Rattery Care

I live in a three-bedroom house with a full basement. The rattery is set up in a spare room in our basement that we built when we first bought our house. (My own bedroom is also in the basement.) There is an exhaust fan set up in their room which goes outside via one of the windows and serves to keep the air as fresh and amonia-free as possible. This idea originally came about when I lived with a friend of mine who was actually allergic to the rats. It kept him from having coughing/sneezing fits everytime he went near the rat room.

The rats almost all live in powder coated Martins cages, mostly the R-680 and R-685 models, though a few ferret models are also used. There are a few other cages, mostly ferret/guinea pig style, that adult males live in. Baby rats are born in large aquariums, and later moved into wire cages as they learn to climb and move around. Every cage of babies and females has a wheel for excercise, and some male cages have them as well, depending on which boys they are. (While almost all baby and female rats enjoy running on a wheel, most males do not bother.) Aside from wheels, rats are provided with a variety of toys, including plastic igloos and castles, large plastic ferret tubes, and hanging toys.

SFR Lae enjoying her wheel

Bedding used is Sani-Chips ordered from Harlan through the GLFRA. Between shipments I use regular shredded Aspen. Food is lab blocks, also ordered from Harlan. Between shipments I feed a few select brands of dog food. Other food commonly fed are low-sugar cereals, dried pasta (a favorite!), and a variety of fresh fruits, veggies, and healthy table scraps.