I'm getting two rats from a family member in 3 days, what

Don't separate them. The fighting is probably due to the fact that they're together in a tiny cage.

Get a big cage with a lot of ventilation. They'll eat whatever you give them, but healthy food would be things like oatmeal, vegetables, fruit (not too much), Mazuri lab blocks, stuff like that.

The lab blocks are good because they're a complete diet on their own, but you should also give them the other stuff to keep them happy. Mazuri is a great brand.

>>2475257

Also, they pee and poop a lot. Clean the cage at least once a week or so. Don't let it get nasty or they'll get sick.

A cage with good ventilation is essential to prevent ammonia poisoning.

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Would something like this be good, or would they be able to squeeze through the bars?

Get a critter nation cage makes cleaning easier and they wont be able to tear it to pieces

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>>2475324
They would absolutely chew out the bottom.

Rat manor is an ok cage. Not terribly expensive but I had to put metal clips on it to make it sturdier and ditch the wire shelves since wire bottoms can hurt their feet and tails. Ferret nations are great for adult males and easier to clean.

I have no idea if they exist anymore but coastal cages were amazing. They had a deep dish blocked by the wires so they couldn't chew enough to escape. They were sturdy as fuck too. I had a large one and a travel sized one. They were good for small rats too because they couldn't fit through the bars.

>>2475233
>Guys in a tank will constantly smell each others' pee which can encourage fighting. The new space can either shock them into trusting one another, or to fight more. If it's big enough to run in and has enough distractions and hiding spots, they should relax though.

>>2475257
Mazuri has higher protein which can cause skin irritation and scabbing in adults, if they're over 6-8 months you can just feed them diet + Oxbow. Meat only 2-3 times a week, and avoid feeding them too many different foods at once or it can stress out their stomach. Go through the /an/ archive on desuarchive or google around for food ideas.

>>2475324
I have this same exact cage and no issues. No, they do not chew on the bottom of the cage. I have a salt lick and a wooden chew in the cage if they needed to bite something.

>>2475324
>>2475429
>>2475836
Whether or not they chew seems to be entirely up to chance. I had 8 rats, two of them chewed and the rest did not. I guess better safe than sorry.

Not OP.

I'd like to buy some small rodents but I hate making animals miserable. Can they actually live happily in a cage plus taking them out from time to time? The average territory size of a male mouse must be at least 20 times the size of a big cage.

>>2475324
Get something bigger than that with multiple levels to explore

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You don't have to keep them separate - A little bit of fighting is generally fine as long as they aren't drawing blood, although I'll agree with the others and say it's probably due to being crammed in a tiny tank (and if that;s their home, you know the rest of their life has been negligent.)

Lab blocks should be their staple food for their health, with other stuff given only as a treat. If they seem picky, just leave them with the blocks. They won't starve themselves and will eat what's available when they get hungry.

The chances that they'll chew through a plastic-bottom cage is virtually nil. In hundreds of rattos, I've had maybe two or three serious chewers and they still didn't start on their cage.

As always, bigger is better - But with two males, they're likely going to stay in the same spot sleeping 70% of the time anyway.


>tfw I forgot to come back updates on my two new dudes.
Tl;dr one of them can inexplicably get out of the cage that no other rat has ever been able to - But he still goes back in to eat/drink and is litter-trained, so I've accepted that I now have a free-range rat. He mostly chills out on one shelf and my computer desk. Pic related, this cheeky little shit.

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>>2475233
>make sure rattos have a clean, dust free environment
>always wash your hands before interacting with ratto (and after if you care about your own health)
>never put your face near the rattos face, no kissing the rats
>breath is full of diseases and bacteria that will make rat sick
>never feed ratto fun food only rat block
>special sometimes foods are a bit of dark chocolate
>your hands are rats friends play with rats

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Thank you anons. It'll be a few more days now before I get them, but that gives me more time to set up everything.
Here's one of them, they look like little ballsacks but hopefully they'll be happy little ballsacks soon.