"I'm Feeling Overwhelmed": A Quick Guide to Rat Care
When you venture into the world of care for any species, the sheer amount of information and available options can be overwhelming. This guide will act as a whistle-stop tour of rat care to give you all of the essentials that you need as succinctly as possible so that your brain doesn't fry! Everyone has their own personal preferences and these evolve over time, so take the time to research various options as time goes on.
Step 1: Cage, Substrate, Litter and Bedding
If you want the option to expand the size of the cage in the future, purchase a single Little Zoo Venturer. If you only intend on having rats short-term or a small group, order a Coco Large and take out the wooden levels.
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If you've ordered the Coco Large, purchase a litter tray or two. If you've ordered the Little Zoo Venturer, just use one of the shelves as a litter tray. Fill these with breeder celect cat litter.
Purchase a bale of ecobale, bedmax or snowflake supreme from a local horse shop or online.
Use shredded newspaper, packing paper and/or half-used kitchen/toilet rolls for bedding. Hang these from the top of the cage with some natural string for added enrichment.
Step 2: Cage Contents
Purchase 2 Ikea tie holders, ropes from rat rations and/or B&M, ledges from Amazon or Pets at Home, and perhaps a foldable wine rack from Amazon along with some cable ties. Purchase a few hammocks (ideally 2 single, 2 double) from Amazon or a small business such as Cosy Beds and Burrows. Purchase shower hooks to hang the items. Also purchase 2 Medium water bottles.
Make a series of toys using natural string, egg boxes and toilet/kitchen rolls. Purchase toys from Rat Rations, Minipets and/or other small businesses such as A Rat's Tail.
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Step 3: Food
Feed 15-20g per rat per day (adjust according to sex and body condition) of Rat Mix No. 11 from Rat Rations once a day. If your rats are younger than 14 weeks old, feed 2-3 wet meals (eg. tinned sardines in tomatoes, porridge, scrambled egg) with CaCuD3 supplements, which can also be ordered from Rat Rations.
If your delivery hasn't arrived in time, grab a bag of science selective as it's the best of a bad bunch of nuggets/mueslis that are available in pet stores and is fine for short-term use.
Feed small portions (ie. the size of your fingernail) of vegetables as and when, and fruit rarely. Here is a list of safe fruits and vegetables: http://www.isamurats.co.uk/vegetables-and-fruits.html
Step 4: Find Some Rats
Rats travel well, so determine how far you'd be willing to travel. Look for rescues within this radius.
Look on the NFRS Breeders List and research breeders that you are interested in. Get in touch with a few breeders, as waiting times for rats are variable. Avoid websites such as pets4homes and gumtree as these websites are full of backyard breeders. In short, not all NFRS-registered breeders are good, but all good breeders are NFRS-registered. Also avoid pet shops as the rats are either sourced from rodent mills or backyard breeders.
Step 5: Find a Vet
Make a list of vets in your area. Contact these vets and ask them:
"How often do you see rats?" - if they don't see rats very often, ask them for recommendations of vets who do.
"Do you only prescribe baytril antibiotics-wise for rats?" or "Would you prescribe doxycycline for rats?" - if they're not willing to prescribe anything but baytril due to licensing, avoid them. You'll waste a lot of time, money and rat wellbeing with this kind of vet.
Once you've found a vet that you're happy with, register your new rats.
Step 6: Basic Care
When you first bring your rats home, you may want to use treats such as malt paste and/or cheesy pasta baby food to build a relationship.
Feed them once daily and check their water.
Handle your rats either by letting them climb onto you, scooping them up or picking them up under their arms. You can free-roam your rats in a secure room/on a sofa, or purchase a playpen. Start with a smaller space first so it is less overwhelming for them.
Health check your rats regularly, either while handling or through purposeful checks. Check their body for lumps, bumps and/or cuts. Ensure that their eyes are bright and that one isn't bulging more than the other. Keep an eye out for any limping, uncoordinated movement and any consistently noisy breathing. Monitor any porphyrin (red secretion around eyes and nose). Get an idea of what is normal and note anything that is outside of the ordinary.