Infestation?

I have just learned today that my cuisin has a possible mice infestation in his apartment. The apartment is old and has cheap rent but in todays society we need the cheapest of everything we can find as its getting harder and harder to make a living. Apparently the maintanence guy at the apartment says they deal with this every winter but never try to fix the problem so you know right away its not a great place to be. Theres enough mice that they can be heard in the walls and there are feces from what I have heard just about everywhere. I believe a health inspecter will be coming to examine the building and with the way it sounds this apartment building might be closed down from this. Although I realize it is prety imposible to live somewhere with an infestation I still am too against killing to agree with the slaughter of all these mice just trying to find a place to stay warm for the winter months. Rats and mice usually dont go into homes unless they are homes not taken care of or a food source is constantly being left out. So in the end, it is the humans fault for this. The landlord/maintanence personal for letting the building go and people being unclean. So once again because of humans all these mice will be slaughtered. A huge peeve with me is how people believe mice and rats are so toxic. My grandma for example although a nice lady really judges them and believes anything about them that she hears. That they ALL have diseases and they will attack you. No, you on average statistically speaking have more of a change of a stray cat biting you and you becoming infected. Cats mouths are proven to be dirtier then mice or rats. I just wish we xould all get past this judgeing and find a way to get the rats/mice to leave your home without turning to murder. After all, remember.. when you feel like killing these animals they are only trying to do what we do everyday, survive.

Study at Chicago University Proves Just How Much Rats Care

Rats are synonymous with double-crossing and cheating in love, but they may not really be such rotters. According to researchers, they are actually kind and generous.

Chicago University scientists housed rats in pairs so that they got to know each other.
They then placed one in a transparent tube inside the cage, and found that the second rat was distressed until it worked out how to free the first one. To their astonishment, not only did the creatures help cage-mates in distress, they also selflessly shared their treats with them.

Perhaps less surprisingly, the female rats seemed to be more caring than the males. During the experiment, scientists found that the roaming rat became agitated the sight of its trapped friend, meaning it had picked up on the animal's distress, and, according to the scientists, showing the simplest form of empathy. But the free animal went much further, learning how to open the tube door, without  being shown, and freeing its cage-mate. This said the researchers, meant the animal was 'putting itself in the other's shoes' – a much more complex form of empathy. Rats were shown to become agitated when they saw another rodent trapped, researchers say this means they have a simple form of empathy
Numerous rats repeated the pattern, the journal Science reports.
Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal said: 'We are not training these rats in any way.   These rats are learning because they are motivated by something internal. 'We are not showing them how to open the door.  It's hard to open the door. But they keep trying and trying and eventually it works.'
In further experiments, the rats had little or no interest in releasing stuffed toys trapped in the tube but they freed real rats even when no allowed to play with them afterwards. This, say the researchers, shows that the liberator rats' motivation was to ease the distress of the trapped animals.

A rat pack: In a final experiment scientists tested if a rat would choose chocolate over mounting a rescue, the animal frequently chose the rescue

The final experiment looked at where a rat's sympathies would lie when given the choice of mounting a rescue or eating some chocolate, a favoured treat.
The animal frequently chose to complete the rescue before tucking in and sharing their chocolate stash with their companion. Peggy Mason said: 'That was very compelling. It said to us that essentially helping their cage-mate is on par with chocolate. We were shocked.' The results also hinted at the female rats being more likely to mount rescue attempts, perhaps reflecting the importance of empathy in motherhood.
The research team said that acting out of empathy is clearly not unique to humans – and suggested we might be able to learn a thing or two from the humble rat. Professor Mason said: 'When we act without empathy, we are acting against our biological inheritance. 'If humans would listen and act on their biological inheritance more often, we' d be better off.'

Taken from this website: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2071722/Rats-wrongly-maligned-actually-kind-hearted-generous-creatures.html

Still Waiting

It feels like forever since we have shared our home with rats. The ferret nation is sitting empty in the closet and all the hammocks and toys are still backed away. Theres still an emptiness. I miss little fuzzies running down the hallway all excited to greet me. Falling asleep to the sound of them playing, drinking and running up and down the levels. The kisses and the snuggles and the all awsomeness that is the rat! <3

We are still waiting and wish to have rats soon. Hopefully early in the new year. I'll be posting on the rat shack just to let anyone know if they are near buy and hear of fuzzies that need to be adopted.

