New to the wonderful world of rat ownership? Confused on what you need and where to get it?
Then this is the page for you! Here I will discuss exactly how I care for my rats, and if you'd like a visual example I even have a video on basic rat care included to help!
Feel free to watch these
|
|
More detailed rat care information can be found by clicking on this button:
Overview of Rat Care:
Cages:
My own personal favorite cage is the Critter Nation. With easy access for cleaning and rat wrangling and lots of room to add toys for your rats, this is one cage that's perfect for rats of any age! I currently have a triple critter nation for my 7 girls, and they absolutely love the space it provides them to romp and play. Back when I had a smaller group of rats, a single CN was awesome and when I went up to 12 rats in the past the ability to add more CN units to expand my cage for the larger group was amazing, and is one of my favorite things about this cage.
Toys:
Oh boy...this is quite the can of worms to open! I have WAY more rat toys then I should , but I just can't help myself! Some of my favorites include the space pod, cotton rope nets, eco cheese chews, fun tunnels, and foraging toys. The reason I regard these toys so highly is because my rat's love them! These are things that they'll use over and over again, making them well worth every penny :)
DIY toys are another option, and I've made quite a few! Good things to use are popsicle sticks, boxes, cardboard tubes (think toilet paper rolls) and hot glue.
Food:
The main staple that I feed my rats is lab blocks, and specifically Oxbow adult rat food. While it tells you to only feed it to rats over 6 months, this is only because the protein included in the adult formula is a bit low for younger rats. However, this is easily fixed with some weekly eggs (scrambled or boiled), meat baby food, cooked beans, or nuts. Another benefit to using Oxbow's adult rat lab block is it contains less filler than the young rat version, and thus you get more nutrients for your money. Finally, it is both nutritionally complete and tasty! My rats love it, and when I go on vacation it makes telling the pet sitter how to feed my rats super easy!
Treats:
Many people wonder what treats they can feed to their rats. But truth be told they can eat just about anything we can! Of course, that doesn't mean you want to fill them up on junky stuff, or overdo even the healthier treats. Good treats to give on occasion include things like veggies, cooked eggs, Cheerios, Gerber puffs, meat baby food, yogurt, fruit, and more - just remember that moderation is key!
Disclosure: Esther (and her site rattrix.weebly.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com