Keeping Rats

pug_in_a_bed

Hello all,
well my menagerie has expanded again and I now have three rats

They have come with a huge 6ft high cage which is great.

I'm looking for some tips on feeding them, treats, toys etc. They are positively gorgeous and really friendly, although they're all fast asleep now.

The other thing is that the cage they have come in is great size wise but has an ingrained ammonia smell, I guess from them not being cleaned enough. Is there anything I can use to strip down the cage and get rid of the smell do you think? I gave it a good go over with my cage cleaning stuff before I put them in but I guess its so ingrained in the cage and in the wooden platforms that thats not enough.

My guinea pigs also live in my house so animal smells don't bother me but this is rather wiffy!

Any hints?

I'll post a picture when they wake up and when we've named them

suki1964

I would say that since the wood has been urine soaked, you are going to have to replace it to get rid of the smell

They eat ANYTHING - including the wires of the tv if you let them

I used to have two, they were the greatest of fun. We let them out the cage as often as possible and took them for walks curled up in our necks. Only got bitten the once, after that it was wee nibbles and grooming of me

IIRC I fed them rat food mix and supplemented with what ever was going, dog biscuits, corn on the cob ( slices, not a whole one) peas in the pod, runners, fruit,- just whatever

They are very inquisitive and intelligent. we used to make mazes for them and obstacle courses and played with them all the time.

tattyuk75

I had a rat called Lily about ten years ago, she was a lovely pet to have. I used to get her out all the time, her favourite thing was to sit with me and go to sleep when I was reading.

I think the above poster is right...if the ammonia smell is in the wood, I don't see how you will get it out. Can you get the wood out and maybe resand it? Might be able to sand away some of the soaked area before resealing it?

Lily used to like grapes as a treat, but most of the time she had standard rat food with some extra bits of veg. As for entertainment, they get fat and miserable if they haven't got much to do. I had various things from the pet shop but mostly I used to just play with her and have her out with me, she loved the company.

Pics would be nice!

pug_in_a_bed

Yes I've bought some new platforms today, however havong sniffed these its definately the base of the cage thats the problem so I'll have a good go on it tonight.

I've never had rats before and I can't get over how inquisitive they are! I'm lucky as these are so incredibly tame aswell..and they're more or less litter trained - they've only done their number ones in the litter tray which is marvellous.

I've bought some rope style dog toys to hang in the cage and they've got various toys the guinea pig won't bother with.

I'm using megazorb on the cage base as litter, and have given them various paper and tubes to rip up whilst I'm at work.

So the only thing is their stinkiness!

Mankysteve

rats smell unfortunately you can reduce it but you'll never get rid of it, not half as bad as ferrets though. Wooden shelf wont be helping things.

pug_in_a_bed

Its definately ingrained in the base of the cage, its actually that bad that if I can't tone it down or remove it I'll look into buying a new cage.

Its a good job no one can see me sniffing all different parts of the cage!

Actually everything I've read says rats do not smell, they are really clean and mine have spent ages doing themselves up nice just this morning! I've also sniffed them and they are going to get a bath - not their fault, just the way they've been kept

tattyuk75

I've heard that bicarb of soda can be used to get rid of smells...may help?

pug_in_a_bed

Had a really good go with the old baking soda and vinegar and it is better but not great, they've also had a bath:D so we'll see how we go

Mankysteve

When the weather hot you can put some defrosted frozen peas in shallow dish and they love that. Some will drive right in other will sit at the edge and eat catch them for there. I would like some rats again, but it wouldn't be bucks too smelly.

linda.b_4

Hi. Having had chinchillas, which are virtually odourless, I was not impressed when I got a pair of rats and they really smelled! I got them from a breeder, paid nearly £100 for a cage and 3 weeks later rang the breeder and asked if she would take them back as I could not stand the stink! I could strip down the cage and give it a good clean and within a few hours the smell started again. Although it was not a really strong smell I was aware of it all the time and it drove me nuts. The problem with young rats is that they pee everywhere and mine even did it through the bars of the cage. Hope you can either get rid of the smell or learn to live with it, but as much as they were lovely and fun, sorry to say, mine had to go.

pug_in_a_bed

well they smell much better now they've had a bath and a clear out

Thanks for all the tips, they've been spolit rotten so far so they've got me exactly where they want me:rotfl: