The Rat Thread

[eff]

How many rats do you own;; Two
What brought you to the rat thread;; I love rats and I desire to talk about them ^^
Do your rats know any tricks;; They know how to go everywhere except their litter pans. Pretty great trick!


I just got two baby rats not that long ago and oh my goodness I love them to bits! One can't see too well yet is brave, loving and active while the other is laid back, sweet and a bit more shy. My whole room reeks of rats and they play-fight while I'm trying to sleep but other than that they are a joy to have around.

I've had them only for a couple of weeks but I can't imagine a life without them. Love my lil rex girls <3

oh, does your room smell bad?
how do you clean their cage? size of cage? male/female? males tend to have more of a musk,
but i can't see their being a huge issue with just a couple females.

[Sandy Hoofprints]

^^ Babies are notorious for smelling bad because of they eat more protein (or they should, if from a breeder they will recommend that - eggs, chicken, etc). There are also several ways to try and cut down the smell. I have 6 girls and it doesn't smell bad unless I get really behind. I have pee rocks in litter trays so they are litter trained (they love to pee on rocks for some reason). Then I only clean the full cage every 1-2 weeks, and clean the litter trays and wash hammocks twice a week. The more you clean them the worse the smell is supposed to be bc they scent mark if it doesn't smell like them.

[Valac]

How many rats do you own;; Two
What brought you to the rat thread;; I love rats and I desire to talk about them ^^
Do your rats know any tricks;; They know how to go everywhere except their litter pans. Pretty great trick!


I just got two baby rats not that long ago and oh my goodness I love them to bits! One can't see too well yet is brave, loving and active while the other is laid back, sweet and a bit more shy. My whole room reeks of rats and they play-fight while I'm trying to sleep but other than that they are a joy to have around.

I've had them only for a couple of weeks but I can't imagine a life without them. Love my lil rex girls <3

oh, does your room smell bad?
how do you clean their cage? size of cage? male/female? males tend to have more of a musk,
but i can't see their being a huge issue with just a couple females.

Females. They are in a double floor critter nation, I wash their fleece and change their pans once a week as well as spot clean everyday. I probably exaggerated on the smell, not so bad but compared to my lizards they smell a heck of a lot worse.

^^ Babies are notorious for smelling bad because of they eat more protein (or they should, if from a breeder they will recommend that - eggs, chicken, etc). There are also several ways to try and cut down the smell. I have 6 girls and it doesn't smell bad unless I get really behind. I have pee rocks in litter trays so they are litter trained (they love to pee on rocks for some reason). Then I only clean the full cage every 1-2 weeks, and clean the litter trays and wash hammocks twice a week. The more you clean them the worse the smell is supposed to be bc they scent mark if it doesn't smell like them.

^^ also I added rocks a while back but they still prefer to pee on their fleece. Its whatever I suppose but at least they are getting a lot better at using their pans. They don't have it down 100% but I've caught them using em' quite a few times Just gotta keep at it!

[Sandy Hoofprints]

Oh you should totally not use fleece, it stinks really bad! Try dust extracted shavings, hemp, chopped cardboard, etc. They also offer them great enrichment as you can scatter their food into the substrate for them to dig for. Great youtube channel called Isamu Rat Care does videos on different substrates and their advantages <3

[nervousdog]

I gotta say I love my mother in law ( well, boyfriend mom ) . We are such bad influences on each other 🤣
She found a post of someone desperately trying to rehome 2 male rats, 4.5 months old . She sent it to me like the sneaky devil she is,, knowing I LOVE rats .. I had up to 7 at one time and 9 in total, all boys and all so loved . I even have my heart rats paw tattooed on my arm .
So I tell her that I would love too but I rlly can't . WELL this sneaky devil is already messaging the girl getting their story so on so forth ( something I would do too, did I rub off on her or did she rub off on me ? LMAO ) . So then she sent me a message telling me she thinks we are gonna have to pick up these babies .
I don't condone what she is ( well, we are ) doing, but I can't say I actually truly hate it either .

So here I am, now looking for some good cages that aren't too big, but are big enough .
Gosh I'm so excited .. I miss my boys so much, they were truly my world .
I also love my mother in law haha

[Sandy Hoofprints]

@nervousdog, sounds like you're about to be a rat mamma again! I wish you the best of luck they are so amazing, and so addictive!
I have 6 rescues and am maxed out both in cage size, time and in the size of my room, however I keep seeing perfect lonely girls that need rescued in my city and it takes every ounce of self control not to take them.
I have got my two cages second hand for cheap (and one free) on fb c:

[KimetsuKitsune]

Rats rats, were the rats, celebrating yet another birthday bash. MICHAEL its your birthday today, cake and ice cream is on its way, and MICHAEL, youve been such a good boy this year, open up your gifts while we all cheer.

[TwilightBard]

Helloo there

My aunt's rats might be having babies and if they are, I'll be taking two of the babies. Even if they aren't, my mom said we still might be able to get one this year. Does anyone know any places that have the best cages for them, or any websites with information resources on keeping them?

[gamorasass]

Helloo there

My aunt's rats might be having babies and if they are, I'll be taking two of the babies. Even if they aren't, my mom said we still might be able to get one this year. Does anyone know any places that have the best cages for them, or any websites with information resources on keeping them?

That's exciting! Would this be your first time owning rats? I would high suggest doing lots of research on your own on rat care and the best cages, as there are pros and cons to them all. Personally I prefer the Critter Nation cages as they are easiest to clean, decorate, and are well made.

Also I see you mentioned if your aunt's rats doesn't have babies, your mother might let you get one. Please ensure you always have more than one rat as they are social creatures!

Best of luck on your research! (Also I love your avatar and signature!)

[TwilightBard]

Helloo there

My aunt's rats might be having babies and if they are, I'll be taking two of the babies. Even if they aren't, my mom said we still might be able to get one this year. Does anyone know any places that have the best cages for them, or any websites with information resources on keeping them?

That's exciting! Would this be your first time owning rats? I would high suggest doing lots of research on your own on rat care and the best cages, as there are pros and cons to them all. Personally I prefer the Critter Nation cages as they are easiest to clean, decorate, and are well made.

Also I see you mentioned if your aunt's rats doesn't have babies, your mother might let you get one. Please ensure you always have more than one rat as they are social creatures!

Best of luck on your research! (Also I love your avatar and signature!)

Yes, it will be my first time. I'm searching everywhere I can for the best advice on raising them, and I'll keep doing this even after I get them. The Critter Nation cages look really nice, I'll be looking into those.

I'm definitely getting more than one, since I know that other pets need company. I'll probably be sticking to 2 rats, since that seems to be working out well for my aunt.