Fancy Rats

From Pet Encyclopedia

Fancy Rats

Fancy Rats as pets

Origin of Breed

Scientific Name

[edit] Introduction

The Fancy Rat makes a wonderful pet for older children and grown ups alike. There are many resources available to the new rat owner to obtain their pet rat. Pets shops cater to the impulse buyer, but unfortunately most of their rats come from rodent farms without any background knowledge. Rodent farms do not breed for health or temperament, they breed for quantity and the kittens do not get handled or socialized. Their seems to be at the moment, unfortunately, a glut of rats in rescue. Not all of these are older rats as pregnant does often get rescued. Whilst there will be little background information on health and temperament for these kittens, they will have been well handled and socialized prior to being homed. There are also many registered Fancy Rat breeders and list of breeders and the varieties they breed is available from the NFRS by emailing breeders@nfrs.org. Breeders tend to breed for health and temperament and the kittens will have been well handled and socialized. Also family trees usually spanning 5 generations are generally available from most breeders too. Plus they are very friendly!!

[edit] Origin and History

[edit] Appearance

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Health and Care

Fancy rats make wonderful pets if they are healthy and have the right care. For starters, fancy rats should always be kept in pairs as they are very sociable animals and can get lonely or depressed on their own.

They will need a large cage with plenty of toys to keep them occupied (Tubes, hammocks, boxes and shelves work best) and they need at least an hour playtime each day (Though more is better). When you first get them they need a lot of handling to get used to your smell and get used to you handling them.

Rats are best kept on layers of newspaper and wood shavings (dust extracted though as bedding that is too dusty can cause respiratory infections). For bedding in their house, torn up newspaper works well. They should be cleaned out thoroughly every week (Or more often if you have more than 2) to keep them in the best health.

The best diet and most varied diet for rats is the shunamite diet (Easiest found on google). Treats are good for training purposes but shouldn't be given too often as this can cause your rats to become overweight. Good healthy treats for them can be pasta, fruit and vegetables. Some foods to avoid are citrus fruit (This can cause stomach and kidney problems), grapes and foods high in protein suck as dairy products and meat (These can heighten the risk of tumours in later life).

Rats live for 2-5 years. In later life they often suffer from tumours and are prone to respiratory illnesses. They are also susceptible to eye and ear infections, but these are not as common. If at any point you think there is something wrong with your rat, take it to the vet.

Overall rats make wonderful pets.They are good starter pets for children as they do not bite if handled regularly and are awake in the daytime. They're incredibly friendly and intelligent, easy to train and are so loving. I would happily recommend them to anyone.

[edit] External Links

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/index.htm

http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?c=18

[edit] References