Oh RATS! What you need to know..

 Answer: most live between 60 – 90 rat years. Unfortunately for us, they live at a fast rate of 30:1, meaning 60 rat years is just 2 years for us. After spending time with all ages, the elderly brux more, boggle more, and cuddle more. I think they are just so happy we are still around! 

The longevity of your fur babies relies on four main factors: (in order of import)

1. Attentive daily health checks
2. Diet
3. Housing
4. Genetics

Food blocks should make up 90% of their diet. 

• Teklad 2014 blocks Protein 14% Fat 4% Globally recognized #1 in supporting health and longevity.  Available at https://smallpetstore.com Teklad is the ONLY brand we use. It provides them with all the nutrients needed and tops every taste test.
• Oxbow Essentials Regal Adult Rat Food. Protein 15% Fat 4%. Available at Pet Supermarket.  While it does not have the 3 big bads (alfalfa, hay, sugar), it also doesn't have the best mix of vitamins and minerals. Our rats prefer Teklad.
• Mazuri Rat blocks 6F #5M30 Protein 16% Fat 6%. Available at many feed store locations in LARGE bags. The big negative with Mazuri is that they include molasses in their food, which can lead to overeating and unhealthy weight gain. UPDATE 2019: We ran out of Teklad for 7 days. Our rats refused to eat Mazuri. Fortunately we figured out a recipe using Teklad food dust to make it through our shortage. See the recipe at the end of this page!

  Good treats are: kale and lettuce (except iceberg), broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, pizza crust, Chex: Rice, Wheat,  and Oats type, regular Cheerios, plain Kix, Honey Smacks (limited) for training, animal cookies, natural unsalted sunflower seeds (limit quantity), diced apples, pears, and melon (no seeds), sliced strawberries and banana, cooked pasta and rice, [Chinese takeout? Give them a treat too!], hard-boiled eggs (you'll need to crack it, and then you want to watch them work for it), cooked ham, steak, turkey, or chicken, including larger bones. Small meatballs (turkey or beef) are enjoyed, as well. Some say their rats love cooked meatballs with lots of Italian herbs.
 Sprouted mung beans are also a hit. They just require soaking in water for 24-36 hours. We use a colander set inside a bowl. Fill the bowl with water to soak, drain, rinse, repeat. Once you see sprouting, place a small bowl upside down in the large bowl and set the colander of barely sprouted beans on top of the platform to drain. Leave it on the counter and you'll have sprouted the next day that you can store covered in the fridge.   

 Mammary tumors and cysts are the most common and only happen with does as bucks do not have nipples. Does have 12 nipples, that's 12 possibilities. Mammary tumors are not hard,but soft. If the tumor is hard, it's usually aggressive, and non-recurring once removed. No matter what sex your rat is, before 18 months old, it's best to have the tumor removed ASAP. The smaller it is, the less expensive it is to remove. After 18 months, surgery is still possible, but you need to consider their respiratory health because of the  anesthesia. The best way to deal with cancer is prevention - spay your girl(s) before she is 18-months for a longer, healthier life.

 Rats are also prone to inguinal  hernias, which a weakening of the abdomen wall near their groin. They start out looking like tumors down near the anus and pee area. Because of a rat's internal structure, hernias can't be operated on. If this happens, it won't slow them down for months. If they are eating and drinking and still being their happy selves, you need to only make their cage and sleeping area comfortable and easy to get to.  

 Not every bump is cancer. Often, it will be an abscess. An abscess will show at any age and anywhere on the body - even the tail. They are bacterial infections that need cleaned out because the rat's system is generating a lot of white blood cells to fight the infection. Not everyone can perform wound care. If you are squeamish, go to the vet or come to us. You'll have to start your companion on antibiotics to aid in healing and preventing further infection. The only time an abscess is life threatening is if it is allowed to grow too large or located in/on their head or neck. 

The photo is the aftermath of a small abscess after cleaning.

 Mites are dormant under the rats' epidermis. When they are stressed, or even for no reason at all, they can get a breakout. The sign of mites is the scabs left on their shoulders, cheeks, and legs (or all over if not attended to). You won't see the mites and they won't hurt you. They cause your rat to inch so much that they dig trying to get the itching to stop. Lice is something you can see. They are tiny, tinier than the lice we get, but they are not the same as the lice we deal with. They do lay eggs that look clear to brown on your rats' fur.  

 Fortunately, the solution to both lice and mites is the same. They are parasites and Ivermectin kills parasites. For rats, because they are so small, you don't need much, but they do need dosed over the period of 3-weeks.  We suggest you dose them every 7 days for three weeks  with .1ml of Invermectin 1.87% paste (rice size amount).  To administer the paste, ask for a small 1-ml oral syringe from your vet. We also have it here and it's an OTC medication, so no prescription required. The brand we use is VetOne Vetrimec Paste. The other option is a drop of Revolution for puppies, but you'll need a prescription.

 In conjunction, you can ease the itching with MicroTek shampoo. Giving a rat a bath can be easy or a total freak-out, so please watch our You Tube video on giving a rat a bath. 

What cannot be in a rat's environment? 

• Dust: House dust, food dust, littler dust. Their noses are close to the ground, so it becomes very important to buy dust free, dye free, perfume free litter. 
• Ammonia: Ammonia-based cleaning product or their own urine in their cage linens. They need plenty of air circulation in their cage (i.e. no tanks) and you need to clean their linens regularly (fleece covers, hammocks, sheets, anything they play, sleep, and can pee on.) 
• Baking soda: Baking soda is toxic to their system - breathed or ingested. In fact, baking soda and white vinegar create carbon dioxide.  Some litter comes with baking soda to kill the smell, but you can't use it without risk of an URI. 
• Perfumes and fragrances: If you're wearing perfume, wash it off before taking out your pets and playing with them. Do not use detergent or dryer sheets with fragrance to clean their linens and really don't use it to clean your T-Shirts you wear when you are holding them or to clean your bed sheets if that's where you let them run around.  We use Woolite and Bounces Free & Gentle dryer sheets for everything. 
• Pine & Cedar: These softwood chips have phenols (aromatic hydrocarbons) that may adversely affect the liver of rats as well as their respiratory system.  
• Clay: Clay is out too - meaning no cat litter. It's dusty and if your rat chews and swallows, it will clog their system and they will die. 
• Rusting of the cage. If they hone their teeth on the powder coating, allowing the metal underneath to be exposed, it will rust. This will happen to any cage, so be sure to give them plenty to do and play with for a longer lasting safe environment.

For litter, stick with sani-care, aspen, shredded paper, or linens like cotton, fleece, and flannel.