Rats: description, types, what they eat, how long do decorative rats live

What is it really like to have a pet rat? Owning a pet rat is a wonderful experience if you have the time to care for them. These rodents are especially active at night and are very social, and you should keep this in mind when deciding whether you should get a pet rat. But let's take a closer look at the pros and cons of owning a pet rat.

Cage maintenance and hygiene

The rat's cage should have plenty of toys and implements for the rat to have fun with.
If you don’t have enough money for store-bought hammocks and wheels, set up a cage yourself - make a hammock from rags, put twigs and pipes for tunnels there, tie strong ropes to the twigs and build a ladder. Please note that rats quickly and cheerfully chew objects made of cardboard and wood with their sharp teeth, so get ready to periodically replace equipment or immediately buy reliable rat household items.

This pet must have a sleeping house in which it can hide from prying eyes. Make the house cozy - lay soft cloths and paper there. It’s better not to put cotton wool. The cage house should have small gaps between the bars so that your pet does not get out of it and begin to wander around the apartment without permission. He needs to be provided with soft bedding to make him feel comfortable.

Pet stores sell special sawdust mixtures. Their inconvenience lies in the fact that while playing, your pets can scatter sawdust on all surfaces near the cage.

In addition, small sawdust gets into their nose, ears and eyes and provokes irritation or allergic reactions.

To prevent this from happening, either make a side around the cage and buy larger sawdust, or make an alternative bedding from soft rags, paper without ink (newspaper will not work) and decorative wood mulch.

The rat cage needs to be cleaned daily. Since these rodents have a habit of hiding leftover food, inattentive owners begin to spoil these scraps. To prevent this from happening, check the litter and all nooks and crannies.

Rinse the feeding bowl and drinking bowl thoroughly and fill them with fresh food and water. If your pet uses a litter box, clean the litter box.

If he urinates in the bedding, change the bedding, as rats urinate frequently and have a habit of marking their territory with a strong-smelling liquid.

Once a week, briefly move the rodent into a separate box and wash all wheels, ladders, ropes with disinfectants, wash the hammock and soft rags in which it buries itself in its sleep.

Only careful care can protect your pet from infectious diseases and the appearance of blood-sucking parasites. Rats are extremely smart and cunning animals.

Did you know? Representatives of rat families communicate with each other in the ultrasonic range, so that other mammals cannot hear them, while rodents can coordinate their actions right under the nose, for example, of a predator waiting for them. If they communicated at frequencies audible to the human ear, the cry of a baby rat in trouble could drown out the sound of a jackhammer.

Always monitor the health of your rodent and, at the slightest suspicion of illness, take it to the veterinarian. He will conduct a competent examination and either advise changing the diet or prescribe suitable treatment.

The rat body is a very fragile and short-lived system. Only by knowing the rules of caring for your pet and knowing how to feed it correctly, will you be sure that your rat lives a healthy, well-fed and happy life.

Short

Keeping a rat is considered one of the simplest, compared to caring for other types of pets. Rats are easy to train, they are loyal and sociable, and friendly towards humans. Tame animals love to spend time with small children, but adults will not get bored with them either. Rats especially love it when their owner scratches their belly or behind their ears. They can spend hours next to their owner without intruding on him.

Some types of rats choose favorites among members of a large family, but willingly communicate with everyone. If the owner is sad and the animal feels it, he can try to cheer him up with funny faces or sounds. Rats are one of the few pets that can laugh when tickled.

The average lifespan of rodents is about 2 years. However, if the owner is able to provide the pet with adequate care, it can increase to 4 years. Rats are so unpretentious to care that even a junior high school student can handle it, with whom rats often become best friends.

Rodents in the wild live a nocturnal life, and during the day they sleep, preparing for the next hunting trip. If the rat is smart, then you can accustom it to daytime. And if a person himself is an owl by chronotype, then there is no point in changing the rhythm of the pet’s life; it will not interfere with everyday life. You can sometimes frolic with your pet at night; owners say that at night, contact with the animal is felt on a deeper level, when no one is distracting.

A rat is a rodent from the mouse family, which has more than 64 species. Rats began to be kept as pets in the 19th century, and in the process of breeding new breeds, they began to differ from their wild ancestors. During the breeding process, the calmest rodents were selected to prevent future outbreaks of aggression towards people.

But, despite the fact that the ornamental rat has a different character than its relatives living in the wild, it is very important to purchase a pet from a trusted place, which is bred and kept in the necessary conditions and does not have diseases. By purchasing such a rat, you can be sure of its safety.

A trusted place means purchasing an animal from a reputable breeder or pet store. When buying a rat from a pet store, pay attention to how they are kept: cages must be clean, food bowls must be filled with fresh food and clean water. The animal must be active: if the animal is lethargic and does not show activity, this may indicate its illness.

Proper cage care

Housing for a rat, like for a person, must be kept in order and in perfect cleanliness. The cage should be treated only with natural substances, without pesticides or unpleasant odors, so as not to cause poisoning in the animal, and to avoid various kinds of diseases. It is better to do cleaning regularly - clean the toilet, wash bowls, change fillers, be sure to regularly change the water in the drinking bowl.

General cleaning should be carried out at least once a week, completely change everything, filler, if necessary, replace bowls, drinking bowls, disinfect toys, swings, and other household items.

Rat care

Caring for your pet is not at all difficult; it is enough to follow basic cleanliness and general recommendations.

When keeping decorative rats, you will have to include cleaning the cage in your schedule. Daily change of drinkers, as well as replacement of dirty filler as needed, are mandatory rituals. It is periodically necessary to disinfect your pet's cage, especially those objects and things that he uses most often.

Animals are considered one of the most unpretentious and easily adapt to the surrounding space. Sometimes pets can be allowed to walk around the apartment. But it is especially important to keep an eye on it for those who have exposed wiring or valuables placed in a visible place in their apartment.

It is important for owners to know several general rules for keeping and caring for animals in order to avoid trouble:

• the cage should be located in a secluded place, protected from direct exposure to sunlight;
• include in the daily schedule basic cleaning of the cage, changing feeders and drinkers. It is advisable to have both regular and suspended cages at different levels;
• Twice a week it is necessary to thoroughly clean the cage with disinfection;
• if necessary, you need to bathe the animal in water at room temperature;
• You also need to systematically trim the animal’s claws using dedicated nail scissors.

