A Rats cage should be well ventilated, and offer enough space for its inhabitants to find hiding places from one another if necessary. Bar spacing should not exceed 1/2" for adult rats, and provide appx 1.5 - 2 sqft of floor space per adult rat. 

* Critter Nation (DCN), Properly Built Bin Cages, and Prevue Rat Cages are all acceptable homes for rats. Cages can be purchased new or used. If purchased used, we reccomend sanitizing and rinsing thouroghly with bleach water.

Our preferred feed of choice is Mazuri, and is #1 on our list as a first choice feed. However we also utilize Oxbow Essentials (adult formula) which is often what we send off with our adopted rats to their new homes on account it is readily available and is an acceptable feed that can easily be purchased.. In addition to a complete nutrition lab-block, our rats are also supplemented daily with fresh rat-safe greens, fruits, veggies, and grains. Rats should never be fed a diet rich in 'seeds' like is often found sold as "rat food" by grocery/pet stores. Failure to feed your pet rats one of the two feeds listed above (or other comparable/ approved lab-type diet) will void any health warranty given with our rats. 
 

Dust-free Aspen shavings, Kiln dried pine, Yesterdays News, and Carefresh are all our preferred bedding materials. Chosen for their low dust content, and high absorbency. Dust/fragrant oils (from poor quality bedding) and Ammonia (from urine) are the leading causes for URIs in rats (upper respiratory infections). The use of cedar, cat litter, shredded paper, fabric, or other materials as bedding is at adopters own risk to the health of their pet. We are not responsible for the death/injury/illness caused by your choice bedding.
How to Choose a Bedding, and what's available to you. 

Temperature is very important to the long-term health of your rat. Disease resistance is higher when your rats are kept around 72 degrees. Temps shouldnt exceede 80 for prolonged periods of time, nor should they drop too far below 70. Pneumonia can become problematic during hotter times of the year, and can quickly kill your rat with little warning. 

Rats LOVE toys and to play. Toys that enable rats to practice their natural behaviors are even more appreciated (like digging boxes and shredded news paper). However some toys can be dangerous. Toys that can be swallowed/ingested should be avoided unless they are truly edible for rats. Many wooden bird toys are safe, rodent chews, and even many ferret toys can all be rat safe. Want to know more? Check out some of these!

Rats LOVE a good snack, and are master moochers when food is with in sight. So, its important that snacks stay snacks (meaning an occasional treat).. and that only safe snacks are only fed to rats. Unlike dogs/cats rats CAN have small amounts of chocolate. What they can not have is actually a relatively short list, and is centered around vegetables in the 'Brassica' family (mustard, broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc), hard dried corn, citrus fruit, garlic, caffeine, alcohol, dried/raw beans (cooked is okay), green bananas, and creamy peanut butter (risk of choking) are just a few dangerous foods for your rat. Want to know more? Here's a list of safe/dangerous rat snacks.

Basic Care Sheet for Rats: Care Sheet

The Rat Guide-- everything you need to know about rat care, illness, breeding, responsible ownership and more!

AFRMA (American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association)- Breeding standards, color guide, and a source for more helpful articles.