Nowadays, decorative rats are popular among pets; the care and maintenance of rodents has its own nuances. Pets attract people with their remarkable intelligence, cunning, excellent memory, they know how to respond to their name, are well trained and easily perform various tricks.

Types of decorative rats

Highlight different breeds decorative rats. According to the type of wool they are divided into:

Animal colors are divided into subspecies:

• homogeneous: there are pure black, white, chocolate, blue, albino and others;
• heterogeneous: rats have Siamese, Himalayan, sable, silver and other colors;
• motley: consists of several colors.

Life expectancy of a decorative rat

Decorative pet rats do not live long, average term- 2 years. With proper care and balanced diet the animal can delight with its presence for up to 4 years, but this is already old age for such an animal. The short life expectancy is compensated by the high fertility of individuals and their high degree of adaptation to any conditions. Maximum age pet rat, recorded by amateurs – 7 years.

Domestic decorative rats are rodents; they are cared for and kept in metal cages, because they are the strongest and most durable. It is better not to keep animals in plastic and wooden structures. It is also not recommended to place them in aquariums - they are difficult to clean, and the animals jump to a height of 40-50 cm and can escape. The house is installed in a place where there is no direct sunlight and draft, from which a rat can contract pneumonia. There is no need to place a home near the battery - dry air is harmful to animals. Optimal temperature regime+18-20°C.

For a decorative rat, the cage should have a size of 60x40x30 (for growth); often the house has two floors. Inside the home you need to install:

• a plastic tray with filler (preferably dry wood granules. Small sawdust can cause allergies in rats by getting into their eyes and nose. Newsprint contains harmful substances and is not suitable for use as bedding);
• stairs and tunnels, a wheel (animals love to play);
• plastic house for privacy;
• mineral stone for rodents (they sharpen their teeth);
• drinking bowl;
• 1-2 bowls;
• a cloth for sleeping or a hammock.

How to care for a decorative rat?

If decorative rats live in the house, care and maintenance of them include indispensable cleaning of the cage. Drinkers and bowls need to be washed daily, remove soiled or wet bedding, food debris, and change the filler in the tray. The cage and all household items must be systematically disinfected. If you carefully care for your decorative rat, the smell from it will be almost unnoticeable. The animals are unpretentious and easily adapt to any environmental conditions. You can sometimes let them out for a walk, but you need to keep an eye on the pet so that it doesn’t chew on valuables.

Is it possible to bathe decorative rats?

Decorative pet rats are neat and clean animals; keeping babies requires mandatory bathing. The procedure is carried out if the animal itches or emanates from it. bad smell. Shampoo from a pet store will help deal with it. For bathing, prepare a container with heated water. They put the animal in it and wash it with their hands. In this case, the rodent may scratch and bite, but some people like this procedure. When bathing, you need to pay attention so that water does not get into the rat’s ears and nose. After the procedure is completed, the animal is dried with a towel.

What to feed a decorative rat at home?

1. Grain base (wheat, oats, barley, corn, millet). High-quality balanced mixtures are sold in pet stores.
2. Vegetables, fruits: white cabbage, carrots, bananas, cucumbers, apples, boiled potatoes, pumpkin, eggplant, grapes.
3. Protein food (given once a week): a piece of boiled meat, cottage cheese, cheese, egg.
4. Chicken bones: animals love to sharpen their teeth with them.
5. In autumn and winter, it is recommended to give pets ready-made vitamins from a pet store.

Decorative rats - care and maintenance: what should not be given as food:

• chocolate, sweets, candies;
• raw beans or beans;
• smoked sausage;
• raw potatoes;
• chips;
• soda and sweet drinks;
• Brussels sprouts and red cabbage.

What grass can be given to decorative rats?

IN daily diet Rodents must have greens. What do decorative rats eat from grasses:

• dill;
• dandelion;
• parsley;
• cilantro;
• plantain;
• radish tops.

