Written by the Birdsville team. Last updated October 2026.

Pet rats are intelligent, social and genuinely affectionate animals that bond closely with their owners. With regular handling and a little patience, most become confident, friendly pets that enjoy company, play and even simple tricks. Rats have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell and hearing, which shapes how they read the world and how you should approach them. This guide from Birdsville, Sydney’s small animal specialists at 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, covers everything you need for rat care, from setting up the enclosure to diet, health, handling and finding your rat the company it needs.

Rat Care Quick Facts

  • Scientific name: Rattus norvegicus domestica
  • Also known as: fancy rat
  • Adult weight: females 350 to 450g, males 450 to 650g
  • Lifespan: 2 to 3 years
  • Diet type: omnivore
  • Minimum enclosure: 60cm long, 42cm wide and 61cm high for a pair, and larger for a bigger group
  • Company: never keep a rat alone
  • Temperature range: 18 to 24°C, with heat stress a risk above 27°C
  • Experience level: great for first-time owners, easygoing and highly sociable

On This Page

  • Rats as Pets
  • Essential Supplies for Rats
  • Rat Enclosures
  • Substrate and Bedding
  • Toys and Enrichment
  • What Do Pet Rats Eat?
  • Providing Water to Your Rats
  • Mineral Supplements and Vitamins
  • Behaviour and Handling
  • Training
  • Teeth Health
  • Common Health Problems
  • Parasite Control
  • Desexing
  • Health, Hygiene and Safety
  • Toxic and Dangerous Hazards
  • General Care and Grooming
  • Sexing Your Rat
  • Compatibility with Other Animals
  • History of Domestic Rats
  • Holiday Care and Boarding
  • Transportation
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Recommended Vets and Links

Are Rats Good Pets?

Yes. Despite their undeserved reputation, pet rats are clean, sensitive, playful animals that are rarely aggressive when properly handled. They learn quickly, recognise their owners and often enjoy riding on a shoulder or sitting in a lap.

Nearly all domestic rats carry a bacterium called Mycoplasma, which can cause respiratory symptoms to flare up from time to time, however well they’re cared for. This isn’t a sign of poor care. It’s simply a trait of the species, and it’s covered in detail under Common Health Problems below.

Teach children not to poke their fingers into the cage after handling food, as even a friendly rat may be tempted to take a taste.

Essential Supplies for Rats

Housing and Enclosure

  • An enclosure suited to your rats’ age, with bar spacing narrow enough that a baby rat can’t squeeze through (see Rat Enclosures below)
  • A litter tray for litter training
  • A hide or tent, sized with future growth in mind, such as a wooden rodent house (https://petsville.com.au/products/natural-rodent-house-wooden)
  • A hammock

Bedding and Substrate

Water and Feeding

Supplements

  • A salt or mineral lick, optional if the diet is already balanced but a sensible extra

Enrichment and Toys

Hygiene and Cleaning

First Aid and Grooming

  • A rat-safe shampoo for the occasional bath
  • A basic first aid kit

Transport

What You May Consider

  • Spare bowls
  • Small animal vitamins, if you’re feeding a lower quality diet
  • A soft bed
  • A synbiotic or probiotic supplement
  • A rat harness for outings

Everything on this list, and plenty more, is available in-store at Birdsville, and our team is happy to help you put the right combination together. Many items can also be ordered online from Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/collections/rats-mice), with delivery Australia-wide.

What Size Enclosure Do Pet Rats Need?

We recommend a minimum enclosure of 60cm long, 42cm wide and 61cm high for a pair of rats, and bigger again for a larger group. Rats grow larger than most people expect and love to climb, so a cage with several levels suits them well.

Set the cage up with enrichment in mind:

  • Top level: hanging toys, a hammock and a hide
  • Middle: perches, a drink bottle and a salt lick
  • Bottom: tunnels, food bowls and chew toys

Always check the bar spacing before you buy, as baby rats can squeeze through gaps in cages made for adults. Our team can help you choose a suitable enclosure, and you’re welcome to test the spacing in-store. Rat cages are sold in-store only, as they’re too large to post.

