Should you get a rat?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have rats?

Hi there! It’s Haley here! I just wanted to give you an overview of what it’s like to have rats!

Pro tip: If you get a rat, don’t get one, get 2 so that it will have a friend when you are gone!

So first things first. Why would you want to get a rat? No, it’s not that kind of a rat. It’s a pet rat! They are so sweet, and they are NOTHING like sewer rats! Rats will cuddle and climb on you! Each rat has a different personality, for example, 1 rat might be very adventurous and daring but another rat might be timid and cautious.

We put our rats in a separate room so that the cats and the dog can’t get to them. This is a good idea if you have other pets that might want to eat the rats (especially snakes and cats) and it’s just easier when clean time, play time, or feed time come around!

Above you can see a picture of one of our first rats, Maggie! (This is my rat.) When we first got her, she escaped into the couch! ): But we finally found her, and now she is safe and sound! When you first get a rat, they might try to escape. But that’s okay! There are ways to prevent this. When you first get a rat, let it explore, just not on the couch! They are small when you first get them. Just remember this, and everything will be fine! (:

Now, I did mention we have 9 rats on our first blog post, correct? We do! We have 5 girl rats and 4 boy rats! Here’s another tip: Unless you want lots of baby rats, have 1 cage for the boys and 1 cage for the girls!

What can you feed rats? You can find rat food at a nearby pet store, which they need in their diet. It’s also good for their teeth because they need hard stuff to chew on. You can also feed them mostly any table scraps. But if you want to know exactly what they can and can’t eat, click on this link. https://www.thesprucepets.com/feeding-pet-rats-1238500

What should you put in your rat cage? Well, you should have a food bowl that is easy to access, perhaps a screw-on food bowl! Or you could just use a normal food bowl. You will need to have a water bottle inside the cage. This should also be easy to access, not too high up but not too low. You can also add in a rat litter box, which you can probably find at a nearby Petco or Petsmart. You might also want to put in some chewing blocks. Our rats love to go in their little space rat pod!

How to clean your rat cage? It gets messy pretty fast. Food is everywhere, and the rats have to go! To help the process, every day (or every other day) take some wipes and wipe down the shelves in their cage. You can also remove the bottom tray, get a trash bag, fit it into the trash bag, and start wiping everything into the trash bag! Every 2 weeks you should deep clean their cage. I would recommend taking out your rats before you deep clean the cage, maybe having someone else hold them and let them explore. First, remove all the shelves, the pod, anything that can be removed and washed. Fill your bathtub with warm water, then soak and scrub everything. Put everything back into the cage, and you have a freshly cleaned cage for your rats!

Rats are so sweet, adventurous, social, and intelligent. Rats will cuddle with you and they love to explore. They are very social, and you can form a special bond with them. Rats are also very intelligent, and you can teach them tricks! Want to see some of the tricks people teach them? Check out this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g2rxtWu_FM and want to see even more? Check out this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jo_EG7XqZQ