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| Rat Care |
| Cages: |
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| Wire Cages - Rats LOVE these because it gives in to their natural desires to climb. Wire cages have excellent ventilation, and are fun to decorate. Coated Wire is best, It is easier to clean, harder to rust, looks nicer & is less smelly, then regular Galvanized wire. Powder coated wire |
| is more durable than vinyl coated wire as well. The most favorite wire cages of rat lovers come from a company called Martins Cages. They offer large cages for small prices. You can find a link to their online store on our links page. Wire cages are also easier & very fun to decorate. |
| Glass Tanks/ aquariums - Also an acceptable cage for rats. However these allow for less ventilation and need to be kept very clean. A 10 Gallon Tank is NOT acceptable for a rat. Rats need lots of room and should be in NO LESS than a 20 gallon tank or HIGHER. 55 gallons is better. |
| Since rats need such a large size aquarium, cleaning is a challenge due to its heavy weight & awkward size. Also decorating the cage is harder, especially with things like shelves, ramps, hammocks, ect. However it can be done, it just takes creativity. |
| Critter cages/ hamster cages - DO NOT PUT YOUR RAT IN ONE OF THESE! these types of cages are WAY too small for a rat! No matter what size that rat is when you got it. It is cruel & abuse. I haven't got a clue why pet stores sell these things for rats. |
| Homemade Cages - these are very cool , inexpensive & fun! You can make cages out of all kids of things, like wire mesh, sterlite bins, cabinets, bookshelves, ect. The possibilites are endless!! |
| Bedding: |
The first & most important thing that you need to know about bedding for small animals is: NEVER USE PINE OR CEDAR SHAVINGS/BEDDING. The following is a statement made by the American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association that will explain why: Cedar and pine shavings, the bedding choices most commonly used for small animals, have been found to contain toxins! Cedar & Pine Shavings are Toxic to ALL Small Animals! The news in a nutshell: AFRMA - Both cedar and pine comtain phenols - that's the stuff that makes them smell good. Phenols are caustic, poisonous, acidic compounds. These compounds cause constant irritation to the nasal passages, throat, and lungs of small animals giving bacteria an easy opening, thus commonly causing pneumonia. Phenols also affect organs such as the liver and kidneys, because these organs are responsible for filtering toxins out of the body. When presented with a large amount of toxins over time, they are unable to filter it all out and begin to fail. An animal with a damaged liver will have a depressed immune system, which can lead to other medical conditions. For more articles & websites on this topic, please email us, we would be glad to give you more information. ~ Rucker's Ratties So now your probably asking, if it's so bad for them , then why do they still sell it? The Sad answer to that question is that they will continue to sell it, as long as there is a demand for it. So it is up to the owners & animal lovers to get the word out. Now your next question will likely be, So what CAN I use for bedding? Fortunatly there are a number of other options that you can try. Like the following: |
| Carefresh: |
| Made of a natural biodegradable Fiber, carefresh is one of the most popular choices of bedding. It's a low dust litter, is very absorbent & keeps amonia levels down. It is sanitzed to inhibit mold & bacteria. It's a good litter to use if you have allergys or sensitivies. (I find it kinda smelly though) |
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| Aspen (shavings or Chips): |
| Anouther rodent owner favorite, Aspen is the preffered wood shaving because it does NOT contain phenols. Aspen (In my opinion) smells very nice and helps cover any litter smell. It also encourages your rats natural desire to nest. |
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| Other options are: Corncob bedding, recycled paper beddings (Yesterday's news cat litter), Alphalpha Pellets, & shredded paper towels. We use Towels & cloth diapers in our rat cages, and a litter box. Rats are very easy to litter box train. Just put their poops in the box and place the litter box where they usually eliminate. They will catch on very quickly! |
| Toys & cage idea's: |
| Some inexspensive things rats love! |
| * Ladders - can be made out of anything, bird ladders, mesh, ect. * Boxes, boxes, boxes ! Tissue boxes, cereal boxes, any kind of box! * Ramps * Hammocks - a sleeping favorite * tubes - can be made out of old clothes, material, plastic or cardboard * slides - make some out of plastic or material * Ropes - for climbing & chewing, you can use the bird or dog toy ropes too * houses - plastic igloo's , pots, upturned plastic bowls with a door cut out (we use laundry soap bottles & margerine bowls !!) * Balls - try ping pong balls, these will be flung around! * chew items (a MUST!) - Fruit Flavored Nylabone Dog Bones !! A rattie favorite! |
| Don't Forget your ratties at Christmas time! |
| Safety: |
| And lastly, DO NOT pick up a rat by it's tail ! if you must for any reason secure it by the tail, do it at the very BASE of the tail where it is connected to its body. NEVER in the middle or at the tip! It will become Degloved and cause immense pain. More often then not, it will need to be amputated. You should pick your rat up by its middle with your hands supporting his/her feet. |
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