Read About Care for Pet Rats

How to care for pet rats and everything you need to know to take the best care of your pet is included in this article.

How to care for pet rats - Health

1. Inoculations:

   Inoculations are not required for your pet rat. The best thing you can do to prevent disease is to keep their environment clean.

2. Vet Visits:

   There are illnesses such as skin sores and respiratory issues that pet rats commonly can get, and taking them to the vet to get the proper treatment is advisable.

3. Grooming:

   You can groom your pet rat with a soft toothbrush, but be careful not to brush too hard as the skin is delicate and will tear easily.

4. Pet Proofing Your Home:

   You should always keep your pet rat caged in an appropriate wire cage, much the same as you would for ferrets or guinea pigs, and you can let them out, but only with 100% supervision.

5. Environment:

   Cleanliness is key for a pet rat's environment. Also, you should keep the cage lined with Timothy hay. It not only makes great bedding, but the rat will actually eat it and it is very good for them.

6. Exercise:

   Pet rats are your little acrobats! They love to walk across a tight rope, so you can easily set this up for them by tying a piece of rope across the top of the cage. But you should not offer them a wheel, such as a hamster wheel. Their long tails can get tangled in the wheel and cause injury.

How to care for pet rats - Food

1. Type:

   Go to the pet store, any local pet store will do, and look for a product called 'rat blocks.' This is the best way to give your pet rat 100 percent of the nutrition that it needs.

2. Variety or Always the Same:

   As long as your pet rat is getting the rat blocks, you can offer a mix of dried fruit and nuts on occasion.

3. Bowls -- Fancy or Plain:

   The rat will eat from the cage floor as well as a bowl. A bowl is not even necessary.

4. Treats:

   Strawberries, apples (without the seeds - the seeds actually contain arsenic!), and bananas are just a few of the fruit treats that your rat will really enjoy.

How to care for pet rats - Temperament

1. Pet Temperament:

   It is not widely known that pet rats, or rats in general are quite smart and friendly in a domesticated environment.

2. Pet Socialization:

   As long as you avoid overcrowding, multiple rats will get along just fine.

3. Playing With Your Pet:

   You can take your rat out and play with it whenever you wish, in fact it is good for them and keeps them accustomed to you and your touch, but good supervision is essential.

4. Behavior Problems:

   The only time you might have a behavioral issue is when you introduce a new rat to the cage.

5. Training:

   To minimize the possibility of territorial conflict, you need to clean the cage thoroughly, dab each rat with a little perfume to disguise the odors and then they can meet on 'neutral' ground.

How to care for pet rats - Supplies

1. What You Need:

   A good wire cage, rat blocks and time to spend with your pet rat is all that is required.

2. What You'll Want:

   Stringing the tightrope across the cage and taking pictures of it doing its acrobatics would be quite fun and interesting!