No New Rats.

My last post I had written about 2 boys that would be coming into our care, this did not end up happening. Shortly before we were going to recieve them we were contacted by her indicating they had changed their minds. They said they would miss the rats too much. What struck me as odd was the fact that she herself said they were never home and there are numerous cats, dogs, small animals and reptiles in the home. All those small animals sit up stairs and are never bothered with except to feed them and clean the cages. Miss them indeed. The few times I saw them they did not have a proper sized cage or enough stimulation - no toys. Thank god atleast the boys have eachother, but I know that after one of them passes the other will be sure to follow. Such a shame. But none the less our home is still open to ratties in need, we are keeping our eyes and ears open.

After months Ratless - 2 New Rescue Additions

When Milly and Maggie past away around spring, they were the last of our nine rats we had. Willard and Legion who were blood brothers both passed at around 2 years from a pituitary tumor, Constantine from a severe Respiritory infection at 2 years 3 months, Maggie from a pituitary tumor and Milly from heart failure. We were bruised but not broken. The rest we received from being ratless was refreshing but we have been left with an emptyness. A friend that I had known since elementary school emailed me and asked me if I'd like her two male rats. She said she is rarely home because of school and her mother doesnt want to keep cleaning all the cages. See she's a perfectly nice girl but does have a habit of collecting animals and because she is not home often she is not dedicated to her animals. They are roughly a year and some old. I don't even think they have names =( Without toys and any out of cage time these boys are going to have to be severely spoiled by me to make up for lost time. I could not say no to rats in need, Im so sensitive that all it took was thinking about how much of a better life I could give them. I do not know about the condition I am going to get them in so I have vet money set up just in case. They are housed on pine and in a room filled with other cages of animals unfortionatly. Animals should not be treated as room accessories. Now they could be treated a lot worse mind you, the conditions are alright, but air quality is deffinatly an issue and the amount of human contact is very little so these boys MAY need a lot of extra attention which I am willing to offer. Its going to feel strange having rats again after so long without but Im excited to be able to hold rats in my arms once again. I will be getting the fuzzies early October and they will have a large 3 story cage with more toys and hammocks then they will know what to do with.

Getting Back at The Cat, A Little Rat Revenge ;)

A little ratty Humour

Rats by Dr Seuss
If your ratty gets all scatty 'cos his coat is getting matty
And he's acting kinda batty now he doesn't look so natty
If he starts to get all chatty and to voice pratty demands
Then beware! You've got a bratty tatty ratty on your hands.
If your doe has had a go with all her bro' bucks in a row
And you've seen her face aglow and her belly grow with woe
If she's getting glad and gloating and gargantuous in girth
Then at any time you guess that your grand girl is gonna birth
If your buck has had no luck getting his lazy butt unstuck
And you pluck him from his hammock to a chorus of "You suck!"
If his flaccid furry form is in a squishy slug disguise
Then it's right to get this roly rotund rat some exercise.

Why rats are better than babies
1.  You don't have to change poopy nappies on rats and they can be toilet trained from as early as 5 weeks.
2.  Rats may not sleep through the night, but they have the sense to not scream their lungs out and wake you (and all the neighbourhood) up too.
3.  If you need a break from your rats, you can put them in their cage for a time out.
4.  Rats don't need your body for feeding times.
5.  Rat cages may be expensive, but they're much cheaper than prams/strollers, cots, basinettes, change tables, high chairs, slings, car capsules, etc.
6.  Rats rarely projectile vomit on you.
7.  Rats are cute all the time, not just when they're asleep.
8.  Rats don't require expensive trendy outfits which will be outgrown within days.
9.  You can acquire rat toys for free from recycle bins and kitchen waste.
10.  Rats don't grow up to be bratty teenagers.
11.  Rats don't need bibs and they clean their faces themselves.

