Online House Hunting - What are the absolute neccessities for owning a rat?

What are the absolute neccessities for owning a rat?

As i said in a previous question (I really want some rats but my parents aren't too sure. Help?) I was having trouble trying to convince my parents to warm to the idea of having rats in the house, and i looked at all the answers (which were all very helpful) and i've done it!!! I have to wait a couple of months, but as long as i'm good (lol it sounds like i'm like 4 years old) then my parents will let me have two little rattie friends(both female). But now i need to know the accessities...like what type of cage is big enough and better for two rats to live in: www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-6+small+pets/breed-is-rat/product-is-10781 In that one it says its big enough for up to four rats to live...but i don't trust them -_-, they'd say anything just to get you to buy it for that price. or maybe this one would be good for two rats: www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-6+small+pets/breed-is-rat/product-is14066 it's a little cheaper, and there are actually two rats in it...but it looks a tad small...but whatt do i know? also what else would a first time rat owner need to know...please tell me...like what bedding, what litter, what toys...etc. also any names for girl rats would be helpful, i'd prefer them not to be everyday human names, (like sally, sarah, sue etc-lol i didn't intend them all to begin with S) anyway, so any help would be much appreciated. thanks =). PS. Please don't leave any unhelpful and immature comments. Thanks =). ALSO: if the link's don't work, then just go on the pets at home website and click on "small pet", at the top, scroll down a tiny bit and click on rat, with the picture to the left of it, go straight to page two, scroll down, and i'm talking about the "jenny rat cage by ferplast" in the first one, and "Freddy 2 Rat cage by Savic" in the second one. THANK YOU. no immature comments please ( i know i write it twice, but this is just to emphasise how much i dislike people who just log in and write unhelpfull comments on purpose.

