Fancy Rats Sexing Guide

Adult rats can be sexed from very early on. The best way to sex a rat pup is before the fur grows in and thus the nipples are still visible on the girl. These will be in two rows of six. Records need to be kept as the litter grows as you may need to record markings against gender. Slightly dampening the fur of your rat may help make nipples more visible.

Female rats are called does and male rats are called bucks.

The best way to sex a rat is to look for the distance between the anus and the genital. This is always much greater in males compared to females.

• Females: Have obvious nipples, best seen before hair grows in.
• Males: have a large bulge at the base of their tail, usually visible from 4 weeks and obviously by 6.

You can also make use of a container with a clear bottom for older animals and observe from below. Male rats do have the ability to retract their equipment, but as they relax or warm up they should drop these.

It is possible to have hermaphrodite rats (that is both male and female) and these can be fertile. If you suspect this then you need to get advice from responsible breeders or a vet experienced in rats. This does not mean the rat must be kept alone, just that you may need to spay or neuter to make this safe.

Fancy Rats Environment

Rat cannot be kept in tanks, due to the lack of ventilation. Tanks also do allow good climbing or enrichment opportunities, risking both a bored, unhealthy rat and and overweight one.

A large, barred cage is ideal. Something live a Savic Freddy 2 or Ferplast Jenny is good for pairs or small groups respectively with larger cages such as the Explorer, Savic Royale and Furet Tower housing up to 12. The fancy rats cage calculator under Further Reading can calculate how many your cage can hold. A good rule is to allow 2 cubic feet per rat, with a minimum cage size for a pair being 80x50x50cm.

All mesh floors should be avoided or covered since like Degus this could cause your rats to develop a condition known as bumblefoot.

Rats are prone to respiratory ailments and should never be kept on sawdust, wood based cat litter or anything pine or cedar based. Good substrates include Aubiose, Bedexcel, Finacard or shredded paper. Megazorb and carefresh can be used, although some keepers have reported problems with this so this should be carefully monitored.

Rats are very intelligent pets and do need a great deal of enrichment and entertainment. They can be trained to perform simple tricks and may respond to their name. Good toys include large wheels, hammocks, nesting areas and igloos, rope toys as well as more natural enrichment such as 'pea-fishing'. Pea-fishing involves putting some frozen peas into a bowl of water and letting your rats fish them out. This is particularly useful for the summer months as Rats regulate their body temperature through their tails and can use the water to dip their tails in to cool down. For other enrichment ideas, see our article on rodent enrichment.

Fancy Rats Diet

Although there are commercial mixes available for Rats these do not tend to give the full variety needed in a Fancy Rats diet. A good option is to mix your own, using online sites such as Rat Rations given under Further Reading. A popular choice is the Shunamite diet for rats, details of which are given in the book 'The Scuttling Gourmet'.

Water

Water should always be available for your pet rats and they will take this from bottle or bowl. If the former a good rule is to have two bottles, so you have a backup if one becomes clogged or otherwise broken.

Base Mix

A good base mix is Burgess Supa Natural rabbit muesli for its variety of grains, this can form around half your mix. Dog kibble can be mixed with this at a ratio of 10%; good brands include Burns or James Welbeloved. Another 10% can be made up of dry pasta, with sugar-free human cereals such as rice puffs and cornflakes making up the remainder. Lentils and mixed bird seeds can also be given.

Protein

Adults need around 12-15% of their diet to be protein. Higher levels have been linked to health issues. Young kittens, or lactating does need levels more like 20-20% - a wet kitten food such as Applaws is a good source for kittens. Other suggestions include chick peas, eggs, mackerel, soya flakes and tuna.

Fresh

Rats will love additions such as apple, banana, broccoli, curly kale, peas, and sweetcorn amongst others. You can also give cooked cous-cous, rice and cooked prawns and chicken. Items that are very high in water content such as lettuce and melon should be given sparingly, but are good for giving to rats in their carrier on long journeys where another water source is not available.

Treats

There are plenty of commercial treats available for pet rats as well as items such as pumpkin seeds, mealworms and sunflower seeds. These should not be given too frequently as they can lead to an obese rat.