How to Care for pet rats | Birdsville small animal specialists

Pet rats are intelligent, social and genuinely affectionate animals that bond closely with their owners, and with regular handling and a little patience, most become confident, friendly pets that enjoy company, play and even simple tricks. They 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 covers everything you need for rat care, from setting up their enclosure to diet, health, handling and finding your rat the company it needs.

Quick Facts

Scientific name: Rattus norvegicus domesticus
Also known as: Fancy rat
Adult size: Females 350g to 450g, males 450g to 650g
Lifespan: 2 to 3 years
Diet type: Omnivore
Minimum enclosure: 60cm x 42cm x 61cm high for a pair, rats should never be kept alone, larger again for a bigger group
Temperature range: 18 to 24°C, rats are prone to heat stress above 27°C
Experience level: Great for first time owners, easy going and highly sociable

On This Page

Rats as Pets
Essential Supplies for Rats
Rat Enclosures
Substrate & Bedding
Toys & Enrichment
Rat Diet & Feeding
Providing Water to Your Rats
Mineral Supplements and Vitamins
Behaviour & Handling
Training
Teeth Health
Common Health Concerns
Parasite Control
Desexing
Health, Hygiene & Safety
Toxic & Dangerous Hazards
General Care and Grooming
Sexing Your Rat
Compatibility with Other Animals
History of Domestic Rats
Holiday Care & Boarding
Transportation
FAQ
Recommended Vets and Links

Rats as Pets

Despite an undeserved reputation, pet rats are clean, sensitive, playful animals that are rarely aggressive when properly handled. Nearly all domestic rats carry a bacterium called Mycoplasma, which can cause respiratory symptoms to flare up from time to time regardless of how well they’re cared for, this isn’t a sign of poor husbandry, just a trait of the species (more on this under Common Health Concerns below). Children should be taught not to put their fingers in the cage smelling of food, since even a friendly rat may be tempted to take a taste.

Essential Supplies for Rats

Housing & Enclosure

Enclosure sized appropriately for your rat’s age, with wire spacing too narrow for a baby rat to squeeze through (see Rat Enclosures below). A litter tray for litter training. A hide or tent, a snug, enclosed space to feel safe in, sized with future growth in mind.

Bedding & Substrate

A low dust substrate such as hemp or Kaytee.

Water & Feeding

Drink Bottle: keeps water cleaner than an open bowl.

Heavy, Tip Proof Food Bowl.

Quality Rat Pellet Mix: Vetafarm Rodent Origins, Selective Rat Pellets, or our own Birdsville Rat Mix.

Supplements

Salt or Mineral Lick: genuinely optional if your rat’s diet is already balanced, but a reasonable extra safeguard.

Enrichment & Toys

A good variety of toys, including chew toys, a rat wheel, tubes and climbing items, aim for at least four.

Hygiene & Cleaning

Cage Cleaner: a rat safe, non toxic disinfectant.

Wormer and Lice and Mite Spray: see Parasite Control below.

First Aid & Grooming

Rat safe shampoo for occasional baths, and a basic first aid kit is worth having on hand.

Transport

Carry Cage: for safe transport home and to the vet.

What You May Consider

Spare bowls, small animal vitamins if feeding a lower quality diet, a soft bed, a synbiotic or probiotic supplement, and a harness if you’d like to take your rat on outings.

Everything on this list, and more, is available in store, and our team is happy to help you put the right combination together for your rat.

Rat Enclosures

Rats grow larger than most people expect, so give them room to move, climb and explore. The minimum enclosure size we recommend is 60cm x 42cm x 61cm high for a pair, since rats should always be kept with at least one companion, bigger again for a larger group, and a cage with multiple levels suits their love of climbing well. Set it up with enrichment in mind, hanging toys, a hammock and a hide up top, perches, a drink bottle and salt lick in the middle, tunnels, food bowls and chew toys at the bottom.

Always check wire spacing before buying, as baby rats can squeeze through gaps in cages sized for adults. If you’re unsure, our team can help you choose a suitable enclosure and you’re welcome to test the spacing in store.

Substrate & Bedding

Rats are prone to respiratory irritation, so stick to dust free, absorbent bedding such as hemp or Kaytee. A bedding depth of around 5 to 15cm works well, and deeper bedding needs changing less often. Litter trays should use a different substrate to the main enclosure.

Toys & Enrichment

Rats are playful and need regular mental stimulation, without it, boredom can lead to problem chewing or low mood over time. They love tubes, tunnels, hides and boxes to climb through, along with balls and soft toys to chew or pull apart. Bird perches and ladders make a great crossover addition to a rat enclosure, and hammocks are a favourite for both play and sleeping. Rats also benefit from an exercise wheel sized larger than a mouse or hamster wheel to suit them properly. Rotate toys regularly, and replace anything that’s been chewed apart, that’s usually a sign they liked it. Toys also help keep teeth worn down, which matters more than it might seem (see Teeth Health below).