Due to the fact that pets need movement, they need to be periodically given the opportunity to walk around the apartment. Experts advise first allocating him a certain free territory. And after accustoming to the name, you can periodically let him go around the entire apartment, but make sure that the safety of wires and personal belongings, especially important ones, are not left unattended.

Decorative rats are worthy contenders for the title of a pet and a full-fledged member of the family.

Anyone who has encountered this cute creature at least once in their life will no longer be indifferent to them. Rats are especially good with children; they can develop a sense of responsibility for their friends and skills in caring for animals. Children note that rats often become their best friends. This is especially noticeable among introverts or those who experience difficulties with socialization, for example, becoming the target of school bullying.

The rat will help irresponsible people learn the necessary qualities and value contact with the surrounding nature more. Experienced people began their care of animals by keeping rats.

It is advisable to keep the rat in a cage. The curiosity of an animal, if released into the wild, can cause great harm: while exploring new territories, a rat can damage things/furniture, as well as harm itself. When releasing the animal, try to keep it in sight, and after the walk, do not forget to return it to the cage.

Despite the fact that the rat is a fairly clean animal, it is necessary to clean the cage on time, remove old food, change the water, and replace the bedding to avoid unpleasant odors. Timely cleaning of your home will prevent not only the development of unpleasant odors, but also the development of infections that can trigger the development of diseases.

In addition to cleaning, the animal needs a balanced diet, which can be purchased at any pet store, along with bedding and other necessary accessories for play.

But feeding a rodent involves more than just store-bought food; for a rat’s complete diet, it is necessary to provide fruits, vegetables and herbs, and you can pamper it with store-bought treats.

Required purchases:

• cell;
• a bowl for water and food (you can use a drinking bowl);
• accessories for games;
• litter

The first thing you need to provide your pet is a comfortable cage with the possibility of active games. Filler, constant access to water and food should always be available. Rats are clean animals and they do not need to change their litter too often. An aquarium is not suitable for the home; it provides insufficient ventilation and the rat can simply suffocate. If finances allow, you can purchase a 3-story cottage with many different exercise machines and other equipment. This will help the rat maintain sufficient physical activity when the owner is very busy.

In addition to size, a rodent cage must meet a number of the following simple but important requirements:

1. The strength of the metal rods from which the cage is made. The distance between them must be at least 10 mm.
2. A deep tray is required.
3. If there are exercise equipment, they should be securely secured.
4. Printing paper without ink can act as a filler.
5. The house must have a drinking bowl with a constant supply of clean water.
6. The presence of a shelter in which the pet can rest, hidden from prying eyes.

Diseases of decorative rats

Rats, like many other decorative rodents, can be overtaken by a variety of diseases, some of which are dangerous for humans. The causes of illnesses can be parasites, bacteria, viruses, fungi.

The following diseases are common:

• ectromelia (also known as smallpox) is a virus that, when it falls into the animal’s body, multiplies on the skin and internal organs (in the chronic form, ulcers, swelling and spots appear on the skin, which ends in tissue necrosis and gangrene; in the acute stage, there may be no symptoms, but the rat will die within 24 hours);
• listeriosis is a bacterial infection that is also dangerous for humans (infection occurs through bedding, food and cage accessories); body temperature rises, coordination is impaired;
• salmonellosis is a bacterium manifested by apathy, diarrhea, intermittent breathing, and without treatment it turns into edema, paralysis and irreversible organ damage (treated with antibiotics - chloramphenicol, biseptol, sulfadimethoxine);
• pneumonia - damage to the respiratory system by pathogens coronavirus and Sendai virus, manifested by discharge from the nose and eyes, sneezing, difficulty breathing, redness of the eyes, swelling of the throat, apathy, weight loss (treated with a course of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, immunomodulators and vitamins);
• mycoplasmosis - a genital, respiratory or mixed infection, manifested by enlarged lymph nodes, nasal discharge, pneumonia (the genital form may be asymptomatic);
• coccidiosis - a disease of the intestines and liver with frequent digestive disorders, jaundice, exhaustion;
• scab and actinomycosis are a fungus that enters the rat’s body after flea or tick bites, as well as through contaminated food (symptoms are ulcers, grayish blisters, scabs on the skin, hair loss, abscesses on the mucous membranes in the mouth).

Many diseases can be avoided if you wash your hands after handling your pet, give proven food and keep the animal’s cage clean.

Now you know how to care for a rat at home

Following all the recommendations is not very troublesome, but your smart animal will definitely thank you with its attention and love

Reproduction of decorative rats

Not everyone is ready for rats to breed at home, since this is quite a crucial moment. First, you will have to take care of the pregnant woman, and then of the lactating female and her brood. Secondly, the offspring must be distributed, and this is not so easy, since they may not be small in number.

For the mating process, the healthiest and most well-fed individuals should be selected. If the female mates for the first time, then her age should be within 5-8 months. As for males, they can mate at any age if they are ready for it. To get healthy offspring, future parents are kept on a vitamin diet for a week. After mating, a pregnancy period begins, which lasts about 3 weeks.

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A pregnant female begins to behave more calmly and becomes selective in food. Already in the third week, her appearance changes dramatically, as a clearly convex and round belly becomes noticeable. Before the birth process, the female or male is separated. At the same time, there should be nothing superfluous in the cage, except for the nesting house and pieces of napkins for arranging the nest.

As a rule, offspring are born at night in the amount of 9 to 12 cubs. They have no hair at all, they are blind and deaf. During this period, the female must receive highly nutritious food with a high content of protein and calcium so that the female has enough milk, otherwise she will not be able to feed her offspring. Newborn rat pups grow very quickly and already on the 4th day they begin to hear, and on the 12th day they begin to see. After a couple of weeks, they already participate in various games along with their parents, moving in a flock around the house or apartment.

Decorative rats feel great as pets. They have so much affection and tenderness towards their owner that any cat can envy. When it comes to affection and devotion, not every dog ​​is capable of this. In addition, a domestic rat does not meow or bark when needed and when not needed. Any person who has at least once held this small bundle of love, affection and devotion in his hands will want to have such an animal at home.

What determines the lifespan of a rodent?

