Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Rats

What does a domestic rat look like?

The appearance of the domestic rat has not undergone major changes compared to its wild relatives. Most animals have an elongated, stocky body and a long hairless tail covered with sparse bristles. The size of the animal can be from 8 to 30 cm, and its weight can be up to 400-500 g. The elongated head is crowned with round ears, the eyes are small and bulging. The jaw of rats consists of 4 front incisors and molars. Different breeds of decorative rats differ in the structure of their fur:

smooth;
thin and shiny;
curly;
downy

There are animals without hair, for example, sphinxes and rodents with mixed coats. Colors can be plain or mixed. From gray and brown to orange and blue.

The bald sphinx is a type of rat.

In Dumbo rats, the ears “sit” not on the top of the head, but lower, like those of elephants. As a result of the mutation, rats were born with no tail at all.

Pros and cons of keeping Dumbo rats

In general, keeping a decorative rat at home is not particularly expensive; it does not require large investments. But, of course, you can’t do it without hassle. Rodents are interested in everything, but they want to taste everything and chew on everything. They also need to be constantly monitored, because the rat can fall and get hurt.

Rats have well-developed intelligence, they are not aggressive and are friendly to people and other animals.

Advantages of rats:

they are clean;
omnivorous;
you don’t need to spend a lot of money on them;
They are easy to care for.

Flaws

they gnaw on everything they find;
mark territory everywhere;
they have a smell;
their treatment will be expensive;
they need to be walked;
don't live long.

Do pet rats smell?

The natural smell of the animal is not too strong; the main aromas come from excrement. It is commonly believed that sexually mature males stink, but this is not true. Despite the fact that males mark their territory by leaving odorous trails, some females can easily “outdo” them. It all depends on the character of the pet. There are clean boys who choose a certain corner to perform natural necessities and careless girls who “write down” hammocks and cage bars. The aromas in the cage of decorative rats depend on: the size of the room, the “population density”, the quality of the bedding, and most importantly, the frequency of cleaning.

Rats themselves have almost no smell

You need to clean your pet rat's cage at least once a week. Every day you should wipe down the shelves, change the water and wash the wet food bowls. It is better to remove the “signed” filler immediately or do it at least once a day.

Important! Rats should not be given pine litter!

Hammocks used as toilets should be washed 2-3 times a week.

If some family members do not like the pet, then they will always smell the animal

It is almost impossible to completely get rid of the smell in a room, but it is so mild that pet owners often do not notice it. Strong aromas can be washed off with laundry or baby soap, soda, and shampoos for rodents. The soap solution must be thoroughly rinsed with hot water.

Important! Rats are sensitive to strong odors.

The problem of unpleasant odor when keeping decorative rats

What influences the appearance of odor when keeping rats?

1. Gender of the rat: Males usually smell stronger than females, especially during puberty (6-8 months), when they actively mark their territory, claiming it as their own.

2. Health status: Healthy rats usually smell pleasant or not smell at all. The appearance of a pungent odor is a reason to be wary and watch your pets. For example, kidney disease can increase the unpleasant odor of a particular individual. In some cases, sick rats are also unable to ensure proper hygiene due to weakness.

3. Age of the rat: Old rats often smell stronger than younger ones, including due to illness and inability to engage in proper self-hygiene.

4. Individual characteristics of the character and behavior of the rat, its habits: there are clean rats and slutty rats. Sometimes a completely healthy rat can have an unpleasant odor due to an indifferent attitude towards its appearance. There are rats that have bad habits of pooping in inappropriate places.

Do pet rats bite?

They bite, but extremely rarely. There are a number of cases when a rat can bite:

fright;
pain;
error. The animal tastes everything, so a finger inserted through the bars can be perceived as food;
transitional age in males. From 5 months, males can bite in an attempt to dominate;
female pregnancy. A pregnant and lactating female is able to claw, protecting the offspring.

Rats bite rather than bite.
In almost all cases, the owner is to blame. Mild biting by animals is a form of communication. The pet is trying to attract the attention of its adored owner.

Important! Physical punishment for a bite is the biggest mistake: a rat may lose trust in a person.

In the case of dominance, you can either turn the “impudent” guy onto his back and hold him in that position or sprinkle him with water. Usually it is enough to drive the pet away from you or stop playing with it.

