TAKE HOME CHECKLIST
Don't quite know what you need for when you first bring home your rats? Totes for Realz Rattery is here to help! Below is a list of things you'll need before you can take home your rats.
□ Cage
*Tip: Should have less than 1" bar spacing to prevent escapees, 1/2" works best for babies.
*Tip: Rats require 2 cubic feet per rat. Find how many rats can fit in your cage here: Rat Cage Calculator
We will always recommend a Critter Nation, but we also kno not everyone can afford such a cage.
If you want you can always try checking Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for a secondhand one, you may get lucky ;)
□ Food dish/bin.
*Tip: The dish/bin should always be full. Rats should have free access to their main diet 24/7.
□ Water bottle
*Tip: 8oz+ is best for 2-3 rats.
*Tip: Ball, not pin, nozzles.
*Tip: We have found that glass bottles work best.
*Tip: Water should be changed daily.
□ A main diet lab block with 10-18% protein. (Or a mix fit for a rat's nutritional needs).
*Tip: Rats should NOT be fed seed diets.
*Tip: Oxbow, Mazuri and Native Earth/Harlan Teklad, are the most well known and recommended
blocks.
Currently all our rats get Oxbow Adult Essentials as their main sorce.
□ Small animal huts/igloos/castles.
*Tip: Guinea pig or ferret sized items usually work best.
□ Hammocks/cubes
*Tip: Great website for high quality hammocks, cubes, and more here.
□ Running Wheel
*Tip: 12" Wheel, no smaller. It will hurt your rat's back.
*Tip: Do not use wire wheels, because toes and tails can get caught.
*** NO EXERCISE BALLS!!! Like the ones they sell for hamsters to roll around in... Yeah, that's a hard NO for rats. Its dangerous & unsanitary! Only thing they are good for if you already have one or purchased one is 1. pop the lid off. 2. zip tie the ball into the top corner of ur cage. 3. put some soft paper bedding or fleece pieces in there. Voila! rat pod!
□ Bedding
*Tip: Pine and cedar are not safe for rats. Neither is a lot of CareFresh, as it contains baking soda.
*Tip: Dusty bedding is off limits due to rats' delicate lungs.
*Tip: Aspen, fleece, and recycled paper bedding are acceptable for rat homes.
***Update: Kiln Dried Pine and a new Hemp bedding has also been found to be safe.
□ Litter/Litter Box (if litter training)
*Tip: Normal clay based cat litter may not be used. Rats chew a lot, and if eaten, could clump and clog them up,
make them choke, etc.
Plus its dusty!
*Tip: Yesterday's News or Critter Litter are most commonly used.
Think we are missing something? Let us know below!