This isnt abuse is it?

My room mate keeps on saying that im abusing my rats with the conditions they live in. Im going to type how I have them set up below, but im a little worried hell call animal control. I dont THINK im abusing them, but I figured Id double check with you guys.


I have 1 male and 1 female rat(my first breeders) in the breeding cage. they have their own seperate cages for when they are not consumating, and I have a 20 long nursery tank set up for the mother when she starts getting close to the birthing.
I plan on adding more females and one more male. Probably only 2 rats per cage. a little cramped perhaps but nothing terrible. the cages are about 2 feet long and 1.5 foot deep.

I use shredded newspaper as bedding which I change once a week. They always have fresh water, and food(alpo dog food), and I put one whole towel(the kind you would use to dry off after a shower) in each cage and they make nests using them and it keeps them warm on the colder nights.

They are housed underneath if my deck, which provides plenty of shape in the first place, and I have a tarp fixed to the decks underside so that they are never exposed to rain(I made it so that the water doesnt pool, it slides down into a drain near my basement door)

We do have a few cats that wander the neighborhood, but Ive never seen them in my backyard before, and I dont think it will be a problem. Nothing could get into those cages unless it has opposable thumbs.

So is everything im doing okay? or could I get in legitimite trouble for this?

Well dog food really isn't the best... But I wouldn't consider it abuse.

I personally wouldn't keep them outside like that for fear of bugs and such, but I don't see anything that would be considered abuse.

How cold does it get?

As long as the rats arent being exposed to extreme temperature changes or being kept in extreme temps then i do not really see any abuse taking place...
Im no rat expert tho lol

I dont see anything except the dog food being the issue... Please look into buyin rat block from a petstore or even walmart carries a box of rat block for less then most dog food. Also remember rats are warm blooded so if your hot, they are hot, as with cold. Is it possible to move then inside? I have 2 1.4 colonies that do great in my room, so your single smaller pair should be just fine even if its in the garage. If youd like I can post links for rat care info. I also believe this forum has a caresheet... Good luck and keep us posted

I don't see anything there that would be considered abuse. I used newspaper at one time and had to change it every day, so I don't see how you get away with once a week, but as long as the stench isn't overpowering in that weeks time then it's fine. Dog food does not provide all the nutrients that a rat needs so I suggest switching to some form of rodent lab block such as Mazuri or Harlan Teklad, both of which are made by Purina.

find a new room mate.

Personally, I wouldn't keep them outside, but I don't see anything that qualifies as abuse. As for feeding them Alpo, you really will get a higher quality feeder for your reptiles if you stop feeding dog food and move to a rat formulated lab block.

I see you're from Maryland. How did your colony fair over the winter? Any drop off or up tick in production?

I believe dog food is extremely high in protein, which is why it's recommended to use rat block and not dog food. High protein diet in rats causes liver damage and shortens their life pretty significantly. I definitely wouldn't call your set up animal abuse though. The only thing I'd personally change is the diet and being outside, but that's just me.

I would also advise to move them indoors, and to change to a rat block instead of Alpo. Personally, I think they stink worse when you feed cat/dog food, than when you feed them rat block.

I don't see it as abuse, but to me, it doesn't appear to be optimal living conditions either.

What kind of bug problems do you mean? Like flies, if I dont clean them often enough or something?

And right now its around the 70s most of the time. Nights dont get below 40 and even when its hot as hell theyre under a deck with great airflow.