# What all am I going to need?



## Pilot. (Feb 11, 2014)

Im getting a baby boy for my birthday, and ive decided to get this cage here:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=19709376&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

I know ill have to get more food, but what else would I need? I have three cats, and I saw somewhere that cat litter was an okay thing to use? If not I have shredded paper and/or Aspen bedding. I wa planning on taking an old jacket of mine and making the beds out of that, as the hammock and tubes and swings are expensive and Im good with sewing. What else would you recommend for a male rat?


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

Fleece is very good for bedding. You can get fleece baby blankets from thrift stores extremely cheap. Its easy to wash and reuse. It saves me $20 a month or more just using fleece instead of bedding.plus using fleece does not smell at all like all the other bedding. You could use towels as well instead of fleece. shredded paper is ok for them to have fun and sleep in but does not absorb urine very well. Its great that you can make hammocks. I have a video on youtube(LeStan82). With the same cage for ideas if you want. There are lots of cage tours on youtube that will give you ideas on things you can make fairly cheaply if your pretty crafty. Id like to see pics of your set up when your done. Have fun with it!


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## Pan&Lou (Jun 14, 2013)

First off, you'll want to consider getting two rats.
Secondly, that link isn't working for me.

So here is a little list (sorry if I leave anything out!)

Bedding
Avoid wood in general, especially cedar and pine. Though, I believe you can use kiln dried pine or something of that sort. Paper based bedding is always better. Cat litter should be avoided especially if it's clay based. You could consider liners made of fleece.

Food
I recommend Oxbow. Use the food for young rats and mice, then at six months you switch them to Oxbow Regal Rat. Harlan Teklad is also a good bran but hard to find in stores. Avoid seed mixes at all cost

Necessities
A food bowl, you might want to look at a ceramic one as some rats per hon the edge and that would spill the food every where with a plastic bowl. And, a water bottle.

Accessories 
Your rat should have at least one hammock and one box or something. A wheel can be fun to if your rat knows how to use it. Make sure you that least and eleven inch. 


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## Kisetsu (Jan 24, 2014)

I've only had my two boys for a little while, so I don't have too much advice as I'm still learning. But I bought that exact cage (I'm getting a new one today to replace it. It's not a bad cage, but cleaning it is a pain, and I don't like spending all my time cleaning. So, if you live by me, I'll give it to you cheap!) and I would suggest replacing the hammock that comes with it. It's thin and made of a plastic-like material and my boys never touched it, so I took it out. 

From what I've read, clumping cat litter is a big no-no. I use the paper pellet cat litter, Yesterdays News (although, based on the prices online on petsmart, ExquisiCat paper litter is much cheaper and sounds just as effective, so I may switch to that).
Other than that, I don't have much more to suggest. Just get/make some fun toys and give the baby lots of love!


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## smopey (Feb 3, 2012)

I have that cage! You definitely don't want to use cat litter in your rat's cage. If you're going the bedding route (which I recommend since the pan is too deep to line with fleece) then you'll want to get some kind of paper bedding like CareFresh or Kaytee Clean & Cozy. Aspen is fine but stay away from pine or cedar bedding (it causes respiratory problems). If you're going to litter train them then I would get Yesterday's News or some other kind of paper pellets. I feed my rats Oxbow, which is probably the best/healthiest food you'll find for them at Petsmart. For treats, I usually give them baby puffs or dried fruit and nuts. Fresh fruits and veggies are always good too. You'll obviously need a water bottle and a food bowl. They like stuff to hide in, like one of those igloos or a tube would work. Hammocks are good too. I would also get some wood toys or something for them to chew on to keep them occupied. I noticed you said you were getting a boy.. You should really get rats in pairs since they're social animals. They can easily get depressed if they're alone. I would check out the Cage Pic thread to get some ideas on how to decorate your cage. The more stimulating, the better! Good luck with your rats!


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

I have that cage as well. Lol I can say that I replaced pretty much everything except the water bottle. Def follow everyone's advice on the food since after looking at the bag included it's not very healthy. Buy zone zip ties/cable ties. I hate to be such a negative nancy but that cage is flimsy. I had hooks snap off the moment I took it out of the box, so I use zip ties. Also had pieces just break or bend out of shape. If you have the chance to get a nicer cage I would suggest it. My boys are getting a new one when my bonus comes it. I know lots of people seem to have done fine with that cage. For me it was flimsy and not worth the money I spent.


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## Pilot. (Feb 11, 2014)

Kisetsu said:


> I've only had my two boys for a little while, so I don't have too much advice as I'm still learning. But I bought that exact cage (I'm getting a new one today to replace it. It's not a bad cage, but cleaning it is a pain, and I don't like spending all my time cleaning. So, if you live by me, I'll give it to you cheap!) and I would suggest replacing the hammock that comes with it. It's thin and made of a plastic-like material and my boys never touched it, so I took it out.
> 
> From what I've read, clumping cat litter is a big no-no. I use the paper pellet cat litter, Yesterdays News (although, based on the prices online on petsmart, ExquisiCat paper litter is much cheaper and sounds just as effective, so I may switch to that).
> Other than that, I don't have much more to suggest. Just get/make some fun toys and give the baby lots of love!


I live in michigan actually. Port Huron area, so It would be a looong drive. Not worth the gas, sorry C: But i will be sure to replace the hammok (was going to anyway with a hoodie). But thank you!!


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## abratforarat (Jan 12, 2014)

Aspen or fleece, toys, water, food and good luck! By the way that's a good cage! What are you going to name him? What are you going to feed him? Is he fancy or Dumbo?
I am curious to know because I want ideas and a good way to get them is to know what other rattylovers do. Happy birthday!


