Fancy Rats

I think one of the best pets for people who live in an apartment that like
dogs but can not afford the pet deposit is a fancy rat. For their size the
rat is about as intelligent as the dog and can learn about the same tricks. The thing is
to figure out what gender and breed of the fancy rat is best for you.
First, determine if you want a lazy rat or a more active one. In general
the male rat will be less active than the female even to the point that you
could call them lazy. The male will also be bigger than the female, where
the male weight on an average of 500 to 600 grams and the female will weigh
between 200 to 300 grams on average. So, if you want something to move
around more you want a female but, if you want a big cuddly rat to sit on
on your shoulder you will want a male.

Next, is to determine the breed of rat that you would enjoy to have. There
are many breeds to choose from and in most cases the different breed does
not change the character of the rat just the color. A couple of breeds
include: Black Hooded, Beige Hooded, Blue, Black, Albino, Hairless, and
white. This is just to determine what color that you would want.

Now that you have picked the breed of rat that you want you need to pick
the living habit of your rat. Rats are a very social animal that need to
be with others of its kind. If you do not want to have a lot of babies, since a
female can have up to five litters in a year the best thing to do is get
same sex pairs. It is recomended to get two around the same age. If
possible, try to get two from the same litter. If you do get a male and a female
together be ready for lots of baby rats. Each litter can consist from 1 to
16 babies at a time while the average is about 8 to a litter. Once you
notice that the female has had the babied seperate the male from her and
the babies. The male has been known to become cannibalistic and eat the
young. The female could to but this is only if they are sick or if the
food supply is gone. (Note: If you do find that the mother
is killing the babies you will want to seperate them into another cage.
If you do this, you will have to take over the mother's normal job.
This includes helping the new babies go to the restroom. The mother normally does
this by cleaning the baby. You will need to get a wet piece of cotton and clean
the babies back side. The babies need to be fed every two hours. A kitten formula will do with an
eyedropper. If you are patient it will work. We have saved many baby rats doing this.)
If you do not want anymore babies seperate the male and
female babies after the fifth week of their birth. This is when they
become sexually mature and will produce from others in the litter.

Okay, you have now decided to get the rats of your choice. Now it is time
to get a cage. In general there are many cages that can be bought for
housing your new rats. The best idea is to have a solid bottom such as
medal or plastic and the main body to be made out of wire or bars for the
rats to climb on. Rats love to stand on their back feet and investigate
the air. The cage needs to be tall enough to allow them to stand, and long
and wide enough to give them some moving room. The ideal size will be
24"tall, 12"long and wide. The next thing to do is get covering for the
bottom of the cage. The ideal porduct would be dustless pine or aspin shavings.
This should be changed completely at least once a week. The next thing
needed is some kind of hidy box for them to sleep in. This could be made
out of almost anything such as wood, cardboard, or plastic. The rat,
especially the female will chew this up and try to make a nest out of it.
So this might have to replaced on a regular basis. Branches, or an old
bird perch is recomended to allow the rat something to climb and play on.
Rats love to chew on everything. This is good in helping keeping their
teeth filed properly. It is a good idea to keep somekind of stick such as
a popsycle stick for them to chew on in their cage. The next thing that
your new rat is going to need is some kind of water dish. The best thing
to use is a gravity fed water bottle. With a bowl your rat would just
throw its bedding into it. But, a good heavy bowl is needed to put their
food into. This is recomended to keep their bedding cleaner.

Now that you have the cage it is time to figure out where you will put it.
It is best if your cage is put up on a flat sturdy shelf or surface. The
temperature should be kept around 73 degrees F (23 degrees C).
Also, do not put your cage by a window where your rats will receive direct
sunlight. While rats are very durable animals to much heat will kill them.
Make sure that you put something heavy such as a rock or brick on top of the
cage to prevent your rat from pushing the lid out of the way and getting
out or allowing any other pet you may have from getting in.

FEEDING

It is important that you feed your rat at least once a day. The best time
to feed your pet is at night when it is most active. Their food should
consist of a mix of corn, wheat, cereals, and dried crushed peas. While in
most areas there are several good brands of rat food to buy on the market
such as lab blocks. Unsalted sunflowers seeds and peanuts are a good treat
but, they have too much protein and can cause skin problems if fed to much.
Green vegetables and fruit also make a great change for your rat's diet.
This should only be fed to them at most once every three days. If fed to
much can cause diarrhoea. At all times onions and citrus fruits should be
avoided. Do not feed your rat poultry or fish bones which can splinter in
their throats and kill them. Also for treats rats love to eat starch such
as: rice, noodles, and potatoes. Another great treat is cheese.

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