9 replies to this topic

[Whitewhiskers]

Nvm

Edited by Whitewhiskers, 23 October 2021 - 03:03 AM.

[lil BIG dwarf]

In the US the best Rat food is mainly Oxbow. You can use moss in a natural cage if you’d like and monitor it for mold. For 101, own at least 2, ideally. Have a large vet fund, critter nations are amazing cages if you can get your hands on one as well as Exotic Nutrition’s cage-you need at minimum one level but 2 is great if possible.They may be scared of you and not comfortable with free roaming. Let them relax and decompress when you get them, send me photos, for taming it’s a bit like with a hamster but give food like malt paste or apple sauce on a spoon so they don’t need to touch you at first if they don’t want too. They make great cage covers online too so they can slowly take in their new home

[Whitewhiskers]

In the US the best Rat food is mainly Oxbow. You can use moss in a natural cage if you’d like and monitor it for mold. For 101, own at least 2, ideally. Have a large vet fund, critter nations are amazing cages if you can get your hands on one as well as Exotic Nutrition’s cage-you need at minimum one level but 2 is great if possible.They may be scared of you and not comfortable with free roaming. Let them relax and decompress when you get them, send me photos, for taming it’s a bit like with a hamster but give food like malt paste or apple sauce on a spoon so they don’t need to touch you at first if they don’t want too. They make great cage covers online too so they can slowly take in their new home

Thank you!

 

do they like baby food? I have this baby food, the only ingredient is mango though, there is nothing added to it (I bought it for Ivy and Toybus lol)

Edited by Whitewhiskers, 23 October 2021 - 02:05 AM.

[lil BIG dwarf]

Thank you!
 
do they like baby food? I have this baby food, the only ingredient is mango though, there is nothing added to it (I bought it for Ivy and Toybus lol)

It really depends on the individual but it’s safe and some may like it

[Zula]

I’m rescuing some neglected rats I found on craigslist, but they might not be available but not sure…
(this is an emergency rescue, tiny cage with nothing in it, up for free, rats look stressed and not very healthy…)
 
anywayy
 
is there any quick and easy food I can get them from petsmart that’s not gonna cost me like $20+? I have $15 and my parents wouldn’t mind adding like $5 but uhh nothing over that probably since I still have to buy enrichment. I’ll buy them a better food in a few weeks but I need something for now. The only foods I have right now is guinea pig pellets, robin’s gourmet food for dwarfs, and higgins sunburst for hamsters and gerbils, and like millet and little stuff.

I’m afraid I’m not all too familiar with rat mixes, particularly not in the US. Here in the UK the norm is feeding homemade mixes. However, they take A LOT of research and money, as well as it has the risk of not containing the correct nutrients. Therefore, even then it will need a base mix. Emiology has a great video though explaining how she makes her mix though.
 
do they like any kind of moss? Idk this is a weird question bur I have 2 giant bags of moss so if they like moss ig they’re in luck XD

I’m sure they’d love it as some extra enrichment, perhaps in a digging box or hide.
 
Can I have like a quick rat care 101? I know a lot but I don’t know all, any basic things I should definitely know? I can’t stress how important this is but have a vets fund. Rats, like mice are so extremely prone to a range of health problems such as URIs, tumours, abscesses, behaviour problems (mainly seen in males) allergies, external parasites etc. Having a fund should help if/when something unexpected crops up. I know they need like 1 hour of playtime, depends on the rats themselves, but 1hr is often ample time, some may require more or less though should be in pairs or more, Yes, I would aim for upwards of 3 though. That way they can “choose their friends” more, there is less risk of a lone rat and group dynamics are often better than that of pairs which more is more recommended, and they need pretty tall cages, yes loose bedding, litter boxes, scatter feeding is better than bowl feeding, all good again! should have 1 water bottle and 1 bowl in case they fight over one I would be inclined to perhaps have 2-3 bottles (depending on the group size) as well as 1-2 bowls. Be prepared that rats can often make their water bowls very messy and dirty. and it’s good to give them options, probably other stuff I’m not remembering, anything else I should know?

One tip that I can recommend is look further than just “rodent toys” when getting enrichment. There are so many great things at IKEA like wine racks, circular hanger things that look like netting (can’t remember the name) bird sections have great foraging toys, many rats love cat toys, especially cat wands. Rope! Big dog ropes are great and can support their weight well.

Air purifiers are great at reducing dust in the air (they have very sensitive respiratory systems) as well as they can reduce smells and unwanted odours well.

Adding on to their very sensitive respiratory systems, nothing sprayed/too strong smelling can be used in the same room. Eg, scented candles, aerosols, perfume, air fresheners etc.

A great YouTube channel to check out, as I mentioned earlier is Emiology. She has so many great videos about rats about a range of topics.
 
anyway that’s basically it, thanks!
 
-ww

Hope this helps a bit, don’t hesitate to ask if you have anymore questions

[Whitewhiskers]

Hope this helps a bit, don’t hesitate to ask if you have anymore questions

Thank you sm! 
 

i am only getting 2 right now since they are a rescue, but sometime in the future I may get a couple more to expand the group

 

oh yes, my parents have a giant pet fund since we have so many animals, so they will be fine. I know they are very prone to diseases and that’s one thing that worries me, but I’ll take care of them the best I can

 

I was just about to watch the feeding video from emiology- soon I would like to make a mix, but right now I just need something that won’t make them sick if they eat it, only for a few days. I’m really broke right now but I wanna get them out of that home (especially since they are free, they might end up as snake food)

 

I just watched the how to set up a cage video by emiology, so I’m planning to go to IKEA next month once I have enough money and I will binge buy them stuff!

 

Also on average how long will they live? Google says 3 years but idk if I can trust google…

[Zula]

Thank you sm!

i am only getting 2 right now since they are a rescue, but sometime in the future I may get a couple more to expand the group



oh yes, my parents have a giant pet fund since we have so many animals, so they will be fine. I know they are very prone to diseases and that’s one thing that worries me, but I’ll take care of them the best I can That’s great!

I was just about to watch the feeding video from emiology- soon I would like to make a mix, but right now I just need something that won’t make them sick if they eat it, only for a few days. I’m really broke right now but I wanna get them out of that home (especially since they are free, they might end up as snake food)

I just watched the how to set up a cage video by emiology, so I’m planning to go to IKEA next month once I have enough money and I will binge buy them stuff!

Also on average how long will they live? Google says 3 years but idk if I can trust google…
As with any pet, as you will know, it varies. Particularly amongst those with poor genetics. However, roughly 1.5 - 2yrs.

Edited by Zula, 23 October 2021 - 02:25 AM.

[Whitewhiskers]

Nevermind, someone took them.

[Zula]

Nevermind, someone took them.

Aww no, I’m sorry! <3

Just know you wanted to do the best thing you could for then, and to give them the best life. Let’s hope they go to a good and loving home.

[Whitewhiskers]

Aww no, I’m sorry! <3

Just know you wanted to do the best thing you could for then, and to give them the best life. Let’s hope they go to a good and loving home.

Thank you <333 

 

yeah, I hope. I do live in a city that seems to really love pets lol! 
 

I asked my mom that maybe if I save up for a cage and all the stuff if I could get some from a breeder and she said maybe, so hopefully I can!