| Being a dedicated rat owner can be very rewarding. | | | | forward to the bonding time as well! |
| All it takes is a little research and a lot of preparation. | | | | 6. Deciding to breed for the wrong reasons. |
| If you're getting ready to adopt a rat as a cherished | | | | Breeding responsibly is not a lucrative or easy hobby |
| pet, there are some pitfalls that you should be aware | | | | to get into, especially at the beginning. Don't get stuck |
| of beforehand. Here are 10 of the most common pet | | | | with a litter of rats that wind up becoming snake-food |
| rat care mistakes that first-time rattie owners make: | | | | at a pet store. Instead, try investing some time |
| 1. Getting only one rat. | | | | volunteering for or starting an apprenticeship with a |
| A person might think that getting two rats is too much | | | | breeder. |
| extra work... or that a pet rat will bond with a human | | | | 7. Not giving them enough toys. |
| owner more readily if there is no other rat around to | | | | If you bore your rats, they will become boring. Rats not |
| become friends with. The truth is that rats are highly | | | | only love to play, explore and solve problems, but they |
| social creatures. They need to have other rat-friends | | | | actually need to be constantly stimulated by a |
| to play with and to "talk" to. Furthermore, taking care | | | | challenging learning environment. Provide them with a |
| of two rats is not much more work than caring for | | | | variety of toys and games and switch things around |
| one. | | | | constantly. They'll love you for it! |
| 2. Getting the wrong kind of bedding. | | | | 8. Entering them into a fancy rat show before |
| Sometimes a rat owner will want to cut corners and | | | | researching it. |
| use newspaper or cheap bedding. Rats are very | | | | You may love your rats and think they are just the |
| sensitive to the chemicals in the ink and cheap bedding | | | | most perfect rats you have ever seen, but the |
| can often have dusty particles that will irritate their | | | | American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association |
| lungs. If you see a red discharge coming from their | | | | (AFRMA) has very strict standards and those judges |
| noses, chances are, there is an irritant present in the | | | | have seen hundreds--if not thousands--of rats in their |
| air. Pine wood chips are not safe! | | | | day. Before deciding to enter your rats into a show, |
| 3. Feeding the rats an imbalanced diet. | | | | visit one first. Interview a handful of judges and learn |
| No, it's not cute how your furry friends can eat almost | | | | exactly what makes a rat top in its class. Then decide. |
| as much pizza as you. Caring for pet rats means | | | | 9. Procrastinating on researching a qualified vet for |
| feeding them healthy food. Look, there's no excuse. | | | | small animals. |
| Fruits and veggies are not expensive items to buy; | | | | The moment one of your rats becomes ill, you will |
| also, be sure they get their share of lab blocks, seeds, | | | | want to have the phone number of a good vet handy. |
| and a daily dab of a vitamin supplement. | | | | Not all vets will treat small animals or rats. Do the |
| 4. Not cleaning the cage often or thoroughly enough. | | | | searching beforehand and spare yourself the |
| Their urine will decompose and produce ammonia. This, | | | | frustration and desperation an emergency situation can |
| along with the decomposing bedding can irritate their | | | | sometimes bring about. |
| lungs. Yes, it's a pain to do. But putting up with the | | | | 10. Underestimating the importance of belonging to a |
| unpleasant aspects will only help you to appreciate | | | | rat club or rat society. |
| them more. Clean and disinfect with bleach-water | | | | Belonging to a rat club or rat society such as AFRMA |
| once a week, or up to two weeks, maximum. | | | | will go a long way in getting your key rat questions |
| 5. Not taking them out to play often enough. | | | | answered. Moreover, doing so will connect you with a |
| Rats will eventually get depressed if they remain | | | | community of rat lovers who are likely to want to |
| cooped up inside their limited cage environment. If you | | | | share what they know for the sake of advancing the |
| make play time fun and challenging, you will be looking | | | | hobby as a whole. |