# general rat questions.



## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

My dad turned up tonight with a cage and 2 baby rats... Adorable!!! 
There only 6 weeks though, is that old enough to leave mum?? They are eating and drinking and are generally all over the place playing. 

BUT my dad didn't think and got me a male and a female, and as i don't want loads of babies running around, a trip to the vets for him will be happening! 

I was wondering what the best treats and toys would be for them? 

Also what is she going to look like, she has courser hair than him, and a bit longer and she is half cotton rat or something. (the ones with cotton like long hair) Or a husky rat or something. Is she going to have long hair? He's blue and has short hair and is very soft.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

You need to seperate them now, they can breed at the age they are now . I cant work out from your description what coat type they have, males are usually coarser haired than females but at their age they should both be pretty soft furred, rex coats are pretty soft, they are a sort of wavy coat. Any pics ?


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## Faythy (Nov 15, 2011)

Mind if I tag along for this thread? I've just bought a rat cage, so need the rats lol but I'm after fitting out the cage and buying all the bits and pieces first so your question would help me.

I'd also like to know of any ideas for dust free bedding and where's the cheapest to get it from in peoples opinion. I can't wait til the cage is kitted out but I don't think it'll happen til at least next month. You're soooo lucky having yours now lol.

Oh, also I'm wondering if anyone knows of any breeders/rescue rats available in the Hull area.

I did do a search for 'rat' to find general info but absolutely nothing came up, is the search function not working very well?


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

I used to use Aubiose, its about £9 ish for an enormous bale but I use shredded paper now. Im not sure of breeders or rescues near Hull but hopefully someone will be along soon who might be able to help with that, Spoiled rat runs a rescue and I think Ceretrea also does but Im not sure where either of them are located.


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2011)

blubell said:


> My dad turned up tonight with a cage and 2 baby rats... Adorable!!!
> There only 6 weeks though, is that old enough to leave mum?? They are eating and drinking and are generally all over the place playing.
> 
> BUT my dad didn't think and got me a male and a female, and as i don't want loads of babies running around, a trip to the vets for him will be happening!
> ...


They need to be separated now as TDM said they can breed now which will put a huge strain on your little girl if she were to get pregnant 
Unless you have a rodent savvy vet I would just get them some same sex companions 
I also can't tell what coat type your rats have but any excuse to see pics


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

6 weeks is old enough to leave mum.

They need to be seperated now!! She could already be pregnant. He won't be able to be neutered until he is at least 3 months old, and a lot of people prefer to wait until they're 6 months old. For this reason I would get him another (male) baby to play with. If he doesn't have ratty company until he is neutered then he might become very neurotic and scared. I would wait for 3 weeks, and if the female doesn't have a litter then also get her company. This is for the same reasons as the male. 

At that age I'd want then on a 50% dry food, 50% fresh food diet. I would have the food down in the cage all the time so they can graze on it, and give them fresh food in the evenings. They will need a high protein diet for now, so I would give them things like scrambled eggs and tinned fish (sardines are a fav here), as well as leafy green veg like curly kale. At 12 weeks I move them onto an adult diet to promote slow growth. There is a link between slower growing and longer lifespans. I would get a copy of 'The Scuttling Gourmet' and have a read.

I tend to hand feed bits of the dry mix as treats. You can give them seeds and nuts, as well as things like chocolate and yogurt drops. I don't feed many treats as I like my rats to be slim.

Have a look through the 'Show Your Cages' thread on here for ideas on how to fill your cage. 

What cage do you have? Most pet shop cages sold for rats are far too small, which is why I'm asking.

And long coats can be caused by a lack of protein in the diet. I think we need photos if you want us to guess coat types/ varieties.


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## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

They are seperated, they have a partitioning down the middle of the cage at the min, but it won't last long, couple of days maybe. 
She was in with all females, the woman they got them from had males and females seperate. And they were transported here in seperate boxes, and i got them out 1 by one, realised male and female and put the seperation up.

I can't really get more rats right now, i don't really have the room for another tank/cage my OH is already annoyed that my dad got me them without asking first. My OH has a bit of a phobia going on with them. He thinks there ok, as long as there at the other side of the room and not next to him! 

The cage wasn't bought from a pet shop, it was bought from the woman who they got the rats off, its around 2/3ft long and 1.5ft wide and i'd say 1ft 5 high. 
They are very small at the min, they are half the size of my palm (not inc tail), and have loads of room, going to buy a taller one with more shelves and stuff in a few weeks.

The woman they were got from said we can take her back if we want, she said she didn't realise that my dad was going to give me a male and female. She was under the impression that the females were going to stay together and the males the same.
But i'm not sure i can bring myself to take her back.