An inexperienced breeder may cross-breed sick animals and pass on undesirable traits to the baby rat, such as an inherited health condition, along with a certain color or coat pattern.

The optimal age for purchasing pet rats is about 6 weeks. Look for a healthy rat with shiny fur and lively eyes. Healthy rodents should also be active and inquisitive.

The rat you choose should not be sneezing, have a runny nose or red eyes. And you should make sure that the rat's droppings are dark and hard.

Rat nutrition throughout life.

A rich diet for your pet rat is a guarantee of a long and happy life. Make sure she eats food specifically made for rats, and be aware of which human foods are safe to eat as rodent treats and which are toxic.

Who to choose: female or male?

Females look more aesthetically attractive, since males have huge testes and this may seem strange to many. However, the character of males is much calmer, so a novice rat breeder should choose a male. Females are more playful. You can have several rats at once, but it is advisable that they be of the same sex, otherwise they may begin to multiply intensively within a month. It is worth remembering that the male can even kill the offspring.

Watching rats is very funny. These funny animals sleep sweetly and quickly work with their paws, similar to human hands. A rat can be taught to fetch things, walk on its hind legs, spin around itself, and much more. A rat can cheer you up and become a friend, no worse than a dog. These animals feel the mood of the owner and what they become depends directly on the owner, therefore, when getting a rat, be prepared not only to win its trust, but also to devote enough time to it. At least 2 hours a day.

One rat or a pair of rodents...

Despite the fact that rats are active at night, at home they learn to live according to the regime of people. If you are going to get a decorative rat for the first time, then it is better to stop at one individual. In general, white rats are kept both in pairs and in flocks. But in this case, you will need to devote more time to them and monitor their conflicts. And treating several animals at once if they are injured is not an easy task.

If you are offered a couple of decorative rats in a pet store, you should not immediately take animals of different sexes. Unless, of course, you plan to become a rat breeder. The female may suffer from such a union due to early mating. And even if everything goes well for rodents, numerous offspring will not be long in coming. If you have already purchased a boy and a girl, consider sterilization.

There are several benefits to purchasing a same-sex couple. Firstly, it is most consistent with their natural lifestyle. In the wild, rats live in packs of either only males or females. Individuals of different sexes are found exclusively for breeding purposes. Secondly, two decorative rats will have a great time together when the owner is not at home

This is useful for them in terms of emotions, while one rat will really need the attention of the owner. The owner of a pet replaces his friend, so you need to ensure long-term emotional contact with the pet, often carry it with you, play, observe

Pros and cons of keeping an animal

Despite the fact that many people are afraid of rats, they are very cute animals and excellent candidates for the role of pets. By getting such an animal, you can count on a lot of positive emotions, as well as a loyal friend who will always be with you.

Pros of keeping rats:

1. Cost-effective maintenance – the biggest cost is purchasing the cage. Feeding rats does not require investing large amounts of money, and you can make most of the accessories for the animal’s exciting leisure time yourself.
2. Not noisy animals - rats are very quiet animals, which is a huge advantage compared to other animals.
3. Simple diet. The decorative rat is an omnivore; moreover, they can be fed fruits and vegetables, and store-bought food is inexpensive.
4. They do not take up much space - rats do not require large cages, so they can be placed even in a small apartment.
5. They do not need to be walked - in comparison with other pets, this is a definite plus.
6. Cleanliness - these animals do not have any unpleasant odors if you tidy up their home in a timely manner.
7. Interest – rats are very interesting to watch, they are always busy with something.

Possible disadvantages:

1. If you have a cat or dog at home, then if you get a rat, there may be conflicts. Showing interest, animals can turn the cage over, and the rat will experience stress from being near a predator.
2. Sociability - if you do not have enough time to communicate, it is advisable to purchase a second animal.
3. Lack of time - if you spend a lot of time away from home, and your work involves business travel, it is better not to get a rat; if left unattended for a long time, the animal may die.
4. Allergies – if one of your family members is allergic to wool, it is better not to get a pet.
5. Short lifespan - rats live only 2-3 years, during which time any person will get used to their pet, and for children the death of a beloved animal can become a source of stress.

Based on the above pros and cons, we can conclude that rats have minor disadvantages

Before purchasing such an animal, it is important to take into account the interests of each family member and discuss the possibility of purchasing together

A decorative rat can become an irreplaceable friend, you can play with it, teach commands, even just watching the life of this animal brings only positive moments.

And most importantly, even in small rooms you can find a place for this animal.

By paying enough love and attention to your pet, even in such a short period of time in a rat’s life, you can get a lot of positive things.

It is not for nothing that the decorative rat is considered one of the most intelligent and loyal animals. Despite the fact that pets are unpretentious, before purchasing it is still worth learning about the peculiarities of caring for and maintaining animals. Minimal care and high intelligence, as well as devotion to humans, make pets of this species increasingly popular.

Feeding

Keeping decorative rats requires a careful approach to their nutrition. Meals should be balanced and satisfying. Rodents that are hungry may eat each other. An adult should eat 30-32 g of food per day, of which 5-7 g are vegetables. Adult rats need two meals a day, with the evening portion being larger than the morning portion due to nocturnal activity. Cubs need to be fed up to four times a day. You need to be more careful about certain categories of animals. Thus, pregnant and lactating females should drink milk, and hairless rats need more food, especially controlling the intake of protein.

Food can be purchased at pet stores. These are combined dry mixtures with a balanced composition. When producing them, the concentration and ratio of nutrients, mineral supplements and vitamins are taken into account. Dry food is made in the form of briquettes or granules. Such nutrition makes life easier for the owner. In addition, you can use automatic feeders.

What to include in your diet

It is useful to pamper your furry pet with grains, focusing on wheat, barley, oats and millet. To preserve vitamins and other beneficial substances, grains are given whole and unprocessed. Rats also love sunflower seeds, which contain unsaturated fatty acids. They have a positive effect on the condition of the coat and on the rodent’s body as a whole.

You can add bran to the food of rats in a ratio of 1:3 and white bread.

