[Nescathewolf]

Hi all, i was just looking for some advice on how to make my girls as happy as can be.
me and my hubby got two beutiful little girls Ness (the white one) and shelk (the cute hooded one)....Unfortunately our landlord at the time decided he doesnt alow rats (a nd rats only the jerk our next door neighbour has a cat and a budgie go figure but our bad we should have double checked with her first) so we had to give them up to a store. It ends happily however for them because our lucky girls didnt go to a shelter but to an outback outlet store in our small home town and became breeders for more wonderful pet rats mothering the town pet rat suplie (and thankfully not sold to be snake food which happens to often if you ask me)
we got a new place and they allowed us to have rats so we got two girls again Brumby (my buetiful dark baby) and Rin (the sleek silver and my hubbys fav)
Now i was wondering does anyone have some advice on how to make them the most comfortable? i got a cage thats big enough for two (thou i do want them to get a slightly bigger one for chrismas) they have a little house they can curl up in and some soft paper to nest in. what kind of toys can i get them and what kind of food mix can i make for them? Also brumby is a doll and alows me to pick her up and pet her where rin panics whenever we enter the room that their home is in. once shes out she becomes calmer but still flinches at anymovment thou we try to be slow around her and refuses to come into the open, rather hideing in my hair or trys to get down hubbys shirt.... how do i let her know we mean no harm?
i know its long but any help will be apreciated thanks

 

[VanillaRat]

They are cuties first off.

Rats love toys... cardboard boxes and tubes,bird/cat and some dog toys work well,bells,things to chew (wooden knobs and such),ladders,tunnels and hammocks. Hammocks are a favorite of most rats. I make my own out of old towels/clothing and tie them to the cages using cable ties. Works perfectly!

They also need to come out at least once a day,or several times a day if for smaller amounts of time...I often take one or two out throughout the day with me and in the nights,they get free range of the "rat room" for a little while.

She will warm up to you...you only just got them (am I right?),so it is normal for them to maybe act slightly jumpy/nervous at first...until they get used to you,their surroundings and their new home.

As for food,it seems everyone has a different opinion,but we can all agree that the pet store seed mixes for rats are not good...I personally feed a homemade mix (based on Suebee's diet... http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html) along with lab blocks (Harlen Tek is one of the best,IF NOT the best) and then I give them things I eat...rice,peas,corn,veggies,fruit,bread and dog biscuits for their teeth. I also give them bits of chicken or fish sometimes. You just have to keep in mind,too much protein is not good.I have been feeding this diet for years now,never had problems and my rats are very healthy...not too fat/skinny and shiny coats/bright eyes.

Some people say to ONLY feed lab blocks,but when I tried that,my rats got very skinny and I also imagined how boring eating one thing could be,especially since rats are omnivores.

You didn't mention anything,but I wanna say DO NOT use pine or cedar shavings...these contain phenols which are harmful to small animals and can cause infections. Aspen, Carefresh, Boxo, shredded paper, Yesterdays News...things like those are safe.

 

[Nescathewolf]

She will warm up to you...you only just got them (am I right?),so it is normal for them to maybe act slightly jumpy/nervous at first...until they get used to you,their surroundings and their new home

yeah we kinda did its going on two months now...im just a little concern cause her sister brumby has adjusted so well whle Rin is still panicy. thanks for all the wonderful advice ive now put a little hamock made of a teatowel in and made them a box house to nest in

 

[VanillaRat]

yeah we kinda did its going on two months now...im just a little concern cause her sister brumby has adjusted so well whle Rin is still panicy. thanks for all the wonderful advice ive now put a little hamock made of a teatowel in and made them a box house to nest in

Oh,it could be her personality then? Maybe she is naturally more skittish? I have a rat like that. His name is Oliver. I got him and his brother,Till both when they were 5 weeks old and they are now just about a year. Till is confident and very lovey/kissy and such a sweetheart and Oliver is the complete opposite. He is more shy,reserved and jumpy. He has always been this way,no matter how much lovings I give him. It is just the kind of rat he is. He has gotten a bit better,but he still doesn't like strange people or strange sounds or anything and while I can pick him up,he is nervous. Just keep working with her and hopefully she comes around,but it may just be her personality.

Awww...you should post more pics of them when you can!

 

[Shayna&Liam]

How large is their cage? Rats like tunneling, climbing, etc. If there is enough space you should get a bird ladder hooked onto the bars and leading to your hammock, it will give them something fun to climb on. Also, old cereal boxes with tons of Kleenex make awesome places to dig and nest. And hide treats LOL.

Rats also need a decent amount of room to run, http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/guides/cagecalculator/ is a good way to determine if your cage size is adequate. Not saying that it isn't, you just didn't mention the size in your post.

P.S. Your rats are very very cute!!