Decorative rats - diseases

A healthy animal is always active, has clear eyes and shiny wool. There should be no red spots around the rodent's eyes, nose and ears. Knowing what a decorative rat looks like when proper care V healthy condition If any deviations are detected, you should consult a doctor. rodents:

How to tame a decorative rat?

Decorative rats have pros and cons in their character. The first include openness to communication and intelligence. As soon as a little rat appears at home, he is immediately given a name and addressed to him when food is poured in. After three days, the rodent begins to respond to the nickname and recognize the owner. Then you can gradually accustom him to holding hands. After the animal finally gets used to its owner, it is released to walk around the apartment. The disadvantage of a pet is the desire to chew on something - this must be controlled.

Decorative rat - reproduction

Breeding of ornamental rats is carried out using a pair of opposite-sex individuals aged 6 months. Girls weigh 200-400 g, they are nimble and neat. Boys - 450-600 g each, mostly clumsy and sloppy. The female's estrus repeats every 10 days. Mating is carried out for 1-4 hours in any territory - it doesn’t matter if it’s a girl or a boy. The female's pregnancy lasts 21 days, during which time she needs to eat more fruits and vegetables. Before birth expectant mother builds a nest - drags various materials (rags, toilet paper). The female gives birth to up to 8 rat pups weighing 5-7 g.

If a couple lives together, then at the time of birth the male must be separated so that he does not show aggression towards the babies. It is important for the mother in labor to have access to clean water so that she does not eat her offspring. The mother feeds the newborns for a month; from the third week of life they begin to try adult food. Babies' fur grows by 8-10 days, and their eyes open between 12 and 16 days. At the age of 1.5 months, the animals become completely independent and must be separated by gender or sold. After 12-18 months of life, females can no longer have offspring.

Training of decorative rats

There are many tricks that complement the natural habits of rodents and will bring pleasure to the owners. To do this, you will need a treat - a piece of meat, a pumpkin seed. How to train a decorative rat:

1. Return to the cage. After the animal has taken root, it can be released for a walk around the apartment. It’s easy to return the animal: at the same time you need to sprinkle food, knock the bowl on the floor and call your pet - he will come running.
2. “Sit” or “serve.” You need to hold the treat over the animal’s head and say the command. The rat will learn that it gets a treat after it stands on its hind legs and will follow the order to “sit” every time, even without a treat.
3. Run in circles. You can move the treat along a trajectory and give it to the animal after it completes the trick. Also, with the help of treats, it is easy to teach a rat to run up stairs.

There is no need to bathe/wash rats(moreover, it is harmful for rats!), but despite this, often rat owners by washing the rat want to get rid of what they consider to be unaesthetic aspects such as an unpleasant odor emanating from the animal, browning of fur, porphyrin stains on the face or back, scratching , dandruff, matted or dirty fur.

Possible consequences of swimming:

• Rats are prone to respiratory infections, i.e. trite - they catch cold easily. And if in humans a cold most often goes away on its own, then in rats such respiratory diseases often end sadly: either chronic rhinitis, or pneumonia, and she fatal. Is your "worth it" bath procedure» long-term treatment of your pet with antibiotics?

• Water getting into rat ears leads to otitis media. Otitis is often asymptomatic and sometimes the owner notices that something is wrong when it is already too late. But even if otitis is noticeable and you react quickly enough, keep in mind that otitis in rats is very difficult to treat, long, difficult and causes great suffering to the animal.

• In addition, washing disrupts natural protection leather and wool. If the body for some reason cannot compensate for lost protection more selection sebum, the skin becomes dry and sensitive, it may begin to itch, and the hair will become thin and brittle, “husked.”

• Washing is always stressful for a rat, which leads to a weakening of the immune system and in itself “opens the door” for various diseases, infections, neuroses, etc.

If washing cannot be avoided, for example, a rat got dirty in harmful substance or you want to prepare your pet for an exhibition, then everything is quite simple:

• You will need: two towels, two bathtubs/basins and rodent shampoo or just mild baby shampoo.

