Asleep by day, wide awake at dusk
Rats sleep through most of the day and wake up around dusk, which suits anyone who is out at work or school. Mornings take five minutes: fresh water, a handful of food, a quick wipe of any wet spots. Evenings are the real hobby. You open the cage in a rat-proofed room or a playpen and let them climb on you, explore, dig in a box of paper, and work for treats. Once a week the whole cage gets emptied and washed. Each rat has an obvious personality within days, and most keepers end up teaching tricks such as spin, come and fetch simply because the rats ask for more to do.
Tick these off as you go
Size
Allow at least 2 cubic feet per rat, and 2.5 if you can. Three rats therefore need a cage of roughly 30 by 18 by 24 inches or larger.
Bar spacing
Half an inch is safe for every rat. Young rats and small females squeeze through 1-inch bars, so wider spacing only suits large adult males.
Height over floor
Rats climb. A tall cage with two or more levels gives them far more usable room than a long, low one.
Solid footing
Choose solid shelves and ramps, or cover wire ones with fleece or cardboard. Bare wire floors cause sore, infected feet.
Wire, not glass
Tanks and plastic bins trap ammonia from urine, and rats have fragile lungs. Wire sides let air move.
Big doors
Doors that open the full front of the cage make weekly cleaning quick and let you reach a rat in any corner.
Fill the middle
Hang hammocks, ropes and hideouts at several heights so a rat that slips falls only a few inches. An empty tall cage is a fall hazard.
Breathing problems come first
Nearly all pet rats carry a respiratory bacterium that flares under stress, dust or ammonia. Sneezing for the first week or two in a new home is common. Clicking, wheezing or labored breathing needs a vet within a day.
Red is not blood
Rats produce a red pigment in their tears. A crust of it around the eyes or nose means stress or illness, so treat it as an early warning.
Lumps are common
Check for them weekly, especially on females. Most are benign mammary tumors that a vet can remove if they are caught small.
Wash your hands
Do it after every handling session and cage clean, and clean any bite or scratch right away. Pet rodents can carry germs such as those behind rat-bite fever, and the CDC advises extra caution in homes with children under 5, pregnant people or anyone with a weakened immune system.
Keep sexes apart
Females can become pregnant from five weeks old and again within a day of giving birth. Only mix sexes if the males are neutered.
Check the rules
Pet rats are legal across the United States, though leases often restrict caged pets. The Canadian province of Alberta bans them outright.
Check a symptom before you call the vet
What to expect
Expect a short life
Two to three years is normal, and the last months often bring vet bills. Plan a small monthly fund from the start.
Expect a smell if you slack
Clean rats in a clean cage smell faintly sweet. A cage left ten days smells of ammonia and makes them ill.
Expect chewing
Anything within reach of the bars or the free-roam floor gets tested with teeth: cords, curtains, sleeves.
What to avoid
Do not keep one rat
A single rat is lonely however much time you give it. Start with two, and three means nobody is left alone when one dies.
Do not use cedar, untreated pine or dusty bedding
The oils and dust irritate their lungs. The same goes for scented sprays and candles near the cage.
Do not buy the starter cage
Kits sold for rats are usually too small within two months. Buying the right cage once is cheaper.
Do not rush introductions
A new rat added to an existing group needs neutral ground and a week or more of gradual meetings.
The American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association publishes free care articles and lists breeders and shows, which are a good place to meet experienced keepers. Rat Guide is the reference most owners open when a rat seems unwell: it describes symptoms and treatments clearly enough to help you talk to your vet. The RSPCA's rat pages cover housing, company and behavior from a welfare point of view. Local rat rescues usually run their own social media groups and will answer beginner questions even if you adopted elsewhere.
The cage is most of the bill, and it is the one place not to economize, because a too-small cage gets replaced within months. Everything inside it is cheap. Food, bedding and litter are the running costs, about $25 to $40 a month for a trio. Hammocks and hideouts are in the kit because rats sleep off the floor when they can and need somewhere dark to retreat to. The litter pan and pellet litter cut weekly cleaning time roughly in half once the rats use them. The carrier is for the trip home and every vet visit after it. The playpen is optional because a rat-proofed bathroom does the same job in the first months.