Down Time

It's been about 2 months since we have shared our home with rats. The first time in over 3 years our home hasnt had little fuzzies scampering around and it all feels so strange. They were such a huge part of my life it always feels now like there is something missing. However, stress has eased a bit. We were so often tight with money and although rats are relatively non-expensive they can get very pricey when they become ill. We had so many of our fuzzies around the same age so they all began to show signs of aging and illness not long after eachother. When the rats needed there meds I usually gave up food money for us and we would do without just so my babies could get better <3 Also the heartache that comes with loving such an animal with a short life span can really build up but it was all worth it, they are such amazing animals. I will forever have their memories and all the laughs they gave me. All the pictures and all the videos to look at that ease the pain if I need a quick rat fix.
This break has been good for us though. I think my heart needed a little break and some time to heal. It was a lot of pain in a short few months. Our home will one day be a rat haven once again, I always want rats in my life but for now we are just gonna take it easy and focus on improving our lives. Our double ferret nation has been put into hibernation in the back closet and all the hammocks and toys now packed and stored away for the next little fuzzy family that stumbles into our lap. I am excited to have rats again one day and in many ways cant wait! But Im not going to rush anything, when we are ready to have them they will somehow find their way into our lives.

The Nakies - Introducing Hairless Rats!

When deciding on what rat may be right for you, many people look past the hairless thinking they are not like our original fuzzy fancy rats. The truth is other then small differences they are just as playful, intelligent, snuggly and fun as our furr babies! Hairless rats are created from breeding to rex's(curly haird rats) Their are different types of hairless rats including patch work hairless. They can be hairless all over or they can have hair just on their face or random parts of their body. They usually have few whiskers or none at all. The whiskers they do have tend to always be short and curly. Their skin can be from very light pink to a dark brown/ light black or even a blu-ish tinge.

While not everyones immediate reaction to a hairless rat is how adorable they are their personality just like all our fuzz babies will hook you right in. The main concern with hairless rats is their inability to handle temperature change as well as our other ratties. Hairless rats are very sensitive to hot and cold weather, imagine not wearing any clothes and then you get a chill, you'd be freezing! Provide them with comfy warm bedding to snuggle into if they get cold and keep their cages away from places that they may catch a draft as this might lead to them eventually catching an illness.
Because they dont have fur they are much more prone to dry skin so lotioning them up will help protect them from cracking skin. Use olive oil or a hypo-allergenic baby lotion for their sensitive skin. Black heads can be very common among them aswell. You may often see scratch marks on your fuzzless baby from time to time, this is normal. It is inevitable they will end up with scratches not having their fur to protect them but most scratches will only be minor, superficial and will heal quickly. Use animal or human polysporn for this. Another way to keep the scratches to a minimal is to cut his/her nails as well as all the other rats nails that are in the same cage and check their cage over to make sure their is nothing sharp for them to run into.

Unlike our furred friends, hairless rats have a much faster metabolism, being able to break down foods faster and burning calories faster then other rats. Because of this, hairless rats also require more amounts of food and water, without the extra amounts they may loose energy that is required for them and this could lead to illness or even death. They have this higher metabolism because they lack the insulating effects of a fur coat. They require more food because this keeps them warm the way a rats fur would. When feeding hairless rats, be careful you do not over feed or give too many fattening foods as all rats tend to be prone to obesity and diabeties. The majority of the rats extra food should still be their blocks as they are not overly fattening and are healthy. Feeding the blocks is also benificial because then they can not pick and choose from the tasty food to the not so tasty food. Make sure not to give too much protein as protein is hard on a rats kidneys and can lead to serious internal issues and skin conditions.

One of the biggest issues with hairless rats are their eyes. They tent to be very prone to eye complications because they do not have the protection of eyelashes. Dirt and particles can find their way in and behind the eyes causing serious permanent eye damage. Cysts can also develop behind the eyes resulting in having to have the eye surgically removed. Some people use arifical tears or special eye ointment to help but remember to speak to your vet first! Having your rat a buddy is a must. With the already stress of no fur and the need to burn energy, being alone can make them more prone to developing respiratory infections from anxiety.

Remember that hairless rats can easily live with our furry rats just remember to keep everyones nails trimmed.