• Have 2 towels at an accessible distance. Pour into both baths warm water, approximately 5 centimeters. Place a rat in one of them. Gently wet the rat's fur, avoiding getting any water on its face.

• Apply a small amount of shampoo to the coat and massage it gently into the coat. No need to create a lot of foam! Avoid getting foam in the animal's ears and eyes.

• Rinse the shampoo out of the fur by scooping up the water with your hand.

• Transfer the rat to another bath. Gently rinse any remaining shampoo from the coat. clean water, it should not remain on the fur/skin!

• Use a towel to wipe the surface of the rat's fur, this will help get rid of excess water. Wrap the rat in a second dry towel. Keep it wrapped up until it is at least partially dry. After this, it makes sense to let the rat out for a walk under a blanket or blanket - this will reduce the risk of catching a cold.

If the substance that gets on the rat’s fur is very dangerous and delay can cause harm to the animal, then simply turn on the warm water and rinse the rat’s fur directly under running water. Then dry the rat's fur and be sure to show your pet to the veterinarian!

Author VaKa

I thank Elena Snezhurova aka Malyavka for her help in writing the article.

Grooming

The rat takes care of its own fur. And if she lives in a group, which is desirable, then her “flockmates” also help her do this - this is called mutual grooming and serves to strengthen social ties between representatives of the same flock. If the rat is healthy and takes care of itself, then there is no need to help it with grooming; it can handle it on its own. Problems usually arise in weakened, old animals that find it difficult to reach, for example, the back) and in this case they will need your help.

Grooming your rat's fur with the least amount of stress and intervention consists of two parts:

• Combing the wool. Scratching improves blood circulation in the skin and removes dead particles from it. A new, unused toothbrush with soft bristles is best for this purpose. It is most convenient to remove the long handle (since rats do not really like a strange tool with a long handle and they often attack a “full-fledged” one) toothbrush) and scratch the rat, holding the head of the toothbrush large and index fingers(i.e., as if hiding it between the fingers). During the procedure, a calm tame rat can be placed on your lap, and independent rats can be scratched when they are sleeping or busy with a treat, then this procedure will not cause stress to them and will be calm.

• Cleaning the wool. There is no need to wash the rat and risk its health for this! It is enough to wet a cotton pad and gently wipe the animal’s fur with the damp pad. After the procedure, the rat must be wiped dry.

Author VaKa

Ear care

Rat ears do not require any special care, because... healthy and young rats can clean their ears quite well on their own. Therefore, you don’t need to clean your ears just like that with cotton swabs or other devices - they can easily injure the delicate skin, which can be very painful for the rat, and there is simply no point in using special ear care drops in this case.

Special care for the ears is required only when the rat has become old, weak and can no longer cope with this procedure on its own. Only then does it make sense to instill special drops, and after that neat Cleaning with cotton swabs, but not deep cleaning.

Please note the fact that “dirt” in the ears and/or an unpleasant odor are not signs of dirty ears, but a reason to go to the veterinarian and treat the rat, because, most likely, it has otitis media.

Author VaKa

Nail trimming

Trimming rats' claws - cosmetic procedure, which is usually not mandatory item in caring for a rat. However, there are a number of situations in which the rat will still need to perform it.

When does a rat need to have its nails trimmed?

• Most rats keep their claws in order by not allowing them to grow too long. However, it happens that sedentary, sick, old or simply too lazy animals outgrow their claws. normal size so much so that they bend, threatening to stick into the pad of a finger, and, in addition, cling to hammocks and other textile equipment of the cage and run. This can lead to the rat getting caught and tearing out a claw or dislocating a paw. Of course, this cannot be allowed.

• After operations, as well as in the presence of wounds or scratches, rats have their claws trimmed to prevent sharp claws from injuring the wound or unraveling the stitches.

