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| A RAT FOR A PET |
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Looking for a pet which is cheap to feed and easy to look after? Have you ever considered a rat? Although we tend to think of rats as dirty disease carrying animals, the species of rats kept as pets are among the cleanest and most fastidious of animals.
White rats and Hooded rats - so called because they have a black marking across their head - make intriguing pets. If obtained very young and they are well handled they will become extremely friendly.
It is necessary to have an enclosure for your pet rat as they can be very destructive if left to roam. Rats have an instinct to chew and also to go into narrow spaces - which may mean the back of your stereo where they will shred the wiring!
Many people keep their pet rats in a large glass fish tank as it is necessary to have a very sturdy "rat house" which they cannot chew through. Care must be taken to see that the glass tanks are not allowed to become too hot by leaving them near a window where the sun can shine on them. |
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Cover the floor of the rats' house with kitty litter and then a layer of wood shavings which can be bought from the local pet store. Don't use pine shavings as they are sticky. Shredded white paper is excellent, but newspaper is too dirty as the print comes off and the rats will swallow it as they try to lick it off their coats. Rats spend a lot of time grooming themselves in a cat-like fashion. The rat house must be kept spotlessly clean.
Rats are very social animals and you may prefer to keep two - but it is better to make sure they are of the same sex or you may very quickly have more rats than you want!
Pet stores sell pelleted rat food which can be supplemented with fresh, washed fruits and vegetables. Fresh water must be available at all times and is best supplied in a gravity-feed water dispenser which keeps the water clean.
Rats are very curious little animals and enjoy playing with toys. Pet stores sell a range of toys which will prevent boredom. All rodents have front teeth which continue to grow and they must be provided with something to chew to wear the teeth down. Hard blocks of wood or other substances are available from the pet store.
The downside of keeping rats as pets is that they have a very short lifespan of about two years. |
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| Petcare Information and Advisory Service Australia |
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| Last Update: 06/02/07 22:37 |
Views: 5491 |
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