Think about saving a hairless baby today! Look for your next family member through rescues and free adds online. Save a rat that truly needs a home! Dont buy or breed, Adopt a rat thats really in need!

Rat Property Laws

When living with our ratties the basic rules are :


1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If I've peed on it, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If you've got something larger, it's mine.
6. If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it's in my reach, it's mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken or it tastes bad, it's yours.


and of course what I have learned from my rats:


1.  A little pee won't hurt me
2.  It is OK to steal food off someone else's plate
3.  If I'm small and cute I can get away with just about anything
4.  If I can fit it in my mouth, it's food
5.  Lazing around in hammocks all day and partying all night is the only way to live
6.  The world is my toilet
7.  All facial orifices require regular inspection
8.  If I have a dispute with my neighbour it is socially appropriate for me to beat the crap out of him
9.  Sex, food and sleep are my only priorities in life
10.  I must be well groomed at all times

The Lose of Two Beautiful Angels

I haven't posted in quite a while and although I did write another post and I remember publishing it, apparently something went wrong because it never showed up and I lost the information.. how fun?! The past month was tremendously straining and hard on the heart and the wallet. After Maggie had developed the 2 tumors I noticed her balance kept increasingly getting worse. I assumed the tumors were throwing her off but after talking with other rat owners I knew this couldn't be the case.

Her vet appointment was already booked at Crown Pointe Animal hospital to talk about getting the tumors removed and to get her spayed. A very well known hospital that specifically delt with small animals and surgeries. But now I knew she was not going for her tumors. It was about a 3 hour drive and we were tired. Dr. Auger was the one to work with my girls and he seemed like a fantastic vet. He did a thorough whole body check on both of them, he truly seemed to care about their health and well being. I was also extremely impressed with his knowledge of rats. In the end he was not convinced Maggie had a pituitary tumor as she was not showing all of the signs. We decided at first to go with a herbal remedy to increase blood flow and to overall help her body fuction better. He did however give me a perscription for Prednisone incase it turned out to be the tumor. The herbal remedy was called 'Xu Fu Zhu Yu Tang'. Maggie and Milly were on this remedy for a bit over a week when I noticed Maggie could not hold food anymore - She in fact did have the pituitary tumor. For those of you who do not know what a PT is :


Pituitary tumors are an abnormal growth in the pituitary gland, the part of the brain that regulates the body’s balance of hormones. Female rats are more at risk of this tumor. Clinical signs include:

• Gradual weakness and lack of coordination
• Stiffness or inability to flex forelimbs that gradually progresses to the hind limbs as the tumor continues to grow.
• One eye protruding more than the other. This can be due to asymmetrical growth of the tumor pressing on structures behind the eye, and is referred to as exophthalmia.
• Unequal pupil size in one eye compared to the other
• Difficulty holding food when eating.
• Circling, head tilt, seizures, hydrocephalus and sudden death.
• Head pressing/Head bumping. This sign may be present when there is increased intracranial pressure (rat may bump head up when petted, or extend head pressing against a fixed surface).

Though the cause of pituitary tumors still remains unknown, factors that may play a role in their development in rats include:

• Age
• Genetic factors
• Diet (incidence of pituitary tumors shown to increase where high-calorie ad libitum (free-fed) diets are given)
• Breeding history
• Infections
• Injury

Maggie started her prednisone(steroid) for her tumor. PT are so far incurable and altimatly lead to death, there are things that can be done to give the rats a bit more of an increased life; hense the steroid. Maggie didnt show many signs through the whole ordeal up until nearing the end. Her only main signs were off balance and she could not hold her food. The last week of April Maggie entered the final stages. I had to syringe feed her constantly but she began spitting the food out. Maggie passed away here at home in my arms at 3:30 in the morning. Her breathing became sporadic and then finally slowed to a stop. I am thankful however that it was a fairly quick process, Maggie did not suffer.