• In addition, rats' claws are trimmed for aesthetic purposes - for example, before exhibitions, or so that sharp claws do not leave scratches on the arms and shoulders of their owners. You can also “demilitarize” the flock before adding newcomers, in order to deprive them of additional “weapons” in the event of a showdown, and to avoid scratched skin of the new one.

It is convenient to trim claws with the following tools:

• A special nail clipper for cats of the smallest size. According to rat breeders, this is the most convenient.

• Regular nail clippers or nail clippers. Nail scissors are inconvenient to use for this purpose, because... with their help, the claw is cut and not bitten off, which complicates the procedure - the scissors will simply slide off. The tools, of course, should be as sharp as possible so as not to delay the process and not split the claw.

The vast majority of rats will not like this idea. Therefore, if the pet does not want to sit quietly, breaks out and takes away its paws, it is more advisable to carry out the haircut together - the assistant will hold the rat while the owner deals with the overgrown claws. The haircut process itself is simple, but requires care and precision, because... The rat's claws and fingers are very small. You need to fix the paw with one hand, and with the other, cut off the very tip - the transparent part of the claw. You can’t cut further - the living part of the claw begins, with blood vessels and nerves. If you overdid it and started bleeding, keep hydrogen peroxide on hand. After trimming, if the cut is crooked, very sharp or split, the claw can be processed with a nail file.

Author Zatrian

Tail cleaning

The tail is a very important and undoubtedly wonderful part of every rat. However, for the most part, the rats themselves do not think about this, and therefore do not particularly monitor it. appearance. Little rats have pink, clean tails, but the older the animal, the dirtier its tail tends to be. Some rats do clean their tails themselves, but this is the exception rather than the rule. A dirty tail does not cause any inconvenience to the rat, unlike its owner, hurting his sense of beauty. In addition, at a rat show, points are deducted from an animal for having a dirty tail.

In general, there are only two good reasons reasons why it is worth subjecting a rat to the procedure of cleaning its tail:

• Upcoming exhibition. The tail is cleaned to avoid underestimation.

• Hot weather. The main heat exchange in rats occurs through the tail. If it is completely covered with dirt, heat exchange will be difficult, which in some cases can even lead to overheating of the body.

How to do it right:

• To wash you will need a soft toothbrush, baby soap and warm (not hot) water.

• First, you need to “soak” the tail in soapy water. If the rat takes this calmly, you can simply immerse the tail in a container of water; if not, you should slowly soak it by wiping it with a soapy, wet cotton pad.

• After you have achieved the desired result in one way or another, you need to take a toothbrush and carefully, without strong pressure, brush your tail from the base to the tip, i.e. in the direction of scale growth, in no case against it! Do not rub the tail with force - you can damage and tear off the scales. When cleaning, do not hold the rat by the tip of its tail! Just a little effort is enough for the skin to simply peel off like a stocking from a leg. In this case, you will have to run to the veterinary clinic, and not to the exhibition.

• The cleaned tail is thoroughly rinsed with clean water and dried with a towel. After washing, you can lubricate it with baby cream, because... soap dries out the skin.

• If the rat's tail is very dirty, do not try to wash it at once - it won't work anyway, you will only injure it if you try too hard when cleaning. Just repeat the procedure every other day or two, and gradually the tail will wash off.

It is worth remembering that the degree of contamination of the tail is closely related to the conditions of detention. In a small, neglected cage that is rarely cleaned, rats' tails get dirty much faster.

A little history

In general, most decorative rats are domesticated descendants of gray rats (lat. Rattusnorvegicusf. domesticus), less often black rats (lat. Rattusrattus). The first clubs of decorative rats appeared at the beginning of the 20th century.

Before purchasing

When buying a rat, you need to think about it, just like before buying any animal. The animal is not a toy! It should not be an unexpected gift - a surprise.

It is usually recommended to have at least two rats, because they are pack animals. They will be very comfortable sleeping next to each other, playing happily, without biting each other painfully. In a company of 5 rats, the animals share responsibilities among themselves: there is a dominant, to whom everyone obeys, the “supply manager”, who always pulls everyone into the cage. Rats will be more interested in company, and you will be able to observe all sorts of manifestations of social self-organization of rats.

