Information
Bedding: Carefresh ultra or carefresh. Also, Rice hull bedding. Thats a horse bedding but its very inexpensive and works well for the rats. I also recommend yesterdays news, cat or rat formula.-tip, cat is cheaper.
Cages: I REALLY like martins cages. I have a martins R695 and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! Its HUGE! Like a rattie mansion! But a number of the other martins cages are very suitable for you rat cage needs and are very reasonably priced! You can find them at martinscages.com
Rat
While most people will cringe at the thought of having a rat for a pet, believe it or not, domestic rats make great pets! They are not aggressive, diseased and dirty animals, but in fact are clean, fun loving, sensitive, very social and affectionate. They genuinely enjoy interacting with people and should be handled daily. Rats are very intelligent and can be taught simple tricks, such as stay and sit and will often learn their name. They can also be litter box trained. Rats will often develop a connection with their owner, wanting daily attention. They will enjoy playing and snuggling with their owners. Contrary to their reputation, rats are clean animals; they lick themselves clean even more frequently than cats. They communicate with each other through scent, sound, touch and visual signals. A professor at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, has shown in a recent study that rats, when playing, emit ultrasounds whose meaning is comparable to human laughter. Rats do not require much from their owners. A big, clean cage, fresh food and water and an hour of playtime out of the cage every day meet their needs well. They are sociable animals and should be kept in pairs or groups of the same sex - a mixed-sex group would produce a great number of offspring in a very short time. Males are bigger and more laid-back than females who tend to stay active and playful throughout their lives. |
Mouse
If you have ever seen a group of pet mice playing, you realize they can be quite entertaining pets. They are a bit harder to handle than some of the lager rodents such as rats, but they can become quite tame and will take food from the hand and allow themselves to be handled if started at a young age. Mice are quite ideal as small pets that are entertaining to watch, are easy to care for and make very few demands on their owners. |