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Rattie Care

The place to find out about rattie care and how I take care of my furkids.

Housing

I highly advocate and recommend the use of Martin's cages. I'm currently in the (LONG) process of converting over, and use a combination of Martin's, Marchiroro, and SuperPet cages.

As my rats are big chewers, I provide them with lots of plastic and woods huts, houses, and igloos to play in (they destroy cardboard in minutes). They also get towels in their huts, and the girls are provided plenty of shredded paper to nest with. All of my rats' cages have at least one hammock too.

A general rule for figuring out how many rats can fit in a cage is to allot them 2 sq. ft. of space each. This can be adjusted depending on the size of your rats and how much "personal space" each one needs to feel comfortable in their cage. For example, my SuperPet tower will hold 9 boys, but I only house 7 in it as several of them are quite large. My girls, on the other hand are all under 350g, and as they aren't as active as some females, they require slightly less space.

Bedding

I keep my rats on White TekFresh, the Harlan equivalent of CareFresh Ultra. It's dust free and doesn't have the strong smell of regular CareFresh.

There are lots of other quality beddings out there too. Regular CareFresh and Tekfresh, Yesterday's News, corncob, pelleted paper, Aspen, and cloth bedding are all excellent options, the decision is up to you and what you feel works best for your ratties.

Never use pine or cedar shavings to house rats on. There are chemicals in the wood that can cause and complicate respiratory diseases or illnesses in rats and other small animals. Just becase petshops sell it at cheap prices DOESN'T mean it's good for critters!

Health Care

Just like any other pet, rats need to go to the vet when they're sick! It's a good idea to call around to vets in your area to make sure they treat rats BEFORE you get them. Symptoms of illness in rats include (but are not limited too):

sneezing or "monkey" noises
lethargy
disinterest in food and playtime
dehydration (not drinking)
phorphyrn discharge around nose or eyes (reddish in color)
uncharacteristic behavior
blood in urine or from vagina/penis
bloody or very soft droppings
head tilt
large open wounds
lumps

If your rats have any of these symptoms, they should be seen by a vet ASAP!

Even if you are familiar with dosages and illnesses, it's still advisable to seek the opinion of a veterinary professional before medicating your rats. Misdosing, or mistreating, illnesses can be deadly.

Diet

I feed my rats a modified version of Suebee's diet. My recipe feeds my rats for about a month and is supplimented by a wide variety of fresh foods. I recommend using the original recipe to begin with, and then adding slight variation based on what your ratties like.

Suebee's Rat Diet


I fill their bowls daily with half mix and half Nutro Natural Lite dog food.

Supplimental treats include fresh fruits and veggies, cooked pasta, egg, yogurt, pudding, soy milk, soy meat substitutes, baby food and unbuttered toast. (Please note that these are given in moderation...use your judgement).

Vegan Homemade Yogies

3/4 cup of powdered soy milk
4 oz jar of juice, no sugar added (my kids love Gerber pear juice)
1 tbsp vegetable glycerin
cake icer
wax paper
cookie sheets, plates (you can really use pretty much anything flat that can go in the refrigerator and will fit with the space you have)

1. In a pan, mix the powdered soy milk and juice.
2. Heat on medium until it begins forming a paste.
3. Make sure as much water as possible is evaporated and add vegetable glycerin.
4. Heat on low for 3 minutes (until mixture is thick).
5. Put mixture into cake icer and squeeze into drops on a cookie sheet (covered in wax paper)
5. Refrigerate for 8-12 hours (sets the glycerin and hold them together).
6. Take them out and let sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours
7. Store in an airtight container to prevent mold, as these yogies don't contain preservatives!

Do NOT use dairy products, as it can go bad very quickly and make your rats sick!

~Included courtesy of Heather Quesenberry of O'Fallon MO. The creation of this recipe was inspired and motivated by Mala, Heather's very special (past) rattie girl.

Heather would love to hear feedback from you! Email your experiences in yogie making to her at malignstar@aol.com.