Only days afterward, Milly started to breathe very rapidly and I could tell it was making her uncomfortable. Milly was being such a wonderful sister to Maggie, snuggling with her, taking care of her and even cleaning her seeing as she couldn't anymore. Only a week after Maggie had passed I guess Milly decided she already wanted to go join her. Millys appointment to get checked was Wednesday, June 1st. Her breathing was horrible that day, I suggled with her all the last week, letting her out constantly except for over night. When we got to the vet and she began checking her over Milly burst into a gasping attack and we decided right there that we could not allow her to continue like this. Milly was rushed back to be put to sleep as fast as possible. Afterward, when the vet came out to talk to us she said that she checked Millys heart to indicate if that had anything to do with it and unfortionatly what she found lead to Millys passing. Millys heart was 2 times bigger then it was suppost to be causing the valves to malfunction and not enough oxygen was getting to her lungs. Milly had heart failure.


In only the passed 3 years I have lost 9 beloved family members and although my heart is badly battered and will forever be scard. All the pain was worth having them grace my life with their presence. I wouldnt change it for the world. These were 2 beautiful ladies I only ended up getting by chance, and they have forever left their foot prints embedded in my heart. Run free at the bridge my angels, tell the boys I miss them everyday.

Maggie's Unhappy Surprise.

About 2 months ago I discovered a small lump on maggie's belly/groin area. I was not sure if it was an abcess or tumor and because it was so small I left it be. I am now positive it is a tumor and thankfully has been growing very slowly. It is now the size roughly of a toonie but sits inside her so you have to pull it out to actually see its there. Thankfully I can wrap my fingers completely around it so I believe it is only attached to the fatty tissue. This one I don't believe is bothering her much if at all. Now to another surprise about 4 days ago I found another tumor on her left arm/shoulder about the size of a very large fat almond. Ugh, great. This one now I think may be bothering her, as I know she knows its there. This one I cannot wrap my fingers around, it feels attached. I assume its attached to her muscle or tangled around the bone. From what I have asked and read, these seem to be average benign mammary tumors which is as good news as you're gonna get with tumors. So now my next step is having them removed and possibly having Maggie spayed now that I know she's starting to get them. This is a scary situation for me as I have never had a rat go through surgery. I'm planning on taking her to Ottawa sometime next month and am still researching animal Hospitals that do tumor removals and spays.

April 4th - World Rat Day

As many of you rat lovers probably already new, this past April 4th was World Rat Day. The nineth annual, international rat holiday. It was a day created to celebrate the world of fancy rats and to recognize how wonderful of a pet and companion the rat really is. This day has also been used to spread awareness and information of rats to people that may not "understand them." "Sometime in 2002 on the ratlist, the longest standing mailing list on the internet dedicated to the topic of the pet rat, a discussion was sparked about the possibility of initiating a holiday to honor and promote pet rats as the wonderful companion animals they are. The date of April 4th was selected to be World Rat Day because this is the only certain date associated with the beginning of the ratlist (under the current ownership of James Kittock and Robyn Arthur). Any day of the year could have been selected but April 4th was settled on as a small tribute to the ratlist, a list that has truly been a great boon to all pet rats everywhere." All rat lovers know how amazing and intelligent these little creatures are but we also suffer from a lot of critisism and ignorence, something we are still battling against with World Rat Day and many other small groups promoting rats. Many people go all out for world rat day, setting up small parties and inviting other rat owners sometimes bringing gifts and treats for unsuspecting ratties who attend. World Rat Day sets off organizing large-scale ratfests, contacting various medias for coverage, and even television programs. Whether we celebrate World Rat Day with private parties or public outreach, World Rat Day is a day to fully go into detail if anyone asks, explain to anyone that the pet rat is a wonderful pet with all the qualities necessary to become a part of the family. Rats are intelligent, devoted, clean, gentle, and imminently lovable. World Rat Day will prove all this to be true through the special efforts we make to honor our pet rats. Rat lovers all around the world will continue to spread and and inform the ignorant just how easy it is to love a rat.
So if you did not know about this wonderful holiday dedicated to our fuzzies then you know know! You can give them a belated party or set one up for next year! Hope everyone gave their Rats extra treats, out time and cuddles!