Rat Diet & Feeding

A high quality rat pellet or balanced mix should make up around 90 to 95% of your rat’s diet, with the remaining 5 to 10% coming from fresh treats, fruit and vegetables. We recommend and stock premium options such as Vetafarm Rodent Origins, Selective Rat Pellets, and our own Birdsville Rat Mix, all formulated by nutritionists and vets with a balance of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Avoid supermarket or low quality commercial rat food, which often contains fillers, artificial additives and poorly digestible ingredients, if you do use one, supplement your rat’s water with Small Animal Vitamins.

Baby & Weaning, birth to around 4 weeks: young rats nurse from their mother and start nibbling solid food from around 2 to 3 weeks old, fully weaned by about 4 weeks.

Juvenile, 4 weeks to around 6 months: growing rats need a higher protein formula, around 20 to 22% protein, and should have free choice access to pellets around the clock to support their rapid growth.

Adult, from around 6 months: feed roughly 15 to 20g of a quality rat pellet per day (about 5 to 10g per 100g of body weight), with a protein level of 14 to 18%. Give this as one measured serve each morning in a bowl or feeder that isn’t easy to tip over, topping up fresh water at the same time, rats are generally good at self regulating so leftover pellets can stay down until the next feed, just keep an eye on body condition since some individuals will overeat given the chance.

Fruits & Veggie Guide

Examples, not limited to.

Fruits

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

Vegetables

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

Protein & Treats

Cooked chicken (soft bones only), beef, tuna, salmon, eggs and small amounts of liver as whole protein sources. Liver is nutrient dense, so keep it occasional rather than regular. Other occasional treats include plain cooked rice or pasta, oatmeal, rice cakes, small pieces of cheese, dog biscuits, plain baby food and a small amount of soy milk.

Avoid Entirely

Excessive cheese, peanut butter (a choking risk, as rats cannot vomit), dried corn (which can develop mould), iceberg lettuce (little nutritional value), orange juice or peel, blue cheese dressing, licorice, rhubarb, potato skins, green or unripe potatoes, poppy seeds (can cause neurological damage), and processed junk food. Red cabbage and artichokes can cause gas. Chocolate should only ever be given in an extremely small amount, if at all.

Providing Water to Your Rats

Fresh water is very important, as many pet rodents presented as sick are actually just dehydrated. Fresh water should be made constantly available and kept free from contamination. Water is best provided in bottle drinkers, available in store at Birdsville. The tubes can become clogged with food debris, so check them if the water level hasn’t changed recently.

Mineral Supplements and Vitamins

Salt licks and mineral licks are important for your rat’s health and wellbeing. The need depends on diet, as some quality produce and good diets simply lack a high enough salt content depending on where the produce is grown. Salt and minerals are necessary in a rat’s diet but must be consumed in moderation, which your rat will instinctively know when their body needs it. A salt lick aids digestion, muscles, nerves and fluid regulation.

Behaviour & Handling

A new rat needs a settling in window before handling starts in earnest, give it a day or two and wait until it’s eating and drinking normally before picking it up. Handle gently, in short sessions, and always support the body with two hands, rats can jump and a fall from height can cause serious injury. Get your rat used to your scent and presence close up before you actually pick it up, holding a hand near the enclosure or letting it approach on its own terms builds trust much faster than reaching straight in. Once bonded, most rats love a face massage, a cuddle, and a treat while they’re being handled.

Devote a little time daily to interaction. Two short sessions a day, using your rat’s favourite treat, gets the best results for building trust and for basic training like coming when called or sitting on command.

Bringing Your Rat Home

Have the enclosure fully set up and ready before you bring your rat home, with food, water and a hide already in place, so they can settle in straight away without you needing to disturb them. Transport your rat in a secure carry cage, and keep the trip home as calm and quiet as possible.

Once home, place the enclosure somewhere quiet, away from heavy foot traffic, loud noises and other pets, and let your rat settle in undisturbed for a day or two. Resist the urge to handle them straight away, even though it’s tempting, let them explore the enclosure and get used to new sounds and smells first, and wait until they’re eating, drinking and moving around normally before starting to handle them.

Keep the household calm during this settling in period, and introduce children or other pets gradually and gently once your rat seems comfortable, rather than all at once.

Training

Litter Training

Use a litter tray with a different substrate to the one in the main enclosure, ideally highly absorbent and unscented. Fill it a few centimetres deep, place it where your rat already tends to toilet, and move any droppings you find elsewhere into the tray to encourage the habit. Reward success with a treat. It can take a few weeks, and trays don’t need daily cleaning, once a week is generally enough.