It is very important to have same-sex rats. Otherwise, the number of rats in the house will grow at a fantastic rate! (IN wildlife The survival rate of rats relies heavily on high birth rates.)

You also need to immediately make a list of necessary purchases. The rat needs:

Cell

Drinking bowl

Feeder

Litter

Feed

It is better to look for a healthy animal on the Internet from professional breeders, from clubs of decorative rats. At the pet store, depending on your luck. You may come across a completely healthy and cute animal, or maybe a sick one, and with bad character(due, alas, to the poor treatment of baby rats in pet stores).

Rat in the house

Rats are terribly curious, playful and sociable. However, at first the rat may be afraid and not be handled. With love and patience it is not difficult to win her trust. If you pet a rat often and feed it by hand, it will quickly get used to its owner. She will come up on her own, climb onto the lap of a sitting owner, and jump onto the palm placed next to her, especially with a treat.

Rats are easy to train. If you put in a little effort, you can teach a rat to walk on a rope, stick its paw out of the cage for food, and other simple and understandable actions for the rat. If you put in a lot of effort and be patient, some rats can be taught to fetch objects, respond to their name, and all sorts of other tricks.

Nutrition

Rats are omnivorous animals. However, it will be better if the main food of the decorative rat is special food for rats. It is produced by many companies. And it's easy to find in any pet store. Numerous treats for rats or rodents in general are also produced. They are not vital to the rat, but she will be very happy to feast on them. In moderation, the rat can be treated to fruits, boiled eggs, meat, cereals, dry bread, dairy products. But you can’t give anything salty! This may cause great harm rat health. Also, do not give too fatty or fried food.

Rats, like people, can be allergic to certain foods. Follow the smell in the cage, general condition rats after giving it a new product to try. Many rats cannot digest milk. Therefore it is better to give fermented milk products. (Most people just love cottage cheese.)

The water in the drinking bowl is usually changed once a day. The animal needs fresh water.

Changing the litter

Rats can produce a foul odor if their cage is not cleaned for a long time. It is better to do this at least once a week. Also, you should not feed your rat seafood; after that, the rat’s cage can quickly smell bad. Although it all depends personal characteristics animal digestion.

Walk

Rats are mobile. It’s better to let them run around the room more often. But we must remember that they are rodents. Extra things and wires should not lie on the floor.

Decorative rats

Today we invite you to talk about the most intelligent and cunning animal among rodents - the rat. But don’t rush to shrug your shoulders in disgust - we’re not talking about those rats that live in garbage dumps and basements and carry tons of disease and infection, but about decorative rodents, which more and more often pet lovers keep in apartment conditions. It’s not surprising when you want to have pet, A square meters They are a little limited in such manifestations; they have to be content with rodents as their pets. So, decorative rats...

What you need to know if you decide to have a decorative rat in your home, the characteristics and behavior of such rats, rules of care - look for all this in our publication...

Decorative rat as a pet

Whatever animal you have in your home as a pet, you must always remember that this is a great responsibility, and you will have to look after such an animal, take care of it, love it, regardless of its size and type.

Many lovers of domestic animals mistakenly think that if the animal is large, then there is a lot of care, and if the animal is small, then there is no need to take special care of it. But in reality this is not the case. And sometimes it happens that even such tiny decorative rats have to be taken care of more than rats. Therefore, if you want to have a minimum of responsibilities for caring for an animal, do not look for a small animal, but just think again whether you are old enough to take such responsibility into your home living creature and become his master, or should he wait a little longer.

Video about a decorative rat:

Features of keeping a decorative rat at home

Your pet is a rodent

If you don’t doubt your decision to get a decorative rat for a minute, it will be useful for you to know some of the features of keeping such a rodent in your home.

So, for example, since a rat is a rodent, if it walks around your apartment, it will always look for something to chew on, therefore, either remove the cords higher, or do not let the rat walk unattended.

