Soon to be rat owner
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Welcome!
Critter Nation cages are really popular. You can start with a single and add on later or go with the larger double (basically two singles) and add on from there. If you look online, you'll find that some people have like an entire wall of 8 cages (4 doubles connected to each other). The same company makes Ferret Nation cages which look similar but with vertical bars that are more widely spaced apart. Good for ferrets but not for rats.
Exotic Nutrition has similar cages but they're more expensive.
Petsmart's Full Cheeks line has some good cages.
Prevue has a small animal cage that might be ok. It just has vertical bars which doesn't allow for climbing but you can just put in wooden ledges and rope and other things.
If a brand new cage is too expensive, start saving money or you can look on FB Marketplace, FreeCycle, Buy Nothing, etc for used cages.
Oxbow seems to be the most popular brand of commercial rat food in the US. The Essentials line is recommended. Food Archives - Oxbow Animal Health
Places to buy rat cage accessories: Suggestions on stores for supplies? (US)
DIY toys: cardboard tubes, cardboard boxes, lots of other ideas on Pintrest and YouTube
General rat info if you're completely new to owning rats:
https://www.youtube.com/@ShadowTheRat
Critter Nation cages are really popular. You can start with a single and add on later or go with the larger double (basically two singles) and add on from there. If you look online, you'll find that some people have like an entire wall of 8 cages (4 doubles connected to each other). The same company makes Ferret Nation cages which look similar but with vertical bars that are more widely spaced apart. Good for ferrets but not for rats.
Exotic Nutrition has similar cages but they're more expensive.
Petsmart's Full Cheeks line has some good cages.
Prevue has a small animal cage that might be ok. It just has vertical bars which doesn't allow for climbing but you can just put in wooden ledges and rope and other things.
If a brand new cage is too expensive, start saving money or you can look on FB Marketplace, FreeCycle, Buy Nothing, etc for used cages.
Oxbow seems to be the most popular brand of commercial rat food in the US. The Essentials line is recommended. Food Archives - Oxbow Animal Health
Places to buy rat cage accessories: Suggestions on stores for supplies? (US)
DIY toys: cardboard tubes, cardboard boxes, lots of other ideas on Pintrest and YouTube
General rat info if you're completely new to owning rats:
American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association
A non-profit international Rat & Mouse club for show and pets
www.afrma.org
I wanted to recommend some research resources before you get your ratties and I’m sure you’ve already done a bunch!
YouTube:
The Rat Guru
Shadow The Rat
Emiology
Look up “rat care” on google and you’ll get lots of articles.
Books:
Rats by Debbie Ducomman
💛
Oh, don't forget vet care. It's good to know of a local vet that you can use if your rat(s) ever need veterinary care. Look for an exotic vet as most cat / dog vets do not care for small critters. You can look for a board certified exotic vet here: https://aemv.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=6650
Exotic vets are typically more expensive than cat / dog vets so have a plan on how to afford unexpected veterinary bills. Set up a bank account just for vet bills and put money into it as often as you can, look into CareCredit if you're over the age of 18, etc.
Exotic vets are typically more expensive than cat / dog vets so have a plan on how to afford unexpected veterinary bills. Set up a bank account just for vet bills and put money into it as often as you can, look into CareCredit if you're over the age of 18, etc.
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