A couple questions

[MeoMeu]

I've just gotten into rats about a month ago, and since starting my research on how to properly care for them, I have found that many sites have contradicting info, so I thought I'd clear up some of the questions in my head. These are only the ones off the top of my head, and I can assure you that I'll definitely have more as I go on xD (Oh and I hope nobody minds that I put questions about habitat, food, behavior, etc. together. I thought it would be better to just put them all in one thread, but I can move them if necessary )

1. How loud are your rats at night? (I want to get 2 boys, if that helps). My mom is a light sleeper and noise bothers her. I had to move my hamster's cage downstairs because she would run in the wheel, which rattled, and would occasional gnaw on the connectors that connect her cages. The only place I can keep a rat cage is in my room (and I just measured and the double CN fits perfectly between my bed and the wall), but if there was a lot of noise it would bother her. (Although by the time I can actually get rats, which is in one or two years, me might move to a different house so I could keep them in a different room, but until further notice....)

2. What are your cleaning schedules and what do you use to clean? I hear a lot of people say they use baby wipes. What brand? Do you let the cage air dry, do you wipe with water after, etc? I heard some discussions about vinegar causing respiratory problems on this forum (i also happen to use vinegar and baking soda to clean my hamster's stuff), should I avoid using vinegar?

3. So I've been looking around for the best food brands. Harlan Teklad 2014 seems to be a popular choice. I also live near the Uni of Guelph, so it wouldn't be hard for me to get it. I've read that some people mix it with Regal Rat by Oxbow, would this be a better option that just feeding Harlan alone? Also, how often and in what amounts do you give your rats treats (fruits, veggies, human foods, etc.)

Thought of another question, aha. My mom's friend got this fleece bed for me, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rat-Hamster-Min ... 0549957989 I can't use it for my hamster because as soon as she sees it she immediately begins trying to shred the fleece out of it, and fleece isn't recommended on the hamster forum because it can cause internal blockages. I know people use fleece liners, but are these ok too?

Sorry for all the questions! Just want to make sure i'll be doing everything right

 

[M0onkist]

Questions are all very welcome, you know! And you have some very good ones.

1. I've had both boys and girls, and personally I find boys to be a lot quieter - Princess (my heart rat) would chew the bars to no end when I had just turned off the light to go to sleep - of course then I'd get up and tell her 'no chewie the bars!' which gave her the attention she wanted... nothing like being trained by your rat!
In terms of wheel-running, some rats will run on a wheel, some will only sleep in the wheel - it's sort of a personality thing. If the rats you get do run on the wheel, a drop of olive oil near the joint should keep it nice and quiet for your Mom. Keep in mind too you don't want fabrics (such as might be on your bed) right next to a cage - that's just a prime target for wee rattie teeth, even with the tight bars of the CN.

2. I do spot cleaning every day - moving poopies to the bottom pan, etc. Full cleaning is every few days. I use Pampers Sensitive Extra Thick, and I think that's what Shelagh uses too (feel free to contradict me, Shel!). I don't wash after the wipes, since they're made to be non-toxic and hypoallergenic. Back in the day, before I saw the light, I used SuperPet deodorizing cage cleaner, which STANK. That one, I did rinse off, mainly because I was afraid of what might be in it given the powerful cleaner smells. Personally I wouldn't use vinegar near rats - hamsters (I think) can handle pine bedding, and rats can't, so what works with hamsters doesn't always work with rats. I find that baby wipes do a very fine job of keeping everything clean and odor free (as much as any living creature can be odor free).

3. Generally feeding just one type of block is best - not because variety isn't the spice of life, but because rats prefer Harlan 99% of the time, and will ignore Oxbow until they're starving - now Oxbow has recently reformulated their Regal Rat mix (too many rats ignoring it!). Not sure if rats prefer it more. One thing to keep in mind too is Oxbow is FAR more expensive - $1.90 a pound (if you get the 50 lb bag), versus Harlan's $0.79 a pound. A lot of that price difference comes from the fact that Harlan is formulated (or was originally formulated) for lab rats, so they have a big facility to manufacture the feed.

Fruits I don't give too often - a piece of banana if I'm eating a banana, a pile of blueberries, or a slice of apple. My girls (the Pips) seems to prefer veggies, and love carrots, peas, beans, corn, *squash!*, *sweet potatoes!!* - they also have an unusual fondness for chives and green onions, which give them very interesting chive breath, lol. Servings are usually one per (or two baby carrots per rat), or I give the 3 girls one small jar of baby food. Can also feed the equivalent of that small jar in baby cereal - you'll find baby food is remarkably handy when it comes to rats, lol - they LOVE these puff treats that they have in the baby aisle - flavors like peach, strawberry, sweet potato, banana... can't get enough of them!