I don't have a picture right now, i can't get them to stay still long enough! She is a husky rat, i thought she was crossed with another but i think i got it wrong. I think its him thats crossed, he's blue and super soft.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

U need to get them a same sex friend rats need company of there own kind!
Either that or rehome the female or male and get which ever one a friend.

Plus u don't get crossed bred rats.
They come in many varieties and coat types.
It would help if u took a pic of them so we can see.


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## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

I'm aware they need company. And if one goes back, i'll get another as she breeds them. 

And as i said, i cant get a picture


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

I wouldn't take then back to the pet shop. It's better to rehome them yourself. IMO you need to do this and get the remaining one same sex company from a rescue or a breeder. 

And your cage is too small. A pair of rats need a cage that is at least 50x80x70cm, and babies are a lot more active then adults so they will benifit from a larger cage. The one you've got will do until they're a bit tamer, but after that they will need a bigger cage. I know this isn't your fault as the pet shop sold you an unsuitable cage, I'm just giving you information.


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2011)

If you can't get more rats then the best thing to do is re-home one and get a same sex companion for the one left as neutering really isn't something to take on lightly with rats and in your situation won't help either. 
And I'm sorry but as Snippet said your cage is too small a Ferplast Jenny is great for little ones as it has narrow bar spacing and loads of room for them to ping around


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## Faythy (Nov 15, 2011)

Snippet said:


> I wouldn't take then back to the pet shop. It's better to rehome them yourself. IMO you need to do this and get the remaining one same sex company from a rescue or a breeder.
> 
> And your cage is too small. A pair of rats need a cage that is at least 50x80x70cm, and babies are a lot more active then adults so they will benifit from a larger cage. The one you've got will do until they're a bit tamer, but after that they will need a bigger cage. I know this isn't your fault as the pet shop sold you an unsuitable cage, I'm just giving you information.


According to the fancy-rats calculator, the cage I have (44w x 67d x 59h cm) is suitable for 3 rats with the recommended allowance of 2.0 cubic feet per rat. 

Not that I want 3 rats, 2 is enough for me, but my cage spec is similar to the OP's.


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## Faythy (Nov 15, 2011)

Snippet said:


> I wouldn't take then back to the pet shop. It's better to rehome them yourself. IMO you need to do this and get the remaining one same sex company from a rescue or a breeder.
> 
> And your cage is too small. A pair of rats need a cage that is at least 50x80x70cm, and babies are a lot more active then adults so they will benifit from a larger cage. The one you've got will do until they're a bit tamer, but after that they will need a bigger cage. I know this isn't your fault as the pet shop sold you an unsuitable cage, I'm just giving you information.


According to the Fancyrats cage calculator, the cage I have (similar spec to the op's) will house up to 3 rats. Mine is 68cm L x 44W x 59H. It gives them the recommended space of 2.0cf per rat. Put in the op's spec (going on it being 2.5ft long) and hers comes up as 2 rats.


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2011)

Faythy said:


> According to the Fancyrats cage calculator, the cage I have (similar spec to the op's) will house up to 3 rats. Mine is 68cm L x 44W x 59H. It gives them the recommended space of 2.0cf per rat. Put in the op's spec (going on it being 2.5ft long) and hers comes up as 2 rats.


Personally I have never used one of those calculators lol but I wouldn't go any smaller than a Ferplast Jenny for 2 rats which is 80cm x 50cm x 80cm but the more space you can give them the better  If the op can grab a pic of the age we might be able to make a better judgement but until then I will say it is too small


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

Faythy said:


> According to the Fancyrats cage calculator, the cage I have (similar spec to the op's) will house up to 3 rats. Mine is 68cm L x 44W x 59H. It gives them the recommended space of 2.0cf per rat. Put in the op's spec (going on it being 2.5ft long) and hers comes up as 2 rats.


The cage calculator isn't accurate for smaller cages. Really, you need a cage big enough for 4 rats by that calculator as a minimum.


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## Faythy (Nov 15, 2011)

Hmmm.. might have to consider getting another one anyway as I feel the bars are too far apart at an inch.

Is there any difference between this

and this

apart from the huge difference in price?


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Faythy said:


> Hmmm.. might have to consider getting another one anyway as I feel the bars are too far apart at an inch.
> 
> Is there any difference between this
> 
> ...


Nope, its the same cage, & TBH I have never seen a Jenny that expensive before
This cage is good enough for 2 rats, I have it although it's only used as a spare these days as my rat addiction has kind of encouraged me to buy an Explorer & a Savic Royal Suite for my little darlings


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2011)

Faythy said:


> Hmmm.. might have to consider getting another one anyway as I feel the bars are too far apart at an inch.
> 
> Is there any difference between this
> 
> ...


OMG £223.62 for a Jenny    They are having a laugh right?


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

You can get Jennys for under £40 second hand. TBH, I wouldn't want another as they are horrible. They're a good size, but the access is poor, and the bars are uncoated so they soak up urine causing them to rust and stink.