Public Comments

Love, Food, Water and a big cage is all they require. They are quite low matinence. I've had mine for two years and he is about to die of cancer and he was so sweet. If you don't like them they don't last long. But they are very gentle creatures. Loving
Like you im getting 2 female rats in a couple of months =D Im getting the Jenny Ferplast cage for my rats, its a bit expensive but everywhere ive looked, everyone ive asked has said that it can hold up to 5 rats ithout them being cramped! I also have a friend of the family type person who has this cage for his 3 rats, and they arent at all cramped! But i went to the pets at home shop near me today and the Freddy 2 Rat cage was on the shelf, it is bigger than it looks! But the Jenny Ferplast is much bigger, and only 10 Pounds more expensive For lots of information on Rats check this site: http://www.evergreenrattery.com/careguide/index.html Its got loooadds of info there.
An owner that will really care for them for up to 3 years, a well-ventilated cage, food and water bowls, rat food, water, and toys. I emphasize that CareFresh is one of the best bedding there is. DO NOT get bedding made from Pine or Cedar wood, these have often-fatal effects on small pets. Be sure to get chew toys (wooden, not squeaky! :) ) and rats love hammocks to lay in in their cage. My cage is 2 feet by 21/2 feet. Personally, I think it's almost too large, but the two floors are helpful when my Isabelle bullies my other rat Nina, so I could seperate them... Off-topic. Any large, ventilated cage is good, but be sure not to get a cage with a wire floor, as your rats will get bumblefoot, an infection of the feet. Food. I use Nutriphase gold, but most any rat/mouse food is okay. I say rat/mouse because there are several food brands just for mice. Don't buy those. Rats and mice have similar, but not identical nutritional needs. Food brands marked Mouse/Rat often combine their needs into one bag of food. Make sure the food doesn't have too many nuts in it, nutts have too much fat in them to be eaten freely. Hope I helped!
Hi I've been a rat owner for many years water and food and daily handling are all they need to make them happy.And don't use cedar shavings as bedding that causes breathing problems.Here there are lots of articles on rats and how rat owners should be check out this link www.cuterats.webs.com
Visit my website (it's in the sources section.) It has most of what you'll need to know :)
all you need is bedding wood shavings a cage food water a water bottle or bowl a place in the house to keep it
Litter: Don't use hay, as it has mites. Cedar and pine shavings are bad, as they release phenols that are harmful to the respiratory system. Aspen is a safe wood chip to use, but it can be dusty. Stay away from most cat litters, as they are also dusty, but you can use recycled paper pellet cat litters, as they are very safe, almost dust free and keep smells down. Carefresh is also a good litter. Bedding: Rats love somewhere to hide, so I would recommend buying them an igloo. You can stuff it with fabric, paper towels, tissues or carefresh bedding, so that they can make nice little nests for themselves. They will also love any box you give them (an empty tissue is a favourite in my cage; it lasts a few hours if it is lucky). Hammocks are also loved by rats; just hang them all over the cage and they'll bounce around on them, and use them as beds as well. Cages: Try this cage calculator; you just have to put in the dimensions of a cage, click calculate and see what the answer is! http://ratclub.org/cgi-bin/cage3.cgi (ratclub.com is also a great site for all things rattie). Food: Stay away from pet shop mixes as they are usually unsuitable. A rats diet should consist mostly of grains, but they do love some seeds (sunflower, pumpkin etc) and nuts (anything! Just make sure any peanuts you give them are *cooked*). You can google 'rat mix recipes' and you should find a variety of ideas about making your own mix (this is what I do, and it's great because I know what my rats are eating). If you want to make things a little easier, you could feed them a specially formulated food pellet. One of the best brands is Harlan Tekland. You should also make sure to give your rats fresh food at least every day (vegetables, fruit, a little bit of what you have for dinner, etc). Treats are also great (though of course you have to give them in moderation), and chocolate is not dangerous to rats, so you can give them some of that. My rats looooove peanut butter, so naturally they adore peanut butter cups. Yogurt drops are also a favourite. Just remember to keep it all in proportion. Toys: If you get a wheel, make sure it is rat safe. You do not want a wheel where the bars or the turning mechanism are accessible; you don't want a tail getting caught in anything and degloving (where the flesh is ripped away from the bone, and often has to be surgically repaired). Good wheels are the Silent Spinner and Wodent Wheels. Something to chew is always great; you can get them special chews from the pet shop, but organic apple wood is great (make sure it's organic; you don't want them consuming any pesticides). Health: Rats are very prone to respiratory infections, so they will no doubt need to go to the vet at some stage to get some medication. Doxycycline and baytril are two of the best drugs for dealing with mycoplasma (something all rats are born with). Female rats are prone to tumours later in life, too, but they can often be removed quite easily. Spaying your girls when they are younger helps lower the likelihood that they will get a tumour greatly. All my girls are spayed. But don't let that you freak you out, the health issues are just a tiny bit of keeping rats. The rest of it is pretty much awesome. Mostly, enjoy your girls. Don't be scared to pick them up and play with them when you get them; you want them to get used to you. Pop them down your top and let them snuggle into you. Talk to them and generally spend time around them. Rats are a great pet, just like little dogs really. As for names; I picked whatever I liked. Here is the list of my girls names, maybe you might find one you like. Mabel, Agatha, Poppy, Gertrude, Tilly, Ivy, Bella, Rosa, Cleopatra, Hazel, Wilhelmina, Grace, Mary, Angelica, Daisy, Tabitha, Margot, Ruby, Prudence, Violet, Zuri. (Yes, I have lots of rats! lol. That doesn't even include my male rats).
The Freddy 2 cage is my favourite :) I've always used it for my rats and I've never had a problem with it. I had 4 boys in it, but it wasn't ideal. For bedding, non-clay cat litter is ideal for rats, as anything dusty can be very dangerous to them. I believe Pets At Home's wooden cat litter pellets have been replaced into the small pets bit, they have in my local store, anyway :) As for food, I prefer pellets for rats, as it stops selective feeding'...Basically, it means they have to eat everything, and not just the bits that they like best. (treats can be just about anything really, small bits of bread, veggies, fruits etc, feed them sparingly though, else you could have some porky little ratties! (they like it if you hide them, and make them use their brains to find it) Bedding, again, nothing dusty...Shredded papers, or fleece, something similar :) Toys, the homemade ones are the best (It saves you money, and is usually much healthier for your rats) Empty cardboard tubes, boxes, things hanging on string for them to chew. I will say one thing though, the hammock and rope bridge that Pets at home do (They're pricey) are great, my rats absolutely loved them. Them, and bird ladders, just anything they can climb on. Because rats are so smart, always make sure you use their names whenever you can, teach them to do things, like run up your arm if you make a certain noise, etc; reward them with a treat if they do what you want them to, and keep chalenging them. Spend as much time with them as you can, it will make them happier, and healthier, 'cuz you're more likely to notice if there's anything wrong with them. :) I hope you enjoy your rats, they're great pets. :) As for names, wait until you get your rats, when you see them and get to know them, you'll find a name that fits each one perfectly :)