Substrate and Bedding

Rats are prone to respiratory irritation, so choose a dust-free, absorbent bedding such as hemp. A bedding depth of around 5 to 15cm works well, and deeper bedding needs changing less often. Use a different material in the litter tray from the rest of the enclosure, so your rats learn the difference.

Toys and Enrichment

Rats are playful and need regular mental stimulation. Without it, boredom can lead to problem chewing and low mood over time.

  • Tubes, tunnels, hides and boxes to climb through
  • Balls and soft toys to chew or pull apart
  • Bird perches and ladders, which make a great addition to a rat cage
  • Hammocks, a favourite for both play and sleep
  • An exercise wheel sized for rats, larger than a mouse or hamster wheel

Rotate toys regularly and replace anything that’s been chewed apart, which usually means your rats loved it. Chewing toys also keeps teeth worn down, which matters more than it might seem (see Teeth Health below).

What Do Pet Rats Eat?

A quality rat pellet or balanced rat mix should make up around 90 to 95% of a pet rat’s diet, with the other 5 to 10% coming from fresh fruit, vegetables and treats.

Our top pick is Birdsville Blends Rat and Mouse (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-rat-mouse-500g), one of our most popular small animal foods. It’s a well-rounded, healthy mix formulated specifically for rats, and we mix it fresh on site from quality, nutrient-rich ingredients, including vegetables, sweet potato, pumpkin seeds and other seeds, nuts, grains and meaty bites. Sweet potato is rich in vitamin A and fibre, pumpkin seeds and nuts add healthy fats and minerals like zinc, the meaty bites add protein, and grains give slow-release energy. Because you’re buying direct from the people who make it, there’s no middleman, so you get better value too. Science Selective Rat and Vetafarm Rodent Origins are also good choices, balanced for vitamins, minerals and protein. Avoid cheap supermarket rat food, which often contains fillers, artificial additives and poorly digestible ingredients. If you do use one, add small animal vitamins to the water.

How Much to Feed by Age

  • Babies, birth to around 4 weeks: young rats feed from their mother and start nibbling solid food at about 2 to 3 weeks, and are fully weaned by about 4 weeks.
  • Juveniles, 4 weeks to around 6 months: growing rats need a higher protein food, around 20 to 22% protein, with pellets available around the clock to support their fast growth.
  • Adults, from around 6 months: feed about 15 to 20g of a quality rat food per rat each day, with 14 to 18% protein. Give it as one measured serve each morning in a bowl that won’t tip over, and top up the water at the same time. Most rats are good at pacing themselves, so leftovers can stay until the next feed, but keep an eye on body condition, as some rats will overeat.

Fruit and Veggie Guide

These are examples, not a complete list.

Fruits

Apple, pear, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon and apricot.

Vegetables

Pumpkin, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrot, celery, sweet potato, cucumber, spinach, cos lettuce and squash.

Protein and Treats

Small amounts of cooked, boneless chicken, beef, tuna, salmon and egg are good protein sources. Liver is very rich, so keep it occasional. Other occasional treats include plain cooked rice or pasta, oats, rice cakes, a small piece of cheese, a dog biscuit and plain baby food.

Avoid Entirely

  • Peanut butter, which is a choking risk, as rats can’t vomit
  • Dried corn, which can grow mould
  • Iceberg lettuce, which has little nutritional value
  • Orange peel and orange juice
  • Licorice, rhubarb, raw potato skins and green or unripe potatoes
  • Poppy seeds
  • Chocolate, lollies and processed junk food
  • Blue cheese and creamy dressings
  • Too much cheese

Red cabbage and artichokes can cause gas, so leave them out too.

