# Advice on getting a rat



## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

I'm thinking of getting a rat or 2?
I had some when i was younger and i loved them to death, although i ended up with babies! 
When i bought them from a petshop, i was told 2 females. Imagine my shock a few months later! 

Anyway, i don't want that to happen again. Is there a noticable difference between male and female? I don't want to risk getting 2 males and them hurting each other or worse. And i don't want babies because i'll not want to part with them. 
Any tips would be great.


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## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

defo get 2 or more rats as they are very sociable animals and need to be kept in groups. I have 3 males, brothers, and they have the occasional squabble but no major fights and they have never hurt each other. 

The main differences between males and females are that the females tend to be smaller and more active then the males (typical lazy males!).


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## alyson (Apr 10, 2010)

Please get 2 or more, one on it's own will be very lonely and besides a little group playing is wonderful to watch. Also try and get your rats from a rescue or breeder rather than a pet shop, they will be handled well and be alot more sociable and NOT 'factory farmed'


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

i've always had rats right from 13yrs of age,i'm now 27yrs old.
of course when i first got mine i wasn't aware rats need company of there own kind 

so as everyone else has suggested u really should get 2 or more.
i have 4 males living together and only 2 are brothers.

i started out taking on a lone rat a few wks ago,he'd been kept in a hamster cage and fed guinea pig food.he still is very underweight and bitey with me,thanks to the previous owners!:cursing:

then i took on another lone male rat and introduced him and the 1st rat which went very well.

i then decieded to get a couple of male babies so i got 2 dumbo rats and introduced them and now all 4 live happily together.
yes they do playfight and pin each other down,thats what rats do!
two are 4 months old one is 1yr old and the 14months old.

you would know if they really ment it as there'd be blood drawn.

i prefer males to females as males are lazier as they get older and are more likely to sit with u than scamper off exploring.though my 4 month old boys like to explore at the minute.

here are some links to a decent size rat cage
Rat Cages : Savic Freddy 2 Rat Cage FREE DELIVERY : www.EquineCanineFeline.com the place to buy all your Pet Products, Horse Products and Pet Supplies online

Rat Cages : Savic Freddy 2 MAX Navy Blue Rat Cage FREE DELIVERY : www.EquineCanineFeline.com the place to buy all your Pet Products, Horse Products and Pet Supplies online

Rat Cages : Abode Large Metal Rat Cage by Liberta *FREE DELIVERY* : www.EquineCanineFeline.com the place to buy all your Pet Products, Horse Products and Pet Supplies online

Ferplast Jenny KD Rodent Cage - Cage ONLY

Ferplast Furet Plus Ferret Cage

bedding- you should use either cardboard squares like from here as this is where i get mine and it lasts me about 3 months
ECOBED CARDBOARD BEDDING (22 KG)

or this which u can get from pet shops
Bio-Catolet

shredded newspaper is also good as i use this aswell for bedding down on.

some use carefresh but it can be quite dusty.

shavings and sawdust are a huge no no as its not good for rats respiratory systems and can cause them to suffer with resp problems such as difficulty breathing.

rats also like a varied diet of a good rat mix along with dry dog food mixed in this can be burns dog food or james wellbeloved,i use arden grange as this is what i feed my dog.
rats also love dry pasta,hemp seeds,sunflower seeds,porridge oats,rice cakes,shredded wheat,choc and yoggie drops as treats,cooked foods as long as its not spicey!
mine get a bit of cooked dinner at night with us.
they also love fresh veg and fruit,mine get some chopped up pieces 4 times a week.

they love coming out for free range time in the eveing,i let mine out in the hallway.
don't use rat balls,whoever invented them need slapping.
rats love to jump climb and sniff something they can't do when stuck in them horrid balls.

also tanks are another no no as urine builds up and there's no ventilation,plus they can't climb.

rats love hammocks and shelves in there cages the more hammocks the merrier.
here is some excellent rat hammocks sites to buy from.
bettysbeds

Hammocky Hammocks - Hand Crafted Luxury For Your Pet

Fuzzbutt Cage Comforts - Funky handmade robust squishy rat hammocks, chinchilla hammocks and unique cage furniture. Come on in and Fuzzify your cage!!

Ratty Corner

i hope this has answered some of your questions.
amy


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## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

blade100 said:


> rats also like a varied diet of a good rat mix along with dry dog food mixed in this can be burns dog food or james wellbeloved,i use arden grange as this is what i feed my dog.
> rats also love dry pasta,hemp seeds,sunflower seeds,porridge oats,rice cakes,shredded wheat,choc and yoggie drops as treats,cooked foods as long as its not spicey!
> mine get a bit of cooked dinner at night with us.
> they also love fresh veg and fruit,mine get some chopped up pieces 4 times a week.


