How to care for a domestic rat?

Despite numerous prejudices, the domestic rat is an easygoing pet, the care of which is unexpectedly enjoyable, easy and fun. Moreover, they are not inferior to cats and dogs in their affection for the owner and intellect, even if sometimes they do not surpass them. Read all about the intricacies of keeping and caring for domestic rats in this article.

One of the reasons why you should buy a domestic rat is its intelligence. She is able to recognize the owner and distinguish between family members. Most tame rats can make faces and laugh, not to mention the fact that they are not only attached to the owner, but also caress him. Decorative rats are easy to keep in the apartment. It will be enough for them to arrange a cage with everything necessary. They are much better than other pets tolerate changes in temperature and humidity.

This animal is trainable. Of course, you should not expect high results, but domestic rats can be taught to carry out simple commands, and small rat pups easily learn to swim independently. It is noted that each rat has its own character and temperament. This can not be called a plus, but the manifestation of this is quite interesting to watch. Rats can be either active or lazy, with their own quirks of character or even food preferences.

At home, rats can be kept in pairs, packs or alone.Rats are polygamous, if you are not going to sell or distribute rat pups afterwards, you should not get a male and a female, and even more so put them in one cage. In any case, caring for cubs will complicate your life, since rats are not particularly picky when choosing a partner. The male and female can be contacted only for breeding. However, they are pack animals that need communication.

The material of the home must be made of metal. Wooden cages for rodents have proven themselves very poorly and are practically not for sale. The cage for rodents should be spacious. It is not recommended to purchase low cells, as some individuals like to climb the upper bars. The most common and acceptable size for a cell is 60x40x60 cm.

It is necessary to pay attention to the distance between the bars of the gratings. They should be no more than 12 mm. The rods themselves should be completely enameled and not have chips or peeling of the coating anywhere. The bottom of the cage should be smooth to minimize subsequent injuries to the pet. It is worth taking care of a pallet with high sides so that the waste does not fall on the surface of the floor or table. Collapsible cells with large doors received positive reviews.

Be sure to equip the cage with a small house. For pets, she will look like a mink in which they will hide and sleep. It will be best to make its bottom soft. Another favorite place to relax can be a hammock. It can be hung between the bars of the cage or installed separately. Other useful and interesting rat toys include various color tunnels, bridges, wheels, swings, balls and even edible figures.

It is recommended to purchase a nipple drinker. It is most convenient for pets and owners. Choosing between floor and hanging bowls, it is better to give preference to suspended. They can put both dry food and use it for liquid. The best filler is corn. Wooden sawdust provokes an allergy, and napkins require regular cleaning. Do not put paper with printing ink as a filler. She can simply poison rodents.

A good idea is to create own mini-park for rats. For this it is necessary to plant wheat in a small tray with earth. After it sprouts, you need to put it in a cage. The pet will gladly bask in it.

As a rule, the requirements for feeding decorative rats are low. Rats are omnivorous, but in order to provide them with a healthy and nutritious diet, still need to adhere to certain recommendations.

• The basis of the diet should be vegetables - They are rich in vitamins and also have a positive effect on intestinal function. It is good to eat rodents and dried fruits. The main thing is that they are natural.
• Another essential part of the diet is protein. It can be given to rats in the form of boiled eggs or meat (beef, chicken, fish) or liver (heart, kidney). Everything must be cooked in order to avoid subsequent infection with worms.
• Flax or pumpkin seeds improve rodent health. A good addition will be wheat or oat seedlings.
• Kefir can help restore the intestinal microflora, and cottage cheese - a lack of calcium. Rats actively eat watermelon and strawberries.

Products prohibited by rodents include the following:

• kebab or any other meat with a high content of spices;
• chocolate and other sweets;
• potatoes;
• raw beans.

Especially it is necessary to care for and properly feed the newly minted rat mother, rich in vitamins. Her diet should be rich in protein, fiber and foods high in calcium. It is sometimes recommended to feed the rat with prepared dry food from pet stores. But often you can’t feed your pet with them. The main part of the diet should remain “alive”.

On average, a rodent eats nearly 30 grams of food per day. A third of this volume is in vegetables. The daily water norm for rats is 60 ml.

It is necessary to bathe rats in warm water. This is best done using shampoo. Sometimes a small brush is allowed as a washcloth. Often, claws are cut off before or after bathing the rat.

It is imperative to bathe the rat if it is smeared with something. Everything is not so scary if it is food, but if it is something inedible, then cleansing itself, the rat can simply get poisoned. Sometimes it’s enough just to wash the rat’s legs and tail. Bathing is also recommended if the rat smells bad. Most often this is due to untimely cleaning of the cell.

Domestic rats are rather shy, so swimming can be stressful for them. It is best to lower the rat into the tank and pour water there so that it can get up with its paws to the bottom. First you need to moisten the rodent's hair, and then apply shampoo. For bathing, children's shampoo is quite suitable. Need to keep track of so that the product does not get into the eyes and ears.

Dry the rodent by wrapping it in several towels. If the pet lives with other rodents, then it must be run into the cage carefully, as a different smell can cause its brethren to be rejected. If the rat is healthy, then you need to bathe it once a month (if it is a female) or combine it with wet wipes (if it is male).

It’s worth noting right away that the life span of rats is short - about two years. Under good living conditions, they can live for 4 years. Interesting fact: the maximum age of the rat, which was officially recorded - 7 years. If you are holding not one rat, but several pieces, then quite often fights will occur that will lead to injuries. They must be treated.

Sphynx and dambo rats are quite susceptible to various diseases, because this is a product of gene mutations that later negatively affect their health. As a rule, old age for them comes at the age of two years.

Healthy rats are moderately active and inquisitive. They sniff their master or his hands. If the rodent is too lethargic or, on the contrary, too active, then this indicates that he has health problems. It is worth paying attention when buying a rat to the following points:

• scratches, wounds or sores on the legs and tail; later they can cause other more serious diseases;
• bald spots;
• suppuration on the body;
• frequent sneezing
• the wet area around the anus is a clear sign of an upset bowel;
• any suspicious discharge from the eyes, ears and even the nose.

Domestic rats differ from their wild relatives in much weaker health. The former are prone to overweight and various oncological diseases. As a prevention of these diseases, it is necessary to carefully monitor the diet of pets. Separately, it is worth highlighting ticks, lice and other parasites that live on animals covered with wool. To get rid of them, it is necessary to detect the disease in time and treat the animals with special drugs.

The process of training rats is simplified thanks to their friendliness. Individuals can be easily tamed to climb in the long sleeves of the owner and get out of there. Rats like to poke around in boxes and find something there. By regularly encouraging and stroking them, rats can be taught to bring some small thing or jump over obstacles. Rodents can also easily learn to climb a rope or hoop.

Of course, in no case should you beat pets. Such behavior in relation to him will not give any results in terms of training. Among the simplest tricks that can be taught to a rat is to respond to your name and come to the owner, as well as stand up on your hind legs by order. Quite often, sunflower seeds or small pieces of fruit are used as an encouragement.

Moving away from the topic, I would like to talk about the origin of domestic rats. The 16th century, when rats filled all medieval cities, has long been a thing of the past, but it is from this moment that their domestication begins. Human breeding of rats reached its peak in the 19th century, when individuals were bred specifically for participation in battles. In the same period, albinos began to be used for laboratory research.

Of course, not all rats participated in the battles or were experimental; some individuals remained in humans as pets. Since then, they have been living next to people, and their temper has become more docile than that of wild relatives.

For how to care for a rat, see the next video.