(Almost) New Rat mommy seeking help!

[HoneysMom113]

Okay. This is a little bit of a weird story, so hang with me here. I got into rats about 7 yr.s ago. I "adopted" an adult black hooded buck named Jerry from my Dad's girlfriend. He ate his brother, Ben and she was going to condemn him to boa food at the pet store she worked at. So I told her I would take him and I surprised my mom with a new pet which she absolutely was revulsed by. He was the best pet I had ever had, he loved to swim in the tub because I didn't know you could Bathe rats, I just thought you could sort of "rinse them off". I accidentally got him hooked on Smarties candies (I was 11 at this time and very much ignorant of rat dental and overall health wreckage that sugar could do) He loved grape and strawberry and banana salad. He would scamper around my room all day and then settle in to read a book with me at night. Needless to say I fell head over heels for this little guy, so I was devestated when he died 2 years later. He had a special love of reaching through his cage bars and yanking my sheets and covers into his cage, shredding them to bits in the process. I found his body curled into a ball on top of a pile of sheet-rippings, he died in his sleep. My parents were greatly relieved at his passing, they never were and still aren't comfortable with the rodent type animals, ESPECIALLY rats. Well, it has been 5 years since this great little guy left me and I miss him everyday. And today, finally after years of begging, pleading, petitioning, picketing, convincing and breath-holding My parents bought me a tiny female rat, which I have named Honey. She is literally the same size as a dwarf hamster, her tail is between 2.5 and 3 inches MAX long. She is living in a hamster cage for now because she is so small she would escape from anything else except a hamster cage or an aquarium. I am not comfortable keeping anything but fish or reptiles in aquariums. I realize she will get bigger quickly and I am expecting around 600 dollars from my parents as payback for a few loans I gave them from my paycheck in the next 30 days. Most of this money will be divided between Honey (and I AM getting her a sister with this money as well) and my two Tweeters, my parakeets. What I was wanting is some help as in general care tips and suggestions for an almost new rat owner. I mean it HAS been 5 years and I wasn't really that informed to begin with apart from a thin little book called YOUR PET RAT which I bought at the petstore my dad's Girlfriend worked at. I have been trying to research but haven't come up with much. I was hoping for diet tips, activities to keep Honey (and her future sister, Cinnamon) happy and entertained, homemade toys, etc. I will have pictures posted of her as soon as I can coax her from her hidey box I made for her, she's been in it the whole day. She's a black capped with like a "paintbrush stroke" of black on her middle back and a tiny black spot just as the fur from her body ends at her tail, she may be a black hooded with a broken back stripe, too. In any case, her nose is white too, so it's like white from her whisker-pads down.

[lilspaz68]

Aggh the infamous Your Pet Rat book...I remember that book when I was a child...full of lots of misinformation.   

Food...
quality lab blocks (Harlan Teklad, Mazuri, Hagen Nutri-blocks,even LM Animal Farms, etc...no Sunseed or Kaytee or Reggie Rat) are the best choice being a complete nutritional diet, then you supplement with veggies, some fruit, some protein.  If you cannot get your hands on quality lab blocks (Mazuri is sold out of Petsmart) then google "Suebee's Mix" and its a rat mix you can make up yourself.  Very important is the dog kibble...has to be low fat, low protein, there are suggested varieties there.
Forbidden food list (old but it has most things)
Forbidden Foods

Fresh water is a must. I change my rats water everyday and scrub out the water bottle/bowls often.

Bedding -  NO pine or cedar, aspen shavings are fine but make sure they are a quality brand, as some of the cheaper ones are dusty.  You might also want to freeze your bedding for 48 hours before using it to kill any parasites (lice/mites) that might be hitching a ride.  Other people use Yesterday's News Litter (I use it in my litter pans), Carefresh, Cell-Sorb, fabric like fleece (fleece is good because there are no strings for a rat to get caught up in and injured), etc.

Your rats will need a hidey house (a small box is fine, and there's plastic igloos, snap together houses (snap-inn's in Canada/UK, and waffle houses in US), etc, and a hammock (you can buy them from ppl who make them online, pick up ones for ferrets at petstores or even make your own cheaply and easily).
Wooden bird chew toys are great for rats.  I use wooden ladders to enable them to get to a corner shelf I put in their cages, cat jingle balls, etc.
If your rats are babies its advisable to get a wheel for them (either a solid one or the Super Pet 11" mesh wheels are great.  A lot of rats as babies will figure out and run in a wheel, which is very healthy for them and usually makes them happy.

Lastly, start saving for a vet fund.  Rats may seem inexpensive but once they get sick they could cost you $50-150 at the vet easily per visit. 

