The Exotic Veterinary Centre & Referral Clinic. www.exoticvet.co.nz reception@lynfieldvet.co.

nz

122 White Swan Road, Lynfield

09 626 4335

Caring for your Pet Rat

When making any pet a part of your life it is important to remember that it will rely on you for its every need and will require daily care and attention 365 days of the year. Rats make great pets. They are typically very gentle, quiet pets with lots of personality. They will become very tame when handled and socialised from a very young age and love interaction with the family. LIFESPAN 2.5 - 3.5 years HANDLING Spend plenty of time handling your rat. Regular handling will ensure your rats are friendly and become bonded to you. Rats are easily startled and you need to talk to them and wake them first when you approach them and certainly before you pick them up. Rats rarely bite usually only because they are in pain or very fearful or - because your hands smell of some tasty food. Make sure to wash your hands before you handle your rats. It is best to lift your rat by placing one hand under the chest (but be careful not to squeeze) and let the rats body rest on you palm and forearm. From there rats like to climb on you and enjoy a ride in your sleeve, pockets or hood. Be careful to not grab or lift your rat by the tail. The skin is easily injured and you may cause a so called tail-slip-injury, which will leave exposed tissues or even bone. HOUSING and ENVIRONMENT The cage should be the largest that you have room for and can afford. Most important feature should be that the cage is easy to clean, as poor hygiene can be the cause of health problems in rats. A flat bottom cage is safest for their toes and feet. Aim for a multiple level cage to increase your rats area of activity. Maximum height between different levels should be 35cm. A fall from a greater height may result in injury. Higher levels in the cage should be solid rather than wire based to prevent rat feet getting stuck. Make sure the cage is well ventilated and not placed in direct sunlight. Rats are very social animals and are best kept with at least one rat companion. We recommend getting two or four girls at the same time best sisters - from the same source, that are known to get along. An uneven number of rats do not seem to get along as well. We recommend females as their urine does not smell as much as the male urine, and females do not tend to fight as much. If you keep males with females make sure to get the male neutered before they all share a cage. Otherwise be prepared for lots of small rats to join the family very quickly. Keeping un-neutered males together usually results in fighting, which may result in serious injuries. Cage examples:

Minimum Size

Larger home-made enclosures

The Exotic Veterinary Centre & Referral Clinic. www.exoticvet.co.nz reception@lynfieldvet.co.nz

122 White Swan Road, Lynfield

09 626 4335

Cage furnishing: Best substrate choice is hay or recycled newspaper pellets. Do not use wood shavings as they can cause respiratory issues. Provide a water dish or a sipper bottle. If you use water bowls place them on a higher cage level without substrate around it, so your rats will not push substrate into it. Feed-dishes should be sturdy to prevent tipping. Provide a hiding box to allow your rats a feeling of security and a means of escaping if startled or stressed. Your rats will also need sleeping boxes which can be of any non-toxic material, like cardboard boxes, ceramic or untreated wood boxes. Plastic containers are also ok as long as your rats do not chew at them. Nesting material can be either shredded paper tissues or fresh hay. Make sure when using paper towels, tissues or serviettes that they are water soluble. If in doubt test it or go straight for un-perfumed toilet paper instead. Note: unfortunately most rat cages and furnishing offered in pet shops are not safe for rats and therefore not recommended by veterinarians. Especially the very popular plastic tube type furnishings are not recommended, because: rats gnaw and do not stop for plastic if ingested plastic is very harmful air circulation is poor and the tubes are breeding grounds for mould many tubes are actually too small many tubes are too steep or smooth and bare the risk of sliding injuries Rats do love tubes, though. Therefore use cardboard rolls like toilet paper rolls or as an alternative to cardboard use large hollow bamboo. These are safer and will also give your rats the feeling of security. Cleaning: clean feed dishes and water bottles daily. Check sipper bottles for blockages or food obstructions. Spot clean the substrate daily. Rats like to safe and hide food: make sure to check every day for uneaten food and remove it before feeding fresh food. Very good clean once a week. Wash all surfaces with hot water and disinfect with a veterinary strength disinfectant. We recommend F10. Change all the substrate. EXERCISE & BEHAVIOUR ENRICHMENTS Many wooden bird toys are safe to use for rats. An inexpensive alternative are natural tree branches with bark: they are great to gnaw on and will help to keep the rats teeth in good shape, too. Recommended are branches of apple or pear trees, tea tree or from black or red currant bushes. Just make sure to clean branches and wooden toys with the disinfectant on a regular basis. Rats love to climb and a network of branches or ropes strung through the cage will create a stimulating environment and every rat cage should have a hammock or two. An exercise wheel is a great idea as well, as long as you make sure to choose a solid running surface to prevent foot injuries. The one pictured is unsuitable. So called jogging balls are unsafe as well. These balls are made of clear coloured plastic with air vents and are supposed to give your rat lots of opportunity to run, however feet may get caught in the air vents and these balls are often too small and the rats spine will be unnaturally bent. Also consider that the rat has no chance to escape the ball by itself and might be running until exhausted while trying to get out of the frightening situation. This ball is not an alternative to supervised free roaming outside the cage. If you have the time, resources and talent try making a wooden labyrinth from untreated timber. For behavior enrichment using food try a small 3cm piece of millet spray hung from the top of the enclosure. Or hide some of the regular food in toilet-paper rolls stuffed with tissues or paper or buy a cat-treat ball from the pet-store and add some tasty morsels. Or try this on a warm day: take a shallow water dish and place it on a towel, add 1cm of water and some peas or corn, then sit back and watch your rats diving in to get the yummy treat. If you have a somewhat overweight rat that needs to exercise try a small fluffy cat toy on a rope and let your rat chase it.