Harness Training

Use a harness made specifically for rats, never a collar. Get your rat used to wearing it indoors for a few minutes at a time before attaching a leash, and build up gradually. Keep outings occasional and low key once your rat is comfortable, rather than long or daily.

Teeth Health

A rat’s teeth grow constantly throughout its life. Without an appropriate diet and plenty to chew on, teeth can overgrow and dig into the face, causing pain, trauma, infection, and difficulty eating, in serious cases, this can even cause death from an inability to chew or swallow. Keep a wooden chew toy available at all times to help keep teeth worn down naturally.

Common Health Concerns

Respiratory Disease (Mycoplasma)

This very common issue gets an in depth write up as so many rats have it including yours. Nearly every pet rat carries Mycoplasma pulmonis, but carrying it doesn’t mean a rat will actually get sick, since many rats live full, symptom free lives despite carrying the bacteria. Whether it develops into active respiratory disease comes down largely to environmental factors an owner can control: ventilation, stress levels, overcrowding and other infections all play a part, but ammonia build up from bedding is one of the biggest triggers. Urine breaks down into ammonia fairly quickly, and if bedding isn’t changed often enough, ammonia levels in the enclosure climb and irritate a rat’s airways, which can be enough on its own to tip a Mycoplasma carrier into an active flare up. A full bedding change once or twice a week (more often in a smaller enclosure or with multiple rats) keeps ammonia from building up. A clean, well ventilated enclosure, dust free bedding, and keeping stress low all go a long way toward keeping a rat symptom free for life.

At Birdsville, we do everything we can to breed the healthiest rats possible, with a strong focus on genetic diversity in our breeding program. Even so, Mycoplasma is so widespread in domestic rat populations worldwide that every rat should be assumed to carry it, and no breeder, however careful, can guarantee a completely Mycoplasma free rat. It’s a trait of the species itself, not a reflection of how an individual animal was bred or cared for.

Sneezing, laboured breathing, nasal or eye discharge, weight loss, lethargy, open mouth breathing or a drop in appetite are all worth taking seriously, since they can point to the infection turning active. A vet visit is the right call if any of them stick around or get worse. It’s worth knowing that a sneezing or wheezing rat is not automatically a rat in danger. Many rats with mild symptoms respond well to treatment and settle back into a comfortable, symptom free life once antibiotics and improved husbandry are in place. Even in rats with more persistent or recurring symptoms, the condition is usually manageable rather than life threatening, with treatment aimed at controlling flare ups and keeping the rat comfortable long term. Sneezing and wheezing on their own are rarely a reason to panic. They’re a sign to get the rat checked and to tighten up cage hygiene and ventilation, not a sign the rat won’t recover. Early treatment manages symptoms well even though the bacteria itself can’t be cleared entirely.

Tumours

Cancers and tumours are relatively common in pet rats and are often serious without early vet intervention. A health check habit (see below) helps catch these early. Desexing female rats significantly lowers the risk of mammary tumours, see Desexing below.

Red, Orange or Pink Eye/Nose Discharge (Chromodacryorrhea)

A small amount can be a normal pigment in rat tears, but an increase can signal an underlying issue and is worth a vet check.

Bumblefoot

Sores on the feet, usually linked to unclean or wire bottomed cages without enough to walk on. Adding wooden perches, ladders or ramps over a wire base helps prevent it.

Coat Dandruff or Fur Loss

Can indicate mites, or less commonly fleas. Regular preventative treatment and a good multivitamin usually resolve it.

Weight Loss

Often linked to overgrown teeth, but can also point to illness, injury, or other underlying conditions. A vet visit is the right call if it continues.

Sudden Death

Rare but possible in small animals, sometimes with no clear cause found even after a vet examination. It’s an upsetting but recognised risk with any small pet.

Health Checks

A simple weekly check, running your hands from head to tail, checking ribs aren’t overly prominent, and looking for clear eyes and a clean nose and mouth, helps you catch problems early. Our team can show you how, but we’re not vets, so anything of concern should go to one of the vets listed below.

Parasite Control

Spray with lice and mite treatment every 3 months as a preventative. Mites and lice can be transmitted even without other pets in the house. Fleas are rare but treatable with a flea shampoo or powder alongside a full cage and bedding wash.

Desexing

Desexing is optional but worth discussing with your vet, especially for females. Spaying significantly lowers the risk of mammary tumours, one of the more common health issues in older female rats, and neutering also allows males and females to safely live together in the same group without the risk of unwanted litters.

Health, Hygiene & Safety

Rats live in close contact with their bedding, so keeping it clean matters more than it might seem, built up urine and ammonia are a common trigger for the respiratory flare ups covered above, not just an odour problem. Clean the cage regularly with a rat safe disinfectant, and treat any smell as a sign a clean is overdue rather than waiting for it to become obvious.

