# Advice needed for a first time (and very overwhelmed) rat owner



## Muffin&Cookie (6 mo ago)

First (and very long) post here on this forum because I need some tips from fellow rat owners :')

Two months ago I brought my two new pet rats home. I've had different kinds of pets before but this is the first time with rats. They are two boys, Muffin and Cookie, and they are about 3 months old. They are totally adorable, but I really underestimated what needy, high energy and smelly little fucks these animals are :')
For multiple reasons (some described below) I have started considering putting them up for sale for someone who might enjoy them more. However maybe you guys can help me with making my time as a rat owner a bit more enjoyable than it is now before I actually decide to give them to someone else...

I was prepared for the days where you need to do the bigger cleaning, but I find myself spending a lot of time every single day just spot cleaning, feeding and cleaning up after their free roam time. And considering I am not even giving them a lot of attention and properly spending time with them, I don't know how that would be possible in a day. Do you guys have any tips on being more time efficient but still being able to actually give your rats attention apart from cleaning their mess?

I got male rats because I read they are a lot more chill and cuddly, but my two boys are crazy energy tornados! Their cage is not the biggest, but I tried to make it somewhat fun for them. Their playpen I just put a wine rack, wheel, food toys and cardboard trash for them to play in. Still especially Muffin gets bored every day and starts chewing up the playpen or my clothes when I get near him... They also don't really seem to like "cuddling"; they just wanna run around in my clothes and on my shoulders but don't like to be held. Does their energy level go down when they are a few months older? How do I keep them even more entertained when they have so much energy? Would it help to give them a bigger cage so they don't necessarily need free roam time every single day?

Cookie also has very sharp nails that are starting to get too long. I read about putting a brick in their cage to 'file' down their nails, but Cookie just pees on it (like he does on everything), which I think will get very dirty on this porous brick material. How can I keep their nails down??

I added some pictures of their cage and their free roam area (as it is for now). Would love to hear some tips on things I could do to keep them entertained, make the daily routine a lot less time-consuming and actually enjoy having my new pets.


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## JulesRules (10 mo ago)

Hi... The rats are adorable! It is admirable that you obviously put some time and research into the needs of your rats. When they are babies, boys and girls are crazy high energy. Which I think is adorable and so fun to watch. Most, but not all, of my boys mellowed out when they were older and more inclined to like cuddling , riding on your shoulder etc. My 4 boys and 6 girls right now are about 7 months old. They all were crazy-hoppy-play-machines up until about 4 months. My girls are still crazy. My boys are now mellow and love to be held and cuddled.
As far as cleaning, I do some spot cleaning daily in the cages. When they free roam or play in their enclosed play area, I have noticed over years and through dozens of pet rats that they tend to not leave so many droppings when they are out and about. Im sure this probably has to do with inhibition over making it obvious to potential predators that they are there, in somewhat unfamiliar territory. I keep a small shop vac handy and just flip it on if they leave little calling cards. I use the same small shop vac to whisk up droppings in the cage after I gently shake out their blankets. It literally takes seconds to do. The boys do tend to pee on things quite a bit. For their play area toys and even in the cage, I give a light spritz with my 100% safe-to-use-even-if-you-dont-wipe-it-up disinfectant. This seems to keep the odor down between cleanings.
They are born to chew things and will chew any and everything that catches their fancy. Toys, playpen, hammocks, beds, houses...everything. It is their nature. Fish swim. Rats and mice chew things. I give them toys that I dont mind if it gets chewed on and that are safe to chew. If they leave little pieces everywhere I hit the area with the shop vac. I do 'together time' during the course of the day, either hanging out on the sofa or I even bring them in the bathroom when Im showering or taking a bath. Some love to swim. I honestly rarely even find droppings at all when they are on the sofa with me or in the bathroom.
I hope this helps a little. Im sure others will have great suggestions. If you start to feel resentful I would say you might want to look into finding another home. But it seems that they are doing perfectly normal baby rattie behavior.


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## RatHole (7 mo ago)

What a pair of cuties!

I have a similar situation so I thought I'd chime in. My boys are roughly the same age as yours, they have tons of energy and dont really care for the whole 'cuddling' thing. The videos you see online of people with their rats sleeping like angels on their laps are the one percenters. Social animals like rats have this kind of energy when they are young, it's how it is. Males mark more than females, regardless, there will always be a slight 'smell', but it's nothing obnoxious.

They will mellow out more as they age, the more they bond with you, the more they will want to have you with them.

You should definitely let them out to free roam for at least an hour a day if possible. *Here's what I do:*

I don't have the space for an area on the floor to free run like you do so I purchased a pet pad large enough to cover my bed. Every evening after work I take the bedding off and throw the pad over the sheets and make their rat play area with all kinds of toys, I also sit on the bed with them and watch tv while they run around. They LOVE having you with them during free roam, you will see them run to the side of the bed and greet you when you leave and come back. When you're done, can roll the pad and the contents inside up like a burrito for an easy clean up.

Put some peas in a dish with water, they love bobbing for peas.

I put a brick under the water bottle nozzle so they are less likely to mark it as much, either way, the brick will help them urinate and mark more in one spot if you put it in the area they potty in more than others. I just take the bricks out and soak them in some water/vinegar solution for 30min and dry in the sun (Have backup bricks to swap out while the others are cleaned)

*Tear a bunch of newapaper up and put it in their cage and play area, watch them go crazy with making their nests and playing hide and seek. *

Good on you for all the effort you are putting in to keep your boys enriched and happy.


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## Muffin&Cookie (6 mo ago)

Sorry for the late reply, but thank you both a lot for sharing some tips and your experience 
The past two weeks I have tried to keep them entertained a bit more with new (cat) toys and some more time and attention from me!
The pet pad you shared is a great idea, it might save quite some time and they will have a bigger area to play on. I never understood that people let their rats on their bed but with the pad I would give it a try!

The boys might already be getting a bit more chill than before, so who knows they are mellowing out pretty soon haha


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## Allison Pluto (8 mo ago)

A really good way to entertain them would also be using old toilet paper rolls and making puzzle food toys out of that and putting them in their cage! If you google DIY rat toys many articles with easy toys will come up that might help you keep up with them! it keeps their minds busy, and as for the brick having it under the water is the best and if they do pee or poop on it just use a cheap toothbrush and whatever you use to clean the cage (I use vinegar and water) and just scrub it every few days. And if your cage starts to smell quickly walmart and other places have cheap deodorizers for pets to try and also make sure you're using a decent amount of bedding and a good type!


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