Compare the options on each line, then set your tiers and check out from the cart. Clicking a card selects it there, and clicking the selected card again takes that line out. The first line, the rats themselves, is not something you buy online: they come from a rescue, a shelter or a breeder.
Rats are kept in same-sex groups, and where they come from decides how healthy and how tame they start out.
Not sold on Amazon · rescue, shelter or breeder
Not sold on Amazon. Look for a small-animal rescue, a shelter or a hobby breeder who handles the babies daily, and ask each rat's age, sex and current food. Expect a $15 to $30 adoption fee per rat, or $25 to $50 each from a breeder. Take two or three of the same sex, ideally littermates.
This is where your rats spend most of their lives, so it needs room to climb, bars they cannot squeeze through and doors wide enough to clean it properly.
54" Large Deluxe and Sturdy Chew-Proof Wrought Iron 4-Tiers Tight 1/2-inch Bar Spacing for Ferret Squirrel Chinchilla Sugar Glider Mice Rat Cage with Detachable Rolling Stand
4.0(66)
$79.95
Kaytee My First Home Multi-Level Exotics Habitat for Pet Chinchillas, Rats, Degus, Sugar Gliders and Other Exotic Small Animals
4.3(922)
$199.99
Check the listed bar spacing is 1/2 inch and that the cage gives at least 2 cubic feet per rat. Good used cages are common: scrub one with diluted vinegar before use.
Uniform blocks give every rat the same balanced nutrition and wear their teeth down as they gnaw.
Oxbow Essentials Rat Food, Pet Food for Adult Rats, All-Natural Vitamin & Mineral Rich Formula, Veterinarian Recommended, Oxbow, Rodent Pellets, Made in USA, No Artificials, 3 lb. Bag
4.8(7,116)
$10.83
Rodent Blocks - Nutritional Rodent Food - for Rats, Mice, Squirrels, Degus (3 lb.)
4.2(546)
$17.99
Choose a food made for rats with roughly 14 to 16 percent protein for adults. A 3-pound bag feeds three rats for about three weeks.
Bedding in the cage base soaks up urine and gives rats something to dig and forage in. Low dust matters because their lungs are easily irritated.
Small Pet Select Premium Aspen Bedding, Rabbit & Guinea Pig, 141 L
4.5(5,778)
$31.49
Kiln-dried aspen, hemp and unscented paper are all safe. Avoid cedar, untreated pine and anything scented.
Rats need clean water around the clock, and a bottle mounted outside the bars stays free of bedding and droppings.
Choco Nose No-Drip Water Bottle Feeder for Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, Bunnies, Ferrets, & Small Pets, 10.2 fl.oz, 300ml - Easy to Install in Cages/Crates, US Patented Leakproof Nozzle 10mm, Blue (C128)
4.2(10.2K)
$12.69
Lixit® Chew Proof Flat Sided Water Bottles for Rabbits, Ferrets, Rats, Birds, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, Chinchillas Gerbils and Other Small Animals - Made in USA (Clear, 6 Ounce)
4.1(3,459)
$18.99
Glass or a chew-proof bottle is the safest choice. A plastic one is fine as long as the whole body hangs outside the bars with only the metal spout poking through. For three or more rats, a second bottle is cheap insurance against a stuck spout.
Rats are prey animals and need an enclosed, dark place to sleep. A rigid plastic pod that hangs from the cage roof wipes clean and cannot be shredded overnight.
Exotic Nutrition Nap Nook - Unique Nest Pod Cage Accessory Toy - Use Grounded or Hanging - Sugar Gliders, Hamsters, Mice, Rats, Birds, Degus, Chinchillas, & Other Small Pets (Large)
4.3(13)
$19.99
NEOUZA Sugar Glider Nest, PP Rattan Hanging Ball Bed for Small Pets
4.3(39)
$19.99
Pick one large enough for all your rats to pile into together, and hang it high: rats feel safest sleeping near the cage roof.