Fleece beds like the one you showed should be fine - they might well rip the stuffing out of it, but rats are very particular about what they eat versus what they use for nesting - you might wind up with a rag that might have once been a fleece bed, and nesting matter in some random corner of your cage. :giggle: They are silly darlings! Even male rats will nest sometimes (if it's in their personality).

Anyway, I hope that helped, at least a bit! Keep posting more questions, we love answering and helping!

 

[jorats]

1.I'm a light sleeper and if your mom can hear your hamster, she will hear the rats. I've had both males and females be loud, it's all in the personality, there is not one sex louder than the other.

2. I use very diluted vinegar when cleaning my cage. I do a full scrub down once a week with daily wipe ups with baby wipes, unscented. The cage dries fast, a quick wipe with a dry rag will do it.

3.My rats are fed a mix of HT 2014 and Oxbow. I'm very fortunate that my rats love both blocks. I'm not a fan of giving fruits, I find it always softens up their poops and that's not a good thing. My guys get daily fresh or frozen veggies. (thawed in hot water)

4. I do use fleece and only fleece in my cages but that does mean that you will need to change it to clean it every couple of days since it does smell quickly.

 

[Joanne]

I'm glad you are doing your research before you get your rats - then you will know exactly what to expect.

1. I agree that if the hamster was too noisy, then the rats will be too.

2. I use diluted vinegar spray followed by a plain water spray to wipe everything down. I use fleece so I have to do 'rat laundry' a couple of times a week. I also have to repair things as they get chewed up, so my sewing machine sometimes gets a lot of action.

3. My rats prefer Harlan 2014, so that is all I offer for dry food. The food is free-choice, so the bowl always has some in it. I also feed them fruit, veggies, yogurt, baby food, and anything I might be eating such as rice and pasta. Last night they had shepard's pie as a treat - they loved it! I don't give them junk food (eg: french fries, chips, candy).

Rats love to demolish things, but don't usually eat foreign objects. I personally wouldn't let them have foam although others do, just because I would be afraid they would aspirate a piece.

Good luck! There is lots of good info on this forum, and lots of people willing to put in their two cents!

 

[MeoMeu]

Thanks for the answers everyone!
About how loud they are;
If I had them out for 2+ hours a day, their wheel wasn't noisy (if they even want to use one..), they have hammocks and toys,etc., would it still be loud? Do they chew on the cage bars?
Because the only reasons I had to move my hamster downstairs was because her wheel was suppppeeerrrr noisy (you could even hear her running from across the house) and she loved to gnaw on the cage, no matter how many chew toys she had. If it's just light noises like them walking around, climbing, eating, etc. then my mom wouldn't mind at all because I could just close my door and she wouldn't hear it.

 

[toeberto]

Re: the noise, my two are pretty loud. It isn't the normal stuff that wakes me at night (such as their wheel), it's the amount of time they spend renovating their cage. Mine spend *a lot* of time moving things around, tossing toys/bedding/etc down to the lower level or hauling stuff from the lower level up to the second level. I'm not sure if my two are just uncommon with this stuff, but they are definitely active/noisy most nights. We've learned to sleep through most of it, but there are still some nights where I'll wake up due to banging, etc.

I'll add that they do this regardless of getting out to play every day and also having quieter entertainment opportunities. They seem completely happy and content but they are really active (and thus noisy).

Sarah
http://bentorats.blogspot.com/

 

[jorats]

Some rats are squeakers and might be quite vocal during playtime at night. Some are bar chewers, some run so hard through out the cage you can hear the levels rattle.

 

[mamarat]

I agree with toeberto when I see my cages in the morning, I'm glad they're not in my room at night.lol

 

[MissGuardian]

It varies a lot.. I´ve had rats that mostly slept through the night..
And now I have one bar chewer(periodically), and they tend to jump the levels instead of climbing the stairs or the walls..
Using fleece instead of bedding has helped A LOT tho.. I´m a very light sleeper, but I don´t wake up from them a lot unless they squeak or something..
I woke up all the time when using bedding(yesterday´s news).
Mine don´t have the wheel(they don´t use it anyway), and I use water bowls instead of noisy bottles, so I don´t have to worry about that.
So it really depends.. And it depends on what kind of sounds you react to..