Rat help?

[NotSoInnocent]

Soooo... I just got a female fancy rat (still a baby, though not nursing or anything... just very small) that was dropped off at my house because the previous owners bought her for their 3 y/o little boy... and he was scared of her so they were giving 4 hours to get a home or the little fuzzy was going to the pound/vet to be put down! *hate hate hate stupid people like that*

I took her to PetSmart to get basics supplies: food, bigger cage (they had her in a freaking TINY STARTER TERRARIUM!), some chew sticks, a wheel, a hiding place, etc... I just need to know basic rat care and such.

She's such a cutie, though! She has a little ball that she likes to climb in and roll around with. It's adorable. She's also a little gymnast. She's already climbed all over her cage.

No idea what to call her or how to care for her. Will be taking her in to the vet's tomorrow morning because she's got a little bit of sneezing going on. (no drainage, just occasional sneezing)

Help?

[Aethian]

One...I adore you for taking her on.

Two...NEED PICTURES

Three... Bridget maybe? I mean she was Tony's girl and not Fievels but still...Or how about Tilly?

[NotSoInnocent]

I'd post pics... but I have no digital camera. Rest assured that when I get some film developed, there will be fuzziness posted for all to see.

The heathens have picked a name.

I have no idea why they picked this particular name.

She does, however, seem to like it.

Her name, as of 30 minutes ago, is "Muffin".

[XCashier]

Isn't Saydrah the one who knows about rats? You could try sending her a PM.

I'm surprised the Petsmart employees didn't give you any advice.

[Thuringwethyl]

I've had many rats over the years and love the little cuties! You may want to get your's a buddy; rats are social animals and need constant contact. Also try to pick her up for at least 30 minutes a day -- the more unfamiliar situations and human contact rats have the smarter and sweeter they tend to be. Give her fresh fruits and veggies in addition to the dry rat mix available at stores, try to pick up protein pellets if you can.

Just love her. Rats know when they are cared for and quite happily reciprocate in kind! *Sniff* Now I miss my babies all over again.

For more ideas and information just google "fancy rat" or "rat care".

[Shpepper]

Call me and I will give you Dae's number or have her call you. She had pet rats for awhile. I think almost 2 years. I don't remember for sure. Since she's little, hold her when you can. It keeps her friendly. Make sure that she has proper rat food and some veggies from time to time. Unsalted peanuts in the shell are also good for her. Ours loved them. Have fun with her and if you get her an exercise ball, Please be sure that it;s in a room where the kitties are not. :lol:

[MadMike]

I don't know anything about rats myself, but I'll try and page our resident Crazy Rat Lady. :)

[Saydrah]

*rubs ears*

You rang?

http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat/

First, go there, post what you posted here, and you'll get tons of good advice, more than any one person can give you.

Second: Ah, basic rat care... hmm, well first of all, the ball is not a good idea, rats can break toes in those. Just let her run around on a bed, couch, or table until she learns to come when called.

She also needs a friend-- single rats are lonely and can even get sick because they're so depressed. But she probably has an upper respiratory infection currently, and the new rat might be sick, too, so once you find another female to purchase or adopt, try to get a friend or relative or petsitter to keep the new rat for three weeks. That quarantine period is enough time to tell if any serious contagious illnesses are present. After that, you can introduce the two of them.

You can feed your rat almost anything that you eat, with a few exceptions:

http://www.petratscanada.com/forbidden_foods.htm

Give lots of fresh veggies as treats. The more fresh snackies, the better. Hard boiled egg is great, too.

You need at least two cubic feet of cage space per rat. The Super Pet My First Home for Exotics is Petsmart's best cage for two female rats right now.

Use non-dusty bedding, and no scented wood litter. I use Yesterday's News cat litter.

If you provide a wheel, make it one with a solid running surface-- wire wheels can catch and break little tails.

Um... anything else?

[BookstoreEscapee]

One of my RAs in college adopted a rat from the psych lab when they were done with their experiment. She was a white rat named Rosie and she was very sweet. Can't wait to see pics. :)