Im thinking of buying a rat

rufftydlc

Hi everyone,
im thinking of gettin a rat. Can anyone give advice on feeding etc.
My Sister says she will buy it if i call it Tony Almeda (24)
any advice will be helpful
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Frankie, Bindi, Buddy, Jack Baeur, Peter Pan, Ruffty Tuffty, Sox, Dexter,Tiger, Vilmaris, Run free at rainbow bridge Sunny, Betty, Flint and Jack Bauer
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Twig

Rats are high maintance as they are prone to illness and need a huge cage and proper diet. Rats are sociable and should live in at least pairs.

these links will help you learn all about them, and I can't stress enough how important it is you research.

www.fancy-rats.co.uk
www.shunamiterats.co.uk/diet.html

rufftydlc

thanks yeh i was told about how prone to illness they are.
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Frankie, Bindi, Buddy, Jack Baeur, Peter Pan, Ruffty Tuffty, Sox, Dexter,Tiger, Vilmaris, Run free at rainbow bridge Sunny, Betty, Flint and Jack Bauer
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an1mal_l0ver

Twig, rats aren't high maintenance at all Confused

don't know where that came from but they're simple to look after and no trouble at all. The only problems they'll likely have are respiratory illnesses and abscesses which can be taken care of with antibiotics from your vet. Things like cancer is a little different and have never had trouble with that with any of my rats and neither has my girlfriend and she's had 8. Also! My rats have had fleas and gave one of my rats a nasty rash around his ear and the other got an abscess from the bite. The product Spot On, specially made for little animals with fleas and such like, didn't work at all for my two rats and I used it twice on them so ultimately, they've still got them and I need to get that sorted. Just a warning to check your new rats and don't give them hay! Fleas lay eggs in hay, animal lays on hay, flea babies end up on your animals... its never happened before, just this one bag of hay I bought I suppose... anyway!

Yes, they're a very sociable rodent and would be better suited in a pair or in a group. I'd advise just the two if they're the first you've ever had. They don't need a ridiculously huge cage, but don't opt for something cheap and small. Also, a tip my girlfriend told me was if you can get your finger through the bars of the cage, up to your first knuckle, then they're fine for females and smaller rats.

Food wise, rats can pretty much eat anything and still live over 2 yrs without ever having any health problems! Their diet varies greatly. They can take chips, chocolate, fruit, veg, biscuits, bread/toast, meat, cheese, peanuts (with shell, it gives them something to work for to get their treat!) and also baby food! My girlfriend gave her rat some and he loved it Laughing

As long as you don't feed them like, everything you're going to have to eat and also buy them their OWN treats and food from pet stores, you shouldn't have problems with their diet. Always introduce new food to them gradually, don't give them a bar of chocolate or a huge slice of toast, only small pieces, because that would be asking for trouble. If you don't want to give them human food then thats fine too. Always give them lots of exercise and stimulation and they'll wear themselves out and lose the fat they put on Razz

My two get fed their dry mix meal once a day, always between 5 and 6 as thats when I first fed them so got used to feeding them at that time. I notice most of their food is gone by that time too Laughing

I think rats are one of few animals kept as pets that are just so easy to look after for anyone and everyone!

rufftydlc

thanks everyone Very Happy

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Frankie, Bindi, Buddy, Jack Baeur, Peter Pan, Ruffty Tuffty, Sox, Dexter,Tiger, Vilmaris, Run free at rainbow bridge Sunny, Betty, Flint and Jack Bauer
[img:44f2bd4835]http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/liverpool223/camerapicsoctober08001.jpg[/img

Twig

They can be high maintance as the cage is expensive and if you feed them a good homemade diet and they need vet care it can make them high maintance.

Secondly, they should never be fed chips of chocolate Shocked

Chocolate in particular has a bad effect in animals as it speeds up their heart, when they enjoy fruit, veg and some meat why would you ever give them these things?

Asho_DirtyPoo

Yeah, I gotta agree, about chocolate at least.

