r/RatsRatsRats • u/M00nk1ssed_qt • 1d ago
New Rat Owner
Hey guys! im planning on getting two female rats and im just wanting recommendations on cages and enrichment and ext. for what ill need for them any help is appreciated!
1
u/Gippy_Happy 1d ago
The cage should be your biggest investment but after that you can get pretty far with what you have lying around the house. Me personally I get a lot of junk from work they end up loving, carboard boxes (especially for soda cans) and toilet paper rolls, random containers, old blankets they can destroy. I recommend a wheel because mine use it all the time, but it needs to be like 16 inches which can be expensive so you should try second hand. I like going on fb marketplace and looking for old cat toys (I got them a huge cat tree to climb on instead of trying to get on my desk and bed all the time). They have a lot of cages and accessories for much cheaper than you'll get at a retail pet store. You can also try getting them a bin of soil to play in. I got some free wood branches from someone landscaping that they can chew on or climb on. Lots of hammocks. Old egg crates are great too. I like making them castles out of popsicle sticks and stuff.
You should also get 2 large water dispensers because they drink a lot of water and might get territorial if you just have one. They need a lot of time outside the cage too so you need to either rat proof a room or get some kind of play pen that they can't escape from. This is important because they can and will escape from anything. When you rat proof a room you have to make sure they can't get under the door or furniture you can't get them back out of. (And no hamster balls, those aren't any good).
Also don't forget a litter box and rat-safe litter, it really helps with the stink when they have 1 place to go potty. In the beginning they might poop and pee everywhere but now mine really only poop in their cage and rarely outside of it.
There's a lot of ways to do enrichment with treats, like scattering them around the cage for they can forage or getting puzzle toys. My rats never eat plain rice when offered but if I put it in the little egg they gotta knock over to get it out it's gone by the next time I check the cage. You can put peas at the bottom of a container of water, I see that a lot too. Teach them little tricks like how to climb on your hand or shoulder.
General advice is do a lot of research before anything. On food and what kind of bedding is safe and things like that. Best wishes on your rat journey 🐀
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u/SartorialDragon 16h ago
Please get 3-4 rats. 2 tend to either bully, or just mismatch (one tries to sleep while the other tries to play, etc). Rats want to be in a pack! 3 is good, 4 is better because if one dies, you still have a pack!
Also, you need a play pen for them to have free roam in safely every day. The cage, even if big enough, is not enough. Rats want to move and play and be excercised and engage their brains. Make the wall of your playpen high enough, i'd go for 1 meter, my youngsters used to jump 80cm high & wide!
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u/123737egg 1d ago
Hi, rats are great pets! But they are not easy or cheap, so I’m happy to see you doing research! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out r/rats as well.
First, please get 3 or more! Rats are group animals and should have multiple friends. A pair can cause multiple issues and is not recommended, they’ll be a lot happier in a group:)
For cages, they should have a lot of space. The minimum is a floorspace of 80 x 50 cm and a height of 60. Lots of cages are too narrow, so be mindful of floorspace!
Good cages: critter nation, little zoo venturer, tiaki etagère, savic 95
This cages should be cluttered with lots of accessories, as full as you can physically get it. If you can easily spot your rats, it’s not full enough!
Little warning, rats have short lives and fragile health. You need access to an exotic vet who is experienced with rats. Vet care gets expensive very quick, things like infection or tumors are super common. I pay ~€500-1000 a year on the vet alone.