Rat Care Sheet

Rat Care Sheet

Rat care sheet – This care sheet contains recommendations from our shop assistants.

General Care

Rats are generally sociable animals and love to be kept in groups. They are normally active at night, dawn, and dusk. Rats have an excellent sense of touch and an impeccable sense of smell. Providing their needs are met, rats can be very rewarding pets and often gain a close bond with the owners.

There are several species of rats, varying in colour. Rats usually live around 2 years but can live longer.

Common health problems

Below is a list of health problems in rats. If you are worried about your pet, we highly recommend speaking to your vet for advice.

Infections of their lungs and airways

Infections that affect breathing are common in rats. Symptoms include:

• Runny nose or eyes
• Difficulty breathing or snuffling
• Weight loss

These infections are commonly caused by a dirty cage, dusty bedding, poor ventilation, and overcrowding.

Playing or Fighting

It can often be hard to tell if your pet rats are playing or fighting. Rats are playful animals and will often play fight with each other. Play fighting is nothing to worry about and you do not have to separate your rats if they are playing.

When they are playing your rats will take turns chasing and pinning each other down and their bites will not do any harm to each other.

If they are fighting, you will notice signs like:

• Their fur standing on end during the fight.
• Injuries to one or both rats.
• Bites on their bottom or sides.
• The weaker of the two rats will try to hide from the other and might act nervously.

If your rats are fighting often, and not playing they will need to be separated.

Feeding

Rats are omnivores, meaning they eat a mixture of plants and meat. The best diet for your rat will be one close to their natural diet.

Any sudden changes in your rats’ diet can upset their stomach. Introduce new foods slowly over several days.

The ideal food for your rat will include:

• Good quality rat food.
• Small amounts of fresh fruit and vegetable.
• Occasional treats such as mealworms, whole oats, peas, and chickpeas.

Vegetables

• Carrot
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Sweet Peppers
• Cucumbers
• Peas

Fruit

• Apple (make sure you remove the seeds first)
• Pear
• Peach
• Melon
• Dried Banana

Things to chew and gnaw

Rats love to shred, chew and gnaw on things. It is essential for your rat to constantly chew things to ensure their teeth do not overgrow. This will also stop your rat from getting bored. Rats can chew things such as:

• Cardboard
• Coconut shells
• Hay cubes

For any further information or advice please feel free to message us on Facebook or contact the store on 01902 494860