Hammocks give rats soft places to sleep off the floor and break up the height of a tall cage so a slip is not a long fall.
Boao 2 Pcs Guinea Pig Rat Hammock for Pet, Purple, Coffee, Heart Pattern
4.6(1.7K)
$9.99
Niteangel Hanging Hammock Nap Sack Swing Bag Pet Sleeper for Ferret Rat Sugar Glider and Other Small Animals (Cream, Star)
4.8(2.8K)
$13.99
Fleece washes well and does not fray into threads that catch toes. Expect to replace hammocks every few months as they get chewed.
Most rats choose one corner as a toilet. A pan there lets you empty the mess daily without changing all the bedding.
RUBYHOME Triangle Potty Trainer Corner Litter Bedding Box Pet Pan for Baby Rabbit, Chinchillas, Small Guinea Pigs, Ferret, Galesaur
4.1(1K)
$13.99
Rat Small Litter Box, 10"x8" Square Corner Litter Box Training Pan with Grid Potty Tray Toilet for Cage Small Animal/Rabbit/Guinea Pig/Bunny/Ferret (White)
4.2(1.3K)
$22.99
Move a few droppings into the pan each day for the first week and the rats pick up the idea.
Litter that looks and feels different from the bedding tells rats which spot is the toilet, and dense paper pellets hold odor better than loose bedding.
Fresh News Recycled Paper Original Pellet Cat Litter, 12 Pound, Non-Clumping, Unscented, Made in USA (Pack of 3)
5.0(1)
$33.12
Marshall Fresh & Clean Ferret Litter – 20 lbs – Superior Absorbency & Odor Control – Dust-Free, Non-Allergenic Paper Pellet Litter for Ferrets & Small Animals
5.0(3)
$40.49
Use unscented paper pellets only, including the ones sold for cats or ferrets. Clumping and clay litters are unsafe if eaten or inhaled.
Rats' front teeth grow for life, and a bored rat chews the cage or its cagemates' hammocks instead. Things to gnaw and pull apart keep teeth and brains busy.
Trixie Rabbit Snack Board, Interactive Toy, Small Animal Puzzle, Mental Stimulation, Rabbit, Ferret, Bunny, Chinchilla
4.7(2.6K)
$8.49
Swap toys around weekly. Cardboard tubes and paper bags from the recycling are good free extras.
You need a secure way to bring the rats home and to get them to the vet, and it doubles as a holding pen while you clean the cage.
Magshion 18 Inch Hard-Sided Dog Cat Carrier, Grey
4.2(131)
$30.99
Only 5 left in stock - order soon.
20-Inch Pink Hard Shell Pet Carrier for Small Dogs & Cats Under 15 Lbs
4.4(67)
$39.99
Ferplast Rabbit, Guinea Pig and Rat Carrier ALADINO Large, Large Pet Carrier for Hamster, Rodents, Rabbits, Transparent Cover with Comfortable Handle, Secure Closing, 36 x 26 x h 23 cm, Green
4.5(298)
$55.02
Choose a hard-sided carrier: rats chew through fabric and mesh on longer trips. Check the door before the first trip, because young rats squeeze through gaps wider than half an inch. Zip-tie a piece of hardware mesh over a wide grille.
For later: a pen gives the rats a contained free-roam area you can set up in any room, without rat-proofing the whole space first.
Small Animal Playpen with Zippered Mesh Cover - Portable Foldable Chicken Brooder Box, Indoor Outdoor Enclosure for Guinea Pigs, Bunny, Rabbits, Ferrets, Chinchillas, Kittens (Black)
4.1(117)
$13.99
VavoPaw Small Animal Playpen, Chicken Brooder Box with Cover Top, Black
4.5(808)
$23.99
VISCOO 24 Panels Small Animals Playpen,48"x24"x28" Transparent Pet Playpen
4.1(2.3K)
$30.99
Rats climb and jump, so choose smooth panels at least 28 inches high or a pop-up pen with a zip-on roof, and stay with them while they are out.
