My new pet rat. Meet Earl...

[Evelyn's Mom]

We live in a "tiny home" (400 sq sq ft) so having an indoor pet isn't much of an option, but I really need a furry, cuddly indoor pet. I used to have 2 cats, but it was really crowded in here and it didn't feel fair to keep them confined to such a small place. After they passed, I decided not to get another. I love my chickens, but I've really been missing a furry cuddly friend.
Just recently we decided to get a rat. I had gerbils as a child and my husband raised hampsters and guinea pigs. I also raised a rat ehen I was younger. Of all the rodents they seem to be the friedliest....also very smart.
So anyway last week we went out and bought an aquarium and all the other nececcesties... Then went to the pet store and picked out my rattie. He's so cute and sweet, I just love him and am really enjoying having him. Meet Earl the rat...

Cong-rats!! (haha!) I keep thinking about Dr. Doolittle, hope you never have to give them mouth to mouth!! Enjoy your furry friend!!

 

[mountainbunny]

I miss our rats. We had our boys neutered so they wouldn't dribble on us (equivalent to animals spraying) and also so they could live with their mom and sisters. It has been a couple of years but I remember that there is an ingredient in many commercial rat foods that is not healthy. I believe it starts with an E. I will try to find the name the next time I am in a pet store or see if I could Google it.

Also, just like we have this site for our chickens, there's groups for rats. Try "Petratenthusiats" That was my favorite go to forum.

Thanks.... Thought about joining a rat forum, I will look at it... Also will do my own research of course. I just like my chicken friends here, it's the only "social media" I participate in.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Haven't had rats in a while but I'd like to get some more next year. It's just hard on me that they have such big personalities with such short lifespans.

Regarding housing, Martin's Cages http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/rat/ are pretty much the standard for rat cages from all the people I've spoken to. I believe I have the R680? Since you have limited space you'll probably want to aim for a taller cage with a smaller footprint.

I agree about rats being very social animals so since you have a male, get at least one more male for a companion (or a female, if you neuter). The dribbling wasn't a huge issue for me but I did end up neutering one of my boys since he was attacking his brother (bit him in the scrotum!)

As far as toys, they love to chew, so anything they can chew up will make them happy. I'd give them the occasional empty tissue box or cereal box, twigs, etc. You can suspend snack items off snack-kabobs that they sell in the hamster or parrot sections. I gave them plastic golf practice balls and stuffed Kashi cereal in the holes and they would roll them to get the cereal out. They love hammocks so I made some out of used clothing like my husband's jeans and scraps of fleece fabric. I also used fleece as a cage liner rather than litter all over the bottom, as it was more economical to wash and reuse, plus it's a lot less dusty than litter. The litter pan had paper fiber litter.

I fed mine a homemade mix but yes Harlan Teklad blocks are considered the best. Didn't know they sold them in smaller batches on amazon, that's pretty handy for anyone who isn't trying to feed an entire colony.

 

[Tesumph]

Thanks for all the good advice. I'm looking around for a larger, multi leveled rat home for him. I'll look at the rat food they sell at Petco and if it doesn't look decent, I'll shop around. I just remember having good luck with Benefil many many years ago when rat food options were junk. ...that 1st option for food looks like what I saw at Petco. Will look again next time I'm there.

Good deal! Yes, multi level cages are the way to go, for the rats’ sakes and to get more bang for your buck. If you’re on a budget, I would suggest looking for bird cages with horizontal bars (for climbing). You might be able to score on Craigslist or similar. Don’t get anything chinsy, you will regret it in the long run; 2sq ft per rat is recommended.
As was mentioned, martins cages are very good and Critter cages are top of the line, but I assume you are on a budget.

.. so just curious, what are some good toys for a rat?

Excellent ideas so far! I love making hammocks, tunnels, and sacks out of various clothing items. I would suggest buying a large pack of clips and going from there.
You can also make a “tissue pit,” essentially a container with a treat at the bottom filled with shredded towels or tissues so they can dig through. You can also make “rat Kong’s” out of virtually anything, but towel paper tubes or shirt material tied in a knot with a treat in the middle works.
Bird toys in general are universally good for rats as well, if you’re looking to buy something. If not, you can search for DIY puzzle bird toys for more ideas.

My favorite part of owning rats was watching them interact with each other and figure out toys together. You will have so much more fun once you get him a friend!

 

[mountainbunny]

Congrats on your new furry friend!

I want a tiny house!
Did you build it yourself?

We bought a prefab cabin... 12 by 30 feet ( I think). It was just an empty shell so we did all the electrical, plumbing, carpentry ourselves and turned it into our home. Living small can be a challenge, but it really teaches you about what you need, and all the junk you DONT need! It's a very economical way to live.

 

[Kiki]

The Q on YouTube...The Q is the channel's name, builds some cool things.
A kid is watching this video right now and it made me think of Mr. Earl.

 

[biophiliac]

Aaaaaaawwww!

 

[BrindleFinch]

Pet rats! My time has come!

Things always go in and out of fashion with pets, but my go-to was always oxbow's rat food. NOT their mouse and rat formula, this one: https://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16965

Cardboard boxes and fleece will be your best friend honestly as far as toys go I stopped bothering to buy them. My boys' favorite thing was a toilet paper roll with food inside! And tissue boxes to hide inside of.

They're awesome animals. One of mine even went to a college class with me to do a public speaking presentation - everyone thought he was a ferret! How do you even mix that up??

eta: If you do end up looking for a friend for him, please consider a rat rescue! Yes, they really exist - and there are tons of boys out there in need of homes! Since you're in Indiana, Mainely Rat Rescue might be able to help you find a local rescue or you might be able to get a rat train going to transport one of their lovely rats to you. They also offer neutering/spaying already for their lovelies who are young enough.

There's nothing wrong with pet store rats, either, but I just wanted to point them out because so many people don't KNOW there are rats out there in need of homes already! All 4 of my boys were from pet stores, actually.

I won't harp on the stuff that's already been said a ton of times - I'm just super happy to see you're getting a multi-level cage and a friend. You're going to be a great rat parent.

 

[koturnix]

.. so just curious, what are some good toys for a rat?

Cardboard boxes they love. On a hot day if you put a shallow container of water with frozen peas floating around the rats will enjoy fishing for them. I hear some also like dig boxes (boxes of dirt with grass for them to go wild in) or boxes of shred paper with random treats hidden for them to find.

As for cage suggestions - Prevue makes nice solid cages. I've seen this model on Amazon plummet to $99.99 at times: https://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Hendr...F8&qid=1539386910&sr=8-1&keywords=feisty+cage
Smaller than a Critter Nation but nowhere as heavy and great if you're low on space and the CN is out of your budget. Bars are a bit wider so I'd only recommend that cage for chunky male rats as my young females escaped it easily.

 

[mountainbunny]

I made him a card box home (which I decorated with stickers and a sign that says "Earl's Place") He prefers that to the wooden log home we bought at the store. He had a card board toilet paper tube but he wasn't intersinte so I took it out for now. His favorite treat is carrots so last night I balled up a carrot inside some tissue so he he could shred the paper and find it. Also teaching him to stand up for carrots! So cute. Love how smart and friendly they are compared to traditional rodent pets like hampsters and gerbils. Can't tell you how many times as a child my pet gerbil bit me... And outside plsytime, I don't remember there being much of that. It's a shame rats get such a bad rap as a pet, some people just look at you like your crazy when you tell them you have a pet rat. Who could hate Earl!?