Keeping a pet rat includes careful daily selection of the pet's diet. It is necessary to include vegetables and fruits in your diet, which are sources of carbohydrates and fiber. Potatoes, carrots and beets are given raw or boiled. Among fruits, rats especially like apples, apricots, persimmons, cherries, grapes, peaches, bananas, raspberries, and strawberries. Vegetables can be grated or cut into pieces. Rodents also feast on various herbs and leaves. Spinach, alfalfa, clover, early nettle in spring, sprouted oats in winter, cabbage and lettuce leaves are a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. You just need to remember that you should not collect herbs growing near the road.

Animals also need dried fruits and nuts. Nuts not only act as food, but also help grind rodents’ teeth.

Rodents should be fed eggs, cottage cheese, and lean meat. Fish oil, tomato juice, and yeast are also used.

Keeping a pet rat often implies pregnancy. Pregnant rats and babies need substances such as chalk, calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, calcium glycerophosphate and phytin. You can put a mineral stone in the cage.

It is not forbidden to feed rats even chocolate, without, of course, overusing it in order to avoid problems with the pet’s weight.

You cannot mix different types of feeding. It is forbidden to give salted, fried, fatty, cold, smoked and spicy foods, baked goods, and legumes. All this can lead to serious problems.

Feeding rats

Domestic rodents are absolutely unpretentious in food, although each rodent has its own gastronomic preferences

It is very important that the diet is balanced, otherwise problems with the digestive system may occur, which can lead to obesity. Therefore, the diet of rats should consist of the following foods:

Cereals

For feeding, both dry cereals and boiled porridges based on buckwheat, corn, barley, rice and wheat are used.

Seeds and nuts

Rodents will eat flax, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, nuts, and various greens with appetite. Sprouted millet, oats and wheat can be used as vitamin supplements.

Dairy products

Pets will be very happy to eat kefir, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, yogurt, which are rich in calcium and bacteria for the normal functioning of the digestive tract.

Vegetables

How could we live without vegetables and fruits, a source of fiber, vitamins and microelements, which have a positive effect on the functioning of all internal organs.

Clean drinking water and treats

Treats for domestic rats include apple slices, carrots, watermelon, puffed rice, corn, strawberries, and grapes.

It is strictly not recommended to give pets:

• Chocolate.
• Alcohol.
• Shashlik.
• Fried, and especially spicy meat.
• Sweet products.
• Raw cabbage, potatoes, beans, spinach and green bananas.

Organizing rat feeding at home

Rats are omnivores, so their owners often feed them from a common table. But modern food products can harm the health of rodents because they contain chemicals.

Balanced diet

The basic principle of feeding a rat when kept at home is the absence of fatty, fried, salty, sweet and smoked foods. The entire diet should consist of a base and complementary foods. The main food is a grain mixture, and complementary foods include vegetables, fruits, treats, and dairy products.

You can purchase food at a pet store or prepare it yourself. The pet should not be overfed and only rat pups under the age of six months should not be limited in food. Adults are given food once a day, taking into account the daily needs of the rodent.

Vegetables and greens should predominate in the diet from plant foods. For rats, 10-15 grams of plant food per day is enough.

Boiled meat, fish and seafood are necessary for the animal to fully develop. They must be present in the diet in sufficient quantities to saturate the body with proteins. These foods can be fed to your rat 1-2 times a week.

Yogurt, kefir, and cottage cheese enrich the body with calcium and beneficial bacteria. Fermented milk products can be given to rats regularly, but taking into account the individual characteristics of the pet’s body.

Fruits, nuts, pasta and other foods are suitable as treats for your pet - they are given once a day or less often, so as not to harm the health of the rodent.

Prohibited Products

The lifespan of rats at home directly depends on the quality of food. Therefore, the owner should carefully monitor the diet and exclude the following foods from it:

• carbonated and alcoholic drinks;
• chips, crackers;
• dried fish;
• mushrooms;
• coffee Tea;
• sweets;
• flour products;
• honey;
• juices;
• corn sticks;
• feijoa.

Keeping and caring for a rat

Keeping pet rats does not require any special knowledge or conditions; all that is needed is a cage and communication with the animal. The only thing worth warning about right away is that rats mark their territory with a specific smell. There is no escape from this, so if you have allergies, or simply don’t like the smell of animals, then take a closer look at other, more hypoallergenic rodents, fortunately there are such things.

Multi-level cage

Although you can often find families in which there are no cages, and the rat is perceived at the level of cats and dogs - it has a bed made from a cardboard box, and all day long it is free to walk around the apartment wherever it pleases.

This is acceptable, but still the rodent must have a cage; animals of this level of intelligence and size require control, and if you are not at home, then you must be calm that your animal will not chew the wires or misbehave. But we’ll come back to the level of intelligence, there’s a lot to talk about, but for now we’ll give the pet’s characteristics:

• Body up to 25 cm long;
• Weight up to half a kilogram, females weigh slightly less than males;
• A domestic rat lives up to 4 years, although a case of life expectancy of 7 years and 4 months has been recorded, but for a decorative rat this is an exceptional case;
• Coat color - all sorts of colors from black to snow-white albino.

Two-color rat

The cage should be both a home and a place for eating - equip it with a feeder and a drinking bowl, which should always be filled only with fresh, clean water.

You should not install it on a windowsill, because... rats are afraid of drafts and direct sunlight, like any rodent.

House Rat Intelligence

For many it will seem incredible, but the rat can be trained and learned! Over time, if you take care of the animal, it will be able to:

• Respond to nickname;
• Stand on hind legs on command;
• Return to the cage at your sole request;
• Perform simple tricks and tricks.

Don't believe me? Watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i1PTlgKXS4

The learning process is simple - call the animal by name and give it a treat. Spun it around your finger and give it a treat. They poured food into the cage's feeder and called him by name. And so it is in everything. It is better to give a shorter name, so the rat will quickly learn to distinguish it.

Speaking of tasty treats.

Diet of a decorative rat

As for the question of what to feed domestic rats, domestic rats are no different from their wild relatives - they eat everything. But still, they have a delicate, so to speak, gastrointestinal tract, so refrain from feeding:

• Fried, smoked, fatty;
• Sweet and salty.

If you want to prolong your pet’s life, you should also avoid:

• Bakery products;
• Sausages;
• Overripe or unripe fruits;
• Rarely, raw potatoes, beets, cabbage.

All these ingredients cause stomach upset and poor health. Here's what you can feed:

• Millet, oats, barley;
• Vegetables fruits;
• Chicken meat;
• 1 time a week – a little fish;
• Milk.