How to grind a rat's teeth

Healthy young rats wear down their teeth on their own using solid food and unsalted mineral stone. If you give your rodent a lot of soft food, it may ignore dry food. Not all animals like mineral stones. Some people love crayons, while others ignore these things altogether. “Whims” need to choose hard objects to taste:

walnuts, hazelnuts or pine nuts;
branches of fruit trees;
special sticks from a pet store;
boiled chicken bones;
unsweetened crackers or crackers.

Incisors grow throughout their lives.
You can give your rat a cuttlefish shell or dry dog food to grind down its teeth. If the incisors have grown and the rat is starving, immediately run to the doctor. He will cut his teeth, and the animal will be healthy. You can do this operation yourself, but trust your veterinarian the first time.

Why does the rat chew the cage?

By nature, a rat is supposed to chew everything in its path. The cell is no exception. Many pets do this at night, preventing them from falling asleep. Experience shows that for the animal this is more entertainment than an attempt to grind down its incisors. Rats chew the cage out of boredom if there is only one animal in it.

Most often, nervous animals engage in such things, but even completely healthy individuals will not deny themselves such pleasure. It is almost impossible to stop a rat from chewing its cage, but there are some things you can try:

place a mineral stone, a twig, a piece of wood or a cracker in the cage before going to bed;
cover your favorite “gnawing” spot with a mineral stone and hang branches between the bars;
Move the cage to other objects with animals so that the animal does not get bored.

You should get several same-sex rats, then they will be busy with their relationships and, perhaps, will not touch the bars.

What to do if you can’t get a dead rat

Very often a rat crawls into a completely inaccessible place. In such a situation, the smell of the decomposing corpse of a rat under the floor is heard very strongly and for a long time, but it is impossible to detect and retrieve its corpse. Therefore, the only way out is to seal the place where it is located in the underground, for which it is necessary to completely close and seal all the cracks in the floor and walls.

Means for eliminating bad odor

Important!
Corpse miasma is not only unpleasant for humans, but also poses some danger: it can cause severe poisoning, and when decomposed, it also infects all nearby surfaces.

To remove an unpleasant odor, there are several ways to help interrupt or remove it:

Ventilation of the home is mandatory and takes the longest time. It is necessary to open all the windows for several days so that a draft “walks” through the rooms. The colder the air outside, the better, because... Rodents cannot tolerate cold, and therefore living individuals will quickly try to get away.
The easiest way, before purchasing special products, is to spread coffee beans or coffee grounds in the room, which absorb unpleasant fumes well.
Treating all surfaces with vinegar, especially furniture, corners, floors, etc. The acid contained in the vinegar essence will help quickly neutralize the smell of a dead rat and traces of rodents in the house. The vinegar smell itself usually dissipates within a few days.
The use of potassium permanganate in a solution will help disinfect all surfaces, destroying harmful bacteria and the “aroma” itself. To do this, you need to wash the floors with the solution, wipe the baseboards, and also spray it in cracks and other places under which the rat’s corpse is supposedly decomposing below.
Chlorine-containing liquids are used to disinfect and remove odor. Whiteness is ideal, with a solution of which you need to treat all floors, baseboards, and cracks near the place where the smell comes from.
A solution with hydrogen peroxide is used in a similar way, which helps remove the unpleasant “aroma”.
Stores sell odor neutralizers in the form of powder or liquid, which can effectively deal with harmful miasmas. The most effective is the Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator spray sorbent: it helps get rid of not only unpleasant odors, but also organic stains remaining from urine, feces, etc. The product is completely safe for children and animals. You can also find similar drugs on sale: German Biolife Safe @ Clean; American OdorGone, with lavender scent; South Korean Fridge Balls.
You can kill the smell from decomposition by burning a torch or fragrant sticks, with which you need to walk through all the rooms, you can also put a lit and smoldering piece of cotton wool in a jar and place it in the room for a while.
Absorbents or odor absorbers are sold at hardware stores, the most effective of which are Earth Care Odor Removing Bags, which are hung in the home and can absorb odors for anywhere from a few hours to a week. A sachet of this product is intended for a room of up to 10 square meters. m, price – about $0.16.
To purify the air, you can install an ionizer, which will not only remove the unpleasant “aroma”, but also destroy germs and harmful bacteria.

