How to Have a Healthy Pet Rat

The only thing I hate about keeping pet rats is that they do not live long enough and it is always so hard to say goodbye.
The good news is that there are ways to keep your rat healthy for longer and hopefully to increase their life span. By using the techniques in this article you can almost double your rat's life span. Check it out now.

Decorating Your Rat Cage

You may have chosen a wonderful rat cage for your fuzzy pals, however no one wants to sit in an empty house, so now it is time to enhance their environment and make your rat's house super fun.

Here are some ideas for your rat cage (or should we say rat theme park!)

Hammocks and Cuddly Things

Rats just adore to cuddle up in fleecy fabrics and lovely old rags that smell of their beloved human friends. You can buy lovely hammocks from pet stores or online, or you can make your own. All you need is a large square of fleece material. Just make holes in each corner and thread a paper clip through the hold. You can then hang the hammock up with twine or string.

Don't forget about your old clothes. You can make lovely fuzzy blankets, tunnels and more out of old rags. This is recycling at its best.

Make sure you provide your rat with plenty of bedding, so that they can arrange it how they like. Females in particular love to make big nests out of paper and other materials they can find.

Remember never use shavings as this can cause respiratory infections, which can be deadly to rats.

Hiding Places

Sometimes when life gets a bit much, or you just want a nap you need to retreat to a hiding place (perhaps your bedroom). Well, this is the same for rats. Make sure you provide them with somewhere they can escape view and take some time out.

You can buy great igloos made from plastic or wood from pet stores or online, or make hiding holes out of old tissue boxes, or other things you may already have around the house.

Ladders and Ropes

Rats (especially youngsters) love to climb. A multi-level rat cage is a great idea, as you can add ramps and ropes for your rats to run around on. Some of my rats even love to swing from the roof tops of their wire cages. They look like monkeys! By the way never keep your pet rats in an aquarium. The ventilation is poor and will lead to illness. It is also dead boring. Wire cages are best, but ensure the gaps between the bars are small enough that your little ratties can't escape.

Various Toys

You really have to experiment to find the best toys for your rats. You can check out bird toys, such as mirrors and wooden chews. You can also use things around the house for toys, like an unused feather duster, or an egg carton.

Some rats love to play with a small ball, or a cat's mouse toy.

Try different things. Many rats love water, so you could make a mini swimming pool out of an unused cat litter tray. Never fill it too deep to start with and put treats, such as frozen peas for them to find.

Spend Time With Your Rat

No matter how great the rat cage is you will need to put aside time every day to play with your rats. They need interaction and they are very social creatures. Some rats just love cuddles and would rather snuggle up with you to watch TV than play.

Get to know your ratty friend and do what you can to make him/her happy.

Go to RatsRatsRats.com for more information.