Rats as Pets
Rats make fantastic pets, they are full of fun and mischief, they are friendly and love to interact with their humans as well as being highly intelligent and interesting little creatures.
As a member of the Scottish Rat Club there is a wealth of information available about the best ways to care for your rats, from being able to ask questions on the forum and the many articles in RatChat to chatting to others at rat shows. The following is an introduction to rat care. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have a specific question.
Introduction and Behaviour
Pet rats are the species Rattus norvegicus, also known as the brown rat. The domesticated, fancy rat comes in a wide variety of colours and markings as well different fur types and even dumbo rats, that have their ears on the sides of their heads.
They are mostly active at dawn and dusk and live for an average of 2-3 years.
In the wild rats live in large colonies of 50 - 60 related rats. They will work together to find shelter and food and to raise young. Pet rats also need to have company. They will play together, groom each other and then fall asleep in big uncomfortable looking piles! You will also see them having little squabbles occassionally as one rat exerts its dominance over the other. Rats should be kept in same sex groups of at least 2 or 3.
Rat are very agile and good climbers and are well known for their ability to chew, particularly things they shouldn't be chewing! They are very intelligent and love to have something new to investigate. When something new is put in their cage or play area often one or two rats will investigate before it is deemed safe for everyone to play with.
Getting Rats
The best place to get pet rats from is a responsible breeder. Responsible breeders will handle their rats regularly, meaning your new babies will be used to people and enjoy human contact, they will be well fed and all litters will be thought through carefully using only healthy, friendly rats as parents.
Breeders registered with the Scottish Rat Club are listed on the SRC Breeders List. When contacting breeders please be aware they have jobs and lives outside of rats and will not be available 24/7.
Sadly, rats sometimes end up unwanted, abandoned or mistreated. Rescuing a rat can be very rewarding and most rescue rats are nice rats. When rescuing rats you need to be aware that some may come with health problems and poor temperaments. There are rat rescues listed on the links page.
Male rats are bigger than female rats and are generally more laid back and likely to be happy to chill out sitting on your lap. Female rats are smaller and more agile. They are busier than boys, being more inclined to want to play. Because they are more nosey they are generally easier to train than boys, making them better at games like agility!
Females are easier to introduce to each other than boys and fights between boys are more likely to end up in serious injuries, however, serious injuries are very rare and un neutered boys will live very happily together, generally in groups of a maximum size of 5 or 6.
Housing
Get your rats as big a cage as you can afford. Wire cages are best as they give your rats plenty of chances to climb about. Cages can be bought from pet shops, online shops or get a second hand bargain on ebay. SRC members can post cages they have for sale on the members forum.
Your cage should be placed away from extremes of heat of draughts. Generally rats are perfectly happy being kept where there is lots going on.
The cage will need a layer of substrate on the bottom, an inch or two deep. Cardboard squares, hemp and 100% paper cat litter can all be used. Some people use wood shavings but others prefer not to as they can cause sneezing and can be dusty. Any substrate used should be dust extracted. Shredded paper, toilet roll, tissues and safe bedding can all be used for your rats to make comfy beds out of.
Rats love to snuggle together to sleep and particularly like hanging beds such as hammocks, baskets or hamster balls. They like to be high up so they can watch what's happening! They will also appreciate tubes, boxes, things to chew and anything they can climb on, such as a cheap wine rack. Rats are very clean and some can be trained to use a litter tray with a little patience.
The cage will need to be cleaned at least once a week. You may find plastic shelves and litter trays will need to be cleaned more regularly.
Feeding
Rats like food and will eat pretty much anything you give them. This doesn't mean that they don't need a balanced, healthy diet though! An optimum diet promotes well being, can prevent illness and lots of variety gives your rats lots of pleasure.
A good dry mix should make up the bulk of your rats food. This is preferable to nuggets as it can be varied to suit the individual and is far more interesting for your rats. The dry mix is generally a 'base' of good quality rabbit food with small amounts of dog kibble, dried pasta, cereals and grains added. Dried herbs, insects, dried fruit and nuts can be added. Some people mix up a 'straights' diet, using unprocessed cereals and grains instead of rabbit food.
Fresh food can be added to your rats diet. A wide variety of vegetables and fruit should be given regularly to provide vitamins and minerals. Green, leafy veg such as Kale and Dandelions have lots of benefical minerals. Cooked pasta and rice and bread can also be added.
Rats are omnivores, so will also love chicken (including bones), scrambled or hard boiled egg, porridge, fish and dog food such as Naturediet. Baby rats up to the age of about 4 months will need a diet high in protein to help them grow and develop correctly.
For more information about diet, take a look at the resources on the links page. There are also suppliers listed for supplies for straights diets.
Exercise
Rats have lots of energy and need physical and mental exercise to keep them happy and healthy. As well as toys in their cage, they will appreciate time out of their cage for cuddles and also play time. Free range time of about an hour a day will really benefit your rats. It will also give you the opportunity to play with them and maybe train them things such as agility, coming back when they're called or even 'fetch'.
The free range area will need to be safe and secure. Rats will chew, so be careful of any wires (or treasured furniture!) in the room and they can get through surprisingly small gaps so be aware of anywhere they may be able to escape from. There is also bound to be the odd 'accident' so the free range space will need to be easily cleaned.
They will also enjoy things such as a 'digging box' (a tray filled with compost and grass and other sprouted seeds) and pea fishing (a shallow tray filled with water and peas for the rats to fish out).
Healthcare
Generally rats are quite healthy and good feeding and getting well bred rats can help reduce the instances of illness but there is never any guarantee that your rats won't get ill.
You will get to know what is 'normal' for your rats so will notice any change in behaviour that could be an indication of illness, but general symptoms are not eating or drinking, a fluffed up 'staring' coat, weight loss, porphyrin (a red substance found in discharge from the eyes and nose) or lethargy.
Rats are particularly prone to respiratory problems so keep an eye out for sneezing or wheezing. If it is just a bit of sneezing your rat is likely to get over it itself but if the problem persists or gets worse, you will need to go to a vet who will probably prescribe antibiotics.
Excessive scratching and scabs can be a sign of mites or lice. Lice can be seen by the naked eye as tiny red insects and mites cannot be seen. They are easily dealt with by Ivermectin Spot On preparations from a pet shop.
Another fairly common problem, mostly in female rats, is tumours. However, these are often harmless, benign tumours and can be removed easily with fairly simple surgery. Good breeding can help reduce tumours and overweight rats are more likely to get tumours.
For further information on rat care please see the resources on the links page or members can log onto our online forum where we will try to answer your questions.