How rats fight

You can tell whether rats are fighting or playing by the consequences. If it comes to blood and torn hair, this is a fight, emotional screams and throwing opponents on the floor - rather the establishment of a hierarchy. In a rat pack there are always masters and subordinates; dominance in behavior can be expressed in the form of bites. Real rat fights can occur among males if there is not enough space in the cage. Showdowns begin from 4-5 months until all roles are distributed. If hormones have a fatal effect, animals can be boarded or castrated.

Fight or play

Is it possible to place a baby rat with an adult rat?

Baby rats up to 2 months old can be placed with both males and females, but there are some nuances. Males will most likely accept the baby well, but problems will begin upon reaching adulthood. Adult males must build a hierarchy of relationships among themselves, and young rats are no exception. In the case of ladies, difficulties will arise when placing a baby rat with an adult rat. “Girls” don’t like strangers, even if they are kids. We'll have to wait until the children are saturated with the smell of the old-timers. When the adopted children “receive official registration” from mature ladies, then everything will be calm.

If you need to place a baby with a lonely rat, then it is better to have two

When the old rat passes into another world, the owner will not be left with a lonely animal. And if the old man does not accept the young ones, then the two will have more fun in the next cage.

The procedure for introducing rats is as follows: if the baby needs to be placed with the elders, then you should first wash the cage so that there is no smell of adults left there, and vice versa, a mature rat, when entering the territory of the kids, will behave more modestly in the presence of other people's scents. It is best to breed rats on neutral territory.

Rules of care and maintenance

Some owners keep rodents in an aquarium. It's not really suitable for rats because:

an aquarium is more difficult to clean than a cage;
this vessel is hardly ventilated, the smell will not disappear from it;
due to odors, you need to clean the rodent’s home more often;
To allow air to enter inside, the top of the aquarium must be left open, but this is dangerous, since rats can jump to a height of up to 50 cm, and your pet can escape.

There are certain standards for maintaining a rat’s home:

it should not be located in a draft or in the open sun;
the most suitable cage parameters for keeping one or two individuals are 60x40x30 cm;
the room in which the cage with the rat is located should not be too warm and not too cold - the temperature should not be lower than 18 degrees Celsius. This is necessary so that your pet does not get sick;
It is prohibited to place the cage near switched on heaters and warm radiators;
Of course, a two-story cage is best for a rat, so that the animal can have fun and sleep there.

How to walk a rat

It is better to refuse to walk a rat on the street: it is too dangerous: the animal can “pick up” an infection on the ground or in the grass. Any noise can cause panic, and the animal will run away. There is a category of pets that feel comfortable in their bosom. You can go out with such rodents in warm weather without putting them on the ground. However, it is better to carry your pets in a carrier.

A rat can only walk on your shoulder

For home leisure, you need to fence off the walk in a room where there are no wires or dangerous objects. You can release the animals on the sofa or table, but make sure that they do not fall.

Search for the body

How to find a dead rat under the floor is not an easy question. The smell quickly spreads throughout the room; it is difficult to determine exactly where the stench is coming from. It’s worth preparing yourself for the fact that you will have to tear off the floor boards, since there is no other way to get the rat’s corpse.

in the room where the rat was lucky enough to die under the floor, the smell will be felt stronger;
remove carpets, rugs from the floor, tear off linoleum;
It is best to tear off the board in the center of the room if it was not possible to determine the place of death of the rodent by smell;
you will need a stick, a metal rod, a mop - something with which you can check the space under the floor;
move the stick in different directions. The obstacle in the way of movement is the dead body of a rat.

You need to prepare a plastic bag in advance, where you should put the discovered corpse. The search operation must be carried out wearing a respirator and rubber gloves. It must be remembered that a rat is a carrier of dangerous infections even when dead. Immediately prepare yourself that the sight will not be pleasant. It is better not to participate in this for the faint of heart.

Searching for a rat under the floor

The rat's corpse must be buried deep in the ground. If it is not possible, throw it in a landfill or trash can. Dispose of rubber gloves there. Wash your hands well with soap.

On a note!
The ground under the decomposing body absorbs the stench and will emit it for a long time. To neutralize the smell, you need to rake the soil with a shovel and throw it in the trash.

The next step is getting rid of the smell of a dead rat. You can buy special products and use folk advice.