Providing Water to Your Rats

Fresh water matters more than most people realise. Many pet rodents brought in looking sick are simply dehydrated. Keep clean water available at all times, ideally in a bottle, which stays cleaner than a bowl. Drink bottle tubes can clog with food, so check the bottle is working if the water level hasn’t dropped.

Mineral Supplements and Vitamins

A salt or mineral lick is an optional extra for a rat on a balanced diet. Depending on where produce is grown, some fresh food can be low in minerals, and a lick lets your rats top up when their body needs it. Salt and minerals support digestion, muscles, nerves and fluid balance, and rats are good at taking only what they need. If your rats eat a lower quality food, add small animal vitamins to the water.

Behaviour and Handling

Give a new rat a day or two to settle, and wait until it’s eating and drinking normally before you start picking it up. Let it get used to your scent first. Rest a hand near the enclosure or let it come to you, which builds trust far faster than reaching straight in.

Handle your rat gently in short sessions, always supporting its body with both hands. Rats can jump, and a fall from height can cause serious injury. Once bonded, most rats love a face rub, a cuddle and a treat while they’re being held.

Spend time with your rats every day. Two short sessions a day with a favourite treat give the best results for building trust and teaching simple cues like coming when called.

Bringing Your Rats Home

Have the enclosure set up before you bring your rats home, with food, water and a hide already in place, so they can settle straight in. Bring them home in a secure carry cage and keep the trip calm and quiet.

Place the enclosure somewhere quiet, away from heavy foot traffic, loud noise and other pets. Let your rats explore and get used to new sounds and smells for a day or two before handling them. Keep the household calm during this time, and introduce children and other pets gradually once your rats seem comfortable.

Training

Litter Training

Use a litter tray with an absorbent, unscented material that’s different from the main bedding. Fill it a few centimetres deep and place it where your rats already tend to toilet. Move any droppings you find elsewhere into the tray, and reward your rats with a treat when they use it. It can take a few weeks, and the tray usually only needs a full clean once a week.

Harness Training

Use a harness made for rats, never a collar. Let your rat wear it indoors for a few minutes at a time before you attach a lead, and build up slowly. Keep outings occasional, short and calm.

Teeth Health

A rat’s teeth grow constantly throughout its life. Without the right diet and plenty to chew, the teeth can overgrow and dig into the face, causing pain, infection and trouble eating. In serious cases, a rat can die because it can’t chew or swallow. Keep a wooden chew toy in the cage at all times to keep the teeth worn down naturally.

Common Health Problems in Pet Rats

Respiratory Disease (Mycoplasma)

Respiratory disease is the most common health problem in pet rats, which is why it gets a detailed section here. Nearly every pet rat carries Mycoplasma pulmonis, but carrying it doesn’t mean a rat will get sick. Many rats live full, symptom-free lives.

Whether the infection becomes active comes down mostly to things you can control: ventilation, stress, overcrowding and other infections. Ammonia from dirty bedding is one of the biggest triggers. Urine breaks down into ammonia quickly, and if the bedding isn’t changed often enough, it irritates the airways and can tip a carrier into a flare up. A full bedding change once or twice a week, more often in a smaller cage or with more rats, keeps ammonia down.

Our breeders focus on genetic diversity and don’t breed from rats with health problems. Even so, Mycoplasma is so widespread in domestic rats worldwide that every rat should be assumed to carry it, and no breeder can guarantee a Mycoplasma-free rat.

Watch for sneezing, laboured or open-mouth breathing, discharge from the nose or eyes, weight loss, lethargy or a drop in appetite. If any of these last more than a day or two or get worse, see a vet. A sneezing rat isn’t automatically a rat in danger. Many rats with mild symptoms respond well to antibiotics and better cage hygiene, and even rats with recurring symptoms can usually be kept comfortable long term. The bacteria can’t be cleared completely, but early treatment manages it well.

Tumours

Tumours are fairly common in pet rats and can become serious without early vet care. A weekly health check helps you find lumps early. Desexing female rats greatly lowers the risk of mammary tumours (see Desexing below).