Its advisable to read a few pages of each section of this forum and a lot of your questions may be answered in those posts.

Good luck and Welcome![/QUOTE]

[HoneysMom113]

Yes, she was very cheap, she was 3.50... That is cheaper than a dwarf hamster at the same pet store, who are 5.00 each... I was surprised about this... I was expecting to pay 10 for her. As soon as my parents pay me back I am taking her to the vet and seeing if they spay rats, which I doubt because I live in a very rural area where most vets are eqine/bovine and the only one within an hours drive mostly sees dogs and cats for neutering and illness. I will have to "shop areound" as I call it when I call all the vets near me in the phone book and ask them what they can do and the price. I did it when I got my cats neutered. Petsmart has the Mazuri diet in stock on their website.

[HoneysMom113]

I have to get to bed, I was so excited about getting Honey I accidentally stayed up all night researching, lol. I can't help but get totally wrapped up in my pets, even if it causes me trouble (i.e. sleeping very late today) I just love them so much I can't stand not to know everything I can find about them.

[lilspaz68]

Goodnight HoneysMom. 

Just remember one thing with researching on the net.  There's a lot of misinformation out there as well, BUT if you see a whole lot of people saying the same thing then it could just be "true".  LOL

Sleep well. 

[cassiejamie]

Another suggestion for a hidey hole - chubes.  I have a wooden house a basket and four hammocks in their cage and my four all sleep on top of each other in the chube.  For toys, the Brats have balls meant for ferrets since I worried they would chew open something that didn't have a solid exterior as well as a nut nibbler that they chew a little but are more interested in playing with.  I also handmake toys for them from fabric since it's cheap and when they chew through the fleece/flannel, they can nest with the rags.

I have tried to cut their nails in the past with human clippers and using nail files.  Didn't work since they squirm right out of my grasp, so there's a paver by their food bowl & water bottle to trim their nails.

Hope that helps a little.

[embryodb]

If you need to find a good rat vet in your area I suggest looking at the RMCA Vet Directory as well as Goosemoose Vet List.  They both helped me to find a good vet, although it can be harder in more rural areas, for sure.

If you can post pictures of her, we might be able to tell you how old she is.  She sounds very small and that sometimes means that the pet store weaned her a little early, and she might benefit from dietary supplements to help her grow (someone else might be able to tell you what kinds of supplements....)  I also recommend getting her a sister ASAP, so that introductions will be easier since they will both be young.  If possible, going back to the same pet store and getting a littermate will make introductions a snap.

Lots of people on here like Martin's Cages for their rats, they have appropriate bar spacing and a sturdy design.  I'm a big fan of the Ferret Nation cages, but the bar spacing would be a little big for a young female.  If you're looking at a cage, I recommend using the Rat Cage Calculator as a guide to tell you if it's an appropriate size for your rats.

As far as food- I used to use Mazuri, but have since switched to Harlan Teklad and my rats like it better.   It can be ordered online from the Kim's Ark Store (the 2018 diet is usually recommended).  At $1/lb it is technically cheaper than Mazuri, but with shipping it usually ends up being the same cost (I think..but math is not my strong point  )  In any case, something to think about.  The Petsmart in my area was very inconsistent about stocking Mazuri, which is why I switched.

Check out the Home Squeak Home secton of this board... there are a bunch of threads that have tons of pictures of people's cages, that can give you some good ideas for toys and accessories.  Also, here's a couple websites about rats that I recommend checking out:

http://www.ratbehavior.org  This is a good semi-technical site that answers a lot of questions about what your rat is doing and why; it has audio of rat vocalizations and a lot of other neat info
http://www.dapper.com.au  Dapper Rat has a bunch of fun stories and photos about rats; their care section also covers a lot of the basics very well, and they have fun toy ideas
http://www.ratguide.com - Definitely one to keep in your bookmarks, it has photos and case histories of a bunch of medical ailments in rats.  If you can't find a vet that specializes in rats, it's a good idea to use this site as a resource for both of you (ie if your rat is having a respiratory problem, do a search on there for respiratory problems and print out some pages about the different causes/treatments to show to your vet)

Hope that helps 

[PhoenixMoon]

I had rats most of the time from early teens to when my son's girlie Dandy passed away a few years ago- about 19 yrs. since my first two hoodie girls. We recently werte ready for new loves, bought two male littermates- 9wks old now- and by shear compassion end-up rescuing a traumatized older male. My point? Well, our boys came home with lice, so I went googling and found much, much info available about rat care that was never available before. While I was writing, posts came in, but I will include additional links that I also found helpful.