Another feature is that rats have a specific smell with which they mark the territory of their residence. Therefore, we will not say that rats have absolutely no smell and are absolutely hypoallergenic creatures. Be prepared for this fragrant surprise.

Like other rodents - hamsters or guinea pigs, decorative rats are afraid of drafts and direct sunlight, therefore, remember this when placing a decorative rat’s cage in your home - you definitely don’t need to put it on the windowsill.

A comfortable temperature for a rat living indoors is from 18 to 21 °C.

Cage for a decorative rat

Of course, it will be more convenient for both you and the animal if it lives in a large and spacious cage (no jars, containers, boxes!!!). You can buy such a cage at an ordinary pet store with ready-made ladders and a house, or you can buy all this separately. How alternative option We are considering the possibility of making such accessories for a rat house with your own hands (only if they are made of cardboard or plywood, be prepared to periodically replace them, since rats love to chew such materials). Your rat will be delighted and will not be bored if you install hanging shelves, a wheel, and small branches on which the animal can climb. This is especially true for young rats, but for older rats you can design the interior of the cage more calmly by taking away the running wheel and swing.

It is better to use sawdust for the cage (but not small ones - tiny particles of wood getting into the animal’s eyes, nose and ears can cause allergic reaction). As an option, you can consider paper, but only without inscriptions and typographic font. But it’s better to avoid cotton wool as a filler.

Cleaning the cage should be carried out regularly - once a week, and include complete disinfection of the cage - this is done in order to avoid the possibility of the animal becoming infected with parasitic organisms, bacteria and microbes that can live in a dirty cage.

When a gray pet appears in the house, some family members experience mixed feelings. However, the joy and delight of acquiring a new friend is replaced by confusion and ignorance - how to care for a rat? What conditions should she live in to make her feel comfortable? What to feed a rat and how to keep it? In this article you will find answers to all your questions.

In general, the rat is quite unpretentious. This is a cheerful and affectionate animal that loves to play. A rat can remember its name and can be trained. She can do a couple simple commands, such as "sit" or "stand". Rats are unpretentious eaters and are quite clean. Rats do not have a specific odor like hamsters, but females can mark territory. You need to be careful with rats, because these animals love to chew on everything. If you don’t want to find chewed sofa legs or damaged shoes, the rat should be kept in sight at all times and only allowed out of the cage for a limited time.

Rats are very playful and active. They look like dogs, only smaller in size. If you decide to have a rat in your house, you must understand that you will have to devote part of your free time to it - at least an hour a day. And this applies not only to cleaning her home and taking care of her food. The rat vitally needs games and affection - be prepared for this.

Choosing a rat

Before you buy an animal, ask all family members if they agree that such an unusual animal will live in the house. Please also note that some people may be allergic to the smell of rats. If there are other animals in the house, especially cats, you need to think about whether the animals can live in peace and harmony? Usually, if a rat and a cat are forced to coexist in a house, the rodents are intimidated and depressed.

When all organizational issues have been resolved, go after the animal. In order for a rat to become tame and quickly get used to you, it must be small, no more than three weeks old. There is no point in taking a newborn baby rat - in the first weeks he receives from his mother all the information necessary for life.

When you have found a litter of a certain age, you need to choose the little rat who will live with you and be your pet. Pay attention to all the little rats. Try sticking your hand into the cage, but be careful not to scare the animals. Rats will not bite without a reason - only if they think that they are in danger. The little rat who is the first to run up to your hand and taste your finger with a light bite should become your pet. Usually, playful and curious rats become pets, while timid ones, on the contrary, become biting and unfriendly.

Carefully examine the animal to ensure that it is not sick. The baby rat must be active and playful. His coat should be smooth and even, without any flaws. The animal's ears should be clean and uniform. There should be no circles or redness under the eyes and nose, near the ears. The animal's breathing should be smooth, without wheezing, and the stomach should be soft and elastic. These animals do not like to live alone. To make them have fun, it is better to choose two rats of the same sex, for example, two brothers or sisters. Female rats are smaller in size, but more clean and nimble. Males, on the contrary, are measured and slow, and can sit on a person’s shoulder for a long time. However, they are more vindictive.

