A Colorado Rat Breeder-Camarattery

Questions About Housing Rats Together.

1. Can rats be housed alone?

   No. Rats are colony animals and cannot survive as long alone. Being housed alone will be depressing to the rat and cut its life expectancy in half or more.

   
   

   Even if you socialize the rat more this does nothing for the rats emotional needs. It does you the human good to have a rat to love, but you do nothing for the rats needs. The rat simply cannot communicate with you and it cannot live "with" you.

   
   

   Fact: Rats in the wild NEVER live alone!
   

2. Can you adopt babies form different litters?

   Yes you can. It makes no difference to the rats at all. They are colony animals and just need a companion.
   

3. Can I house a baby with an adult?

   Yes. Adults love babies. Typically it works out very well with males and with females. However in the rare case that there are problems, it is either because:

   a) The adult has been alone too long and does not want to have other rats in its territory.

   b) The adult is on the more territorial side and singles out the lone baby. In this case adding 2 babies is the safest bet since one cannot get singeled out.
   

4. Is it safe to add a new adult rat in with my exsisting adult?

   With females, most of the time your safe. Your female is just terribley happy to have a friend.

   
   

   With males it may not work out. Males are more territorial and do not appreciate being challenged by an adult he doesn't know. 9 times out of 10 it will not work for males.
   

Bedding

1. What type of bedding should I use? Or not use?

   Safe Bedding:

   
   

   Aspen shavings (some brands are dusty watch out!)
   

   Hard wood shavings

   Paper shreds

   Eco bedding

   Yesterdays news (or other hard paper pellet brands)

   Shredded yellow book (sold in Colorado feed stores)
   

   Corn cobb if cleaned often
   

   
   

   Unsafe Beding:

   
   

   Pine (toxic to rats)
   

   Cedar (toxic to rats)

   Care Fresh (most breeders are no longer using it because of thetremendous dust which has been proven clog the nostrils and cause respiratory infections) Care Fresh also smells very bad when soiled by rats.
   

2. What does Camarattery use for bedding & litter boxes?

   I use Aspen or shredded yellow book in the cage bottoms and Yesterdays News in the litter boxes. I find these are the best for my rats.

   
   

   I am really impressed with the absorbancy of Yesterdays News. I think its the best bedding out there. Its costs more. But if you had a small amount of rats its not so bat as far as cost. A big bag will last you a while.

   
   

   In my nursery cages I use Aspen and Eco bedding for the nest. The moms love to make a cute little nest with the eco bedding and the babies stay quite cozy.
   

Caging

1. What is the correct bar spacing for rats?

   The answer is 1/2". And wider and you will have rats loose in your home. Even adult males who are much larger will walk right out of ferret bar spacing. So ferret caging is not appropriate for rats.

   
   

   I have had my 2lb+ males walk right out of those cages. If they want to they certianly can.
   

2. What is the reccomended cage?

   Well there are many different types of cages that are good. Rule of thumb is the more room the rat has the happier they will be. But also your looking at safety. Some cages are not appripriate. Plastic parts will never last in a cage. So try to avoid that as best as you can. But what is more important is cage bottoms. Plastic ones are not long for this world. Rats are rodents, so they will chew. Some rats are more agressive at chewing than others, so its a better investment to buy wisely and get a cage with a metal bottom. Later on down the road you may be happy that you did.

   
   

   We do like the Martins cages, but at times the plastic trays get chewed. So that is a factor, if your upgrading your cage and you know your rats well enough to know the Martins try will last, this cage is worth it. Many, many people have great success with the Martins products. I have had mixed results.
   

   
   

   Critter Nation cages are in my opinion the best out there for your money. They come in a one level or 2 level. They are roomy and beautiful. They are the best value for your money. And they are not that pricey. They are more of a piece of furniture in your home than a cage in the corner. CN's allow better socialization for your rats and allow for easy cleaning.

   
   

   Please read my links page for places to buy cages.
   

3. How many rats can I put in a cage?

   Cage calculators low ball the figures. They give you the smallest amount of rats you can possibly put in the biggest cage possible figures.

   
   

   But in the wild rats prefer the colony outlook to life. They crave and thrive in an envoronment that has more friends to cuddle with. If you know the nature of the rat, you know that they all pile up on eachohter in one spot and the entire rest of the cage is completley empty. So more rats is not necessarily more crowded.
   

   
   

   The best way to judge your cage vs number of rats is to see how long it takes before the cage is dirty. If its taking a week or 2 to get durty, that's pretty good! You can add anoher rat. If you can't keep up with the cleaning you need to get a bigger cage or have less rats.

   
   

   Typically you won't want to get 5 babies at the same time to fill your cage. So your not going to need to worry about filling it to the brim right off the batt. Start off slow, with a pair or trio. This way, as they age you can add another baby or 2. After all you don't want them to all pass away of old age at the exact same time. So stagger the ages a bit.

   
   

   Always remember that you need room for an 11 inch wheel. So the cage needs to accomidate that. Rats that were raised with a wheel from infancy will always run!
   

Food

1. What is the correct diet for my rat?

   The answer is not set in stone. There are options. You can do a healthy grain diet, but they are not completley balanced for rats, they suplimention is needed. In this case you will need fruits, veggies, cereals, and other healthy home cooked items.

   
   

   You may also choose a lab block diet. These are a balanced diet. But many brands are full of fillers such as corn. Yet others have great ingredients however, they are not fresh such as the brands found at super stores. Some have the wrong protein content.
   

   
   

   Please read my diets page for more detail on rat diets.
   

2. What is dangerous for my rat to eat?

   Rule of thumb is if its healthy for you, its healthy for the rats. But a couple of things are really bad.

   
   

   Mushrooms and Citrus fruit are 2 things you must not feed them. Salt and sugar are also big no, no's.
   

   
   

   Please read my forbidden foods page for more info.
   

Questions About Rat Breeds

1. What breeds of fancy rats are there?

   There is only one breed of fancy rat. Rats are not like cats and dogs where there are lots of "breeds". Rats differen in this way because they are all one breed, but the come in different colors.

   
   

   Color, and pattern are the only differences in pet rats.
   

2. What breed is the best for a pet?

   Rats do not have different breeds, only different colors. All colors are the same animal. There is no difference at all. Temperaments are the same for all colors.
   

Male or Female?

1. Should I get a male or a female?

   Please go to my "Male vs Female" article.
   

Shipping

1. Do You Ship?

   Please refer to my "Shipping" page.
   

Care & Training

1. I have questions about care & training, can you help?

   Please refer to my " Care & Training" article.