The best place to get a health, friendly rat is from a responsible breeder. Breeders are not just for people looking for show rats, in fact very few rats meet ‘show standards,’ and the rest are adopted out as pets. Good breeders have put much thought and planning into the litters they breed and socialize their babies from birth. They also screen potential adopters to make sure their rats will be well cared for.

Another avenue you may want to look into is rescue. As rats become more and more popular as pets unfortunately some end up in bad homes, and eventually, in a rescue situation. Rescues dedicated specifically to rats continue to pop up across the US, and most are willing to help arrange transport to get their rats into new, loving homes. Rescues have rats of all ages, from youngsters born at the rescue and raised by volunteers, to senior rats looking for a comfy home to retire in.

The third and probably most common place to get a rat is the local pet shop. These vary widely in quality and usually mass produce rats with no thought to health and temperament, the rats are often sick and rarely socialized. Some shops sell rats as ‘feeders’ for reptiles, if you are intent on rescuing a feeder rat, be aware of the extra effort you may need to take to care for and socialize it. Sadly becaue of poor breeding practices many pet store rats suffer ill health later in life. Not, of course, to say that feeder rats can't make just as wonderful pets and any other rat…my Reba (the best rat ever!) was a rescued ‘feeder.’

Some tips when picking out a rat...

Socialization

Depending on how often your rats were handled before you got them, you may have to do all the socialization yourself. The first few weeks you have your rats expect them to be frightened and shy, they will need time to adjust to their new home and to you. Take things slow, hand feed them and handle them gently for at least 20 minutes a day. For very frightened rats a sweatshirt with a hood/big pocket to hide in can help them become accustomed to you. Remember that young rats will be hyper, and will probably want to spend more time exploring than sitting on your lap. They will mellow out as they grow up, just give them time.

Cages vs. Aquariums

Wire cages are generally considered the best type of housing for pet rats.

So, what’s wrong with aquariums? Well, rats have a very sensitive respiratory system. Aquariums trap ammonia from waste, forcing the rats to breathe it in constantly. Prolonged exposure to ammonia can cause serious, sometimes irreversible, damage to delicate rattie lungs. Plus, the usual 10-20 gallon aquariums are too small to house a pair of rats comfortably. The larger the aquarium, the more difficult it is to clean and keep the top secure. Aquariums also don’t allow for many toys/hammocks, which intelligent animals like rats need to keep busy. If you must use an aquarium, it should be an absolute minimum of 30-35 gallons (preferably a long tank,) be used in conjunction with a wire ‘aquarium topper,’ and kept absolutely spotlessly clean.

Now about cages, those generally sold as ‘rat cages’ are much too small to house anything but baby rats temporarily. A good rule of thumb when buying a cage is to allow 2-2 ½ square feet per rat. So a cage to house a pair of rats needs to have 4-5 square feet of living space. Where can you find an appropriate cage? Look for ferret, chinchilla, sugar glider, rabbit, guinea pig, or large bird cages either new from the pet store, new or used online (try e-bay or Craigslist,) or even at a yard sale/flea market. These can be modified for rats with little to no trouble, usually all they require are some shelves to increase the livable floor space and if the bar spacing is an inch or more hardware cloth (a wire mesh, obtainable at Home Depot) can be added over the bars with zip ties to prevent escapees.

Some things you want to watch out for with wire cages are the type of wire used and wire flooring. Make sure the cage you get has pvc or powder coated wire. Galvanized wire tends to soak up urine. If your cage has a wire floor (rabbit cages usually have this) or wire levels/shelves you may want to cover them with linoleum tiles or fleece liners and keep them very clean. Wire flooring (and an unclean living environment) is thought to contribute to a condition called bumblefoot (large sores on the feet.) Also, if the bars on the wire floors are not spaced for rats, your rats could get their feet caught.

How does your cage measure up? Find out by using Rattie Corner's Cage Size Calculator! (http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml)

Most commercial pet foods are made from low quality ingredients, comprised mainly of by-products and cheap fillers. When buying food for your rats avoid the various ‘seed mixes’ marketed for small animals. Even those made specifically for rats are too fatty and/or too high in protein. In addition, your rats will likely pick out their favorite ingredients in the seed mix (like the sunflower seeds) and leave the rest, which means they are not getting a balanced diet. A good alternative to seed mixes are ‘lab blocks.’ A quality block will provide your rats with complete nutrition (though supplementing with fresh foods and/or a grain mix is recommended- more on this later.)