Treats for rats
There are also many ready-made foods available that you can buy at any pet store. You need to feed the animal a couple of times a day, during the day and at night. Cubs need to be fed more often - 4 times a day.

You need to put a mineral stone in the cage, they will sharpen their teeth on it (the rats will leave the wiring alone), and it will saturate their body with calcium.

If you don’t keep an eye on this, a rat at home will become fat in just a month, this will shorten its life significantly.

Domestic rat and disease

A healthy rodent is very active, its eyes are shiny, its coat is clean and shiny, its ears and nose are clean, without red spots. Although small, there is still a list of their diseases:

• Excessive length of anterior incisors. A very common ailment that is very easy to avoid is a mineral stone in a cage, we have already talked about it;
• Redness of the eyes or nose. This is not necessarily a disease, but may be a banal allergy;
• Mycoplasmosis bacterium. Affects the respiratory tract, and pneumonia may develop. Requires veterinary treatment;
• Abscess. In simple words - an abscess that the veterinarian will open, clean, and, if necessary, prescribe an antibiotic;
• Vaginal bleeding – either a tumor or a urinary tract infection;
• And, of course, parasites - fleas, etc. bloodsuckers.

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This is where the illnesses of domestic rats can end.

If you have suffered from the latter illness, then you should pay more attention to water procedures.

Water treatments

The pet rat loves water, and bathing is just a holiday for her.

You can bathe her often, even every other day. The water should be warm and comfortable; for foam, you can use baby or special shampoo for animals.

Where do rats live in nature?

Wild rats love to settle on the banks of rivers and reservoirs. In addition, they can be found in forests, fields and swampy areas.

Since these rodents are omnivores by nature and are distinguished by good intelligence, curiosity and adaptability, they are often prone to synatropy, that is, living near human habitats. Here rats settle in the basements of residential buildings, attics, barns, warehouses, vegetable gardens and fields sown with cereals, and even in landfills and sewers. In the wild, rats most often live in large groups, in which one male dominates and two females subordinate to him.

Also, rat habitats can be divided into three groups according to weather conditions:

• Rats living in the North. Due to the cold weather, the animal tries to stay closer to human habitation all year round.
• Rats living in the middle zone. In summer, when it is warm, they settle in the wild: in forests, fields, meadows, swamps and along the banks of rivers, reservoirs and lakes. In winter, animals move to residential buildings where they can warm up. Only a few rats remain to spend the winter in the wild.
• Rats living in the South. These animals rarely settle close to people, since weather conditions allow them to live comfortably in the wild all year round, finding sufficient food and building comfortable housing for themselves.

Rat holes can be 3-5 meters long and 50-80 cm deep. Inside the rodent’s home, nests are built from grass, leaves, feathers and wool, rags and paper. The diameter of the nests can reach up to 30 cm. Sometimes animals settle in hollows or simply on tree branches, where they also build nests.

Why is it necessary to equip a cage house?

Some people think that houses are just a cute extra thing for a rat's cage, but in fact they are truly essential to the well-being of your pet rodent. In the wild, rats are the prey of predatory animals, so they dig holes for safety and protection, and at home, where they cannot burrow, shelter helps them feel safe.

There are also five other reasons to buy a rat house, including:

1. Stress.
   Fear can be one of the stressful situations. A pet rat can be frightened by loud barking from a dog, the voices of strangers, and similar loud noises. Then the rat can crawl into the house and feel safe. If your pet does not have a place to hide, then nervous tension may cause health problems.
2. Cold
   . If the room temperature is low, the rat may need a place to stay warm. Rats usually insulate their house with whatever materials they can find. Also, several rats sleep in one shelter, keeping each other warm.
3. Draft.
   Rats need a house with thick walls that will not allow cold air to pass through. After all, hypothermia can cause colds or more serious illnesses.
4. Age.
   Older rats are much less active and prefer to spend more time in shelters. They also often have health problems, so they need to feel calm and safe.
5. Sunlight
   . Rats are sensitive to direct sunlight and hot temperatures, so the house will be an excellent shelter for them from overheating.

Advice!

Place some treats in the new hiding place. Acceptable treats: apples, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and bananas.

General characteristics of rats

If we compare representatives of different sexes, then females are more active than males, and males are more phlegmatic and somewhat lazy. But, regardless of gender, domestic rats are very loving, they will be happy with stroking and other caresses from the owner.

In addition, we can highlight the following features inherent in domestic rats:

• cleanliness;
• unpretentiousness in content;
• amenable to training;
• curiosity and intelligence;
• sociability.

It is important to remember that when buying such an animal, each quality can have not only advantages, but also disadvantages.

For example, fairly developed intelligence can create problems: they can open simple bolts and latches in a cage without any problems. But, at the same time, the developed intelligence of the rat makes this animal special: it recognizes its owner and can learn simple tricks.

It is also worth remembering that a rat is a rodent and if you give it the opportunity to walk, you should worry about the safety of the furniture and your belongings, and you also need to make sure that the animal does not eat something dangerous to its health.

The ancestors of rats and the current representatives living in the wild live in packs, so the rat will need communication, and if you do not have a goal to have offspring, then it is advisable to have two animals of the same sex. Same-sex rats will not fight for territory, so you do not have to worry about possible conflicts, and the main advantage is that they will not produce unwanted offspring.

But even with a neighbor, the animal needs communication with its owner. It is necessary to devote time to the pet so that it is sociable, not afraid of people, and also to avoid aggression towards people due to fear.

If the animal is not tamed, it will be unsociable and can show aggression towards its owner, experiencing fear of a person who is many times larger than its size. There have been cases when domesticated rats attacked people, to avoid this, pay attention and show care to your pets.

It can be gigantic

An ordinary person understands a rat as the most common species on the planet - the Norwegian, or gray (Pasyuka), and its domesticated relative, which is bred in homes.

There are legends that these creatures grow almost to the size of a cat. This is not true - pasyuki do not grow. The largest of them rarely reach 50 centimeters including the tail and gain 450 grams.

But... In nature, there is not only this type of rat. In New Guinea, during the filming of a BBC nature film in 2009, a completely new species was discovered in the crater of the Bosavi volcano.

