Q: "My rat scratches himself a lot and has scabs all over his body, but I don’t think he has any fleas."

A: This seems to likely be mites or possibly lice. The difference between the two is that mites cannot be seen with the naked eye, and are usually species-specific (as in you won’t get them.) Lice can be seen if you ruffle up the rat’s fur, usually attached to the hair shaft. The scabs you see, usually around the head and shoulders, are from the rat scratching itself. The best form of treatment for both is kitten Revolution, which must be prescribed by a vet. You will also need to thoroughly clean in and around your rat’s cage to help break the life cycle of the pests.

Q: "My rat has a lump, what is it?"

A: Unfortunately another thing rats are prone to is tumors. Lumps and bumps should always be checked out by a vet. Often the tumor can be removed and greatly increase the rats' quality of life, especially if it is a fast growing, benign, fatty type tumor. These can grow surreally large and complications can make your rat ill.

On another note, it may also be an abscess, which again should receive veterinary attention.

Q: "My rat has very long nails, can I trim them?"

A: Yes! Nail trimming is very important! When trimming nails be sure to only trim the tip, don’t cut too far back, or you will hit the "live" part of the nail called the quick and will cause it to bleed. Nail trimming often goes best if one person holds the rat wrapped in a towel while a second person trims the nails. If you are afraid to cut the nails yourself your vet will be able to trim them for a small fee.

Q: "What bedding should I use? Why are pine and cedar bad? What would happen if I tried to use pine or cedar?"

A: Three popular and safe commercial beddings are Care Fresh, Aspen, and Yesterday’s News (or any unscented, paper-based cat litter [avoid clay.]) Pine and cedar are bad because they contain dust and oils (pine and cedar are actually used as a natural pest deterrent!) that irritate a rats delicate respiratory tract. Short term it can cause sniffling and sneezing, longer term exposure can cause URI’s and even serious lung damage.

  Q: "Can I give my rat a bath? He smells and has orange-y dandruff!"

A: Sound like ‘buck grease!’ Male rats tend to have more oily coats than females. Although rats are fastidious groomers and generally very clean, every now and then they can use a good old-fashioned bath. This can be accomplished with a mild kitten shampoo (no flea shampoos) or no-tears baby shampoo and warm water. Most rats don’t appreciate being bathed, so prepare to get scratched! (Note: if your rats smell unusually bad try to keep their cage cleaner and examine their diet.)

Q: "Would a rat be a good pet for my child?"

A: Rats can make great pets for people of all ages! Rats are excellent pets for kids as they are friendlier and more tolerant (less likely to bite) than other pocket pets, like hamsters and mice. However, parents should remember that ultimately they are responsible for their children’s pets, and need to ensure the animals are receiving proper care throughout their lives. Children should be taught how to appropriately care for and handle their pet rats, and small children should be supervised when interacting with them.

Rats can be litter box trained (potty trained) fairly easily. Litter box training my rats has made cleaning up after them so much easier I don’t think I will ever go back to the ‘old way!’ Plus non-rat people are usually impressed by it, and good PR is always needed!

To start potty training you’ll need a litter box (or two, depending on how large your cage is.) Plastic ferret litter boxes work great, they fit conveniently in a corner of the cage and clip securely onto the wire to prevent spills. To further prevent spilled litter, some come with a wire ‘lid’ which keeps the rats from pushing the bedding right out of the box.

Once you have your litter box picked out, you’re ready to start training. Rats usually will pick a ‘favorite’ (or several) potty spots. This is where you’ll want to put the litter box. Give your cage a good cleaning and put a bit of used bedding in the box to encourage the rats to use it. Instead of covering the entire floor pan of your cage with bedding again, lay down towel or fleece ‘cage liners.’ This is important because if your whole cage is covered in bedding of the same type, there will be little distinction between the litter box and the rest of the cage and also make it hard for you to clean up any mistakes.

Day to day maintenance is critical to potty training success. Several times a day check your cage for any accidents, if you find any ‘rat raisins’ move them back into the box. This goes for any bedding that has been pushed out as well. You want to make it very clear to your rats where they should ‘go.’ Some rats will start using the box right away and some will take longer, some will use the box religiously, some will be a bit more sloppy. Your rats should become fairly reliable about using the box, but expect them to continue scent marking other areas of the cage. Rats are territorial, and no amount of training can change that.

Now about cage liners- I know some of your are wondering; ‘How is this going to work? Wont they just eat them/ burrow in them?’ The key to liners is to secure them. Depending on your cage, you can either use the weight of the cage itself to hold the liner in place, and/or clip it on using ‘bulldog’ or ‘binder’ clips. Liners can be as elaborate or simple as you want. I prefer fleece, because it doesn’t shred and get stringy like towels do. You can buy fleece from places like JoAnn’s Fabrics (craft store) or even Wal-mart. It comes in various colors/patterns to suit any taste. For a simple liner, just measure the bottom pan/tray of your cage an cut the fleece slightly larger by a couple inches, lay it down and secure it, then add your litter box and toys.

I promise it sounds more complicated than it is! Even with some chewing, your cage liners will last ages longer than bedding. You should have at least two liners, so when one gets dirty you just pop it into the washing machine and it’s good as new! I have cut my bedding expenses by more that half after litter box training my rats. Before I was cleaning the whole cage twice a week, now I just dump out the box every few days and put in a couple handfuls of new bedding.