I buy my rat food from ratRations.com, Rat food, base mixes and herbs Its a great website - pretty much all the food on there that you would ever want for rats (minus the fresh fruit and veg) and they do several pre mixed mixes to save the hassle of ordering all the individual parts. Also do supplements and toys.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Rep for you Blade100, as you have saved me a lot of typing & link searching
There are numerous rescues around the country that have rats & the NFRS have a list of registered breeders & studs here
There are also a couple more shops worth a mention, where we get a lot of our ratty stuff
ratRations.com, Rat food, base mixes and herbs
The Rat Warehouse
& a few more hammock shops, I don't stick with just one, as they all offer so much choice & I don't have much willpower
Rattie Angels - Home
SnuggleFuzzies Home
RatPad Hammocks | Rat Hammocks


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

yeh rat rations is a good place to get rat mixes from i forgot to put that link on here.

thanks for the reps peeps 
i have all them sort of places bookmarked in as my favourites.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

blade100 said:


> yeh rat rations is a good place to get rat mixes from i forgot to put that link on here.
> 
> thanks for the reps peeps
> i have all them sort of places bookmarked in as my favourites.


So do I, I even have them bookmarked into 'rat shops' 'dog shops' 'cat shops' & 'rabbit shops' with other specific subcategories in these:blush2:


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

how very organized u are!


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## Argent (Oct 18, 2009)

Just wanted to note, male rats are not like say, male guinea pigs for example. I have a group of 4 brothers who snuggle way more and way fight less than my 4 girls! It is rare for males to have to be separated because of fighting, rare for any rats to have to be separated for too long really unless there's a hormonal issue that can be dealt with.


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## Vicampo (Aug 28, 2011)

Just pretty much echoing what everyone else has said, definitely get 2 at least although if you're like me you won't stop there lol. I used to feed mine Mr Johnsons rabbit food, in the light green bag, but after them looking great on it for a while I found they lost condition. I'm now trialling Pets at Home rabbit muesli and so far they look ok. I also throw in chicken legs or liver once a week for protein. They also get left overs from our dinner some nights. 

I've used all sorts of substrate and now I'm using woodshavings (from a horsey shop as a big bale costs about £7). I know a fair few other breeders who use shavings as well with no ill effects. Note I use shavings and not sawdust!

If you want breeder rats have a look at the NFRS website, or see if there is a local rat club to you. Where are you based? You should come along to a show and meet some like minded folk


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

shavings can still be bad for rats respiratory systems!

are these the ones u use?as these aren't as bad as normal shavings.
BEDMAX WOODSHAVINGS 20KG

i get a 20kg bale of cardboard squares for £6.80
ECOBED CARDBOARD BEDDING (22 KG)


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## Vicampo (Aug 28, 2011)

I really don't want to get into the great shavings debate  As I say I know people who have used it for a long time and have had no problems. Ive not had one sneeze since I started using it and it keeps the smell down better than anything else I used before. 

Obviously should I find any problems with shavings I will stop using it and maybe go back to Hemcore.


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## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

The most i could get is 2. And that was a battle to get my OH and landlord to agree. 

The 2 i had the male was deffo more friendly than the female, after she had the babies she didnt like to be touched. And was funny with busby aswell. Smudge (female) never really liked being in big spaces from the go, she was okish if she was on my knee but if i put her on the floor or sofa she would run back to her cage. 

busby on the other hand didnt care where he was as long as he didnt have to move far! He was very lazy! And followed me all over, he never got on with other male rats tho. So he was always with smudge but when she died he didnt seem bothered. Maybe because he didnt live in his cage all the time. 

I don't like wood shaving at the best time, i don't like the feel or smell! 

There doesn't seem to be any breeders in york! No one seem'sto be selling rats at the min, other that pet shops, but i've found a small one who say they handle there pets everyday and from what ive seen, the rats are very friendly but the cage i want they won't get in stock till a few weeks time!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

what sort of cage is it your wanting?

2 male baby brothers will be best for you and if you handle and get them out everyday they will become very cuddly.
although for the first few months they will likely want to explore there surroundings,they only really become lazy and squishy at around 9 months onwards.thats my experience with males anyway.


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## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

The rats im looking at are older and already really tame. 
The cage i want is well a cage lol its hard to explain. Its really big and has a few tubes. Failing that one theres another thats the rspca have a few for sale. And they have a couple of rats in so ight put my name down for them when i get a cage


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Is it the Jenny rat cage? That has White coloured tubes with blue bits and has large grey shelves.
See if the rats at the RSPCA have been handled as they could be nippy.
I took on a lone male rat and he is very nippy and bites hard due to his previous owners fomenting him and the fact he was on his own.
He now has ratty friends who he loves but it's just humans he doesnt like much.


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## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

It doesnt say how they are. I dont wanna ask about them if i dont have a suitable cage. No i dont think thats what it was called.
Was called rat delux or something. Its see through red with lime green tubes.


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