http://ratguide.com/care/ A Layman's Guide to Basic Care and Responsible Ownership of Rats en Copyright 2008 Karen Grant RN,C. Bella Hodges, Kristin J. Johnson, and many others Sun, 23 Oct 2005 12:58:29 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/grooming/bathing.php Bathing Your Rat A Clean Rat is a Healthy Rat. For the most part rats tend to clean themselves and often their cage mates. Some rats are not as fastidious about grooming as others and will need periodic maintenance. And on occasion, even the cleanest of rats may need some... (1529 words) http://ratguide.com/care/grooming/bathing.php Grooming Sun, 23 Oct 2005 12:58:29 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/behavior/coprophagy.php Coprophagy is the eating of excrement and is a normal nutritional behavior for rats. It is essential for the maintenance of healthy gut flora and for the recovery of nutrients. Rats have a simple stomach as opposed to ruminants (which have compartmentalized stomachs) such as cows, goats, and sheep. Without... (348 words, 2 links) http://ratguide.com/care/behavior/coprophagy.php Behavior Tue, 10 Feb 2004 17:49:59 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/diet_figure_2c.php Melissa's Rat Mix (revised 4/05) Innova Senior Dog Food OR Wellness Lite Dog Food (this should comprise approx. 1/5 of the TOTAL mix) Dry pasta - BOTH tricolor and whole wheat (I avoid spirals) Grape Nut Flakes Various Organic Cereals (Multigrain, Amaranth, Bran, etc - look for sodium Puffed Kamut... (524 words) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/diet_figure_2c.php Figures Sat, 17 Jan 2004 21:05:35 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/diet_figure_1.php Starvation History Odin & Wolfgang, a pair of 4 month old male rats. The rats were 6 weeks of age and in good health at the time of their placement. They did well at their new home until the owner had to move and could not take the rats. The... (561 words, 2 links, 6 images) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/diet_figure_1.php Figures Fri, 21 Nov 2003 21:12:11 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/behavior/introducing_rats.php Never put a new rat in with your resident rats without using a safe method of introduction. It is important to take your time when introducing rats to each other. An improperly done first meeting can sometimes lead to injury or emotional stress. Rats are individuals and each has its... (1577 words, 1 link) http://ratguide.com/care/behavior/introducing_rats.php Behavior Wed, 27 Aug 2003 09:49:06 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/cage_accessories_figure_1.php Figure 1: Beanie and Cecil's Digging Box Grass filled digging boxes can be made up in almost any container that is handy. Rye grass and a potting mix placed in a rubbermaid type container makes up this digging box. Occasionally surprise treats are hidden to make their digging all the... (91 words, 1 image) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/cage_accessories_figure_1.php Figures Sat, 09 Aug 2003 10:34:08 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/housing_needs_figure_2.php Homemade Rat Housing Building your rats house will enable you to get the layout and size that you prefer. Homemade environments can also be less expensive than manufactured cages. Safety Points for Homemade Rat Housing Be sure any wire spacing is appropriate for the size of the rats contained. Check... (147 words, 2 links, 2 images) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/housing_needs_figure_2.php Figures Wed, 16 Jul 2003 15:15:03 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/housing_needs_figure_1.php Manufactured Cages Large Cages Martins Cage Ferret-480 Martins Cage Ferret -460 Martins Cage Rat-699 Rudd Cage... (52 words, 2 links, 8 images) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/housing_needs_figure_1.php Figures Tue, 15 Jul 2003 20:55:42 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/cage_bedding_litter_figure_1.php Acceptable Types of Bedding and/or Litter Above, left to right: shredded aspen, clay litter (only for litter box), Swheat Scoop (wheat), & corn cob (change often if used as bedding- best used in litter box). Above, left to right: Critter Country (natural fiber), paper pellets, aspen chips, & walnut. Above,... (143 words, 4 images) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/cage_bedding_litter_figure_1.php Figures Tue, 15 Jul 2003 18:07:03 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/diet_figure_2b.php Lou's Rat Diet (Straight from Australia!) Lou is located in Australia, so some of the names of the ingredients listed in the Porridge mix may vary from country to country. Substitutions made be made with products of similar kind. Basic kibble provided on a daily basis This is a work... (537 words) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/diet_figure_2b.php Figures Tue, 15 Jul 2003 10:33:56 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/training_playtime_figure_1.php Rat Proofing Play time and exploration outside of the cage is a big part of your rat's life. Learn to be aware of what can harm your rat and what your rat can harm. It is wise to rat proof as much as possible before you let your rat free... (325 words) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/training_playtime_figure_1.php Figures Fri, 11 Jul 2003 16:19:44 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/environment/cage_accessories.php Cage Accessories:Photos and Information Links can be found at the end of this article. Your rats will be spending a lot of time in their cages. You need to add accessories that will make your rats comfortable and secure. Another very important reason to provide cage accessories is to keep... (1622 words, 9 links) http://ratguide.com/care/environment/cage_accessories.php Environment Wed, 09 Jul 2003 20:16:03 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/cage_accessories_figure_2.php The SuperPet deluxe cage pictured on the left was taken when we just brought the cage home,so some items that belong inside like the litter boxes and sipper bottle aren't there yet.I was not able to get the entire cage in the picture so the bottom floor is not showing,but... (241 words, 3 links, 5 images) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/cage_accessories_figure_2.php Figures Mon, 07 Jul 2003 15:48:48 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/figures/diet_figure_2a.php Virginia Simpson's Rat DietA modified version of Susan Crandall's recipe located on the RMCA website. Wild & Brown Rice Tri-Color Pasta Toasted Unsalted Soy Beans Toasted Unsalted Chick Peas Hulled Unsalted Pumpkin Seeds (not always, and 1/2 portion) Rolled (roasted)Oats Bran Flakes (cereal) Shreddies (Wheat Chex)or Cheerios Regular Granola Hard... (255 words, 2 links) http://ratguide.com/care/figures/diet_figure_2a.php Figures Sun, 06 Jul 2003 16:05:26 -0800 http://ratguide.com/care/environment/cage_cleaning.php A clean environment will help to keep your rats healthy. It is essential to do a thorough cleaning of the cage once a week (this varies depending on cage size and number of occupants) and a spot cleaning once or twice during the week. Aquariums will need to be cleaned... (910 words, 7 links) http://ratguide.com/care/environment/cage_cleaning.php Environment Sun, 06 Jul 2003 13:10:48 -0800