Ratty people-help me out

ive been thinking about rats again lately. i had two when i was younger, and i miss having a small pet about. it was a toss up between the rats and guineas. i loved my rats when i had them, so think this is what im going to go for again.

i want to do things differently this time round, as im older and know more about animal welfare etc. my first too were from PAH, and i dont want to do that this time, i want to go to a breeder, so i hope you ratty guys can give me some breeders to go and have a look at.

also how many rats should i get? last time i only had the one on their own, but i know they like to live in groups, so would like at least 2, but what numbers could i have? and presume they have to be same sex groups?

cage wise ive been offered an indoor cage, it hasnt got any shelves or things in, its not that tall either but its quite wide, so thought i could start off with this and add my own stuff in and see how it goes, then maybe buy a bigger cage.

food. mine were just fed on rat food last time, with the odd bit of veg and stuff we had spare after tea or whatever. what else can i feed them?

enrichment. again i want to make sure these have the best life i trained my old rat tilly, and used to take her everywhere with me, she would sit in my hood and id go out on my bike with her and allsorts. obviously i doubt i can get away with doing that this time but im open to ideas with what i can do with them to keep them busy.

so guys... any help?

You need Muddiwarx on here but I'm sure her rat radar will pick this post up

thanks for that. i will take a picture of the cage and post it for you.

i think i will go for girly rats. i loved my gir rat, when i had my boy he was just a big lazy lump

You should def get some ratties

The best piece of advice would be to sign up to fancy rats forum, you can then read through loads of useful posts, ask questions and get to know breeders. Also once you have your rats you can post pics

Emma x

I'm a Fancy Rat person too!

I'm Hanlou on the Fancy Rat forum so am easy to recognise lol.

Rats are great pets! I've been keepnig rats for umm.... about 13 years on and off. They're sort of addictive.

Post a pic of your cage and we can assess it lol! I'm a bit of a cage-aholic so no doubt I'll know what it is!

I'd fully agree that a trio is a nice amount to start again with. I use (( Ratrations )) for my ratty foods these days. I know what's in it then as commercial foods tend to be full of colours!

Anyway; look forward to pics of your cage and any questions ask away! You'd be very welcome on FR though.

I'd go with a group of 3 as well - is a nice size group and 3 girls can cause soooo much trouble its untrue

I can't be too far from you - if you ever want a ratty fix .....

I'd go for 3 too but be careful they are addictive!

I recommend fancy rat forum too and also the Nfrs forum if you wanted to join

Ooh three sounds good then I'm letting myself in for trouble. No I'm not that far away, I'm in Macclesfield...

Right think I will sign up to these forums when I have time I'm busy busy busy at the minute. Just keep checking in here on my phone

Hi Hanlou.

And of course you like bunnehs too!

I had a pseudo rat... which was actually a syrian hamster! Bf wouldnt allow rats as they can smell.

I do love rats though, and think 3 is a cozy number. Research what you would bed them on as shavings arent always the best for their lungs.

I used aboise (sp?) for my ham. It was ace, absorbed wee without an issue or a pong, and was lovely and soft!

Cant wait to see pics?