About Jess Expertise i can answer most questions relating to fancy rats. I am knowledgeable about rat breeding, housing, feeding, training, handling, colour/type and some genetics. i have bred fancy rats for some years. i will respond to questions within hours of receiving them.
Experience i breed and show dumbo and top eared fancy rats in normal and rex coats.
Question hi, my name is taylor, and i'm 12 years old. i'm starting a rescue for small animals, and the first animals i'm getting in will be here in three weeks. i'm getting in a rat & a gerbil, but i'm not exactly an expert on either of them. can you elp me prepare for the rat? please!? Should i get a bird cage, or a normal rat cage? what kinds of toys should i buy? what kind of food does my rat need? how can i make a safe, fun play area outside? please give me any suggestions you can think of! thanx *taylor* p.s. my website is www.freewebs.com/critterrescue
Answer Hi Taylor,
Depending on the size of the rat tht you are getting will depend on the cage, If the rat's a Adult Boy or Girl then a good size rat cage will do, id it's a Kitten then the bars on the cage will need to be smaller, about 0.5 inch, as rats and kiitens will squeeze through the bars. the size of the cage should be about 1ft x 2 1/2ft x 2 1/2ft, but the bigger the better. Free toys for the cage can be the cardboard tube from Toilet rolls, Cardboard boxies. Other toys are wooden chews (to keep the teeth down) Hammocks, Tunnels, Dog Balls and Bones the hard Plastic ones. Bedding for a rat should be Paper based, like Yesterdays News, Bio-CatOlet, Bob Martins. Never use Wood Shavings, Pine or Cedar. Rats should be fed a good quilty rat food with added Veg and Fruit (which should make up 20% of the adult diet) Rice Cakes, Cooked Rice, Yoghurts, Pasta Cooked and Dried. Treats can be given in small amounts a few times a weeks like Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Cottage Cheese, Plain Popcorn, Dog Biscuits and Chicken. All protein should be kept to 14% for Adults and up to 20% for Kittens and Nursing Mums.
To exercise you rats it best to free range them on a bed or up and down the stairs for about 30 mins.
If there's any more that you need to know then please just ask. Have a look at my website it might help you, http://www.geocities.com/surreyrats/SurreyRats.html
You can also join my Yahoo group, it's a group where you can have all your Rattie questions answered. http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/Nitrosrats/
Bye
Jess
NITROS FANCY RATS
