Caring for Your Rats

Cages, Supplies, Food, Etc. 

                                 Cages 

	We made our first cage out of wire shelving material from the home improvement store, following the instructions on the Rats of the Round Table website. Pros: Economical, nice-sized (21×21x36) sturdy cage that can be made for around $50.  Coated wires clean easily.  Plenty of room for toys and about 4 rats. Cons:  So darn heavy that cleaning for the fairer sex is a real chore.
	A smaller, economical option I once used occasionally and no longer recommend is the Super Pet line of cages; pictured at left is the Super Pet Deluxe My First Home.  Comments: Economical, decent-sized (24×12x24) for only two rats, this cage has solid plastic shelves that are easier on rats’ feet, but excrement collects on them as well.  The plastic food dishes get chewed up, and the plastic exercise wheel is a big, clumsy nuisance that I automatically replace when I buy the cage.  However, this proves to be a problem as the poorly made cage rungs separate from supporting the replacement exercise wheel, leaving a dangerous excape route for the rats.  I also found gaping around the doors… so much so that a baby rat escaped, which ultimately led to her death.  I can only say that the size, portability, and ease of cleaning made this cage very attractive at first, but so many negatives, shoddy workmanship (rungs coming apart) and the ultimate loss of babies have caused me to abhor this cage.  It’s not a bargain if you lose lives!
	I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon and use what everyone else is using just because they are using it; however, there *is* the saying, "Where there’s smoke, there’s fire", and in this case, there is a lot of smoke around the Martin cages; and the "fire" is — they’re Good! Pros:  Available in a number of styles and layouts, with or without top-opening door for an extra $10, the Martin’s cages are light-weight (making them easy to clean) for their size yet still roomy for several rats.  Each door comes with 2 tension-fasteners to prevent escapees, and in several years I haven’t had a single rung come apart yet.  The rats seem to love having several levels to explore and scamper around on, and yet always seem to settle upon the highest loft for their sleeping quarters.  The Martin cages have plenty of room for decorating with your rats’ favorite toys, boxes, pans, hammocks, tubes and dishes.  Comes with a deep pan to prevent litter fallout. Con: You have to assemble the cages with #$%& o-rings.  Husbands in a good mood appreciated.  Pictured above left is the R690 with exercise wheel, litter pan, hanging chew toy, water bottle, food dish, Yesterday’s News litter, and three female rats added.  We love Martin’s cages, and have yet to hear a negative word about them from pet owners or breeders.
	Here’s another great product from Martin’s: the large Playpen.  It’s 44” square, has no floor (just set it up on a spare piece of linoleum flooring) and add the toys of choice.  This is a great way to give your rats a change of scenery and some playtime in a safe environment.  The playpen has a fliptop lid.

 Food

I feed my rats a version of the Sue Bee Rat Diet; varied by what I can buy locally, the brands available to me, experimentation, and recommendations I have received from others.  
I have been feeding my show dogs Solid Gold brand dog food for a number of years, and after having had it recommended to me by top show breeders and having good feedback on it from those I have recommended it to (and my own experience), I decided to use it as the dogfood portion of the Sue Bee mix in my rats’ diet (pictured at left).  Solid Gold is preservative-free, and has no corn, wheat or soy.
I also mix in L&M lab blocks (Mazuri is another good brand) right into the Sue Bee mix, and I don’t refill my rats’ bowls until they have eaten their blocks as well; I don’t allow picky eaters!  Lab blocks are a basic, balanced diet rolled into a cube for convenience.  Stay away from the commercial seed mixes; most of them are designed to look attractive to you, and are of little nutritional value to the rat — they even contain corn, which is a no-no for rats.
Don’t forget to supplement with fresh fruits and veggies, and always, always have fresh water available.

Cage Litter

This is largely a matter of personal preference, if you have allergies, how many rats you have, and how much odor control you desire.  Cedar and pine shavings are thought to be harmful to a rat’s respiratory system, so don’t go there; besides, either one would be quite messy and scatter. 
I recommend Yesterday’s News — a pelleted product made from recycled newspaper.  Get the "Unscented" variety.  Absorbency and odor control are excellent, little to no dust; a little pricey at initial purchase, but because the product works so well, you don’t need to clean the cage pan as often.  Con: the pellets are hard; the plus side of this is that the pellets don’t harbor pests.
Aspen: a safe, shredded wood to use and economical.  Some like to mix it with Carefresh (below)… adds a nice smell to the Carefresh, and helps to balance out some of the pricey-ness of that product.
Carefresh: a soft, absorbent, odor-controlling product that comes in regular (gray), ultra  (white) and colors (pink and blue).  Pricey, but soft.  It is thought that putting Carefresh, aspen and any other soft, fibrous bedding in your freezer for a few days before use will kill any bugs/parasites it might be harboring.  I prefer not to use the soft beddings at all (except for new litters that need the warmth), just to avoid the bug factor.

Sunseed Fresh World Bedding is also made from recycled newspaper, is softer than Yesterday’s News, and less dusty than Carefresh.  I’ve been using it in small litterpans instead of hammocks (too many chewers here!) and the ratties seem happy with it.

Shopping List

*Martin Cage: I recommend the R-690 (24×14x36") for 2-4 rats; make sure you order the *powder coated* variety, no matter which cage you order.  Check out the "cage calculator" and make sure the cage you are getting is large enough for the number of rats you have: http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml
*Mesh exercise wheel, 11-inch:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/202129/product.web
*Water Bottle
*Food dish (crock type)
*Hammock (with plain shower curtain rings for hanging)
*Rabbit/ferret litter box (serves as hammock alternative for those "industrial" chewers)
*Igloo or other privacy house (optional)
*Wooden chew toys (those for parrots are good), or Greenies (those made for dogs) — for keeping teeth trimmed
*Yesterdays News Cat Litter, Unscented
*Lab blocks (L&M or Mazuri); no seed mixes please
*Sue Bee ingredients
*Books: "Rats: Practical, Accurate Advice from the Expert" and "Rat Health Care", both by Debbie Ducommun and available through her website. 

NOTE:  You can shop for all these items individually yourself… or you can order
             them as a Package Deal from me and pick them up on rat pick up day; 
             see Package Offer.