Quick RAt care!!

[Bobsean]

HI everyone,

Here is my situation Im trying to switch my male pastel back over to rats. I moved to school this semester and found a pet store that sells rats rather than mice. Today I got him his first rat. Apropriate size and everything but, he's being a little scaredy cat. So for now im stuck with this rat untill my snake eats him.

I don't want the rat to suffer untill my snake gets hungry so what can I use off hand to take care of this guy? I have a critter cage with plenty of paper towels, but thats about it. Will the rat be able to drink out of a small bowl? What kinds of food can he live off of for the time being?

Thanks,
Sean

[Flagg]

A water bottle would be better, but a bowl will work if you keep it clean and filled.

As for food, dog food if you have it will work. Any grains or unsweetened cereal, uncooked or cooked rice and pasta... Bird seed, sunflower seeds, unsalted nuts, dry oatmeal...
Fresh fruit and vegetables. Frozen vegetables. Pretty much any human food.

Provide a small box for a hide.

A plastic kritter keeper could be chewed through, especially if it's too small. A wire cage is best, or a small glass tank with wire top will work as well for temporary housing.

[littleindiangirl]

Deep Sterilite tubs work pretty well. To curb his enthusiasm to chewing your plastic, give him some nice uncooked pasta or dog biscuits.

[frankykeno]

You can grab a cheap plastic water bottle for around $3.00 at most stores. That would be a lot better than a water dish which they just tend to fill up with bedding anyways.

If you're going to buy live from a pet store it's a good idea to have a small rodent setup anyways. That way you can buy a couple of days in advance and give the rat or mouse time to get some decent food and water into it. At most pet stores they overcrowd their feeder bins so much that the prey animals aren't all that well fed or hydrated when you bring them home. Also handy for the occasional refusal like you are dealing with this week.

[Alice]

A plastic kritter keeper could be chewed through, especially if it's too small.

I agree. Before I started breeding my own rats, several years ago, I put some small rats in a large kritter keeper to keep them for a few days. Overnight the rats chewed all around the edge and eventually through two or three of the plastic slats till they could escape. What a nightmare!

If you're going to buy live from a pet store it's a good idea to have a small rodent setup anyways.

Smart advice! A small 5 gallon aquarium with a locking screen lid will work best and won't cost much from the pet store. You can even pick them up for usually less than a dollar from yard/garage sales.

[ffollett]

We put together a fairly cheap single level rat enclosure. We used a cement mixing tub from home depot, a few 1 X 2's, and metal mesh for the top.

I will try to get it out and get some pictures of it today. The way I built it you could slide the tub out from under the top. Basically like a single level rat breeding rack.

[Bobsean]

excellent! Thaks for the quick info. I moved him up from the critter cage to an extra ball python tub. He has a house now with plenty of water.

Status: "strait Munchin" on a cheero!

I guess even though hes food, his stay can be grand till then.

[frankykeno]

Well if you think about it, it really pays off to treat our live prey well. All the good food you put into a rat directly translates into a healthier prey animal. Since our snakes exist solely on that prey animal, it only makes sense that high quality prey can only benefit your snake's overall health.

For me respect for this vital prey animal is just something I've always done. Without my rats my snakes are not going to survive. I can do everything in the world to provide clean enclosures, water, etc., learn all I can learn everyday about snake husbandry but without those top quality rats my snakes just aren't going to be around and be the healthy, lovely creatures they are.