A small plastic carrier such as this should be used for transportation and not as a permanent home.
PART OF THE FUN OF RAT OWNERSHIP IS WATCHING BEN and Ira cavort in their cages. It’s no fun to watch a rat simply lie there, unmoving, sleeping. It’s no fun for the rat, either. Rats prefer activity. They love to move around, socialize, and exercise. That’s just what they’ll do if you provide a stimulating environment for Ben and Ira. This includes rodent company. No rat should live by itself. Rats prefer to live in colonies, and isolation leads to intense loneliness.
We all have our preferences when it comes to how much house we want or how much yard we want to care for. The larger the size of the property, the more work involved in maintaining it. Keep this in mind when deciding how many rats you want to own and how you will house them. Consider house and grounds, both of which will become horribly stinky and pest ridden if they are not kept very clean.
Rats are curious and tend to be more active if allowed out of their cages—just be sure to supervise them.
You have many housing options. The two most popular choices are wire cages and aquariums. On occasion, you can also find appropriate Plexiglas containers. Not just any wire cage, aquarium, or Plexiglas container will do, however. You must ensure proper airflow, maintain sanitary conditions, and consider safety factors.
Containers to avoid are made of plastic (including gerbil, hamster, or chinchilla habitats), wood, and metal that is not coated. Keeping rats in these containers is dangerous for several reasons. First, rats chew. They chew wood, plastic, and anything else they can get their teeth on. They can easily chew their way through a cage that might otherwise hold a hamster or a bird. Housing your rat in an uncoated metal cage poses sanitation issues and the possible problem of rust ingestion, which can kill a rat. Treated woods contain toxic preservatives that give off gases, also endangering the health of your rat.
Rats love hiding in little cubbies such as this one; however, those made of cloth aren’t safe as long-term playhouses since they’re so easily chewed apart.
If you’re looking for an easy-care environment and intend to own only one or two rats, a 10- to 20-gallon aquarium works pretty well, provided you keep the top screened to allow ventilation and never place the aquarium in direct sunlight. An aquarium allows your rats to see the world and remain safe. It also keeps the litter within the aquarium, making the entire room less stinky and dirty. With a house, a wheel, chewies, toys, and a water bottle, Ben and Ira have it made.
A Plexiglas cage is very similar to an aquarium. Some Plexiglas containers have small ventilation holes perforating the upper walls; some merely rely on a screened top to allow airflow. Either way, there’s no litter mess, all odors are more or less contained, and your rats are safe.
Wire cages come in a range of sizes and designs, primarily single-level square cages, two-level upright cages, and three-level ferret cages. Any of these will work, provided the wire is spaced close enough to prevent escape or getting one of the rat’s feet caught within the grid. It is highly recommended that you have a solid floor for the bedding, as rats can injure their feet by constantly having to walk on a wire grid and cannot make a comfortable bed if their bedding is constantly slipping through the wire into a pan below.
Bumblefoot
A BACTERIAL INFECTION IN THE HEEL, BUMBLEFOOT IS typically associated with genetic factors or an unsanitary living environment (e.g., old, soiled litter). The infection manifests as a round red swelling (“bumble”) or lesion on the bottom of the foot that eventually erupts in a yellowish scab. Although bumblefoot is not necessarily linked with wire-floor cages, the wires can place unneeded pressure on the feet and could exacerbate the problem. Prevention is the best cure here: eliminate potential sources of the malady by replacing or covering wire floors with plastic mats and cleaning your rat’s cage regularly. Topical antiseptics, in addition to oral or injected antibiotics, may combat the infection, which if left untreated could be fatal, but many can actually inhibit healing. Avoid overusing Betadine, hydrogen peroxide, or ChlorhexiDerm; usually, diluting these with saline in the early stages of injury is OK. Wound dressings over the ulcers are also a big help. In addition, pain medication may be available from your vet.
A single-family home might be great for the single rat or maybe even two rats, but a multilevel cage is far healthier, because the larger the environment is, the more exercise the rats can get without your having to take them out of their cages. So if you must meet a tight work or school schedule, make sure Ben and Ira have a large enough and stimulating enough environment to move around in. If you plan on spending loads of time with your rat and allowing him to run in his ball or walk with you on a leash, you don’t need to keep him in a large home, just a comfortable one.