It'll kill mice (and cats, and dogs, and rabbits, and hamsters)...and rats and mice are very close genetically. I haven't looked up specifically if chocolate is bad for rats, but I can only assume so, given what I know about it and other animals.

Twig

Unlike us, animals don't crave salt (chips) or cane sugar (chocolate) and this is due to the fact that they can't cope with these foods. Too much salt can be just as bad as too much sugar. All animals are effected by chocolate, theres more caffiene in chocolate than there is in tea or coffee! Wink

an1mal_l0ver

My last cage cost at the most £80 and we had it only a yr and a half with my first two rats. Food is like £3 a month or two, and vet bills, well I had to take my little one to the vet to have an abscess "removed" and got antibiotics for it, it came to £17 so not that much either. It's not as bad as you're making out lol.

About the food thing, yea, my two have fruit and veg, sometimes, but they're rats, thier diet is not one of a herbivores and I give mine a little bit of human food every so often. A bit of cheese, a slice of ham, a bit of bread, not chocolate yet though, a bit of biscuit, apple, grapes, thats all at the moment.

Its best to start with new foods (if you will be introducing new foods) when they're about 5/6 weeks old because then they can adjust to the new foods very early on and won't likely get any problems that a grown rat would do with new foods. That is important that you don't mess up. All my girlfriend's started having new foods when they were very young too and all are perfectly healthy, one being a male who is almost 3 yrs old and has always had chocolate every single morning since she got him in 2005, so you can't say its doing him any harm Wink

I read somewhere chocolate is actually good for them in a way... "Chocolate is a mild broncodilator (dilates the airways when breathing is difficult) and can be used in small quantities for rats with respiratory illness, in an emergency."

And lastly, if that were true that animals don't crave salt, why do people get salt-licks for their pets??? My rabbit got through his within about 2 months, and my guinea-pig has taken a few nibbles from his, horses have them, farm animals have them and many people set some up in forests or in woods for wild animals so... Rolling Eyes

Twig

Yeah and churchill drank and smoked like it was going out of fashion and saw 80, doesn't mean being a chain smoker and an alcoholic is good for you Wink

Food is more than £3 a month if you feed them the shunamite diet, basic rat food bought at stores isn't adequate.

They aren't high maintance in terms of a dog or rabbit, no, but do cost more than a hamster or gerbils. That was my point Wink

You may also want to read that quote again about chocolate, at the end it says 'in an emergency'. You can do as you please with your pets, but I am finding it tiresome you posting things that go against what all the reputable sites and organisations say purely because you've done it and got away with it. Like I said, look at Churchill. Wink

This site was set up to inform others on proper petcare, and feeding any animal chocolate is not a good idea- FACT.

poppydog83

I have in the past fed some of my rats,hamsters and my dogs chocolate. But ive only ever fed them the specially made animal chocolate,but even then its only been very small amounts and not very often. My rats always enjoyed fresh food toast they loved,and a few fruit and veg as well as the usual rat food. I didnt know that they could eat meat though.
The rat cage that i had cost me £80,but it was well worth it

Jacqui_UK

I miss my rats. Once you have the cage they are pretty cheap andd easy pets to keep Very Happy

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poppydog83

I really miss my rats too Sad

But i have said once thins have been sorted re: moving house etc...and am settled i will be thinking bout getting rats again. Although i will have to get another cage as i recently gave mine to one of my seniors at work. Her son had got some rats in december,and even though they already had a nice big cage. I said they can have mine as i dont need it anymore and doubt that i will need it. And the rats enjoy both cages,they are 3 sisters all white. So i gave away my cage not thinking id need it anymore,stupid me. Never mind,i will save up for a new one.

oracle

when i had my rats i brought a second had cage i cleaned it up and off they went. you dont always have to buy new. if its in good condition and in your price range get it. just give it a good clean even if they say they have cleaned it. bowl's are about 99p each and you can get good cheap toy's starting from about 50p make sure there ok for rats. i found i spent about a tenner a month for food and that included 1 toy to so not to bad. if you get some rats don't forget to put up pic Very Happy

Asho_DirtyPoo