Cell selection. It is best to keep your rat in a spacious cage. It should be metal, not plastic or wood. A rat can easily chew through soft material. The cage should not be in a draft, near a battery or under direct sun rays. The normal temperature of a rat is no different from that of a human, but this animal cannot tolerate too dry and hot air. You cannot put a rat in an aquarium, because carbon dioxide can accumulate at the bottom, and cleaning the aquarium is much more difficult. Don't forget that rats can jump high and will easily escape from your aquarium enclosure.

The cage should be spacious, especially if two or more animals live in it. Choose multi-tiered cages with wheels and other acrobatic equipment. Throw a few unnecessary rags into your home - rats love to play with them and wrap themselves in fabric. Rats are constantly sharpening their teeth, so you need to take care of this. The cage should contain sticks or small thick branches and crackers.

Cage bedding. You can choose sawdust as bedding for the cage. However, it should not be sawdust from oil trees - cedar or pine. When combined with rat urine, this wood can produce an unpleasant odor that may cause respiratory diseases animals. Hay or cloth won't work either. If sawdust is not available, you can use cat litter or shredded sheets of newspaper. But remember that printing ink can paint white rats.

Feeding corner. There should always be a bowl of clean food in the cage. drinking water. It is better to buy a special sippy cup that is attached to the walls of the cage - it cannot be turned over. In addition, there will always be fresh water in such a sippy cup. Buy small food bowls. It is better if they are on suction cups.

Rat nest. A rat, like any animal, must have a house in which it sleeps. The pet store has special plastic houses that are attached to the corner of the cage. However, you can weave a small covered nest with a hole for entry from willow branches. Such a nest is more reminiscent of the animal’s natural home.

Toilet. As you remember, rats are very clean, so they don’t like to shit where they play and sleep. In the corner opposite from feeding, you can equip a small toilet for them - fill a special container with absorbent material. Smart animals immediately understand why this is done.

Rats are practically omnivores, but to take care of their health, you need to feed them the right and healthy food. Pet stores have special grain mixtures and food for rats. Typically, such nutrition is completely balanced and rich in all vitamins. Add kibbles to your pet's diet fresh vegetables and fruits. Rats love it very much pumpkin seeds, meat and fish, chicken bones. You cannot feed a rat all foods that are suitable for humans. You should not give your animal chocolate, raw beans, cottage cheese, or raw potatoes - this is harmful to the rat’s body.

Never give leaves or stems to your rat. indoor plants– many are poisonous to rodents. The rat loves to chew sunflower seeds and eats with pleasure oatmeal cookies and eggs, drinks milk. And, of course, the rat’s favorite treat is cheese. Once a season, the rat needs to be given special vitamins along with food.

Rat hygiene and health

Regularly clean the cage of dirt and monitor the condition of your pet’s home. Animals can spill water and wet the bedding - be careful. Once a week, thoroughly clean the house - during this time, move the animals into a separate box. Wash and dry all components of the cage, change the bedding.

Keeping a rat in accordance with all the rules, as well as balanced feeding, is the basis for the prevention and health of the animal. Rats can become restless if the room is too stuffy. In addition, the cramped space of the cage can cause them to frequently rush. And don’t forget that the rat really needs your communication. Take the animal out of the cage regularly. She really likes to change the angle of her examination, which is why adult rats love to sit on a person’s shoulder.

You can play with a rat - build various puzzles and labyrinths for it - after all, it is a very smart and active animal. You can teach her to respond to your commands through food rewards. Such skills will help you, if necessary, quickly find an animal if it is out of sight. And remember that we are responsible for those we have tamed. Be attentive and caring to your pet, and he will answer you with love and affection.

Video: caring for pet rats