World Rat Day 2024 is on Thursday, April 4, 2024: A few rat questions

Thursday, April 4, 2024 is World Rat Day 2024. World Rat Day World Rat Day

Acquire two points directly promptly-- rodents aren't grimy, and James Cagney never said it anyway! These are merely two of the myths and mistaken beliefs that World Rat Day expects to dispel as it commemorates the joys of elegant rats.

Anyone that keeps rodents as pet dogs or friends is already in on the trick: these pets get along, dedicated, smart, and really endearing. Regrettably they have actually had a little bad press for many years, just what with the Black Death, Bubonic Plague and a many thousand Pacific isles which have actually had their indigenous wildlife munched down to ground level and past. Yet just what's a couple of environmental and social disasters in between close friends?

The moment you learn more about betray a one-to-one basis, after that all their finer qualities will come forward. Why not come by to your neighborhood World Rat Day event and discover simply how adorably adorable they really are?

Welcome to the world of rats! :)

1) It's really not advisable. If you only have one rat you need to spend at least six hours with your rat every day to prevent it being bored and lonely, which you can't do when working or at school or college. A single rat is a sad rat. They will also bond better with you if you have a pair. Two rats are also no harder to look after than one (in fact, they are easier). I have four, so I know. :)

Well done on getting males. I love boy rats. )

2) Tubes! Tubes everywhere. Pringle tubes, fabric tubes, drainpipes, plastic rat tubes, it's all good. Lie them on the floor, suspend them from the walls or ceiling. They love to sleep in them, pee in them, fight in them, hide in them. Toilet rolls are my favourite rat toy - you can fill them with treats and tape tissue over the ends. The rats smell the treats and go nuts ripping the tissue apart and trying to fit their whole bodies into the toilet roll. Have a look at this page for many more really good toys.

3) Hammocks are great, comfortable places for rats to lounge in. Fleecy tubes, parrot ropes and nest boxes are amazing too. You should have at least one litter tray. Use a bedding like old fabric scraps, recylced paper or a towel laid flat. Avoid pine and cedar shavings. I find a flat towel best as it is cheap, washable and can't get kicked out the way paper can.

Try to think of creative ways to connect levels instead of ladders. Wooden parrot ladders are great, as are fabric ramps, parrot ropes, chinchilla lava ledges or branches.

Making a dark corner by pegging some towels up has proved very popular with the older boys in my cage. The little ones are often turfed unceremoniously out so the older ones can relax in comfort.

To list what I have:

At the top: One hammock, a fabric rat box, a fleecy tube leading to a shelf and a plastic three-way tube on the shelf.

Beneath that: A net, a hammock with a pocket for snuggling in and a vertical net. On a shelf across the cage I have a cardboard box that I can hear someone chewing from the inside. Next to that I have a large hammock folded in half to make two triangles and hung under the top shelf.

On the next shelf down I have a fleecy sack for snuggling in, then on the base I have a large igloo, a litter tray, a wooden tunnel and the dark corner of hiding.

In the bottom half I have two nets connected the two top shelves. On the back shelf is a plastic nest box filled with food they have stashed. A tube leads down from the top shelf to the bottom shelf, which holds their food bowl, then in the very base I have a cardboard hide-out, another wooden tunnel, another litter tray and a wheel, also used for food storing purposed. I can say from experience that a wheel is generally useless in a boy's cage. They use it to store food and poop, and that's it.

4) That cage is amazing and gives you zilch excuse to only have one rat. Get two. Just make sure that you cover the wire shelves with something solid, as wire shelves can give rats bumblefoot. Replace the wire ladders if you can, as well. :) I'm really excited for you having seen that, your rats are going to be so spoilt! :D

Would getting a pet rat at the store?

Hey there :)

Welcome to the world of rats. It's a good place to be :)

If you can't find a breeder, I'd suggest looking at local rescue centres before turning to a pet shop. Pet shop rats are frequently badly housed and poorly socialised. I simply dislike it because it promotes their poor care and, usually, unethical breeding, although not all stores are guilty of this. I like to vote with my dollar. :)

However, if no breeders or rescue centres have rats for you and you can't find them through craiglist or a private sale, a pet shop is your only option. Don't worry, though, even the most unsociable rats can be tamed and turned into highly affectionate creatures, especially from a young age.