It was named the Bosavi woolly rat. This miracle of nature reaches 82 centimeters (including the tail). This “rat” weighs about 1.4 kg. And she is not at all afraid of a person whom she has never seen during her volcanic life.

Rat. visualhunt.com

Cons of decorative rats

Before you bring a little rat into your home, think about whether you are ready to accept him with all his shortcomings. The amount of responsibility does not depend on the size of the pet

Pay attention to the disadvantages of decorative rats

Short life expectancy

On average, rats live 2-2.5 years. With good care and heredity - 3-3.5 years, no longer. Parting with a smart and affectionate pet is unbearably difficult. This is the main disadvantage of rats - they live only a little longer than hamsters. But the owner usually does not develop a deep emotional attachment. Other rodents and lagomorphs - rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus - live much longer than rats.

Rat "Siamese" color

Urine marks, feces

Although rats themselves are clean animals, they cannot be toilet trained like a cat or hamster. Peeing everywhere is necessary for them, this is how they mark their territory. I'm not sure about feces, but they poop wherever they want. Accordingly, after a walk you need to remove the “gifts”. When a rat crawls over a person, it can mark him too (pee).

Destroy things and repair

Call Captain Obvious, rodents are gnawing! Rats have incredibly strong and sharp teeth, allowing them to crush even concrete. Keeping smart animals in a cage all the time is cruel; they have to be let out to run around. And some damage is inevitable. Before a walk, you need to hide all things dear to your heart - documents, headphones. Rats chew curtains, wallpaper, books. My rat secretly chewed a round hole in the wooden bottom of the sofa, and made a luxurious nest in the quilted blanket that lay inside. I discovered this only in winter, but I was still surprised - where is he hiding for so long?

You need to decide in advance what you love more: rats or furniture

Poor health

Stories about the incredible vitality of rats cause them a lot of harm. People think that rats are “unkillable”, which means they can be fed everything, parachuted from a bunk bed, or allowed to swim in the bathtub. Firstly, you cannot compare the health of a wild pasyuk and a decorative rat. Secondly, the vitality of rats is primarily the well-being of the entire species, and not the individual. They have gained a formidable reputation for their extremely rapid reproduction. And fertility does not mean good health, rather the opposite. Rats catch colds easily, may suffer from digestive disorders, and get injured while walking. But the main thing is that they are susceptible to cancer. Their tumors grow rapidly and require immediate surgical intervention. The situation is complicated by the fact that only a small number of veterinarians are able and willing to treat rats. There is not a special doctor - a rodentologist - in every city. It is better to find out his contacts in advance from rat breeders or on rat breeding forums.

Read about how to properly feed a rat HERE (link will open in a new tab)

Curly mustache of a rex rat with wavy fur

May be noisy at night

In nature, rats are active at dusk and at night. Domestic rats often adjust their routine to suit humans, but still tend to be active at night. They can chew the metal bars of the cage and household items in it, and dig into the bedding. Consider this point - if the slightest noise prevents you from falling asleep, there is no place for a cage with rats in the bedroom. But children are usually not bothered by this night fuss, and they sleep peacefully next to their favorite pets.

The smell from the animal and from the cage

Many people even consider the smell from a clean and healthy rat to be pleasant. But in order not to smell the unpleasant smell from the cage, you will have to work hard. It is necessary to choose a good filler and change it regularly. Wash and clean the cage. Remove leftover food. The more rats, the more often cleaning is required. In addition, rats can piggy - scatter food and litter around the cage.

For most rat breeders, the animals walk freely around the room, returning to the cage at will. The larger the cell, the less likely it is that an unpleasant odor will occur.

Negative attitude of others

You should be prepared for the fact that some of your friends will stop visiting your home because you keep rats. Some people cannot stand their appearance, experiencing a feeling of disgust or fear. A phobia can be causeless and innate, like the fear of spiders. Or it may be associated with a traumatic experience of communicating with wild rats. My grandmother had one, and although she admitted that my pet had a cute face, she could not see his tail without shuddering. You can't force other people to like rats. Most likely, you will encounter cruelty and misunderstanding during the illness or death of a pet (“it’s just a rat”). You will also listen to lectures on the plague and other horrors associated with rats.

Plague on your home! Rat tails can be terrifying

Benefits of rats as pets

Gone are the days when, when hearing the word “rat,” a person remembers with horror the wild gray bee – a source of disease, a devourer of livestock feed, a thief and a pest. Decorative (“laboratory”) rats have gone far from their ancestors and have firmly won their place among pets. Fair enough, because rats have a number of undeniable advantages.

High intelligence

Rats are so intelligent that humanity should be scared. People have previously paid attention to their uncanny ability to avoid poisonous bait, deftly empty rat traps and transmit information to each other. Scientists are now confident that rats have a sense of humor and abstract thinking - almost like humans. They have their own language. When communicating with each other, they use several thousand different sounds and gestures. What does this mean for the rat owner? What will be interesting with a pet. A rat can be trained - no less successfully than a dog. Even if you don’t specifically engage with the animal, they begin to respond to the call and remember some words. My rat quickly learned to open the cage on his own, jump onto his shoulder at the snap of his fingers, and run out into the middle of the room to the sound of his fingers tapping on the floor.

Let me boil the owner’s kettle, he looks tired!

Affectionate, contact

Most people love rats not for their remarkable intelligence, but for how cute they are. Soft, warm, affectionate. Rats are easily tamed; they themselves seek communication with humans. Your pet rat will willingly crawl inside the sleeves of your sweatshirt, and even sleep lounging on your neck. Some rats like to kiss - lick their owner, tickling them with their whiskers. Mutual grooming is natural for them, so the animal can not only lick you, but also bite you, scratch you with its claws, and get tangled in your hair. Domestic rats are absolutely not aggressive. They do not bite their owners. The animal can defend itself if it is very frightened or in pain. But in my practice, rats only squeaked pitifully during injections or removal of sutures, without making any attempts to bite the hands that held them.

It's interesting to watch them

The third logically follows from the first two points. Intelligent and social animals are amazing things to watch. It is recommended to keep rats in same-sex communities (possibly opposite-sex only if the animals are castrated). If there is more than one rat at home, you will see many funny scenes. But you can also give your pets something special to do - hide treats, build labyrinths and climbing complexes. Children and teenagers especially love to do this, forgetting even about the computer and other gadgets.

