Fancy Rats

From Pet Encyclopedia

Fancy Rats

Fancy Rats as pets

Origin of Breed

Scientific Name

[edit] Introduction

Fancy Rats are a fantastic pet for people of any age. They are sweet, loving creatures. A well handle rat is a joy to have as a pet. If you are looking to get a rat as a pet, please read on.

[edit] Appearance

From the NFRS website:

The Rat shall be of good size, does long and racy type, bucks being of a bigger build, arched over the loin, firm fleshed with clean, long head, but not too pointed at the nose. The eyes shall be round, bold, clean and of goods size. The ears shall be of good size, well formed and widely spaced. The tail shall be cylindrical and as long as the body, thick at the base, tapering to a fine point. The ears, feet and tail shall be covered with fine hair. The coat shall be smooth and glossy (except for the Rex type). Bucks are longer than does and have a harsher coat.

Rats also come in 'dumbo'. Dumbo rats have large ears set low on the side of their head. This is the only way in which they differ from 'normal' rats. Rats also come in many varieties. If you want to look at these then please look at the NFRS website.

[edit] Obtaining Your Rats

There are several places where you can get you rats from. Pet shops are the first place many people will think of when they're looking for rats. This is not a good place to obtain healthy rats rats from. Pet shop rats come from rodent farms. These are a lot like puppy farms for small furries. The does are kept in small tanks where they are kept constantly pregnant, even if they have a litter at the same time. This back to back breeding causes stressed mothers and sickly babies. These babies will often have poor genetics, and suffer badly from respiratory infections and tumours as they get older. Pet shops often missex their rats, so people often buy pregnant female rats thinking they're boys. Buying rats from a pet shop says that you agree with these breeding practices, and selling animals like commodities.

Another place you can get rats from is rescue centres. These aren't always old rats. Often there will be babies in rescue as a result of pet shop mis sexing. These rats are of unknown background, and they often suffer from tumours and respitatory infections as they age, but getting rats from a rescue centre doesn't put money in the pockets of irresponsible pet shops.

There are also dedicated rat breeders. They breed rats specifically for good health and temperament. They usually breed for specific varieties of rat, so if you're looking for your russian blue dumbo rex then you're best off going through a breeder. If you email the National Fancy Rat Society on breeders@nfrs.org you can get the list of registered breeders and the varieties which they breed.

[edit] Behaviour

Rats are social animals that need to be in at least same sex pairs. Often they do better in larger groups. You should never mix males and females unless one sex is neutered as they will mate in seconds, and rats can have 20 (or more) babies in each litter. A pair of rats require a cage that is at least 80x50x80cm. This is because they are active, inquisitive animals that need a lot of space to display natural behaviours.

Rats need a lot of enrichment to keep their minds active. A cage that's filled with lots of ropes and boxes encourages the rat to use it's brain. It also helps keep them sleek and well muscled as they're exercising. You should also let your rats out for at least an hour each day. This also helps keep their brains active.

Male rats are usually much lazier then female rats.

[edit] Health and Care

Bedding

RATS SHOULD NEVER BE KEPT ON SHAVINGS! Soft wood shavings release harmful chemicals called phenols. These chemicals irritate the respiratory tract and cause the rats to become more prone to respiratory infections. Also, rats that are kept on shavings show higher levels of liver enzymes. Safe beddings for rats include: Newspaper, shredded paper, shredded/ chopped card and hemp. Some rat owners keep their rats on carefresh, while others say it causes their rats to sneeze.

Rats can be litter trained. If you decide to do this you must pick a safe litter. Clay litters are dusty and can irritate the respiratory tract. Clumping litters aren't safe becase they can cause impactions if ingested. Wood pellet litters aren't safe because they turn into sawdust when they get wet. The safest type of litter is 100% recycled paper pellets. These pose no risk to the health of a rat.

Diet

The best commercial rat food is Bephar Extra Vital rat. Most of it is eaten, and the rats seem to enjoy it. However, it still has issues. It is slightly too high in protein, the ingrediants are an unknown quantity and it contains turkey (which is probablt poor quality). It also can't be altered to suit the rats throughout their lives. For this reason many rat owners make their own mix (google Shunamite Diet). This allows you to have control over the quality of the food your rats are getting, and you can also change it to suit your rats for every life stage.

Rats should also be given fresh fruits and vegetables. One that a lot of owners feed their rats is curly kale. Curly kale is packed with vitamins and minerals, and most rats love it. Rats can have most fruits a vegetables, but their are a couple of restrictions. For example, male rats can't have citrus fruits or mango. This is because they contain a chemical called d-limosene which causes kidney cancer. This chemical had no effect on female rats. Also, rats aren't allowed liquorice. This is because it contains a neurotoxin.

Be careful with treats. If you feed to many treats your rat may become obese, which then puts it at risk of suffering from a lot of health issues.

Lifespan and Health

The average age of a UK pet rat is 24 months.

Rats suffer from many health issues. This list below is not an exhaustive list, but it mentions some common ailments. If you rat is showing signs of ill health such as puffed up fur, discharge or lethargy then you should take it to the vet.

Respiratory Infections- All rats are prone to respiratory infections. The symptoms include snotty eyes and nose, noisey breathing, puffed up fur and general lethargy. If you suspect you rat is suffering from a respiratory infection them you should take it to the vet for treatment. The treament for a simple respitatory infection is baytril at the dose of 0.1ml per 100g of body weight for at least 2 weeks. To prevent infections you should keep your rats on a safe, dust free bedding.

Abscesses- This is something else all rats are prone to. This is because they heal very quickly, and if a wound isn't cleaned out properly then it will heal with dirt still inside it. If this happens the dirt will fester and grow into a pus filled lump. This will eventually pop and release the pus. When this happens you need to flush the wound with saline, and keep doing it until it has healed. Most abscesses can be treated at home, but if your rat shows signs of a facial abscess then you must take it to the vet. Facial abscesses can eat into the bone and cause wide spread infection.

Tumours- Older female rats are very prone to tumours. Most of these a benign fatty lumps that are easily removed. If your rat had a tumour then you need to take her to the vet to discuss your options. A very old rat with breathing problems probably shouldn't have her lump removed as she could die under anaesthetic, which a younger rat that is healthy apart from her lump stands a much better chance of surviving an operation.

[edit] References

http://www.nfrs.org/varieties.html