Grooming

   All rats should be groomed. Don't worry! you don't need to buy rat shampoo or a special brush for them. A toothbrush will do (preferably NOT used) for a monthly brushing. Simply use your toothbrush to gently comb your rats fur. You should spend 5-10 minutes doing long gentle stokes.

   

     If your rat starts to smell or their fur has a grungy look to it you might want to give him/her a bath! You will need baby shampoo (or cat shampoo) and a cereal sized bowl. Do these steps to get your rats fur glossy; 

1. fill your bowl with water (don't make it an deeper than your rat!) 
2. get a dish towel ready next to the bowl (you may experience some splashing)
3. set your rat in the bowl DO NOT WET THE HEAD (if your rat freaks out scratch it behind its ears or do whatever you can to calm them down)
4. after a few seconds take him/her out and set him/her on the towel standing on his/her hind feet
5. rub some soap on your rat very gently
6. Wet your rat down again DO NOT WET THE HEAD
7. Dry thoroughly with a towel. If your rat remains wet he/she may get sick.

You should do this every couple months. If you found your rat seemed happy in the water you could have a rat that can swim! You can give your rat more time to sit in the water and if they seem happy, Fill your bathtub (Not above your rats head) and slowly add water as she/he learns! DO NOT PUT YOUR RAT IN A POOL. The chemicals can easily kill a rat in seconds.

Care & Training

CARE

Food

    Rats can eat almost anything but, if you feed it people food you may notice the fur of your rat looses its silkiness and your rat may fall ill. Most pet stores sell rat & mice food. But, if yours doesn't, gerbil, rabbit, hamster, or other rodent food will work fine. In fact, I prefer hamster food to rats because I find my rats like the larger chunks and do not eat the small oats (I don't blame them the look GROSS). Treats are suggested if you would like to train your rat to do tricks.

Water

    Rats, like most animals, require water. You can use any Small animal water bottle, and it must always contain water. Some people purchase rabbit water bottles and only fill them once a month! others get mice water bottles and fill them every 3-4 days.

Cages & Bedding

    Face it. Rats poop and pee. This may cause your cage to smell. Always stock your cage with bedding. there are MANY different types of bedding. Some are 'Super absorbent', some are colored, some are even scented!  Personally, I use the tan cheap stuff. You need to change your bedding about every 3 weeks or whenever you cage begins to either fill with poop, or starts to smell. You can change the bedding by emptying the old bedding into a garbage can/bag (i like to go outside for this) and simply putting the new bedding into it. Don't put more than 1 and 1/2 in. of bedding into the cage. 

    Cages Cages Cages! The size, shape, color, style, and weight depend on you! I have a cousin who uses an old bird cage and has added a second story using some cardboard! (The ladder was already in the bird cage). My old cage about the size of two normal sheets of paper set next to each other. My NEW cage is MUCH bigger. But, my new cage has very spread out wires so, whenever I get a new rat, I have to put him/her in my smaller cage until she/he gets bigger.

TRAINING

Case of the New home Jitters

When bringing a rat home for the first time you have to spend a LOT of time with him. If you cuddle, pet, and hold your baby rat more, the better. During this time, you may get pees/pooped on. THIS IS NORMAL. The solution? Hold him more. soon your rat will calm down and then, hes ready to be a full-on house pet.

Breeds

      Rat breeds are important to consider while looking for a rat. There are rats that have curly fur, Hairless rats, little rats, rats with big ears, rats, rats, rats! I have listed below some of the many types and given information on how you might recognize them, from their fur to their attitudes!

Hairless rats

The name explains how to recognize these fellows. they are very sweet and are great for a rat that you want to cuddle all day! Although their fur not being there you may not think they require grooming but they actually require more skin care than other species of rat. their skin is more fragile than others so, they must be checked regularly for any signs of skin damage.