Red Discharge Around the Eyes or Nose (Porphyrin)

Rat tears contain a red pigment called porphyrin, so a little red staining can be normal. More than usual can be a sign of stress or illness and is worth a vet check.

Bumblefoot

Bumblefoot is sores on the feet, usually caused by dirty cages or wire floors with nothing solid to walk on. Wooden perches, ladders or ramps over a wire base help prevent it.

Dandruff or Fur Loss

Flaky skin or patches of fur loss usually point to mites, or less often fleas. Regular preventative treatment and a good multivitamin usually clear it up.

Weight Loss

Weight loss is often caused by overgrown teeth, but it can also point to illness or injury. See a vet if it continues.

Sudden Death

Rarely, a small animal can die suddenly with no clear cause found, even after a vet examination. It’s upsetting, but it’s a recognised risk with any small pet.

Weekly Health Checks

Once a week, run your hands over your rat from head to tail, check its ribs aren’t too prominent, and look for clear eyes, a clean nose and a clean mouth. Our team is happy to show you how. We’re not vets, though, so take anything worrying to one of the vets listed below.

Parasite Control

Spray with a lice and mite treatment every 3 months as prevention. Rats can pick up mites and lice even with no other pets in the house. Fleas are rare, but can be treated with a flea shampoo or powder along with a full wash of the cage and bedding.

Desexing

Desexing is optional, but worth talking to your vet about, especially for females. Spaying greatly lowers the risk of mammary tumours, one of the most common problems in older female rats. Desexing also lets males and females live together without the risk of litters.

Health, Hygiene and Safety

Rats live in close contact with their bedding, so keeping it clean is about more than smell. Built-up urine and ammonia are a common trigger for the respiratory flare ups covered above.

  • Daily: spot clean wet or dirty bedding and refresh food and water.
  • Weekly: do a full bedding change, once or twice a week, and clean the litter tray.
  • Monthly: wash the whole cage and its accessories with a rat-safe cleaner.

If the cage starts to smell, it’s overdue for a clean.

What Is Toxic to Pet Rats?

The foods under Avoid Entirely above are the main food dangers, especially peanut butter, dried corn, poppy seeds and chocolate. Around the home, also watch out for:

  • Cedar and untreated pine shavings, whose oils irritate a rat’s airways
  • Aerosols, scented candles, incense and fumes from non-stick cookware
  • Drops and ledges during free-roam time, as rats have poor eyesight
  • Electrical cords and anything else within chewing reach

General Care and Grooming

Rats are naturally clean and groom themselves and each other regularly, so they rarely need a bath. If one is needed, use a rat-safe shampoo only. Nails can be trimmed if they aren’t wearing down naturally, and our team can check and trim them in-store.

Sexing Your Rat

Our rats aren’t DNA sexed. We do our best to identify males and females and will give you our opinion, but this can’t be guaranteed, especially in young rats. We keep males and females in separate enclosures in-store to reduce the risk of surprise litters.

Compatibility with Other Animals

Rats are highly social and should never be kept alone. They do best in pairs or small same-sex groups, or a desexed mixed group, and settle together most easily when introduced young. Even with plenty of daily attention, a lone rat can become withdrawn or stressed without company of its own kind.

Introducing a New Rat

A new rat can be bullied if it’s put straight in with resident rats. Introduce rats gradually on neutral ground, with short supervised sessions that build up over time. Some rats settle in days, while others need weeks, so go at the slower rat’s pace. Normal jostling is part of sorting out who’s in charge, but separate them if it turns into real fighting.

Other Household Pets

Cats, dogs, ferrets and birds of prey can all see a rat as prey, however calm they normally are. Never leave your rats unsupervised around other pets.