Make sure you get two rats. It doesn't take any extra care, but will change so much. A single rat is stressed, lonely and bored. You'd have to spend at least six hours every single day with it, no exceptions, and it still isn't the same. Imagine spending your entire life (work on 75 years or so) from the age of 10 without human contact. That's a rat's life without a ratty chum. With another rat of the same gender, you will have a happy, affectionate, healthy pair who will bond with you really easily. :) Males are a good choice, because they are more laid back and love to cuddle, especially as they get older, whereas females remain as active as babies all their lives and, whilst being loving, won't enjoy cuddles nearly so much. Adult males will lie still and docile in your arms and soak up the love. :)

When you bring them home, make sure that your cage is filled with places they can hide. Boxes, tunnels, the lot. If you can, bring them home in a carry-cage rather than a plastic box (useful for future vet visits, which I can guarantee will occur, so make sure you have the dosh) and talk to them through the bars.

Scatter some treats about their cage, like sunflower seeds or cheerios, to encourage them to explore. Make sure they have fresh water.

I handled mine from day one, but as mine were rescue rats they didn't mind, because they were three months old and sociable. My second pair were breeder rats, younger but still well socialised. Hold yours as much as possible, is my advice. I don't think leaving them alone in the cage for the first few days is a good idea, as it lets them have time away from necessary human contact. Transfer them to the cage from the box by hand. Give them a stroke or a kiss on the way over and let them down gently. When picking them up, try to do it both handed, gently but firmly, to give them a sense of security. Have one hand under the body supporting the feet and stomach. Avoid picking them up by the base of the tail, unless they are about to leg it under the tv or something and that's all you can grab.

Encourage them to see you as a source of food and love. When you go past the cage, open the cage door and wait for them to come to you. Give them a treat if they do. If they seem willing, lure them out of the cage and pick them up, giving them another treat. Don't feed them treats through the wires as they don't have to interact with you when you do that. Don't reach your hands into the cage to pick them up until you have had them a week or so and they are used to you.

I did what this lady suggests in this article. It is a great way for baby rats to get used to you in their own time, without feeling pressured or scared. Do this every day if you can. :)

Just a few tips on rat keeping:

- Álways keep rats in same-sex pairs or groups

- Don't keep them on pine or cedar bedding - it causes respiratory illness. Fabric or recycled paper is the best.

- They can be litter trained (thank goodness), so buy a large enough litter tray, put it in their favourite corner for pooping and fill it with their dung and recycled paper pellets. They'll get the picture, mostly. Some don't.

- Give them lab blocks rather than a seed mix.

I hope all this helped and that you have great fun with your ratty companions. If the store is keeping them on pine shavings or selling babies that are younger than five weeks, give them an earful. Rats really should'n't be sold until at least six weeks of age.

Have fun and good luck! :)

Rat Questions? (New rat owner here! =))?

Welcome to world of adoring rats! ~<3

1. Try either SueBee's mix (which is what I use and recommend) or an appropriate lab block. There are **many** different rat diets out there!

2. Rats. Rats and mice are completely different species. Like dogs and cats. >.>

3. Aspen is... ok... but I never ever suggest it as a full time bedding. Use fabrics or care fresh.

4. They are ok, so long as you keep the water fresh it doesn't matter if you use a water bottle or water dish or whatever.

5. ACK! Never ever a tank. Ever. Buy something that is open air. I suggest the FN or CN (ferret/critter nation) or Martin's Cages at www.martinscages.com

6. They can but they're very gross.

7. Yes and they should! Wodent Wheels are definitely rat-approved.

8. At least once a day, and they need at least one hour per day of out of cage time. Please please get your rats spayed/neutered before they procreate.

9. Yes and no. Rats' favorite foods are not dairy-based. Try Yogies, meat, meat-flavored baby foods, fruits and veggies.

10. Upwards 4 years and 9-11 inches w/out the tail.

PLEASE visit my site which describes rat care in depth but briefly. ALSO visit www.goosemoose.com to meet up with other people who own rats and have MUCH more experience than I.

Good luck!