About Rats

Read over some commonly asked questions. 

The following questions are questions we receive on a regular basis. Please be advised that the information found here should not be used in place of medical advice from a veterinarian. We suggest you seek out a veterinarian for medical treatment.  

Please note: A google search will give you most answers to the questions you are asking. If your question isn't listed here, try a google search and see what comes up. If you are looking for more in depth answers to questions, we suggest calling a veterinarian or doing a search for rat breeders. 

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My pet rat has been sneezing like crazy! I've only had him a week. I can't afford to take him to the vet. What can I do?

What kind of litter are you using in his cage? If you are using pine shavings, get rid of it and get carefresh. Since you've only had him a week I would suggest taking him back to the pet store. Pet stores usually offer a health guarantee for a specified time period. If he has a respiratory disease that isn't caused by the cage litter then it will require antibiotics and since you can't afford it I suggest taking him back. If you do take him back, do not get another rat from that same cage. If one has it, they will all have it. Note: Some rats may continue to sneeze even with carefresh. We've been told that "Yesterdays News" is great for rats who can't tolerate carefresh. 

I'm using Carefresh and or Yesterdays news and he's still sneezing!

Take your rat to the vet for a check up. 

Can I use cat litter?

No, we don't recommend cat litter for your rat.

I can't afford to take my pet rat to the vet. What should I do?

We strongly suggest taking your rat to the vet. Please don't email us and ask us what you can do if you can't afford a vet. 

My pet rat just had babies! What do I do?

Let mama rat look after her babies. Be sure to remove the baby males at 5 wks of age and put them in another cage otherwise you'll have more rats on your hands. 

Can I litter train my pet rat?

Here's a great site for info on litter training your pet rat.

My parents won't let me get a pet rat. Will you send me information to convince them? 

No. You'll have to convince them yourself :)

My child wants a pet rat. I've heard they carry disease. Can you send me information? 

No. Please do a google search on 'pet rats'. You'll find some great results and tons of info. 

My pet rat has mites. Is there anything I can do to get rid of them?

You should take your rat to the vet if you suspect mites. You could see patches of hair loss. Sores caused by mites look crusty, reddened and are itchy. They are spread by direct contact so keep other pets away. Disinfect your rats cage with a water/bleach solution. This will kill the mites. Throw away anything made of wood as eggs or adults could be lurking in there! You can purchase mite treatments from the pet store but there are different types of mites so it is suggested that you go to the vet. 

My pet rat has a large lump. What is it? 

Lumps (or tumours) are usually seen on female rats and can grow very quickly. Male rats can get them as well but not as often as females.  We advise seeking treatment from a vet. Tumours can be removed but the earliest the better because they grow very very quickly! 

My pet rat keeps grinding his teeth!

Many people don't know this but rats grind their teeth when they are content! If your rat grinds its teeth, you'll know he or she is happy!

I was wondering if there was any real reason why my pet rat might
be chewing on her cage? 

She could be wanting to grind her teeth down. The pet store sells things
like wood sticks or chewy toys for pet rats. Getting one should help her.

One of our female rats has been bleeding off and on for several 
days it seems to be coming out of her vagina. I was wondering if her cycle could be this noticeable? There are spots on the cage and her tale has quit a bit of blood on it. At first we thought it was from fighting with the other female rat because they fight from time to time but this is not what it's from. There are no male rats around.

Female rats do not have periods. Vaginal bleeding is a sign of miscarriage, labour, tumours and disease or infection. She should see a vet right away. 

It looks like my pet rat has a bloody nose and eyes!

Rat spit or mucus is red so when your rat grooms itself it might look like he or she is bleeding around the nose. Don't worry. This is normal. However, if your rat is sneezing or wheezing they should be taken to the vet.

How many pet rats should I get?

Rats need the company of other rats. Please don't get one rat. If you get one rat it will be lonely. If you have two rats they will keep each other company and play with each other while you are away or busy doing something else.  Please don't email us asking if one rat will be fine by itself. We recommend two rats. 

Is there a difference between feeder rats and pet rats? Will a feeder rat make a good pet?

Feeder rats are exactly the same as pet rats. Read about feeder rats here and here.

Can I bath my pet rat?

Some rats like to have a bath, and some don't. If your rat is starting to smell foul or musty, you might give him a bath or if you prefer you can purchase pet wipes and use those instead. 

We use the kitchen sink and 2 towels. We lay one towel on the kitchen counter and we save one towel to dry our soaking wet friend. We use "No more Tears Baby Shampoo" or a gentle shampoo. We turn the tap on to a slow flow of slightly lukewarm water and then gently hold the rat under the running water until he/she is wet. Be careful not to get water on their heads or in their eyes/ears or noses. Your rat might start to scream and it probably won't like you very much, but he/she will need a bath because they're smelly so don't feel too bad. Be prepared because your rat may try to escape our of your hands. You must be gentle and yet firm at the same time!

Once your rat is wet, remove him from the running water and add a tiny bit of shampoo to his fur. Gently massage the shampoo all over your rat (avoid his head, ears, nose and eyes). Rinse your rat under the running lukewarm water until all the shampoo is gone. Then place your rat on the towel on the counter and cover him with the other towel.  Pick him up and give him a good massage to dry him off. Our rats loved the massage! Once their little massage is over, we give each rat one a little treat. They look forward to this and know they are getting a treat after their baths. We DO NOT bath the rats in the winter months. We don't want them to get a chill. 

You can also fill the sink up to the neck of the rat and just sort of gently dunk him in (do not get his head/ears/nose/eyes wet) and then shampoo and rinse. We found that all four of our rats liked the running water the best (remember GENTLY running slightly lukewarm water).

