There are plenty of websites and facebook pages where you can find information about the correct care for rats. 

We suggest joining NZ RatClub on facebook, a friendly page where you are welcome to ask questions about rats and their care. Or check out the Rat Club website: http://ratclub.org/rat_care.htm 

Food

There are plenty of rat food brands available at pet stores but it is important to know which ones are actually suitable for rats. Brands such as Tui and Torflite are not suitable for rats as they mainly consist of seeds which should be avoided as their nutritional value is low, meaning they are unhealthy foods for rats.

Brands such as Vetafarm Origins, Science Select, Burgess and the NZ Rat Rescue mix/lab blocks are all suitable foods for rats.  Apart from the NZ Rat Rescue mix which can be purchased at their store, all the other recommended brands of food can be purchased at pet stores such as Animates. 

Along with dry food you can feed your rats a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits. Leftovers from dinner will always go down well but make sure that they are safe for rats to eat. 

For some information on diet and foods to avoid check out the Rat Club page. 

Cage

There are many suitable cages available in New Zealand. It is vitally important that you purchase a suitable cage for your rats to live in. It is important that the cage you provide has enough space for the number of rats you have. If you are unsure about how many rats your cage can fit or if a certain cage is suitable then check out the rat cage calculator.  

When looking at a cage it is important to make sure that the bar spacing is no larger than 1.5 cm so that none of your rats can escape. If a rat can get their head through a space then they can squeeze their whole bodies through. Male rats may be fine (because they are larger) with a bar spacing of up to 2 cm but females and babies will escape. It is important that all wire shelves are covered with something to stop the rats walking directly on the bars. To cover bars we recommend corflute which can be purchased at Warehouse Stationary or a hardware store such as Bunnings. Alternatively you can use plastic place mats from Kmart or the Warehouse which come in a variety of colours and patterns. 

Cages should be cleaned once a week with spot cleaning every day or every second day. Spot cleaning entails sweeping up stray poos and putting them in the litter box and cleaning up any other mess such as left over vegetables/fruit. A full clean is required every week, which entails cleaning out and replacing the hammocks, plastic items and substrate (wash fleece and throw away used pine/aspen shavings). To clean our cage we use a spray bottle filled with vinegar and water, this cuts through pee and is a great cleaner compared to stronger smelling chemical cleaners which can irritate your rats respiratory systems.  When washing fleece you can put the dirty fleece in the washing machine with a small amount of washing powder, try not to use too much as the smell can be too strong for rats sensitive noses. 

Above are a few suitable cages for your rats but there are many more, such as:

• The Avi One 604

• The Avi One 604T

• The Pet One 2212 Rabbit/Guinea Pig Cage (only suitable for larger rats/adults)

Cage accessories 

There are plenty of suitable cage accessories for rats. You can buy specific rat toys and hides from pet stores such as Animates or the NZ Rat Rescue store. There are many things you can put in your rats cage that are not specifically made for rats such as plastic baskets, homemade dig boxes and many parrot toys that are all suitable accessories for a rats cage. Something important to be aware of is suitable sizing for wheels. If you choose to use a wheel in your cage, make sure the wheel is not wire and is at least 28cm for girls and 30cm in diameter for boys. A great suitable wheel for rats is the Wobust Wodent wheel which can be purchased from the NZ Rat Rescue. Great chew toys can be bought from A Rats Tail.