Easy to care for

Caring for a rat is not difficult; it can be entrusted to children. The main thing is timely cleaning of the cage and replacement of the filler. Feeding does not take much time, and is perceived by owners more as entertainment than as a duty. You don't need to walk the rat outside, you don't need to wash it. There is no need to comb the fur or trim the nails. The animals cope with all this on their own.

Caring for a decorative rat from A to Z (will open in a new link)

You can take it with you

Due to their small size, transporting a rat is a simpler task than transporting a cat or dog. Many people smuggle rats without notifying the train conductor. For trips to the veterinary clinic or to the country, it is worth getting a special carrier. I even took the rat to school, where it sat in my pocket, in my arms or in my briefcase. Although now it seems to me the height of irresponsibility. But the fact remains that rats are small and inconspicuous. Which allows you to keep them even in a dorm room.

In any unclear situation, go to bed!

Doesn't make loud sounds

Rats are naturally inclined to live secretly. They communicate largely through smell, and all the sounds they make are quite quiet. The only exception is a high-pitched squeal or squeak at a moment of extreme fear or pain. A rat can only make noise when it is actively digging through bedding or chewing on something hard. Although most owners find these sounds not annoying, but calming. Rats are quiet, which distinguishes them from guinea pigs, which whistle among themselves and also demand food with a deafening whistle.

Varied appearance

When I was a child, they sold mostly white albino rats and black-and-white “hooded” rats. Now there is a huge variety of colors among decorative rats. Despite the fact that part of the population retains the “wild” gray-brown color, which is called agouti.

The agouti-colored rat most closely resembles its ancestor, the pasyuk.

Rats can be a solid color or have beautiful white markings. Black, blue, chocolate, beige. There are even color-point rats (“Siamese”).

Fawn rat

The animals also differ in the type of fur they have. The most common are smooth-haired rats. But breeders have already bred naked-skinned rats - sphinxes, rats with wavy fur - rexes and long-haired rats. There are also rats with a special shape of ears - dumbos. These animals are incredibly popular, their round ears are larger than those of ordinary rats, and they are located not at the top, but on the sides of the head.

Naked sphinx rat

The impact of nutrition on health

The rat's diet must be balanced and extremely healthy. The food you eat yourself may not be suitable for your pet. This is especially true for fried, spicy, fatty, and sweet foods. Do not give domestic rodents anything that they would never obtain in the wild.

Any deviation from the normal diet entails liver problems, obesity of internal organs, kidney dysfunction and rapid weight gain. Accordingly, the already short lifespan of domestic rats is halved.

Did you know? Rat teeth are so strong that they easily crush concrete and certain metal alloys. Their teeth grow without slowing down throughout their lives, so rats are forced to constantly grind them down on something.

What can you feed rats:

1. Nuts and grains. Nuts contain the protein rodents need, although you should limit yourself to walnuts and give them one a day. Cereals are a reliable source of carbohydrates, and sprouted grains contain important vitamin E, which strengthens the immunity of warm-blooded creatures. Any grains other than wheat are suitable for rats - buckwheat, rice, rye, oats.
2. Vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs. They form the basis of the diet of rodents - you can feed them with the products that are grown in your region. No tropical fruits or imported arugula. It is better to give vegetables boiled, and large seeds will have to be removed from fruits and berries first. In winter, diversify your pet's diet with fresh frozen berries, having previously defrosted them. In the summer, you can use dandelion leaves and stems as greenery; your pet will eat them with pleasure.
3. Dried fruits. The rat will eat everything - prunes, dried apricots, dried pears and apples. Dried berries will also benefit her.
4. Meat and fish.
   There is an opinion that rats should not be given meat products. This is not true - rodents eat meat, but rarely, so you can feed them boiled (in no case fried or raw) fish and meat on weekends. Feeding eggs should be the same - hard-boiled, in small portions once a week. You cannot feed a rat milk, but fermented milk cheese will improve its intestinal microflora and provide it with the necessary calcium.
5. Mineral supplements. This includes chalk, calcined tablets, and ordinary charcoal. Make sure that your pet’s diet is balanced in vitamins - buy him vitamin complexes for rodents.

What not to give to rats:

Raw foods. This includes all vegetables except carrots, and meat, raw and fried.

Pay special attention to fatty meats such as pork. It cannot be fed even boiled.

Milk and carbonated drinks

Milk can cause volvulus in your pet, and carbonated drinks are not even beneficial for humans.

Vegetables and fruits are green. Exclude apples, cucumbers, sweet peppers, zucchini, and unripe bananas from your pet’s diet.

Sweet, spicy, salty. What is acceptable for humans is prohibited for rodents. From too active food, they develop problems with the gastrointestinal tract and exhibit allergic reactions.

Important! The immunity of ornamental rodents, originally bred for laboratory tests, is much weaker than that of their gray wild relatives, who do not mind drafts, sunlight and stale scraps. You need to be prepared for the fact that your pet will reach the peak of its development by one and a half years, and by two and a half years will die of old age, if it does not become a victim of some infectious disease before this time.

About mutated rats

Mutant rats have been shown more than once in many films and cartoons, and for the famous American horror writer Stephen King, such animals are one of his worst phobias. Urban legends place monsters deep underground: in the subway, stinking sewers, and landfills. I wonder how likely it is that if we suddenly find ourselves in such places, we will certainly meet a huge rat?

Honestly, this could happen. True, no one has ever seen an animal the size of a person, but individuals the size of a dog exist. For example, Bosavi woolly rats, which were discovered during an American scientific expedition to the Bosavi Crater (New Guinea), reach a length of more than 80 cm and weigh 1.5 kg. However, they are not evil at all, but cute, sociable animals that do not show any aggression when meeting a person. Looking at their photographs, you never cease to be amazed at how diverse the world is. So far it is believed that this is the largest rat in the world.

rat Bosavi

But let's return to Russia. The Pasyuk is considered the largest rat living in our country. You have seen representatives of this genus more than once near basements, in garbage dumps and in gutters. This is a gray rat, in size it can be up to 25 cm, in weight - up to 400g. Their black relatives are smaller and more agile: up to 22 cm and no more than 300g. And yet, this is not even the size of a cat, especially a large one. So let's put the legends aside. Our gray and black rats are not mutants.

