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Rats are wonderful pets and often get a bad reputation because of their wild cousins. Rats are extremely intelligent and often like to spend time cuddled up with their human family. With patience you can also train rats to do tricks! Rats are extremely sociable and often do best in same sex pairs.

Food and Diet

Our rats in store are fed on selective rat, we recommend you keep them on this food. Selective rat is a nutritionally balanced pellet food and can reduce the chances of your rat just eating the few things it likes and leaving the rest which can lead to them not getting all of the nutrients they need. At 16 weeks you can also start introducing treats and vegetables, but this should never replace the rest of their diet.

Rats are a prey animal and can be spooked when young. When handling your rat we would recommend letting them know that you’re near them by gently stroking their back and then scooping them up into your hand and placing them on your lap. Although rats can bite, it is uncommon and with time rats become extremely calm and will really enjoy spending time with you and being handled. Always supervise your rat when out of its enclosure because they are known to chew anything in their path.

Rats are a nocturnal species and are most active at dawn and dusk. They should be provided with plenty of enrichment within their enclosure to stop them from becoming bored when exploring at night.

Health and Wellbeing

Rats are prone to respiratory illnesses and we would recommend using bio-cat as a substrate, as it is a paper-based litter that doesn’t give off any dust. Because of this we also recommend a large barred enclosure, such as the trekker, to allow for maximum ventilation. You should regularly health check your rat to ensure their eyes are bright and alert, their nose is clear and their bottom is clean.

Rats require a lot of space to explore and keep them from being bored. If you bought an enclosure from us then you’ll be all set and ready to go. They also require a lot of toys and enrichment to keep their brains and body busy. You should move the toys around the enclosure every couple of days to keep things fresh and stimulating for them.