Rat health and their enviroment

For severl years now people have lovingly kept these wonderfull little animals as pets. They are quick witted, intelegent, loving, clean and have a deep love for their owners. It is with this in mind that we must look at the best enviroment for your ratty friends.

As this Hub is about the CARE of your rats I will not go into to the history off and the where abouts of rats.

BEDDING

In my experiance one of the most missunderstood and most neglected areas of rat care is the BEDDING. So many people keep their rats on wood shaving, wood chip and in some cases SAWDUST!!

This is a definite NO NO. The more we have learned about these caring little rodents, the more we understand their needs and causes of afflictions that could have otherwise been avoided (if only deferred).

The Bronchial system of rats cannot cope with the high levels of dust created by wood based bedding. The particles eventually overwhelm the bronchi's in the lungs leading to Emphysema, Pleurisy and Bronchitis and even lung cancer. As rats are inherently prone to these conditions, anything we as keepers can do to stave off any lung issues is only for the better.

Instead use a PAPER based cat litter such as, Bio catolit or yesterdays news. Not only is it far better for the health of your rats it also reduces smells some what.

Some people use either Torn up kitchen roll, shredded papers (newspaper, letters, junk mail) while this is ok as an extra, caution must be taken as some manufactured press releases contain chemicals in the inks that is harmful to small animals. These items can be used as a temporary substitute until the correct bedding can be brought, though they do tend to pick up odours incredibly fast and quickly become unbearable for keeper and most importantly the delicate senses of your pets!

This being said you should AVIOD SMOKING in the same room as your rats as their lungs are not equipped to deal with the chemicals found in tobacco. I am not telling you to quit smoking ( there is enough of that on TV) as I smoke myself, though I go outside to smoke so as ot to harm my beloved little guys! The plus side is though, the house doesn't smell of cigarettes

FOOD

In a nutshell, nearly anything!! though a balanced diet is to be observed and common sense used.RATS ARE OMNIVOROUS MEANING THEY NEED MEAT AS WELL AS VEGETABLES! even if you are a vegetarian please do not force your pets into such a diet as this is detrimental to their health. Most commercial feeds for rats contains meat protein, namely chicken usually, though additional foods should be given as they have an appetite close to humans and crave variety in their diets.

Rats enjoy greatly a little RAW meat once in a while (about once a week is good) Beef, lamb, rabbit or other game is good but NOT CHICKEN as this creates gas in rats and as they can not pass wind or belch they can become very ill very quickly, also the risk of food poisoning is incredibly high. Also anymore than a small piece of pork every two weeks is too much as there is an enzyme in pork that rats find difficult to break down, this becomes lodged in the liver and can cause illness.. Always remove uneaten meat within 1 hour to prevent food poisoning.

Raw eggs are enjoyed if cracked into a bowl for them to play with and slurp as are Quayle eggs given in the shell. Boiled eggs (cold and in the shell) are great fun for your pets as they toss them around trying to get to the scrummy insides. Fruit and veg is fine, but again in moderation to prevent overly wet stools, but avoid ONION, RAW POTATO, GARLIC and AVOCADO'S. Remember to remove the pips from peaches e.t.c as they contain arsenic and if eaten by your rats, well I do not need to explain that one :-)

The best complimentary food is a nugget (I call it complimentary as it is not a complete diet) This prevents your picky little guys selecting the bits they like and leaving the bits they don't like, selective feeding.

A good treat once a week is a nice bowl of Sunday dinner!! Mine love it and go mad for it as soon as they smell the food cooking. Mash potato, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, mashed Swede and carrots and whatever meat has been cooked, It is worth mentioning that cooked chicken in small amounts is ok!

Another good treat is wet dog food though as many rats are allergic to shellfish avoid the fishy varieties, stick to beef, lamb and game in gravy to be on the safe side.

As with anything, moderation is the key to keeping your rats healthy and happy, so only sensible portions please. Rats will eat, or at least, try anything they think can go in their mouths, sometimes more than will fit if they particularly love a certain tit bit. Chocolate, biscuits, ice cream (though they do get brain freeze so be careful ;-p )and just about anything you are eating that is sweet, they will want to try. Though it is enjoyable as a pet keeper to treat your animals and it is cute that they can eat the same food as us or they run up and steal a chip off your dinner plate, it is not the healthiest of things for them. Tooth decay is just as, if not more serious in rats then it is in humans, and we all know how much tootha ache hurts! We can say when this is a problem, rats cant so it often goes un-noticed for too long leaving your little pets in silent pain! Human food is ok BUT PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND SENSIBLE. If you are unsure about a food, look it up on the Internet, ask a serious rat keeper such as myself or consult a book.

Next time I will cover purchasing, handling and taming of your pet! This is the fun stuff!!!