Although many brands of lab blocks are available, again, most are very poor quality. Just a seed mix ground up into block form. The three brands generally considered the best are:

MAZURI Rat/Mouse Diet -the most widely available of the three, most Petsmart stores carry it. Can also be ordered online. (http://www.mazuri.com/)

OXBOW Regal Rat- can be found in many small or specialty pet/feed stores. Can also be ordered online. (http://www.oxbowhay.com/index.sp)

HARLAN TEKLAD 1014/1018- must be ordered online. Kim’s Ark, which is a rescue, will ship it in various amounts across the US (and possibly Canada, but you’ll have to check for yourself.) All sales benefit rattie rescue! Note: the 1014 formula is for adult rats and the 1018 formula is for pregnant/nursing females or growing babies. (http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/)

Supplementing your rats’ lab block diet is highly recommended. Rats are omnivores and they benefit from some variety in their diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be given on a weekly basis. Small amounts of well cooked meat/ unsalted sunflower seeds or peanuts (still in the shell/) plain yogurt/ etc. are also acceptable (and appreciated by your rats!) Another recommended supplement is SUEBEE’S MIX (http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html.) Suebee’s is a ‘grain mix,' made of quality ingredients that you buy and mix yourself. It can be fed with lab blocks or a quality dog food.

About dog food- If you can’t find a supplier of lab blocks or you don’t want to order online you can feed a dog food/Suebee’s Mix diet. If you decide to go this route, you will need to locate a quality senior or light formula dog food with 12-14% protein. As mentioned previously, commercial pet foods are generally poor quality- dog food in particular. Nutro (the Naturals line) is the best you’re going to find widely available, and it is moderate quality at best. The better brands of dog food can’t be usually be found in supermarkets/chain pet stores. (A good rule of thumb for buying dog food is- if you’ve ever seen it in a tv commercial or you can buy it at Wal-mart- keep looking.) Wellness, Natural Balance, Innova, and Solid Gold are all excellent brands, and can usually be found in smaller/specialty pet stores. I would most definitely recommend that you take a look at THE DOG FOOD PROJECT (http://www.dogfoodproject.com/) and learn to read pet food labels. You will probably be surprised by exactly what they put in there!

For those in the UK looking for quality rat food, I’m told that PAH Rat Nuggets (or an acceptable dog food) and the SHAUNAMITE DIET (http://www.shunamiterats.co.uk/diet.html,) which is a Suebee’s equivalent, are recommended!

Quarantine

When adding a new rat to your colony, you should always quarantine- without exception, it could save your rats’ lives . Quarantine helps prevents a new rat from introducing any illness to your resident rats; as a new rat could be harboring anything from mites to the deadly SDA virus. Quarantine is best done in separate buildings, and therefore separate airspaces, since many viruses are airborne. Handle your resident rats before handling the new rat, and always wash your hands and change clothing before handling the resident rats again. Viruses can live on your hands/clothes for about three hours. You should quarantine three weeks minimum before starting introductions. If the new rat shows any signs of illness, seek veterinary treatment immediately. When the treatment is over start the three week quarantine again.

Introductions

Rats can be territorial animals, so always use caution when introducing new rats. After quarantine, have the rats meet on neutral turf, the bathtub is a good place. When they are comfortable with that, let them meet on less neutral ground, like their regular play/free-range area. The last step is to introduce them in the cage (when you get to this step, clean the cage thoroughly and rearrange it so the resident rats feel less territorial.) Always supervise introductions closely, if you are worried the rats may fight, have a pair of thick gloves or a spray bottle handy to break up a fight. Be aware, though, that chasing, flipping, aggressive grooming, and squeaking is normal behavior. It’s usually best not to intervene, unless things become violent (no blood, no foul is a good rule of thumb.) Introductions can take some time, depending on the rats involved, so it’s important not to rush things.