Can I take my pet rat outside?

Of course you can! (but only in the summer and early fall!) Rats love the outdoors. Be sure your rat is in a shady area, not were the sun is shining on them (they don't like the heat). Once you have found a good place, sit down and let your rat roam free. At first your rat will go a few feet, then come back to you. He or she will go a little farther next time but will always come back to you. Your rat thinks you are his/hers home base (safe place). You can get up and walk slowly and he/she will follow you. Don't run ahead. This will cause them to worry and become afraid. You don't want that! To make them have more fun, why not tickle them when they come to you. My rat Ty, is very hilarious. We allowed him sniff around in our front garden. When we pulled him out of the garden and back onto the grass, he hops his way back to the garden like a kangaroo.

My pet rat is ill, what is wrong with him/her?

This is commonly found on older rats. Older rats have a higher risk of being ill. Here are some of the diseases we discovered:

If your rat is opening and closing his/hers mouth, making rasping noises, it could be suffering from a respiratory illness. Take it to the vet immediately.

If your rat has crusty bits around their eyes, chances are, they may have an eye infection. Take it to the Vet.

If your rat has a fast growing lump (most likely to be found on female rats)  it could be a tumour.  

All in all, we really don't know what it wrong with your rat so please take it to a vet. 

Can I feed my pet rat peanut butter?

We suggest you do not feed your rat peanut butter all by itself. This will cause your rat to choke. They love peanut butter so if you are going to feed it to them, put a little bit on a celery stick or a cracker first. Never give peanut butter to your rats without adding it to a treat first.

Can I feed my rat peanuts

Yes

Can I feed by rat bird food or hamster food or any other kind of animal food that isn't for rats?

No. Bird food and hamster food is made for birds and hamsters. The only thing you should be feeding your rat is food formulated for rats plus fruits and vegetables. Do a google search on pet rat food and see how many hits you get. There will be quite a few! :)

What kind of foods can I feed my rat?

Give plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables along with an excellent quality food formulated for rats. Here are some fruit and vegetable suggestions plus a list of foods to avoid:
It's ok to give:

My rat loves the smell of Vicks vapo rub! 

It's the Mentholatum. Rats think Mentholatum is delicious and will leap at the opportunity to eat some. It will give your rat minty fresh breath but won't do his health a bit of good. Avoid it completely and do not let your rat near the stuff! 

Another thing to avoid....Orange juice. (Or more to the point, d-limonene.) In a March 12, 1992 NPR Morning Edition report, James Swenberg (University of North Carolina) said, "It turns out that about two glasses of orange juice contains a carcinogenic amount of d-limonene for the male rat, but it has absolutely no effect on mice or on female rats, and I'm sure it has no effect on humans." It seems that d-limonene and some other chemicals bind to a naturally occurring protein alpha2u-globulin in the male rat's kidneys. The protein then builds up and causes cancer. Who would have thought? The same protein is not present in female rats or most other animals of either sex, but is present in all but one of the strains of male rats they studied. (Male rats of the NBR strain are the only ones studied that don't have alpha2u-globulin.) 

D-limonene is found mainly in citrus oils (but some other natural oils as well) and is used as a flavor and fragrance additive in food, cleaning products, even shampoo. D-limonene is mainly in the orange rind and gets into the juice either during the juicing process or as an additive. 

Some people advise against feeding your rat chocolate. We've fed ours single chocolate chips for years and have had no problems at all. Do some research online and see what you think. Our rats receive maybe 1 chocolate chip each per week (dark chocolate)

Where can I buy a pet rat?

From a reputable pet rat breeder or a reputable pet store. 

My rat suddenly died. What happened?

It's hard to say but our best guess would be that your rat may have died from pneumonia or mycoplasmia. Here is some great information on both diseases. OR maybe it was just old age. 

How long do pet rats live?

Typically anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 yrs

Can I use an aquarium as a cage?

We suggest you don't. An aquarium is not easy to clean and doesn't 'breath' as well as a proper cage. For proper type cages click here 

How do I introduce another rat?

Click here for some great info on how to introduce a new rat! 

My rat is sick but doesn't have any of the symptoms listed here. What is going on?

We don't know. We advise taking your rat to the vet. 

I think my rat is pregnant. How long will it take before she has babies?

Typically there is a 24 day gestation period. 

Can my friends hold my rats or should they be introduced first?

It should be ok! Give it a try :)

How can I prevent my rat from pulling at her sutures?

We really don't know. You should call the vet.

I have a mother rat and 9 babies that I can not keep. They where going to be snake food and I saved them and don't know what to do now! Any idea's? 

Do a google search on 'pet rat rescue' and see if you can find one in your area. There are quite a few rat rescue locations out there. If there isn't one in your area, try calling the local pet store and asking if they are interested in the rats (and be sure to ask if they sell them as snake food too!)

My pet rat has had a dramatic change with the color of his eyes. They went from black to white and blue within a matter of 2 days! Do you know what could be wrong?! 

Unfortunately we were not sure so we advised the owner to do a google search. After a google search the owner informed us that the search revealed the possibly being a cataract or glaucoma. She will be taking her rat to the vet ASAP. She also said "Thank you so much for the prompt response. I really enjoy your site on rats" :)

For more questions and answers click here and visit this site

Please note: A google search will give you answers to the questions you are asking. If your question isn't listed here, try a google search and see what comes up. 

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For really good information on the care of rats, please visit this site. If your looking to rescue a rat or want to participate on a forum visit this site

Corn in the rats diet - Read why it should be limited