My First Girls

I've always had male rats. Not intentionally but they always seemed more accessible. The stores always had males or somehow I'd end up with caring for males. So when I came upon having my first female I was not sure what to expect. We acquired Milly Through a friend of my boyfriend. After knowing we had rats he had brought up to him that they had 3 female rats and 2 of them had past on from old age. This led to the idea that maybe we would take the girl, he had offered her to us because they weren't planning on getting anymore and maybe we could give her a better home. Well of course when my boyfriend came home with this news the guilt trip set in and I was a gonner. At this time we had quite a few male rats and none of them were fixed. Problem? yes. So my original idea was to find a way to get her fixed. Of course we live in an area with no small animal vet, just one that comes in to the dog and cat hospital 1 day per week. The next closest would be Ottawa and that is 2 hours away. With no car and unwilling particepents this turned into a no go. SO.. I finally came to the conclusion that we had to get milly her own special friend. After a while of searching on my rat forum I use http://www.ratshackforum.com/ I came across a female rat also in need, I did not want to buy from a store when there are so many already in need of homes. Plans were made after much stress and finding a way to Ottawa and we picked up our girl Maggie who was about the same age as Milly. Introducing the two girls didnt take too long but there was some small fights I had to break up. They seemed to have a hard time establishing which one was going to be the boss. I noticed very quickly that milly's personality became more outgoing with Maggie around and they both seemed generally happier. Reason number 1 why you should always get more then one rat. So here I was now, with my first 2 female rats and I did in fact see a difference between them and all the boys I've had. The females deffinatly seem to be on average more active and willing to explore. It's easier to get the females worked up and hyper and I find with females you have to keep an eye on them more closely then the boys. I was shocked the things my girls started getting into lol. I found Milly once climbing up the kitchen table by the leg shimmieing her self up. I've found them trying to climb tall shelves by jumping high in the air hooking their little paws onto the levels and also trying to venture inside the garbage cans, crazy girls! Of course the temperment of females is a bit lower as all males tend to be more aggressive but the agression is only shown to eachother, not towards us. The girls seem to be less willing to snuggle then the boys were but many say as the females age they start to feel the need and I have noticed with Maggie and Milly getting closer to a year and a half now they are showing hints of wanting to snuggle. Even if it is only for 5 minutes and then they gallop back down the hallway lol. In the end I dont really prefer one over the other, it just depends on what you are in the mood for. So I suppose having a colony of both males and females would be the most satisfying. You can have the lazy boys snuggle with you and you can watch the girls with all their crazy shananigans =P

Toys and Interactive Fun

Rats are very intelligent little creatures that bore easily. Rats can become irritated, depressed or even aggressive when not stimulated properly. This can lead to your pet becoming ill more often. Stimulated rats are happy rats and happy rats are fun and healthy rats! =) Introducing new toys every so often will stimulate the rats brain forcing him to think and analyze his new toy. Odds are if you have a toy in their cage that has been their for weeks and they have completely stopped playing with it most likely they have become bored of that toy. A lot of people rotate their rats toys. You can put certain toys in their cage and then when you clean their cage next, rotate the toys in their home with other toys giving them a change of scenery. Store the other toys away until you clean their cage again. This goes aswell for decorating the cage, rats enjoy things being changed up. They will explore their new home. So put their huts and hammies in different locations. Rats love to chew so giving them wood chews and sisal products eally help satisfy this urge. A rats teeth never stop growing so always having something in their cage to naw on is recommened.


 Sisal Huts are fun to hide in and chew. The Chewtubular tunnels were a favourite amoung many of my rats. Sometimes I had to replace them every few weeks as they would tear apart the whole thing giving them hours of excitement!

The Grassy Roll A Nests were a huge favourite amoung all my rats! They loved snuggling up in them aswell as chewing on them. The Snak Shak logs gave my rats hours of chewing and nawing fun!

              

             

My rats were always very fasinated by the Snak Shak Huts. You will need to get the large as the other sizes are way too small and will need to get the large log aswell. My rats loved all gathering in this hut aswell as chewing on the wood and playing with the grass roof.

Remember to provide your rats when fun toys to play with and chew. Some of these toys can be interactive and you can join in on the fun. Like the rattle and the wooden balls.