Basically, Martin's cages online seemed to be well like by rattie fans. A member here, Dearpie, who I was referred to by Kim's Ark Rat Rescue, sells hammocks, bonding pouches (which I strongly recommend) and other cuddley cage stuff- and she gives proceeds to rat rescues. (I make my own, but for the time & materials it takes, Dearpie's are very comparable)

You've already heard No pine or cedar shavings- Carefresh is pretty comfie- IMO, Total Comfort by Kaytee is VERY dusty. (I personally generally avoid Kaytee products) No clay kitty litters. Rats will use a litter box- it works best when you use a different litter for the box(es) than the bedding. Old sheets that you can buy for a buck or two at thrift shops work for bedding, just be sure to wash them in hot water (I add vinegar) before using them.

No wire wheels. Solid metal sheeting or even better Wodent Wheels

I make my own rattie food, and I was recommended Innova Senior dry dog food by a rattie rescue & my rats love it. The protein is the same as the basic Harlan block (18%) and IIRC, the fat content is the same also. Rat blocks ARE made for rats- so if you can find them, a good one, I suggest using that also. Some people say "Dog food is designed for dogs" but if the ingredients are healthy & appropriate for rats, there's no reason not to use it. I found little cans of Healthy Desserts by Nutro, which come in differetn flavors, that my ratties love as a treat. Baby foods also work well to teach finger feeding. (encourage licking rather than grabbing)

Congrats on your new friends! I'm sure you will get plenty of helpful advise. (I can't remember if the quote goes b4 the link or after- to post the name rather than the long url, so bear with me) --Michaela

http://www.ratsrule.com/ratcare.html
http://www.petratscanada.com/ratcare.htm
http://www.rmca.org/Resources/faqs.htm

[HoneysMom113]

Thanks guys for the help. I will be getting Honey a buddy as soon as I can get my mom to take me to the petstore again. They had a lot of baby rats and it didn't seem like too many people buy them so I can probably get one that Honey already knew... That would be neat. My only worry is that Honey is so people shy right now that if I gave her a rat buddy right away I'd never get her as tame as Jerry, who never had a friend after he killed Ben. I want her to be happy but I want her to be friendly. That sounds a little selfish and I know rats are really friendly but she is really really shy and scared of me. They didn't handle them at all at the pet store.

[siemprejess]

I was a little worried about that with my girls, Morgan and O'Malley, but I think that having a sister actually helped them be more comfortable around me. Morgan is very outgoing and would have played with me anyways, but I think that O'Malley (who is the shy sister), would be a lot less out going without Morgan there to show her that everything was safe. Sorry about all the personal stories, but in short, I think that your ratties will bond with you no matter what, especially if you give them lots of one on one (or two on one) time, talk to them, and hand feed lots of treats!

Perhaps see if you can stick your hand in the cage at the pet store and see which of the females is more outgoing and seems less afraid of you.

[embryodb]

My only worry is that Honey is so people shy right now that if I gave her a rat buddy right away I'd never get her as tame as Jerry, who never had a friend after he killed Ben. I want her to be happy but I want her to be friendly. That sounds a little selfish and I know rats are really friendly but she is really really shy and scared of me. They didn't handle them at all at the pet store.

In my experience, taming & socializing TWO scared ratties is no harder than doing so with one rat.  If you are afraid they will not bond with you, take them out individually for personal time.  A rat that has company is usually much less frightened in general.
And on the plus side, if you find another rat who is more friendly & outgoing, she will teach Honey that humans are okay.  If you are really worried about the socializing thing, maybe you can find asecond rat somewhere OTHER than the pet store, somewhere that socializes their babies.  This rat will encourage Honey to come out of her shell a little bit.

[PhoenixMoon]

I think the last two replies are right on. IMO, it's actually easier to work with two ratties than one. If one is very shy, she will learn from her sister that you are ok. Plus, I think rats are more confident when they are not alone, so they will both learn to trust you a little easier.

If you can't find a breeder near you, or you absolutely have your heart set on Honey- I suggest you go to the pet store and sit there for a good long time interacting with her and her sister. See if they warm up after a while. Give them a bit of time to get used to your hands, scent. Bring some treats if the store will allow you to. You never know what customers have been doing to them in a pet store. Knocking on the glass, etc. and it may take them a bit to warm up since they haven't been socialized properly.

[anita1216]

Rats actually do betetr in a group setting. They need other rats to be happy. Yes, there are people who keep rats as solitary pets, but you do that and they need alot more time than most people are able to give them. IMO, its best to keep them in pairs at the very least. Having a cagemate may help Honey feel safer and more confident. She needs to learn that you are her friend and that she can trust you. It really doesnt take much more effort to socialize two than it does just the one.

You will get alot of really good advice from the people here. Rats get alot of love and appreciation here