| Housing I have a variety of cages and such. My main housing consists of three large community cages (one for females and two for males). All are large PVC coated Martin's Ferret cages. This is an outdated picture. I have upgraded my cages a bit and plan to upgrade again soon, but I always like to use Martin's Cages. I have two Super Pet Deluxe Rat Cages, which I keep collapsed but use as "grow up" cages for litters and as extra housing when needed temorarily. I also have two aquariums (one 10 gallon and one 20 gallon long) that I use for litters and housing for sick or injured animals. I have a variety of carriers including a cat carrier/pet taxi, several large kritter keepers, and a barn carrier from Martin's Cages. I also have a wire cage "tank topper" I use sometimes. My cages are in my bedroom, which is heated or air conditioned as necessary. I also run a humidifier when the air is dry, and I clean often with products that aren't harsh. The rats live with me in my room, and I am sensitive, so I keep things healthy for all of us.   Bedding/Litter What I am using at the moment is Cell-Sorb Plus or Yesterday's News (whichever is available) in the bottom tray with shredded paper for bedding. I change the paper every other day and the Cell-Sorb every two weeks. It has proven to be the best thing for our health and allergies (with the Cell-Sorb really cutting down on food dust, odor, and work), and I recommend similar bedding for people with allergies. When I run out of Cell-Sorb, I keep my rats on just the shredded paper until I can get to the store. I like aspen when I'm using aquariums (for babies and such).  Food I currently feed my rats a staple diet, always available every day, of Nutro Ultra Weight Management mixed with a variety of healthy cereals. I have fed different diets before, but my rats are their brightest and healthiest on their current diet. I feel that food is something that should be chosen to fit you and your rats best, and I finally found "our" diet. ;-) Below is a picture of the diet I used to feed, but the seeds were not good as a part of daily diet for my adult males. My rats also get the following things often, a few times a week, but not daily:
 Toys My rats get a wide variety of toys. I have two excercise wheels, one Wodent Wheel, and one 11" Super Pet Giant Silent Spinner. (Old picture below; I no longer use that wheel; I prefer the spinner and wodent wheel.) The Silent Spinner is in my females' cage, and the Wodent Wheel is in one of my males' cages (surprisingly, several of my boys are very fond of it). My rats all have at least one Super Pet Igloo in their cage. I also give them cardboard boxes of many sizes to hide in or tear up as they like (dirty cardboard and paper is replaced every few days). My rats get cloth hammocks frequently and other rags. I have jingle ball cat toys for my rats that like to play "soccer" and hanging bells for my musicians. Flavored wooden bird toys are a big favorite for all. Baby rats get similar toys but often in hamster size (like a mini igloo).  Medical I stay well read and informed about rat medical problems, symptoms, and treatments. I treat what I can at home, things like minor injuries and lice. I have three trusted vets, one regular and one emergency vet near my apartment, and a vet near my parents' house where I spend a lot of time. They know my rats, and have helped cure/treat pneumonia and a serious head tilt as well as neutering two of my rats. I don't hesitate when it comes to a health problem. One of my vets (the one I trust and use most) has a website, Animal Medical Center. They are located in Morgantown, WV, and I recommend them to rat owners in the area. The vets I visit when in Huntington are the Proctorville Animal Clinic and the Tri-State Animal ER.  I keep a first aid kit (pictured above) on hand and other supplies for treating medical problems in addition to the vet treatment, if necessary. These on-hand supplies include an aquarium for quarantine, an electric heating pad, children's cold medicine, hamster vitamins, liquid bandaid, antibiotic ointment, bird lice spray, small needleless syringes, cotton swabs, gauze, peroxide, kitten formula (when I an expecting litters) and other things. I quarantine new rats in at a separate location, my parents' house if my other rats are in Huntington, Huntington if they are with my parents. Due to the number of rats I adopt from many sources (including rescues and feeder rats that pulled a heart string -- it happens to the best of us...), I have had more than my fair share of rat health care experiences. In my rattery, I have experienced some minor injuries, and some deeper ones (like part of a toe bitten off) from rat fighting. I once had an outbreak of SDA which was treated and quarantined with the loss of only two rats (and I fought tooth and nail for them...). I also had a baby born with megacolon (discontinued line). I have had to treat two lice infestations (one brought in by a new rat and one from a bag of litter). I've had a couple rats neutered, and surgery on a cyst/abcess/tumor. A few of my rats have certain food or bedding allergies I have to work with and compensate for, too. It just shows you that even in the best conditions, rats can get sick or hurt. A good vet (or two or three) are essential. | |||