Some smaller cages that I can think of are the Savic Freddy 2, the Ferplast Furet Plus and the Jenny KD (same size as the old Jenny, but with coated bars and a big door on the front). There are others, but I'm fairly sure Pets at Home sell all of these so they're easy to get hold of. They can also be picked up cheap second hand. I have a Furet Plus as a spare, and I payed £50 for it. It was nearly new. I've seen Freddys for as little at £10 on ebay.


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## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

Well i hope your all happy!! 

I pick my new cage up in 20 mins, and i have new rats! 
I went back the the breeder with the intention of swapping the female for a male.... I came away with more than when i went! 

I now have kaloola my husky, spock my blue one and i'm stuck on the name for the 3rd! And i'm picking up another male tomorrow! 

I knew as soon as she showed the the rats what was going to happen lol. :thumbup:


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## Faythy (Nov 15, 2011)

Thanks all. I'll keep on the lookout for a new cage then. That expensive one in the link I put, the company isn't far from my son's school and I was planning on visiting them anyway. Now I just want to go to ask how come they're so expensive. 

Would love the Savic Royal Suite but sadly don't have the room for it, or the pennies!

lol bluebell. You'll have to show some pics. Wish I could find a breeder in my area. Have emailed asking for a list but no such luck as yet. I'm so impatient.


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

Where abouts are you?


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## Faythy (Nov 15, 2011)

I'm in Hull.


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

blubell said:


> Well i hope your all happy!!
> 
> I pick my new cage up in 20 mins, and i have new rats!
> I went back the the breeder with the intention of swapping the female for a male.... I came away with more than when i went!
> ...


Someone should of probably told you that rats are addictive


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Snippet said:


> Someone should of probably told you that rats are addictive


Might also be worth mentioning that they quite often steal their owners' debit cards & use them online without their owners realising- well, not until the massive hammock, food & toy orders start arriving


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

simplysardonic said:


> Might also be worth mentioning that they quite often steal their owners' debit cards & use them online without their owners realising- well, not until the massive hammock, food & toy orders start arriving


This is always happening to me!


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## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

They have a new cage, loads of new toys and bowls, new beds AND new bedding!! 
I have 2 females and 1 male, i can't decide if i should wait a few weeks and get one of the baby males that will be ready in 2 weeks (she has some of the bald ones!!) or if i should go tomorrow and pick up the older one who is a bit keen if you know what i mean.
I didn't tell my OH that i was getting another it took him almost 2 hours to realise there was 2 huskys running around!! 
I have pictures, but there not great! When i tried to photo spock, he grabbed the phone lol and when i tried picturing kuloola she just looked daft and turned away! I've not tried picturing the other yet, she loves attention, but i didn't want to stress her too much on her first night, so i've left her to get used to her new (expensive!!) cage and toys and her new room mate. 

(Spocks the blue cutey and kuloola is the white)


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## Faythy (Nov 15, 2011)

Aww they look very cute. I especially like the grey one. What kind of cage did you get in the end? I'm looking forward to shopping for all the bits and pieces. There's some fab gear about compared to when I last had rodents which is going on for more than 20 years.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

if i was you i'd get a male companion now for your other male.

those pics are very cute!


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

Gosh they are tiny, how old are they? They look 4 weeks max and far too young and small to have been rehomed.

I would get company now for your male if you can, especially why he is so tiny and young, he shouldn't be alone.


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## RubyReckless (Oct 25, 2011)

blubell said:


> They have a new cage, loads of new toys and bowls, new beds AND new bedding!!
> I have 2 females and 1 male, i can't decide if i should wait a few weeks and get one of the baby males that will be ready in 2 weeks (she has some of the bald ones!!) or if i should go tomorrow and pick up the older one who is a bit keen if you know what i mean.


You lucky thing! We've still got 10 days to go before we collect our rats and I'm so looking forward to it


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## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

They are bigger than they seem in the picture, the picture is squashed, so with the husky its just her head and she's all hunched up. 

There 5 weeks, my dad went to see them when they were first born. 

She doesn;t have any other males ready for at least 2 weeks! the 1 she has she doesn't feel right re homing untill he's been cleared by a vet, he took a knock to the eye and its swollen up a bit and she wants to make sure he's ok. 
And i looked at the only other place that sells rats (pets at home) and they didn't seem too great, they were being picked up by there tail and did not like to be handled at all, they seemed a bit distressed. Don't suppose the little kid banging on the glass helped either!


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

Even if they are 5 weeks, they shouldnt have been sold till at least 6-8 weeks old.


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## blubell (Nov 22, 2010)

The cage i got is huge!! It won't even fit on my table, its 3 ft accross, 3 ft high and 2ft wide. And has shelves and stuff aswell. Although they don't seem to like going on the top shelf.


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