Toxic & Dangerous Hazards

See the Fruits & Veggie Guide above for foods to avoid entirely, peanut butter, dried corn, poppy seeds and chocolate in any real quantity are the main culprits.

Outside of food, cedar and pine shavings are another common trap, the oils they contain can irritate a rat’s sensitive respiratory system, so stick to a low dust alternative instead. Keep aerosols, candles, incense and non stick cookware fumes well away from the enclosure for the same reason. Rats have poor eyesight, so block off any drops or ledges during supervised free roam time, and keep electrical cords and anything chewable out of reach.

General Care and Grooming

Rats are naturally clean animals and groom themselves and each other regularly, so bathing is rarely needed and should only be done with a rat safe shampoo if it is. Nails can be trimmed if they’re not wearing down naturally on their own, our team can check and trim nails in store.

Sexing Your Rat

Our rats are not DNA sexed. We do our best to separate males and females and give an opinion on sex, but this isn’t guaranteed, particularly in young rats. We keep males and females in separate enclosures in store to minimise the risk of surprises.

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 neutered mixed group, and settle together most easily when introduced young. A lone rat, even one that gets plenty of daily attention from its owner, can become withdrawn or stressed without company of its own kind.

Introducing a new rat to an existing group needs care, a new rat can be bullied if it’s put straight in with resident rats. Soft releasing, gradual introductions on neutral territory with short supervised sessions building up over time, works far better than housing them together straight away. How long this takes varies a lot between individuals, some pairs settle in days, others need weeks, so go at the slower rat’s pace rather than forcing it, and step in if squabbling turns into real aggression rather than the normal jostling that comes with sorting out a pecking order.

Around other household pets, always supervise, cats, dogs, ferrets and birds of prey can all see a rat as natural prey regardless of how placid they normally are, so never leave your rat unsupervised around them.

History of Domestic Rats

The domestic rat (Rattus norvegicus) descends from a wild brown rat native to southern Asia, which spread along trade routes and reached Europe by the mid 1300s. Selective breeding in captivity, beginning in earnest in France in the 1840s, produced calmer, more tameable rats, and a white coated litter born in 1906 became the foundation for many of today’s pet and laboratory bloodlines. Because of this shared ancestry, all domestic rats carry some predisposition to the same handful of conditions, including the respiratory mycoplasma mentioned above.

Holiday Care & Boarding

Rats cope best when their day to day routine stays as familiar as possible while you’re away, so arranging for someone to feed and check on them in their own home, alongside their companion rat, is usually the least disruptive option. Boarding is also available throughout the year, visit Petsville Hotel to book your stay. Come see us in store if you have any concerns or questions, and feel free to bring your rat for us to see.

Transportation

Whether it’s the trip home, a vet visit, or dropping off for boarding, always transport your rat in a proper carry cage rather than improvising with a box or container. Rats startle easily, so keep the ride quiet and handling to a minimum, and pay attention to temperature, a parked car can heat up fast and should never be used to leave your rat waiting, even briefly. On longer journeys, bring along familiar bedding plus a little food and water so the trip stays as calm and consistent as possible.

FAQ

How long do pet rats live?

Pet rats typically live around 2 to 3 years, a shorter lifespan than many other small pets. Genetics, diet and general health all play a part, and rats fed a balanced pellet based diet with regular health checks tend to live longer and stay more active throughout their life.

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

Rats are highly social animals and should never be kept alone. They do best in pairs or small same sex groups, and rats introduced to each other while young tend to bond most easily. Even with plenty of daily attention from you, a lone rat can become withdrawn or stressed without company of its own kind.

Are pet rats good for children?

Rats can make great pets for children old enough to handle them gently and calmly, since they’re generally patient and rarely aggressive. Adult supervision is still important, particularly with younger children, and everyone in the household should wash their hands after handling as general good hygiene, the same as with any pet.

Do pet rats smell?

Rats themselves are quite clean animals and groom regularly, so a healthy rat doesn’t smell much at all. Most odour actually comes from soiled bedding, so a cage cleaned out regularly, spot cleaned daily and fully cleaned at least weekly, along with good ventilation, keeps smell to a minimum.

How much space do pet rats need?

Rats are active and love to climb, so give them as much room as you can. Our recommended minimum is 60cm x 42cm x 61cm high for a pair, since rats should always be kept with at least one companion, with more space again for a larger group, a cage with multiple levels suits them well.

Are pet rats prone to health problems?

Most pet rats carry a bacterium called Mycoplasma, which can cause occasional respiratory flare ups regardless of how well they’re cared for. Tumours are also relatively common as rats get older. Neither is a sign of poor care, but regular weekly health checks and prompt vet visits for any ongoing symptoms make a real difference.