Rats

Rats make excellent pets especially if they are handled and socialized from an early age. They are smart, friendly, social, very active, and easily trained.
At Chatham Animal Clinic, we offer a wide variety of services for rats such as general wellness visits, spay/neuter procedures, general surgery, and dental evaluations.

  • Life span: 2.5-3.5 years
  • Sexual Maturity: 6-8 weeks old

  • Very social and should be kept with at least one cage mate in order to promote good social skills and keep from developing behavior problems
  • Very active at night
  • If socialized properly are very gentle and will only bite if scared or in pain- so spend a lot of time socializing and playing with your pet rat
  • Very easily startled because they are a prey species
  • With multiple rats, it is recommended to keep same sex together only unless they are spayed/neutered because they can have babies every 21 days!

  • They are omnivores meaning they will eat fruits, vegetables, and meats
  • Should primarily consist of a commercial feed
  • Provide fresh fruits and veggies in moderation
  • Occasional treats such as raisins, seeds, cereal are ok but do not make this part of their main diet because they love sweets and can quickly become obese
  • Fresh water should be available at all times

  • Provide an “escape-proof” cage that has enough room for them to run and exercise
  • A multi-level cage with plenty of hiding places is very good and promotes good exercise and movement activity
  • Make sure there are plenty of entertaining items in their cage such as toys and chewing blocks
  • These do not have to be fancy, can be as simple as paper or cardboard for them to nest in, chew up, and burrow in
  • Exercise wheels will give them more space to run
  • Aspen shavings or recycled newspaper bedding is recommended. Pine and cedar shavings should be avoided due to increased chances of upper respiratory problems due to the dust.
  • A hiding area is recommended

  • Annual wellness exams are recommended
  • Rats unfortunately have a very high chance of mammary tumors thus spaying female rats will help to prevent these tumors
  • Rats are also very prone to upper respiratory infections which can lead to a very sick rat and will need to be placed on medications

Rats

Rats make excellent pets especially if they are handled and socialized from an early age. They are smart, friendly, social, very active, and easily trained.
At Chatham Animal Clinic, we offer a wide variety of services for rats such as general wellness visits, spay/neuter procedures, general surgery, and dental evaluations.

  • Life span: 2.5-3.5 years
  • Sexual Maturity: 6-8 weeks old

  • Very social and should be kept with at least one cage mate in order to promote good social skills and keep from developing behavior problems
  • Very active at night
  • If socialized properly are very gentle and will only bite if scared or in pain- so spend a lot of time socializing and playing with your pet rat
  • Very easily startled because they are a prey species
  • With multiple rats, it is recommended to keep same sex together only unless they are spayed/neutered because they can have babies every 21 days!

  • They are omnivores meaning they will eat fruits, vegetables, and meats
  • Should primarily consist of a commercial feed
  • Provide fresh fruits and veggies in moderation
  • Occasional treats such as raisins, seeds, cereal are ok but do not make this part of their main diet because they love sweets and can quickly become obese
  • Fresh water should be available at all times

  • Provide an “escape-proof” cage that has enough room for them to run and exercise
  • A multi-level cage with plenty of hiding places is very good and promotes good exercise and movement activity
  • Make sure there are plenty of entertaining items in their cage such as toys and chewing blocks
  • These do not have to be fancy, can be as simple as paper or cardboard for them to nest in, chew up, and burrow in
  • Exercise wheels will give them more space to run
  • Aspen shavings or recycled newspaper bedding is recommended. Pine and cedar shavings should be avoided due to increased chances of upper respiratory problems due to the dust.
  • A hiding area is recommended

  • Annual wellness exams are recommended
  • Rats unfortunately have a very high chance of mammary tumors thus spaying female rats will help to prevent these tumors
  • Rats are also very prone to upper respiratory infections which can lead to a very sick rat and will need to be placed on medications