Pet Rats 101

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE GETTING RATS 🐀

Welcome 👋

Are you looking for a pet with personality and smarts but don’t have a lot of space? You should consider a pet rat! Rats make excellent pets, especially if socialized from an early age. Rats are quiet, clean, and easy to maintain. They are sweet, smart, friendly, social, active, and very entertaining.

Fancy Rat Facts 🤔

Species Overview
COMMON NAME: Rat
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rattus rattus
ADULT SIZE: Body reaches 9 to 11 inches, with an additional 8 inches of tail on average
LIFE EXPECTANCY: Up to 3 years

Types of Rats
Fancy rats come in seven varieties based on coat, ear and tail types: Standard (short, glossy coat), Rex (curly hair and curly whiskers), Satin (thin, long coat), Bristle coat (stiff, coarse hair), Tailless (born without a tail, similar to Manx cats), Hairless (born without a coat) and Dumbo (ears on the side rather than on top).

Things You'll Need 👇

• A good rat cage
• A house for your rats to sleep in
• Some quality dust-free bedding for the cage
• Food (we recommend Oxbow)
• A water bottle to keep them hydrated
• Some toys and accessories for exercise and entertainment
• A carry case for emergency vet trips

Click here to watch a video about how to train your pet rats!

This page was coded by Kendra Miller for SheCodes 👩‍💻