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## JoshDeMott2010 (Aug 25, 2007)

You can always build your cage it's very easy and inexpensive i built this one when i was only 14-15...


Go with fleece and make your own hammocks even if you don't sew it well your rats will appreciate anything made of fleece that is hanging lol. Experiment with all kinds of different things... For $80.00 you can have everything you need and then some if you build them yourself... The cage listed above costed me less than $40.00...


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## ratswithfoxandbear (Feb 12, 2014)

Wow, congrats on the new baby boy! I'll repeat what has been mentioned- consider getting a second rat to be friends with your little one. They're super social!

The advice on this thread is great. I wanted to point out if the "Starter Kit" food is not a lab-block diet and/ or it contains seeds, you should not use it. Rats are super smart and will eat only the tastiest parts of a mixed-bag. They'll eat only the seeds, get no nutrition but get pretty chubby. Of course this may not happen over one bag of food, but your rats could acquire a taste that makes them reject something like a lab-block diet. Currently I am feeding my girls KayTee Lab Block but may switch to Harlen Teklad. I haven't heard any complaints about Oxbow, either. I bought a relatively cheap food dish from a petstore, as well.

I also found going to the Bird Aisle of a petstore... or to a "bird store"... helps. There is a million climbing and hanging toys for birds that are fantastic for rats. I spent way too much money on toys. You do not have to spend a ton, though. Find ways to keep them entertained, basically. My family is from Philly, so we visited this store, but you can order online: http://bird-paradise.biz/. Just wash everything first. It is best if the toys are free of dyes that will run since rats chew on everything.

Speaking of which: cleaning agent. I have one bottle of hydrogen peroxide and one of white vinegar. When I clean the girls' cage I use both (one at a time). I do daily spot cleans with this as well as "deep cleans." The only difference is the deep cleans (once a week) involve me also taking out the cage parts and soaking then with Dr. Bronners or some other natural soap.

Personally I am switching from Aspen Bedding to fleece as an experiment. I use Yesterdays News as their litter. If you are litter training, you'll need a litter pan. I'd honestly go onto Amazon.com and get the medium sized pan. If you don't do online shopping, petstores sell the large pan (for ferrets). This is the one I have in my cage, but it is pretty large.

They should have someone where to feel safe and covered, as well. When you first meet them and are training, some people suggest keeping their "hide-aways" out of the cage. This way they are forced to socialize. I felt bad doing that so I kept them in the whole time. But, hey, different styles.

Last piece of advice... find a nice smooth stone. Put it under the water bottle. This way as they drink, they care for their nails without the need to clip them. This was pretty awesome advice we received from the breeder when we picked our first two up.

Post photographs when everything is totally set up!


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## Pilot. (Feb 11, 2014)

Thanks Guys! I actually forgot about this hah! I'm getting two males now! I showed my mom that they get depressed and aggressive so she said it was fine to get two. I've decided on the names Sweden and Tuvalu (a place in the Caribbean). I'm getting the cage soon and will post pictures as soon as it's set up! I'll be picking them up on March 3rd and I'm so excited! The rock is a great idea! I've never even hear of that. Thank you  for bedding I will probably have to stick to aspen as that's what I use for my rabbits. But I'll be sure to get a small bag of paper litter for the litter box


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## ratswithfoxandbear (Feb 12, 2014)

Yay! I am really glad that you decided to get two rats! <3
You have a few weeks to get ready! (Waiting can be a pain! It is totally worth it though!)


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## Pilot. (Feb 11, 2014)

I know! I'm on a count down xD so excited. I can't stop talking about it. I'm pretty sure my boyfriend if a fed up with my obsession xD


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## TNCraftyRat (Nov 13, 2013)

Pilot. said:


> I know! I'm on a count down xD so excited. I can't stop talking about it. I'm pretty sure my boyfriend if a fed up with my obsession xD


We'll you bf can just deal with it cause you are getting babies and you are excited as any expecting mother should be, lol. Good luck and never be afraid to ask questions, there are tons of people here that are eager to educate "newbies" and anyone really.


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## Ratbag (Nov 30, 2013)

Pilot. said:


> Thanks Guys! I actually forgot about this hah! I'm getting two males now! I showed my mom that they get depressed and aggressive so she said it was fine to get two. I've decided on the names Sweden and Tuvalu (a place in the Caribbean). I'm getting the cage soon and will post pictures as soon as it's set up! I'll be picking them up on March 3rd and I'm so excited! The rock is a great idea! I've never even hear of that. Thank you  for bedding I will probably have to stick to aspen as that's what I use for my rabbits. But I'll be sure to get a small bag of paper litter for the litter box


Curious to know why you have chosen Sweden for a name - since I live in Sweden myself ;D

We got our babies three weeks ago after waiting what felt like forever - I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas so I know how excited you must be!! ;D


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## Pilot. (Feb 11, 2014)

I was on tumblr looking at the rat tag actually and as I was scrolling I saw a rat who's name was Sweden and I just fell in love with the name! It just rolls off the tongue nicely  after I decided that Sweden was a must-have name I looked up a list of country names and came across Tuvalu, which is a place in the Caribbean. I like the way it sounds. So that's how I decided on names for my boys  8 days until they come home!!! I could scream I'm so excited!


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## Pan&Lou (Jun 14, 2013)

So exciting! Loove the name choices <3 
Country names are unique, but surprisingly good sounding


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