How to catch a pet rat

Sometimes smart rodents get out of the cage and disappear. If this happens, you shouldn't panic. The suspected location of the animal should be isolated and secured and the search should begin. The rat, getting out of the cage, does not try to go far, and hides in its usual place. If she is a steeplejack, it is worth starting the search from the upper shelves, and vice versa, the “earthly” rat is looking for a gap in the lower tier. Will a decorative rat come back if it runs away? Sometimes a tame animal comes out when its owner calls, but you shouldn’t count on it too much.

A rat can hide in any crevice

Important! You need to move things carefully so as not to harm the hidden animal.

Pets may be used, but under strict supervision. The cat will find the fugitive faster or indicate his place. As a last resort, use a live trap. You can leave the cage doors open and place liquid bait, such as yogurt, in the cage. A hungry animal will follow the smell, but will not be able to steal the treat. To prevent the rat from running away, make the locks more complex. The animals are able to lift the door, and sometimes cope with a carbine.

The problem of unpleasant odor when keeping decorative rats

My statement may seem controversial to you, but I believe that keeping any pet in an apartment is associated with the presence of a certain smell.
This smell can be strong or barely noticeable, not necessarily unpleasant, but perhaps simply specific. It can be felt both in the immediate vicinity of the animal or its habitat, and throughout the house. But it cannot not exist at all! And those who say otherwise either sniffed it and got used to it, or their nose is clogged! Unfortunately, our beloved rats are no exception when it comes to smell. Some of you may not believe me, but rats are one of the cleanest pets. At least in the area of self-hygiene. Of the pets I know from my experience of keeping pets: dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, turtles, guinea pigs, parrots and other birds, rats are among the most odor-free. This is their serious advantage among others when future owners are faced with a choice - which animal to get. However, animals, even the cleanest ones, still remain animals. No matter how clean and caring their owners are, no matter how careful the care of their pets is, it is impossible to completely eliminate the smell of the animal. And you need to be prepared for this if you want to have four-legged friends. Think about it: even completely clean people have their own smell, which is not always pleasant to others.

Do rats like to be petted?

Tame animals gladly accept affection from their owners, especially if they do not try to lift them by the tail. You should pick up the rat with both hands: it often climbs onto your outstretched palm. In order for a rat to like it, you need to stroke its head, scratch it behind its ears and on its cheeks. The animal enjoys a gentle touch on the withers and stroking the back in the direction “from the head”. Some animals trust their owner to scratch their belly, but not all. You can observe the social interactions of rodents to understand what they like.

Rats love affection

Help from professionals

When your own efforts are unsuccessful, or there is no desire to do all this, you should turn to specialists. You can find out which services can find a dead rat in a particular region via the Internet by entering a phrase in a search engine.

If a rat died in the entrance, or there are pests in the basement, you must provide information to the housing office or housing cooperative. The payment for the maintenance of the common property of the MKT includes a fee for rodent control. Housing and communal services are required to carry out the work. Contact Rospotrebnadzor if other authorities do not respond. Inform the government agency - SES.

Special pest control companies deal with dead rats in a private house or apartment. They enter into a pest control agreement with the specialists and make a payment. Private specialized rodent extermination services will respond to requests much faster than bureaucratic government agencies.

To get rid of a dead rat or an unpleasant smell in the house, you need to carry out search work yourself or enter into an agreement with private pest control companies. You can neutralize the smell with folk remedies or professional preparations.

Is it possible to transport rats on an airplane?

Theoretically it is possible, but it is a troublesome task:

Find out whether you can carry a rat according to the rules of this airport.
Find out if your carrier transports rats.
Get a veterinary certificate for the rodent 3 days in advance.
Before checking in, go through vet control at the airport.

Do not forget about the laws of another country, whether the animal will be allowed there. It can only be carried in the cabin; it will not hold up in the luggage compartment. Don't put your rat through the scanner, it will hurt it. Don't open your rat's carrier on an airplane. It can only be fed through the grate.

Rats are reluctantly allowed on planes

Problems are easier to solve if you can reach an agreement with the aircraft crew.

Why does a rat pee on your hands?

The pet doesn’t pee so much as mark its owner, and that’s normal. Like dogs, rodents must “stake out” their territory, including their owner and his belongings. Marking differs from peeing by the volume of urine produced: a drop is enough to indicate ownership.

Rats often mark their hands

The rat “pees” on people if they are saturated with strong odors: perfume or detergents. It is almost impossible to stop a rat from marking. A young male can be castrated, but this will not be a 100% guarantee either.

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