Dumbo rats

    These big-eared cuties are very common rats in the pet network. Their big ears, soft fur, and gentle personality are what makes the Dumbo rat so common among pets. I have a Dumbo and I am in Love with her gentle nature. More stores carry Dumbos than any other type of rat. They come in many different styles and colors. I have seen cream colored ones, black and white ones, pure white ones, black ones, and even ones with 3 different colors! Dumbos rats are great pets for first-time pet owners.

                                  

Rex Rats

    Looking for a curly-haired friend? you might want to take a look at the Rex rats. They look a little like hedgehogs in my opinion and are fuzzy beyond anything EVER! they require normal grooming and feeding so, their curly hair is the only thing that sets the apart from standard rats. These little cuticles can be brown, grey, or white.

Standard rats

    Standard rats are well, Rats. They have glossy hair, an average tail, normal ears, everything is as a rat should be. This is what most people think of when they think "rat". If you look in the Care section of Rats4pets.com you will find out the needs of this little fella.

Tailless rats (also known a Manx rats)

    Some people are grossed out by a rats tail. Most can look past it but some people would like to have a rat but cannot get past that tail! If this is you, a tailless rat would suit your style perfectly. They require the same needs as the Standard rats and their personality depends on the rat. I've yet to see a tailless rat so, if your looking for one, Good luck!

Satin rats

These long-haired rats are simply A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! Though they require a touch more grooming than other rats, they are soooooo cute!!! They have long silky fur that can be over a cm long! these rats normally have a lazy attitude so, they are very calm. below is a comparison of a satin rat to a standard rat.

Dwarf rats

    "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww... wait is that a rat?!?!?" these will probably be the first words out of any visitors mouth if you have a dwarf rat. They get their names because they are just 1/3 the size of a standard rat! They require the same needs as a standard (maybe just a little less food!)

Commonly asked Questions

Do rats make good pets?

    Yes, rats make excellent pets for children and adults alike. They require a cage cleaning AT LEAST every 3 weeks (or whenever it starts to stink), water that must not be empty (for most water bottles it should be refilled every 1-2 weeks), and food (normally filled weekly).  They can be very friendly if you spend time with them (every other day at LEAST) or they can become very bitter and shrink into solitude if you ignore them. Though most rats only live for roughly 2 years (one of mine lived for just 3 weeks!) some may live days and some may live up to 7 years.

What different kinds of rats are there?

    There are MANY different kinds of rats out there. If you would like to see some of them click Breeds on the left hand side of this page. 

Where can I buy a rat?

    I've found good luck looking at Petsmart, Atlas pets, and many small pets shop scattered around the area.

Does the Gender of the rat matter?

    Yes, the gender of the rat is HIGHLY important. Female rats smell less, need less cage cleanings, and need more careful hands than the males. Male rats are much more energetic, smell a little more, require more cleanings, and are much more willing for rough play than the females.

Is it possible to Potty-train my rat?

    Yup! you can train a rat to go in a single corner of their cage by doing 4 simple steps.

1. Change the bedding color of your rats "Bathroom" corner
2. When you wake your rat up set him/her in the "bathroom"
3. move any poop that NOT in the bathroom into it before cleaning it up
4. continue until you no longer have to do step 3

Do feeder rats make good pets?

    If your up for a challenge! Feeder rats are rats used for snake feeding. They are VERY jumpy because they are normally handled little to not at all. They tend to not live as long as other rats. I had a feeder rat and it died after just 3 weeks! At the end of my feeder rats time she had calmed down a ton and I had started to teach her tricks! With feeder rats you have to be careful. If your looking for a pet and willing to wait for a little while, I would suggest getting a rat that was bred as a pet. But hey! You could get a good one just as easy!

What is a fancy rat?

     A fancy rat is one of the 2 groups of rats there are. I don't know the name of the other group. They include all of the rats on the breeds page except the standard. If you are looking for a rat, look fr a fancy or a standard because all fancy rats are used as pets and have soft fur.

What is the difference between a mouse and a rat?

     The size. Mice are TINY and don't live as long as rats. Mice are also Primarily nocturnal while rats are not!