# Tips for new rat owner?



## BrackenFlight (Mar 9, 2015)

Hello,

I am very excited as I am picking up my first pet rats on friday - and as a first time owner, i was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on care after bringing them home.
I have done lots of research, but would like to hear from the horses mouth as it were.
Also one question I do have is do you recomend a fleece bedding or substrate? And what kind of cage do you recomend for two males.

(They are dumbo rex rats, super super cute!)


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

BrackenFlight said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am very excited as I am picking up my first pet rats on friday - and as a first time owner, i was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on care after bringing them home.
> I have done lots of research, but would like to hear from the horses mouth as it were.
> ...


 for a cage i would recommend a freddy or furet plus cage, both suitable for 4 rats. 
i would use a substrate as fleece will be eaten. you can buy bales of dust extracted cardboard which is good for bedding. i used to use Finacard. 
set up the cage before you get the rats, and leave them over night. dont keep opening the door unless neccesary.


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## Minnarva (Apr 9, 2016)

BrackenFlight said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am very excited as I am picking up my first pet rats on friday - and as a first time owner, i was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on care after bringing them home.
> I have done lots of research, but would like to hear from the horses mouth as it were.
> ...


Congrats on your first rats! I got my first pair back in March and they are awesome pets.

I have a Savic Freddy 2 Max cage for my 2 boys. I like the cage, but the door is a bit small which makes it sometimes difficult to get to parts of the cage. Another cage that I see people talk a lot about is the Savic Suite Royale, which if I was going to upgrade it would probably be the cage I went for.

Finacard is what I use to line my cage which is just bits of ripped cardboard. I personally wouldn't use fleece as it would probably start to smell pretty quick and I wouldn't want to have to change it every couple of days. Also I think it's nice for the rats to have something to dig around in. But plenty of people get on well with fleece so it's personal preference.

As for other tips, what I did with mine was give them the first day to settle in, the next day I started talking to them and giving them treats from my hand. Then, on the third I just got stuck in and took them out of the cage and stuck them in my dressing gown.

Also:
- Yoghurt as a treat so they have to be with you and eat it rather than snagging a treat and legging it

- Litter trays are great. Keep picking up the poop and put them in there and they'll soon get the hang of it (even better if what you put in the litter tray is different to their usual substrate). Also smooth flat rocks in the litter trays can help encourage them to pee there

- Sensitive baby wipes to wipe down any levels in your cage to keep it from smelling too bad (try not to overclean as they'll over pee to compensate)

- Teaching them their names is always a good thing so when you have them out of the cage they'll come back to you on command

- The RatRations website is an awesome place for food, toys and treats. The postage is quite expensive but if you splurge all in one go it makes it worth it.

That's all I can think of right now haha. Good luck!


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## HellyGottaGetaPet (Jun 25, 2016)

I realize this is kind of UK site and not all brands are the same. I in general use "carefresh" or similar brand for most of my rodents in the past because it's scentless and compostable, never had any problem with the rodentia eating it. It's also easy to clean. This is a type bedding made from recycled paper, it's texture is kind of like when your notes go through the wash and dryer. Most rodents seem to love it, it's fun to dig through for them, easy for them to nest etc. In general don't use any scented wood shaving, it tends to lead to fairly serious respiratory problems.

Rats are very intelligent. They'll be happier with a lot of new an different toys, and some people suggest switching them out so your ratty doesn't get bored. Also, if I recall right, rats are an animal that can recognize themselves in a mirror and some people say they tend to like those and suggest hanging one from the outside of the cage where your rat can see. There's a few tips and advice home wise, as far as cages go I often make my own, just make sure what you get is very spacious and difficult for them to unlatch on their own at first. Sometimes with keeping the same cage even if the latch to the cage door is starting to wear out owners find that their rat becomes more trustworthy and may let themselves out but some reason or another they just put themselves back in to wait for you if you aren't there. Kinda.

Also, you can feed them a lot of fun food that's right in your fridge usually.

When I accidentally bought my Oopsie, already pregnant, Selena she loved veggie omelets and little bits of plain yogurt to keep her strength up after birth. I suggest doing a quick search like "foods rats can and cannot eat" Because supplementing their diets with real food and not just commercial can give them nutrients they might end up lacking that's just not in your bag of stock rat food. It is good to pick a good "stock food" and stick to that brand, and if you are switching them from something other than what the pet store feeds them might want to mix the two together for a bit and switch it out slowly.


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