Here is what I have found (so far) to work the best for the general care of my pet rats.
Cage
Wire cages have the best air flow for sure, and
seem to work very well. Of course there
are the downsides though. In multi-level cages, wire floors can
trap a rat's foot. This can
lead to a case of bumblefoot, or even a broken leg. So, if you
do get a wire cage, put
some sort of pad on the wire so this is no longer a problem!
Also, bedding frequently
gets kicked out of wire cages, so I usually put a barrier around
the edge of the table with
the cage on it to contain the mess. Tank cages are much cleaner
in that respect, but the rat
cannot get as much air and you have to be very careful not to put them
where the light from
a window could turn the cage into an oven!
Bedding
I used pine shavings for bedding when I first got rats, until
I realized what a mistake it was!
Pine is the most wide-spread type around, and none of the stores
seem to realize the health
issues. Pine can cause serious problems for small animals, thanks
to the oils and toxins
within. Cedar can also cause problems with this, and it is sometimes
sold in fairly large,
coarse chips that can cut the animal's feet. Another type of
bedding is made from
compressed corn cobs. While fairly expensive, this seemed to
work very well when I used it.
However, it is a little rough on the feet, and sometimes a rat may
mistake it for food. Paper
shreds work alright but don't absorb a whole lot; shredded paper
towels, on the other hand,
are an instant hit and work great. Straw and hay do little to
absorb, and may poke a rat in
the eye in rare circumstances. What I used for a long time for my own rats is
aspen shavings. They are
non-toxic, easy to clean, and smell wonderful! This is one of the best
things around in this area,
and, naturally, I had to drive all over town to find it. Only
one store carries it here. Another great bedding
is CareFresh, which is made from recycled paper. It reminds me of what an egg carton would
look like if it was shredded up really well. This is also one of the best options I highly recommend.
Rat Baths
Rat baths are pretty unneccessary in my opinion. Rats
clean themselves CONSTANTLY,
day in day out, even more than a cat. I doubt that they really
need us to keep them clean.
But, some people's rats start to smell bad if their bedding isn't
cleaned often enough, so their
owner's start scrubbing them! My rats hate the water, and try
their best to scratch my
hands off, but I've heard of people who can wash their rats every day
without a struggle.
It depends on how it is done and how often. If you do decide
that your rat needs a bath,
use luke-warm water and a shampoo that is made for a cat preferably.
This way you
know that it won't harm the rat if it tries to clean itself later and
ingests a small amount.
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