Burgess Suparat

Caring for your Rat

Just because they're small, don't go thinking that you can give a rat any less care, commitment and love than you'd give to a bigger pet. In this guide, we show you by far the best way to give your pets the time of their little lives – which usually last around two years.

The more you get to know your rats (Latin name Rattus norvegicus), and get to know about them, the better. There's more fun to be had, and more reward, every single day.

Rats make excellent pets, especially for older children and adults. They're clean, friendly, inquisitive and highly intelligent. They love a bit of problem-solving - and you can even teach them tricks. They bond well with people and rarely bite.

Although rats are sleepy-heads all day long, they're usually up in the late afternoon and evening. Bright-eyed, long-tailed and ready for action - absolutely ideal for when you get in.

Background

Wild rats can be found all over Europe, although they originated in Asia. The population spread across the world when the rats were sneaky stowaways on merchant ships. The domestic or fancy rat is descended from the Brown Rat (also known as the Norwegian Rat) and is thought to have originated from Asia moving into Europe in 1553 and then onto the US in 1775.

Domesticated rats are very clean, intelligent animals. They are very different to their wild cousins.

There are many different colour variations among rats, and three types of coat – smooth-haired, rex and hairless.
To take the best care of your rats, you’ll need all these things:

Large multi-level cage 
Wood shavings  
Soft bedding  
Tubes and other toys 
Suparat complete food  
Ceramic food bowl  
Water bottle   
Gnaw blocks   
Pet Safe disinfectant 

If you prefer you can click here to download one of our Care Guides