Cages
Rat cages should be stimulating, with platforms, hammocks, climbing opportunities and plenty of toys and hides. Rats are intelligent, and so a plain cage will do them no good at all. The rule of thumb that 'bigger is better' is not always true, a cage that is too big can cause groups of rats to fracture, and may increase territorial behaviour because the rats each have so much territory to defend. A Furet Plus or Freddy2 cage would be a fantastic home for a pair of rats, whereas something like half a Liberta Explorer, Aventura or Savic Royal Suite would be more suited to a group of 5 or 6. The Jenny cage is a great size for a trio, and may be more suited to girls because of the extra height. Whatever cage you intend to get, have a look around for bargains as they do happen, and check the bar spacing isn't too wide for the baby rats you are bringing home.
Not only do you need to decide what cage to get but also where to put it. Rats are extremely susceptible to changes in heat, in particular becoming too warm, so should not be directly in front of a window, radiator, or near any draughts. They are crepuscular, meaning they are most active in the morning and evening, so they are most noisy at those times too which may affect the room of the house you would like to put them in.
Not only do you need to decide what cage to get but also where to put it. Rats are extremely susceptible to changes in heat, in particular becoming too warm, so should not be directly in front of a window, radiator, or near any draughts. They are crepuscular, meaning they are most active in the morning and evening, so they are most noisy at those times too which may affect the room of the house you would like to put them in.
Diet
In the UK there are no decent 'complete' foods. Many of them contain meat proteins from outside the EU, where animals are pumped full of growth hormones. Feeding growth hormones to an animal prone to tumours is not a wise move. Many of them have too high protein levels, or not enough copper, or oils, and as such leave rats either overweight or horribly out of condition. If you are convinced that you would want to feed nuggets/pellets over a muesli mix for whatever reason, then the only one I would recommend is Science Selective. The issue with that one is that it contains no meat proteins and rats are omnivores, so you would have to give them meat occasionally.
I make my own food mix, which I also sell to people who have my rats. It is made up of 40% Jollyes Fruity Guinea Pig, 20% Dodsen and Horrel Build Up Mix, 5% Barley Rings, 10% Wild Bird Seed, 5% own brand low sugar cereal, 5% Jollyes Fruity Parrot, 10% CSJ dog biscuits and 5% duck and goose pellets. My rats get fresh food frequently too, they love things like veg trimmings, apples, eggs, ham, mashed potato and sardines. Many people quote selective feeding as a reason to avoid muesli diets, but if you only refill food when it is all gone and scatter feed so they have to forage for food, there should be no issues. I also fast my rats once every week, to give their bodies time to rest. They have very fast metabolisms and it takes its toll on their organs, so my rats get fed on a saturday night and then the monday morning. I also give them enough food for around 22hours of the day rather than the full 24, as being overweight is incredibly unhealthy for them.
If you are not confident enough to make your own mix, the RatRations website (click or see 'Links') has many excellent mixes to choose from.
I make my own food mix, which I also sell to people who have my rats. It is made up of 40% Jollyes Fruity Guinea Pig, 20% Dodsen and Horrel Build Up Mix, 5% Barley Rings, 10% Wild Bird Seed, 5% own brand low sugar cereal, 5% Jollyes Fruity Parrot, 10% CSJ dog biscuits and 5% duck and goose pellets. My rats get fresh food frequently too, they love things like veg trimmings, apples, eggs, ham, mashed potato and sardines. Many people quote selective feeding as a reason to avoid muesli diets, but if you only refill food when it is all gone and scatter feed so they have to forage for food, there should be no issues. I also fast my rats once every week, to give their bodies time to rest. They have very fast metabolisms and it takes its toll on their organs, so my rats get fed on a saturday night and then the monday morning. I also give them enough food for around 22hours of the day rather than the full 24, as being overweight is incredibly unhealthy for them.
If you are not confident enough to make your own mix, the RatRations website (click or see 'Links') has many excellent mixes to choose from.
Living conditions
Many people say that rats smell, and that can be the case if they are not cleaned frequently enough, or if they are cleaned too frequently. Yes that's right, cleaning them too much can make them smell worse!
Rats like their homes to smell of rat, just as I am sure you like your home to smell of things you like. They make this happen by marking, peeing and pooping and rubbing bits of them on things, it's normal. If you take that smell away from them all the time, they will panic and constantly feel the need to remark everything to make it smell nice and ratty again. I advise cleaning once a week, and leaving something that smells of them so they still feel secure. I manage this by changing hammocks half way through the week, and bedding at the weekends. That way I am only ever changing half the cage and the smell is kept to a minimum.
They should always have clean water available.
Rats like their homes to smell of rat, just as I am sure you like your home to smell of things you like. They make this happen by marking, peeing and pooping and rubbing bits of them on things, it's normal. If you take that smell away from them all the time, they will panic and constantly feel the need to remark everything to make it smell nice and ratty again. I advise cleaning once a week, and leaving something that smells of them so they still feel secure. I manage this by changing hammocks half way through the week, and bedding at the weekends. That way I am only ever changing half the cage and the smell is kept to a minimum.
They should always have clean water available.
Interaction
Rats love to be with their humans, and would really benefit from having a bit of time every day where they can run around and play with you. They love to learn tricks, sit in sleeves, hoods and pockets. Sofas are quite a popular playground for rats as they are raised off the floor and stop the dreaded 'rat escaped' scenario. If you have other pets, please don't allow them to interact directly with your rats. Animals can't read the body language of other animals, and rats are prey animals so are very prone to stress and the consequences of that, such as heart failure. There is no need for them to interact and the risks far outweigh any benefits.
In addition to their need for human interaction, it is also imperative that rats have company of their own kind. If you have ever seen rats interact with each other, you should have an appreciation for just how much time they spend together. They groom each other, sleep with each other, play with each other, and learn from each other. No amount of human interaction can replace that, humans do not speak rat and rats do not speak human (sadly!).
In addition to their need for human interaction, it is also imperative that rats have company of their own kind. If you have ever seen rats interact with each other, you should have an appreciation for just how much time they spend together. They groom each other, sleep with each other, play with each other, and learn from each other. No amount of human interaction can replace that, humans do not speak rat and rats do not speak human (sadly!).