Rat care sheet: Supplied by forum member Fish_geek

How to Pick a Healthy Rat: A healthy rat has a nice coat that is not matted or dull. Their eyes are shiny, not dull, watery, or with discharge. Check the teeth alignment as well if possible. Make sure the ears are not crusty (possibly ear mites). Also, check the anal area for debris or blood (possibly serious problems). The nose should be dry, not runny. Nails should also be of a proper length. Remember that if one rat in the cage is sick, they could all be sick. If that is the case, go somewhere else to buy your rat.

Proper Diet: A rat should be fed on a commercial diet (lab blocks available at your local pet store, avoid low-end brands that are high in corn or sugar) to make sure they are getting the proper nutrients. An important item to note here is that the lab rat cubes often are very stinky, causing some people to think that rats stink. If you keep the cage clean, rats really don't smell bad. Lab rat cubes are just fine to feed them though, if you don't mind the smell. You can also feed them raw vegetables and fruits, as well as unsalted pretzels, monkey biscuits (available at pet stores), dry pasta, etc. At the end of this care sheet, we’ll give you a list of some good rat websites, including links to more detailed information on what they can and cannot eat. Remember to keep their water in a water bottle so it doesn't get debris in it (like a water dish quickly would). There is no need to put vitamins in the water if your rat is eating a good diet.

Bedding: NEVER USE CEDAR OR PINE for rat bedding, or for any small animal. According to the Rat and Mouse Club of America, both cedar and pine shavings contain phenols, the oils in wood that gives it the smell. Phenols are poisonous, caustic, acidic compounds present in soft woods. They are also used to make Pine-Sol and Lysol. They are used in bedding to cover the smell of animal urine. However, they irritate the nasal pasages, throat, and lungs. They also affect the kidneys and liver. Long-term exposure to phenols can cause liver damage and make the animal very sensitive to anesthetics. Exposure to phenols can also depress the immune system. PINE AND CEDAR SHAVINGS ARE TOXIC AND SHOULD NOT BE USED AT ANY COST!!! Beddings that are okay for rats include: hard wood products such as aspen shavings or paper products such as Carefresh or Yesterday's News. Carefresh absorbs odors far better than pine or cedar anyway, so be kind to your pet rat and don't use pine or cedar.

Exercise: Some rats enjoy a wheel (but they don't tend to run as much as hamsters do, so if you want a pet to watch on the wheel, we'd recommend a hamster instead). Some rats might also like a run-about-ball, but don't keep them in it for too long. The best exercise is playing with your rats and giving them supervised out of cage time. They might also enjoy something to climb on like a bird gym, and they love to run through tunnels.

Lifespan: The average lifespan for rats is 2 to 3 years. However, several rats live to be around 5 years old with good care.

How Many to Keep: Rats are extremely social animals and will do best when kept in pairs or groups. Even males will usually live together peacefully, and actually prefer to live that way. They are prolific breeders, so keep them in same-sex groups if you don’t want lots of babies!

Rat Safety: Do not allow young children near your rats unsupervised. They might injure the rats without meaning to by pulling the tail or squeezing them too hard. Also, don't let them eat chocolate, onions, or oranges (males only for no oranges). Keep them away from poisonous plants. Watch them near other pets in your house to be sure they are safe. Do not buy a cage with a guillotine style door (the kind that you slide up and it can quickly slide down if you let go of it) or it may take off a digit, paw, or even their head (one of my friends had a mouse die this way, someone was over and let go of the door while the mouse was still standing in the doorway, don't let your pet suffer this tragedy, get a cage with a sideways opening door, or a top door). Also, remember not to use cedar or pine... they are deadly!

If you have more questions about this type of animal or just want to connect to other people with the same interests as you then visit the small animal section of our forums here.

(This care sheet was adapted from http://www.geocities.com/poetic_pets/rat.html)

For more helpful links, flip this sheet over!

For more information on pet rats, check out these websites:

www.ratsrule.com

www.ratguide.com

www.ratfanclub.org

www.rmca.org

www.afrma.org

http://www.quite.co.uk/rats/

And for more information on rat diet, and even making your own food!

http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html

http://ratguide.com/care/nutrition/diet.php

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/homemadediet.htm