little bit of what I have for my dinner! Do not feed them spicy foods. Also, rats have a sweet tooth so best avoid sweets and chocolate unless you want a very plump rat on your hands! Also, raw sprouts are not very good for them apparently!

You should also consider whether you would like to get male or female rats. The females tend to be slightly smaller and a lot more alert and inquisitive than the males, they rush around a lot more and are less likely to just want to sit and have a cuddle – great fun to watch and play with though. The males are bigger and a lot more laid back. Both mark the “territory” with urine but this can be greatly diminished in males by neutering, however in females it is unlikely that you will be able to stop the marking.

Things to get BEFORE bringing a rat into your home

Cage
Cage accessories      ramps, tunnels, shelves, hammocks, bed, toys, litter tray, chew toys etc.
Food bowl    heavy ceramic dishes are best as these cannot be chewed or tipped over – one for hard food such as their pellets and mix and one for fresh foods.
Water bottle    better than a bowl as a bowl can be tipped over and the water will soon become soiled with food and bits of bedding – depending on the size of your cage you may prefer to add more than one bottle, ie if the cage is multi level then have a bottle on each level
Bedding Material    I find shredded paper from my shredding machine at home is ideal for the base of the cage. I use the shredded paper stuff you get in the pet shop for bedding – it is in long strands and feels soft. Avoid using the cotton wool type bedding as this can be bad for your hamster – also, wood shavings are not ideal and some can cause respitory problems in small animals.
Food    Good quality rat pellets / nuggets plus a good quality rat muesli and dried dog biscuits supplemented daily with fresh fruit, veg and meat (a little of whatever you are eating for dinner is usually appreciated!)

Most rescue centres will not home check for a rat, they may however ask to see the cage that you intend to keep the animal in so take it along to the centre when you visit.