Ratty Notebook

The most important thing to remember about rat bedding this: Do NOT use pine or cedar shavings! Softwood bedding like pine and cedar might be fragrant, but they contain phenols that are bad for a rat’s respiratory system and cause health problems. You should also avoid dusty bedding in general.

Here’s a list of other bedding options:

Aspen shavings are OK. It’s absorbent and controls odors fairly well. Aspen is a hardwood, so it doesn’t contain the phenols that cause health problems. However, it can be a little dusty and messy, depending on the quality.

CareFRESH is a soft fiber-based bedding that’s good for nesting. It makes daily clean-up easy, too: You can replace clumps of it as needed. You’ll still want to do a thorough cage cleaning at least once a week, though. The downside is that it’s expensive.

Yesterday’’s News is a safe newspaper-based bedding that resembles pellets. It was originally intended to be used as cat litter, but now it’s commonly used as bedding. It looks unattractive, almost like clumps of droppings, but it’s reasonably effective.

Sun Seed Fresh World Bedding, like Yesterday’s News, is a bedding made from recycled newspapers. Only it’s softer, more absorbent, and controls odors far better. This is the bedding I use now.

Newspaper is acceptable, since it’s generally printed with nontoxic ink these days. It’s cheap and plentiful. However, it will need to be replaced frequently. It will also stain your rat’s feet.

Fleece blankets or towels are cozy and you don’t have to worry about any clumps of bedding getting kicked out of the cage. However, the towels will need to be changed out and cleaned at least every other day. If you go this route, make sure there are no loose fibers that could entangle a rat’s feet and cause injury.

Remember to AVOID these bedding options:

Dried corn: This was traditionally recommended because it’s non-toxic and edible. However, it tends to be dusty. Worse, it molds quickly. This will do terrible things to your rat’s lungs.

Shredded paper: Although it seems like a practical option, it makes terrible bedding. It gets wet and gunky fast.

Softwood shavings: Again, pine and cedar shavings are bad for rats and small animals in general. It’s been linked with liver and respiratory problems.

Before you adopt any rats, the first thing you need to do well in advance is have a home ready for them. But which is better for housing your rats:  A cage, or an aquarium?

Aquariums are the best choice if you plan on breeding your rats. Baby rats are tiny enough to slip between the bars of some cages, and the solid walls of an aquarium prevent escapes. An aquarium is worth considering if you have a very drafty house, because it will shelter your rats better.

Other advantages of aquariums: They’re easy to clean, attractive, and easy to find locally. You also don’t have to worry about rats kicking out food and bedding.

But there are big problems with aquariums. Thanks to the lack of air circulation, there’s more ammonia buildup. Your rats have a higher chance of developing respiratory problems even if you are vigilant about keeping the aquarium clean. Aquariums also trap more heat; if you don’t keep the air conditioner running, your rats will slowly bake in the summer.

Your aquarium will need to be quite big if you want your rats to be happy and get along with each other. For two rats, your aquarium should be a minimum of 20 gallons. The more rats you own, the bigger the aquarium should be. Unfortunately, it’s hard to maximize all that space: Rats love to climb, and you’ll have to be extra creative if you want to give your rats hammocks and multiple levels to play on.

Most rat owners prefer cages. They provide better air circulation, they don’t need to be cleaned as often, and they’re space savers. Rats love climbing up and down the bars. You can get more out of the space in a cage by adding multiple levels. You can also hang hammocks and other toys in the cage to keep your rats amused.

Some rat books discourage the use of cages because they can rust or might even give your rats zinc poisoning. However, that’s only true of cages made from uncoated galvanized wire. Powder coated cages are quite safe, and they’re easier to clean.

One of the disadvantages of cages is that rats will often kick their food and bedding out of the cage. A cage with a deep pan (3 to 4″) will cut down on this. Also, cages with wire floors are hard on rats’ feet: They can injure your rat or contribute to a condition called bumblefoot. You can solve this problem by covering the wire floors with linoleum or plastic cross-stitch canvas.

Many people make the mistake of buying a rat cage that’s far too small. Obviously, you shouldn’t buy a puny hamster cage for a rat. However, even cages advertised for rats aren’t always appropriate. Cages need to provide at least 2 cubic feet of space per rat. Bigger is better, especially if there’s a chance you’ll adopt more rats later.

To figure out if a cage is big enough, multiply its dimensions (length x width x height). Divide the result by 3456. The answer will tell you how many rats can live in the cage.

If you don’t want to fool with calculations, you can use the Ratty Corner Cage Calculator instead.

Bar spacing
Keep in mind that a determined rat can force his body through anything he can stick his head through. Bar spacing should be about 1/2″, especially if you have slim females or baby rats. 1″ mesh is OK for adult rats.

Some sources such as Debbie Ducommun’’s “Rats: Complete Care Made Easy” book claim that 1/2″ bar spacing is a bad choice for adult rats, because their feet can get caught and cause injuries. This seems to happen very rarely, though, and most online rat communities recommend 1/2″ bar spacing for all rats.

Galvanized Wire vs. Powder Coated
Galvanized cages are a poor choice, because urine causes them to rust and makes them impossible to clean. Eventually the cage becomes so unsightly that you have little choice but to throw it out. Some sources even claim that rats can get zinc poisoning from galvanized metal cages.

Powder-coated cages are best. They last longer, look more attractive, and are easier to clean.

Ease of Cleaning
Cleaning the cage isn’t much fun no matter how well designed it is. However, a poorly designed cage can make the chore a nightmare.

The cage should be made from powder-coated wire. Galvanized wire cages are a poor choice because they eventually rust and become impossible to clean.

Large doors will make it easy for you to take out your rats, remove the toys, and scoop out soiled litter. Having a second large door on top of the cage is excellent, because it gives you even better access to the cage.

An open-bottom cage that fits inside a plastic drop pan is ideal. You can simply lift the cage and clean the pan separately.

A cage that fits inside a bath tub is great, because then you can shower it down.