10 Common Pet Rat Care Mistakes (part 1)

[marissamartin]

I had a rat named Charlie (female) when I was in kindergarten. I kept telling my mom that every night Charlie would get out of her cage and sleep with me at night. Mom didn’t believe me because kids make up stories and the cage lid was pretty secure. One night my mom came to check on me, and sure enough the cage lid was ajar and Charlie was in bed with me, sleeping on my chest lol

[We_da_ratsx]

“Rats are mammals not fish” SLAYYY GURLLL 😂😂

[paigeeenotfound]

theres a reason i call squirrels tree rats. i raised baby tree rats many times and i love every single one of them

[Faris_V]

I used to have my rats in the room with me. Absolutely gigantic cage in the corner. Was essentially an aviary we turned into a hammock and rope filled jungle gym. Which helped a lot with the situation I ended up with. Didn't really have space for a dedicated play area. So instead the pocket puppy became very literal. I also never had huge groups, only 2-4. And even with 4 only some would want to play at a time. Add in being home all day and the routine became:

Hypothetical ratty decides she wants to play. Immediate donks the cage door with her nose which was just loose enough to clank. I either get the rat hoodie on or already have it on with one of her sisters, and Hoover her up with the sleeve. Then she'd climb, give kisses, and run around to play on whatever table was closest by, getting scooped up if I moved around the house. With occasional longer play sessions on the bed or couch.

It was perhaps not an ideal or normal setup. But I can confirm the rats were the happiest and cuddliest hoodie friends. The big cage was of course a big help too, meaning they already had space to run and climb.

Didn't have a cat at the time which helped. Only an Aussie shepherd who was easy enough to keep them safe with over the years. I trained him early on to immediately lie down and not try to play if rats were around, as a precaution in case they snuck out of their cage. Which in the years since I realise he took to heart. Whenever he meets a small animal it's his instinctive reaction, and has led to him making good friends with dogs barely a quarter his size.

[JustLazer]

Great advice.
When I was a kid I got a single pet rat.
She died alone in a glass cage since it didn't have enough air flow. :c

[smindepoo]

it's so cute how they Sleep together!

[genericname]

#11: Do not give rats any Warpstone whatsoever.

[GoingSwimmingly]

Seeing those ratties pile up to sleep restores some of my soul each time I see it, thank you

[littleleakyleakythere]

The bedding issue is something every single rat person ever will have a different opinion on. Some wood beddings are OK and in fact sometimes better, kiln dried pine is what I use, and it neutralizes ammonia and helps immensely with what little smell there is. It's not inherently dustier than paper bedding and imo it's more affordable. I've used it for 6 years under the reccomendation of a vet and I've never had an issue

[palomajean]

I really like a lot of this information! I do think that wood bedding is fine as long as its kiln dried (except for cedar, cedar is always bad) personally I use kiln dried pine for my rats and haven't had any problems 😊 also your chaos potatoes are adorable!

[CSEabdulalimkhan]

If i ever manage to get a hospitable place for the rats they're getting their own room

[jennr]

I'm so happy for these educational videos. I've been raising rats for about 12 years now and I still don't know everything. Please, please people do your research before you get any. If you need to bring them to the vet it's expensive and a difficult situation. More difficult if you have one with respiratory problems and you have one that's sick you need to treat the whole pack. Know what you are getting into. If you do get any they're awesome! 😁👍🇨🇦

[tzcaptor]

Fleece as bedding doesn't give as much enrichment and doesn't absorb ammonia, paper bedding doesn't soak up ammonia well. Aspen is safe and absorb ammonia fairly well according to lab studies compared to fleece and paper bedding

[sadielapiers]

Only thing I think I disagree with is the tip about bedding. Paper bedding and fleece don’t often absorb the ammonia well and can cause respiratory distress as well unless you change the bedding every day or every other day basically. Kiln dried aspen bedding is pretty great, as well as coco peat in a semi-bioactive setup to allow for digging and natural behaviors :)

But everything else is great advice! ❤

[ChaoticNeutralElf]

Rat breeder here. Washable fleece is not a good choice. It does nothing for ammonia control and doesn't allow them to dig, which is a natural behaviour they should be free to do. My suggestion outside of paper bedding would be hemp bedding. Also, two is not a group. It's an outdated view to keep them in pairs. Studied have shown they are just as stressed in pairs as they are alone. Get three or more. I never sell less than three rats myself.

[xoimxgen]

I love your little pocket puppies so much!! i have 2 rats and theyre sooo cute

[Trollgernautt]

I agree with everything. BUT, glass tanks are not just for fish, that was an unfortunate comment. Glass tanks are not suitable for rats, true, but they are suitable for mice, lizards, turtles, bugs, all of which are not fish. But it's great to have people spreading good knowledge about pocket puppies, good job.

[thetableoflegend]

I’m planning to get a 12.5 square foot cage for my New Guinea pigs and I’m so excited for them

Just knowing how happy they will be with so much space

[fartemisfartmallow]

This is the reason I got a single hamster, because I would not be able to keep up with that rat energy!! Even when I watched them at the pet store, those little guys play so wild!

[Ashley_C_]

My daughter and I just adopted 2 baby rats today. 🥰 so excited to learn more about them, play with them, teach them fun things and bond with them. ❤