                    

      

Adding fun tunnels and hammocks to your rats cage can offer cosy safe hideouts or a different place to sleep. Or maybe simply for your rats to get high up and enjoy the view. The also make cat towels desgned for ferrets and other small animals. My rats spent a lot of time in this tunnel traveling around the levels and even taking naps. The Crinkle tunnel I suggest for any rat. I've never had a rat not enjoy these. They make crinkling sounds when touched and rats love to run and play in them to hear that crinkle!

 

The Right Food For Your Fuzzies Needs

There are so many different kinds of rat food out there and each one looks convincing enough. The package tells you that it has vitamins and minerals, that it has whole yummy goodness and will give your pet a long healthy life but sadly there is a huge difference between some of the foods you may be feeding your wee ones. Blocks(Pellets) are always the first recommendation as seed mixes to do have a clear balance of nutrition and the rats tend to only pick out and eat their favourite parts. Leaving them lacking a lot in their diet. Seed mixes also tend to have a lot of nuts and seeds which rats love and too many can cause your rats to gain weight as they are high in fat. Some of the best choices for our rats are not readily available in stores and some areas do not even stock them. Some people resort to purchasing their rat food online. One food a lot of people manage to get their hands on is Living World Hamster Extrusion. You can pick this up at any Pet Valu, PetSmart, Walmart, Zellers and most other well known pet supply stores. Yes it is technically a hamster feed but the ingredients are very close to that of a rats needs therefore it does just fine. Many rats tend to love the taste of the Extrusion, it has almost a grainy sweet smell. Now the Extrusion is not "the best" food you can get for your rats but is a close second and is much higher quality then most other brands so it is well recommened. I've fed my rats this brand for years. Just a heads up they have recently updated their packaging so the bags may not all still look like this.

                   Living World Hamster Extrusion

If you want to upgrade to a higher quality food you can sometimes have your local vet order it for you or ask around and see if some of your pet stores can. If not you may have to resort to ordering online. The first excellent rat food is Oxbow Regal rat. It is made specifically for your rats. Oxbow Regal Rat is developed for adult Rats. It is a low-fat, 14% protein, nutritionally-balanced food that improves the quality of life for rats without causing obesity. The kibble contains 100% of a rat’s daily essential nutrients. It was formulated by a team of professionals in the laboratory animal science, zoo nutrition and wildlife nutrition fields. The kibble itself is shaped like little hearts and smells like apples and grains. The only down side with this kibble is that it does not seem to be overly palatable meaning a lot of rats don't seem to be overly thrilled about the flavour. On the other hand some rats go crazy for it so it really depends on the individual preference of the rat.

Oxbow Regal Rat- Great nutrition for your rats

Another Excellent choice is Harlan TekLad 2014. This rat food was originally engineered in a lab and used on lab rats. Scientists researching and formulating the perfect diet for rats to increase lifespan and health. After a lot of formulating, time and great results the food found its way into the hands of rat lovers across the globe. 2014 is a fixed formula, nutritionally balanced, non-autoclavable diet containing 14% protein and 3.5% fat. Studies show that low fat, low protein diets promote longevity and normal body weight in rats. This kibble does not contain alfalfa or soybean meal, in turn minimizing the occurrence of natural phytoestrogens. No animal protein and fish meal eliminates the presence of nitrosamines. This food only comes in big 40lb bags so when bought online in a different size you will recieve yours in zip lock sealed bags.

Harlan TekLad 2014 is a great food for rats!

If you cant manage to get your hands on any of these 3 higher quality foods there are others that you can use as a substitute which are not as high quality but will do if supplemented with other healthy treats you can feed. Rodent Diet by Cuisine(blocks) I believe is sold in most Pet Values. Many carry the seed mix but if they are able to order the blocks that would be the healthier option. The protein is 18% which is not perfect but not super bad. The ideal protein for an adult rat would be between 14-16% as not many brands make lower protein levels. High protein food can cause small to severe skin conditions in rats, obesity and is hard on their organs. Another is Kaytee Forti-Diet Health Mouse and Rat. This food is alright but the protein is too high at 21%. If you cannot find any other food for the time being, ingredient wise it is a good choice. CareFresh has also come out with a rat formula which I would think would be sold in many PetSmarts. This food is about 18% protein.