The Exotic Veterinary Centre & Referral Clinic. www.exoticvet.co.nz reception@lynfieldvet.co.nz

122 White Swan Road, Lynfield

09 626 4335

FEEDING Rats will eat just about anything even things they should not eat. Therefore it is very important that you as an owner provide them with a balanced nutritious diet to promote good health and a long life. We do not recommend store-bought rat food mixes. They often contain a large amount of fatty seeds and coloured pellets. Also not recommended are yoghurt drops and other rat snacks. These are either too sugary or fatty and you put your rats at risk of obesity and malnutrition. The basis of your rats diet should be a grain mix that you can mix at home. See the grain suggested in our rat food pyramid on the next page. On top of the grains feed dried herbs as well as fresh vegetables and fruit on a daily basis. Not all rats are fond of fresh vegetables and fruit, however these are important for a balanced diet and a young rat will quickly get used to the fresh food. Use treats as a reward to tame your rats or as an enrichment item only. Rats will always need food in their dish and as rats are predominantly nocturnal it is a great idea to feed fresh foods at night. Diet changes must be implemented gradually.

Our Rat Food Pyramid

Treats 2 per day/rat only! Raisins, pumpkin- or sunflower seed, small dice of dried fruit, small nut pieces and even a mealworm, little piece of hard- boiled egg; Dried Herbs, fresh fruit & vegetables Unlimited dried parsley, dill, mint, camomile, dandelion; small fresh fruit or vegetable pieces Cat Biscuits 20% of overall diet Look for ones with 22% protein and < 5% fat

Grain Mix About 1 tablespoon per day/rat Mainly Wholegrain Oats (can be rolled), Wheat, Rye, Millet, unflavoured & unsweetened Corn flakes, small amount of Dried Corn

The Exotic Veterinary Centre & Referral Clinic. www.exoticvet.co.nz reception@lynfieldvet.co.nz

122 White Swan Road, Lynfield

09 626 4335

DO NOT FEED!
Rule of thumb never anything processed like: Chocolate, Biscuits, Crackers, Breakfast cereal, Yoghurt drops, Milk, Pasta, and Bread. Avocado Aubergine Buttercup Broadbeans Cloves Daffodil Foxglove Cabage Hemlock Lettuce Jasmine Lillies Mushrooms Nightshade Oaks Onions/Garlic/Leek Privets Rhubarb Potatoes Snowdrop Sweet Pea Pulses Potato

MEDICAL CARE Regular 6-12 monthly check-ups are essential to the health of your rat. Our vets will check your pets weight, skin and coat health and teeth during your visit. We may check droppings for parasites also. At times, x-rays and blood tests may be recommended to assess problems not visible from the outside. Main problems we see in practice: Incisor malocclusion Eye infections Skin infections secondary to parasite infestation Respiratory infections Obesity Mammary gland tumours WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN TO COME AND SEE US Weight loss or anorexia Wet chin fur Teary eyes or swollen eyes Change in food preference Diarrhoea Injuries or wounds Nasal discharge & increased respiratory effort Heat stress Skin or fur changes Depression ANAESTHETICS & Rats Anaesthesia allows us to perform many essential treatments and investigations that would not be possible otherwise. Contrary to popular myth, rats can be anaesthetised very safely by our experienced vets and nurses. For every surgery we have a dedicated nurse monitoring your rat during and after the anaesthetic and we ensure that your rat will be syringe fed soon after the surgery to support good gut function. RECOMMENDED WEBSITES http://www.ratcare.org