If you want to own more than two rats, opt for the ferret cage, as it has two or three levels with ramps and coated wire that is easy to clean. The wire mesh also makes for great climbing adventures, as rats can grip the grids with their dextrous feet. Anyone for hanging upside down?
Another great thing about a wire-grid cage is that you can hang hammocks from the tops of the various levels. Rats love to sleep in hammocks. There are even enclosed hammocks in which your rat can feel totally secure.
Many items available for large birds are also great for rat environments: toys, perches, climbing apparatuses, and chewies. Because many of these items are fashioned with hooks or clips, attaching them to a wire-grid cage is easy, and they are easy to clean and remove.
To have a more interactive pet rat, you will need to offer him a stimulating environment, one filled with things to do and places to go. The more options there are, the more entertaining Ben and Ira will be for you to play with and watch.
While there are many cage options, in my opinion, there’s only one you should consider for the most enriching environment: the multiple-level cage. Multiple-level models are readily available at large pet shops or from Internet retailers. Do a little research on the Web, and you’re sure to find something suitable.
Within the cage, you should have tunnels, houses, a tree branch, and a rodent wheel large enough to accommodate the largest of your rat pals. Bird toys and perches often make great rat paraphernalia, as the sandpaper-like finishes of the perches help keep your rat’s claws trim. Be sure to give your rat toys that he can safely both chew on and climb around.
Bird playgrounds also make great rat playgrounds. Rats love climbing ladders and running along narrow ledges, hanging off platforms and hiding in treehouses. Once Ben and Ira acclimate to this play area, you can train them to go over any number of obstacles on cue.
Another great play and exercise item is the plastic ball. Placed inside this large see-through ball, your rat can travel wherever he wants to go. I’ve found it’s a great way to safely exercise the rat and protect the furniture. Just watch out for stairs. The ball can also be used in training your rat to come when called or to follow you around inside or out.
If you really want to have some fun, invest in or make a play yard that has a ladder, climbing rope, platforms, tunnels, and hidey-holes. You really needn’t do anything to get Ben and Ira used to these objects other than to place some of their food throughout the play environment. This creates a great game of hide-and-seek, simulating what your rats would do in the wild: searching out food and shelter. It’s fun to watch them gallivant around, and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you are increasing Ben’s and Ira’s curiosity, memory, and reasoning abilities.
Rats should have plenty of toys to keep their nimble brains busy.
Rats are naturally curious and will investigate small, dark places and climb any surface that feels secure enough to hold them. Enabling Ben and Ira to investigate will fulfill this need as well as give them loads of exercise.
Your pet rat can quickly learn a pattern. Hide a morsel of food somewhere twice, and he’ll be looking in that spot for a long time. Researchers studying pattern recognition, memory, and problem solving learned long ago that rats make excellent experimental subjects because they perform so well in mazes. Observing a rat confronted with a mystery is loads of fun for you, too, as they work their way around the problem or solve a puzzle.
Above, a rat prepares to enter a large plastic ball for some fun and exercise. Below, another active rat clambers through a ring.
In fact, the methods described in this book originated with studies in rat maze behavior. Various “problems” were created to observe how a rat solved them or overcame negative experiences to complete the maze pattern and receive the food reward. Did the rat learn? Or did he merely react in the moment? The experimental psychologists performing the study discovered that rats do learn and do memorize patterns. You can emulate these studies just for the fun of it. Which of your rats learns faster? Which one has a better memory? Wouldn’t this be a great project for a science fair? There are many places you can go with these ideas. Keep an open mind, and always ensure Ben and Ira’s safety.
This play yard is designed for birds, but it’s perfect for rats, too.
You already know about the plastic ball, but what about just allowing Ben and Ira to race around your house? Not a good idea. There are so many ways in which this risks injuring the rat as well as damaging your home and possessions. Remember how much rats like to chew? What if they chew up an electrical wire? That can be extremely dangerous.
Rats seek small, dark places for safety. What happens when you can’t find your pet rat? He may run loose for an extended period of time or escape outdoors, where any number of dangers await.
Scampering up and down his ladder, this rat gets lots of good exercise.
Rats adore a good tunnel—you can find all sorts of options in stores or make your own.
Never leave your rat loose in your home. You are far better off either letting your rat roll around in the enclosed ball or teaching him to walk on a leash. And always keep in mind the multilevel home and a companion or two for play.
Human and rodent roommates enjoy some playtime together. Remember to supervise interactions between your children and new pets.