If you wanted to you could buy your ratties a seed mix as a treat every now and then. When I had my first rats I used to buy them blocks aswell as a seed mix and the mixes I bought they usually ate almost everything. Brown's Gourmet Rat and Mouse Diet is one example of a seed mix I used to buy for my guys. The inside smells apsolutely mouth watering and is packed with tasty treats and a wide variety of food. Some of the ingredients are wheat, oat groats, kafir, whole corn, striped sunflower seed, green whole peas, buckwheat, pumpkin seed, shelled peanuts, jumbo green peas, almonds, pecans, walnuts, banana chips, carrots, raisins, maple peas, lentils, papaya and brown rice amoung other ingredients. The other was Reggie Rat Food, this mix smelled of nice sweet grains with many of the ingredients being turned into pellet forms. Some of the ingredients were Ground whole wheat, whole corn, flaked peas, flaked whole wheat, whole oats, pelleted soybean meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, kibbled locust beans, soybean meal, soybean oil (preserved with BHT), ground whole corn and ground dried banana amoung other ingredients.

 In the end what ever food you decide to feed make sure your little ones get their daily fresh veggies and fruits for a healthy balanced meal. This could include cucumbers, broccoli, Romaine lettece(Iceburg is not as healthy), red grapes(helps fight illness), apples, blueberries, carrots etc...

Picking The Right Cage

So you are getting some fuzzies? The right cage size is essential for your rats to be comfortable and happy in their new home. The general rule is that any cage ment for a ferret is suitable for a rat. Rats are very active, intelligent creatures and need to be stimulated to keep from stress and boredom. Many people have inadiquite cage sizes for their little fuzzies, leaving them not much room to explore. Rats love to climb so levels are a must. If you dont have a cage with levels at the moment you can add hammacks and ladders along the top as another level. Hamster cages are in no way suitable for rats. This cage below would be way too small for your rats and would result in your rats becoming very stressed, depressed and possibly aggressive. Depression and stress can also lead to your rats becoming ill easier.
                                                                     TOO SMALL!!

When buying a cage make sure the space between the bars is not wide enough so that the full grown rat can fit their head through. As a simple rule, anything a rat can stick their head into they can sqeeze their whole body through aswell. Highly recommended cages for rats are the Critter Nations, The Ferret Nations are suitable aswell. These cages give the rats enough space to wander and levels to keep them active. They are also great if you plan on adding to your family of rats. These cages are made very sturdy and the huge doors make it very easy to clean.
                                            Ferret or Critter Nations make excellent rat cages!

 Martin Rat cages are highly recommended aswell. If you are acquiring a diffrent type of cage make sure the wires are powder coated as the basic metal can rust, stain and become very hard to clean and unsafe for your ratties. This cage below would be a small ferret cage that would be excellent for 2 rats. The metal frame can be taken off for easy cleaning and the wires are coated for health, safety and easier cleaning.
                                                            Great Cage for 2 or 3 rats!

Aquariums are never recommened for rats even though a lot of people use them. The air in tanks can not circulate properly causing it to get stale and stinky. The humidity levels in tanks can become too high making it very uncomfortable for our rats. In tanks its very difficult to make levels to play on and thats no fun! Because the rats would not be recieving much fresh air the odds of your rat developing a respiratory infection is much greater then if they were in a cage.
                                         Tanks are not recommened or safe health wise for rats!

My first rat cage was a basic powder coated 3 level Chinchilla cage, also good for rats. Male rats especially can get very big, by boys were 10 inches(thats NOT including their tails) thinking about this, no other cages but Ferret and Chinchilla cages would do. I wanted them to have a lot of space to wander and I know they appreciated it very much. The joy and excitement rats get with the level cages is worth every penny. They even pick their favourite levels =) lol I now have a Ferret Nation Which Nero and Octavian both got to experience before they passed away.
                                                         Nero and Octavians First Home

Remember when buying your ratties first home you want to make them exciteted and happy about living with you, give them the home of their dreams.