History of Domestic Rats

The domestic rat descends from the wild brown rat, native to Asia, which spread along trade routes and reached Europe centuries ago. Selective breeding in captivity, starting in earnest in the 1800s, produced calmer, tamer rats that became the foundation of today’s pet and laboratory lines. Because they share this ancestry, domestic rats share a tendency to the same health problems, including Mycoplasma.

Holiday Care and Boarding

Rats cope best when their routine stays familiar, so having someone feed and check on them at home, together with their companions, is usually the least disruptive option. For longer trips, rat boarding is available all year at our Alexandria store. Visit Petsville Hotel (https://www.petsvillehotel.com) to book.

Transportation

Always move your rats in a proper carry cage, not a cardboard box, which they can chew through. Rats startle easily, so keep the ride quiet and handle them as little as possible. A parked car heats up fast, so never leave your rats waiting in one, even briefly. On longer trips, bring familiar bedding and a little food and water.

Pet Rat Care Frequently Asked Questions

How long do pet rats live?

Pet rats usually live around 2 to 3 years, which is shorter than many other small pets. Genetics, diet and general health all play a part. Rats fed a balanced pellet-based diet, kept in a clean, well-ventilated cage and given regular health checks tend to live longer and stay active for most of their lives.

Can rats live alone, or do they need a companion?

Rats are highly social and should never be kept alone. They do best in pairs or small same-sex groups, and rats introduced while young usually bond most easily. Even with plenty of daily attention from you, a lone rat can become withdrawn or stressed without another rat for company, so always plan on at least two.

Are pet rats good for children?

Rats can make great pets for children old enough to handle them gently and calmly, as they’re generally patient and rarely bite. Adults should supervise younger children and help with lifting, since a fall can injure a rat. Everyone should wash their hands after handling, as good hygiene, the same as with any pet.

Do pet rats smell?

A healthy rat is a clean animal that grooms itself often, so it doesn’t smell much at all. Most odour comes from dirty bedding. Spot cleaning daily, a full bedding change once or twice a week and good ventilation keep smells to a minimum and also protect your rats from respiratory flare ups.

What should I feed my pet rat?

Feed a quality rat pellet or balanced rat mix as 90 to 95% of the diet, such as Birdsville Blends Rat and Mouse, with fresh fruit, vegetables and occasional protein treats making up the rest. Adults need about 15 to 20g a day. Avoid peanut butter, dried corn, poppy seeds, chocolate and junk food.

Are pet rats prone to health problems?

Most pet rats carry Mycoplasma, a bacterium that can cause respiratory flare ups however well they’re cared for, and tumours are fairly common in older rats. Neither is a sign of poor care. Clean, low-dust bedding, weekly health checks and a prompt vet visit for ongoing symptoms make a real difference.

Recommended Vets and Links

  • SASH (Small Animal Specialist Hospital), 24/7 emergency, 5/476 Gardeners Rd, Alexandria NSW 2015, 02 8913 4000, sashvets.com
  • The Wild Vet, 22A Bridge Road, Glebe, 1300 945 383, thewildvet.com.au
  • SERV, 57-63 Herbert St, Artarmon, 02 9436 4884, exoticsvet.com.au
  • Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic, 60 Princes Hwy, St Peters, 02 9516 0234, southerncrossvet.com.au
  • Carlingford Animal Hospital, 772 Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford, 02 9871 6036, birdhealth.com.au
  • The Unusual Pet Vets, 995 Bourke Street, Waterloo NSW 2017, 02 9319 6111, unusualpetvets.com.au

Visit Us

Ready to bring rats home? Our Rats for Sale Sydney page ([Rats for sale link]) has more on choosing your rats, or come and meet them at Birdsville, 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, on the corner of Gardeners Road, or call (02) 9669 1766. Deciding between a rat and a mouse? Our How to Care for Pet Mice guide ([Mouse care guide link]) explains how the two compare. We’re a small business that does things in a big way, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney. Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BirdsvilleRosebery/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/petsvillesydney/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@birdsvillepets) for live updates.

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