Pasyuk or gray rat photo

Cell selection

Choosing a cage for a pet rat seems difficult at first glance. But when choosing, you need to take into account that this animal behaves actively. The ideal option for keeping a rodent is a cage with lattice walls that will allow air to pass freely.

A cage made of metal rods is ideal for keeping your beloved pets; it must retain its shape and meet certain requirements and parameters. The rat cage can be made of either fine mesh or rods. The distance, in any case, should not exceed 0.7-1 cm for young rats, and 1.2-1.5 cm for large rats. This is a mandatory condition in order to protect the rat and its babies from danger and damage to their body.

Pros and cons of rat cages

For convenience, consider the table. Which cells are the most popular?

How much does a rat cage cost?

As they say: “the miser pays twice”

Therefore, you should not pay attention to cheap cages. Cheap cages are inconvenient because they have few shelves, no stairs, and rats like to climb high

There is also no drinking bowl and no toys for entertainment. Despite this, you can still find a large and comfortable cage at a low price.

Today the market is oversaturated with goods for improving the life of decorative rats. As for the choice of expensive cages, the assortment is very large. Here there is a place to roam. The variety of shapes and designs is amazing. On the market you can now find cages made in various styles, in bright colors, made of high-quality plastic. You also won’t need to collect additional accessories; everything is equipped in the best possible way and contributes to the healthy and active location of the animal. If you are a novice owner and have not yet learned how to properly keep a decorative rat, then buying an expensive cage will be an excellent choice and an effective gift for your pupil.

How to choose a little rat

First of all, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules for choosing a pet rat. This will largely determine how actively the animal develops at home and how long it will live. After all, the lifespan of rats is already short - about 3 years.

And it is very important not to shorten it

It is extremely important to buy a young rat. After all, this will make it much easier for the animal to get used to new conditions.

But contrary to the claims of salespeople at most pet stores, you do not need to buy a baby who is not yet 6 weeks old. After all, the little rat must receive all the nutritional elements from its mother’s milk. The mother, in turn, will have time to teach the little rat basic skills in just these 6 weeks. Pay attention to the pet's appearance. The baby rat's ears should be clean and bright, and there should be no spots around the eyes and nose. Pay attention to the eyes: they should not be cloudy or sour. The baby rat should be moderately active, and when palpating the abdomen, no lumps should be detected. You should also know that many rat pups suffer from a special disease, which is popularly called whirligig. In adulthood, this pathology can bring many problems. It's quite easy to identify. You need to take the little rat by the middle of the tail and hold it for 5-7 seconds. If he hangs calmly with his paws outstretched, this indicates the health of the pet. But if it starts to spin, then it’s better not to take such a little rat, since it’s already sick. It is very important to initially establish contact with the animal. To do this, you should stick your hand into the cage with the babies. You should choose the animal that will reach out to your hand. Please note that timid children often become aggressive and biting as adults. Decide right away who you would like to raise: a female or a male. Boys are somewhat calmer; they can sit in the arms of their owner for a long time. They do not show emotions, but if they are offended, they remember it for a long time. The same cannot be said about active girls who simply cannot sit still for long.

Also, immediately think about what breed of rat you want to get. Today their choice is quite wide. But before purchasing, you should study the characteristics of the chosen breed. After all, they can all differ both in health and in character.

What to feed your pet rat?

It is not enough to know about the care and maintenance of a pet rat: feeding is an equally important aspect, because the pet constantly needs clean and fresh water and food. For liquids, a drinking bowl is placed so that the water does not spill and the cage does not become dirty and damp. The water needs to be changed every day.

The food should include grains (oats, wheat, millet, barley), fruits (apples, bananas, peaches, apricots, persimmons), berries (grapes, strawberries, raspberries), vegetables, herbs (dandelion and plantain leaves), dried fruits , nuts (except almonds) and chicken bones (necessary for grinding teeth). You can give meat, but in small portions and no more than once a week.

The normal feeding frequency is 2 times a day for adults, 3-4 times for children and adolescents.

Additionally, owners purchase a mineral stone that can provide the animal with the necessary amount of calcium.

List of prohibited products:

• roast,
• salty,
• smoked,
• fatty,
• spicy,
• cold,
• sweet.

So candy, chocolate, sausage, bread, soy are not an option. Vegetables such as cabbage, turnips, radishes, radishes, beets, legumes and raw potatoes should not be given. All permitted vegetables and fruits must be ripe (not green, but not overripe). Do not offer your rat leaves from indoor plants or fruit trees.

A properly selected diet is the key to animal health. It’s easy to put together if you know what pet rats eat and what you should absolutely not give.

Arrangement of a cage for a decorative rat

A cage for a pet will be very comfortable and cozy if it contains a set of various accessories that provide feeding, odor absorption, play, and relaxation. Therefore, when purchasing a cage, you should immediately purchase elements for its arrangement.

Filler

Basically, rat breeders use corn litter, although it is relatively expensive. It is not recommended to use sawdust as it can cause allergic reactions in rodents. Another option is a filler made from paper napkins or toilet paper. The option is quite cheap, but requires frequent replacement. In this case, you cannot use newspapers and magazines, since your pet can be poisoned by printing ink.

Food bowls

There are hanging bowls that are attached to the bars of the cage. Dry food is poured into them, but for liquid food it is better to purchase heavy ceramic bowls so that the rodent cannot move them.

Availability of a house

Rodents very often rest, hiding in a small house. The bottom of the house can be covered with a piece of soft material. Such a house can simply be placed at the bottom of the cage or hung up.

Hammock

The pet loves to sleep or just relax in a hammock. It can be hung as high as possible in the cage. You can either buy this accessory at a pet store or make it yourself, if you have something. The hammock needs to be removed and washed often, and after a while it can simply be replaced.

Toilet

As a rule, the animal itself chooses a place in the cage for the toilet, after which a tray or container with high sides is installed in this place. It is advisable to have a filler that will absorb unpleasant odors.

Other accessories

If the cage is spacious enough, then it is permissible to place additional accessories in it in the form of stairs, tunnels, bridges, toys and other elements. House rats simply love to climb on such surfaces.

Decorative rats - care and maintenance | Pet rats