"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, especially if you've taken on rats through unusual circumstances and had no time to plan. 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.
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For a more detailed guide, see my cage set up and diet articles along with the others on this website.
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, or if you are on a budget, order a Coco Large and take out the wooden levels.​
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If you've ordered the Coco Large and wish to litter train your rats, purchase a litter tray. 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. Another option is to put litter in one section of the cage base; the corners are best as this is where rats tend to favour toileting.
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Purchase a bale of shredded cardboard, 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
Buy 2 Medium water bottles.
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Purchase shower hooks to hang the items, or use cable ties temporarily. Buy ropes from B&Q/rat rations/B&M and zig zag these across the cage. Purchase a few hammocks from a pet shop, amazon, or small business like cosy beds and burrows. Alternatively, you can make hammocks and ropes from old clothes (cut into strips and plait for ropes). Other cheap and space-consuming items include ikea tie holders and foldable wine racks (cable tie wine racks to the side of the cage).
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You can make toys using natural string, egg boxes, toilet/kitchen rolls and more. Some ideas for homemade toys are below. Cardboard boxes also make great nest boxes. If you buy toys and perches from a pet shop, look at the parrot section as these tend to be much better for rats. You can also look at small businesses such as rat rations and minipetz.​​​
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Step 3: Food
Feed 15-25g per rat per day of Rat Mix No. 11 from Rat Rations once a day. Feed on the higher end if they are male, if they are kittens and/or if they are underweight. 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.
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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. relative to the size of your finger) 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
If you have unexpectedly obtained rats or have obtained them from somewhere other than a reputable breeder or rescue, the first thing to do is to sex them. If you are struggling to handle them, coax them up onto the bars to have a look. Below is a diagram showing a doe and unneutered buck. Note that a neutered buck will not have testicles, but will still lack a vulva and have a larger space between the urethra and anus. Rats can reproduce at 5 weeks old, so it is important to keep them in same-sex groups unless one sex is neutered. If they are of mixed sexes, separate them immediately and please see this article for how to safely terminate the pregnancy, or raise a litter if it is too late. If they are very young, then you will need to source same age (and same sex) company for them so that they develop properly socially.
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If you have yet to bring rats home, determine how far you'd be willing to travel. Look for rescues within this radius. Rats travel well, so expand your search radius as wide as you are able. 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.
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 off-licence medication for rats in the first instance?" - 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.
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If you have rescued rats from a bad situation, quarantine for at least 2 weeks. This involves keeping good hygiene and keeping them in a separate from any other rats. If they have been out in the wild, they will need a course of doxycycline as a precaution against leptospirosis (which can cause health issues in humans, so this is very important), ivermectin for external parasites, panacur or an equivalent for internal parasites, and alizin/galastop for does in case of pregnancy.
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.