Rat care guide: the complete guide for first-time owners

Are rats the right pet for you?

Rats are clever, affectionate and very social, but they are not low-effort pets. They want to be out, with you, and involved. Before you commit, check six things:

• Company. Room and budget for at least two rats.
• Space. A large cage, and somewhere safe for free roam.
• Time. An hour or more a day for checks, handling and play.
• Cleaning. Spot-cleaning most days and a full clean every week.
• A vet. A practice that treats rats, within reach.
• Budget. The cage, food, bedding, enrichment, and vet bills you cannot plan for.

Pet rats usually live two to three years. Plan for their care through changes in work, travel and home life, not just the first few weeks. Our guides to rats as pets and rat lifespan go deeper.

Your legal duty of care

In England and Wales, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes anyone responsible for an animal take reasonable steps to meet its needs. Section 9 names five:

• a suitable environment
• a suitable diet
• to be able to show normal behaviour
• to be housed with, or apart from, other animals
• to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease

For rats, that means a large enough cage, the right food, room to climb, dig and forage, the company of other rats, and a vet when something is wrong. Not meeting these needs is an offence, and causing an animal unnecessary suffering can bring up to five years in prison. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own animal welfare laws with a similar duty. Outside the UK, check your own country's or state's rules.

How many rats to get

Rats should live with other rats. The RSPCA, Blue Cross and the National Fancy Rat Society all advise keeping them in groups, and the RSPCA warns that rats living alone can become depressed and develop abnormal behaviour even with plenty of human contact. Don't keep a rat alone unless a vet advises it for that rat. Two is the minimum; many experienced keepers prefer three, because if one dies, a trio becomes a pair rather than a lone rat.

Keep same-sex groups. The NFRS notes that litter mates make the best pairs and that introductions get harder as rats get older. Get your rats from a rescue or a reputable breeder rather than a pet shop, and ask about each rat's sex, age, health and social history. Our guide on where to get pet rats covers what to ask, and male or female rats helps you choose.

If you add rats later, quarantine the newcomers first. The National Fancy Rat Society's basic quarantine is at least two weeks with no signs of illness, kept where they don't share air with your rats. Then introduce them slowly with our carrier method guide, and use our quarantine cage guide for the setup.

If one of your rats dies, our lone rat guide helps you decide what to do for the one left behind.

Choosing and placing the cage

Choose a large, secure, well-ventilated wire cage with a solid floor. Glass tanks are not suitable: they trap ammonia from urine and leave nothing to climb. Blue Cross recommends at least 90 × 60 × 120 cm (about 35 × 24 × 47 in) of living space for two to five rats; larger groups need more. Height matters: a fully grown rat stands 26 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in) tall on its hind legs. PDSA notes that large cages sold for ferrets and chinchillas are usually a good size.

• Bars. Gaps too small for the smallest rat to put its head through.
• Floor. Solid, not wire mesh, which can cause foot problems (RSPCA).
• Temperature. 19 to 23°C (66 to 73°F). Keep the cage indoors, away from direct sun, radiators, draughts, smoke and kitchen fumes, and out of conservatories, garages and sheds.
• Light. Not too bright in the day and dark at night.
• Noise. Away from speakers, TVs, vacuum cleaners and other loud or high-pitched sound.
• Bedding. Paper-based. Avoid cedar and pine shavings, whose aromatic oils are harmful to rats, and cotton wool, which can wrap around toes and cause blockages if eaten.

Our rat cage setup guide covers cage types and layouts in depth, our best rat cages guide helps you choose one, and the rat cage size calculator checks your cage against your group. For bedding, see our rat bedding guide.

What to put in the cage

Give each piece a job. Look at the cage from your rats' point of view: where they sleep, where they eat, where they climb, and where they can get away from each other.

• Hides. One per rat, plus one spare, so no rat can guard the only retreat. Choose enclosed hides with more than one exit for rest, not just decoration.
• Levels. Shelves, ledges and hammocks at different heights, so they can climb and rest up high.
• Food and water. At least two water bottles and a heavy ceramic food bowl or a scatter-feeding spot.
• Toilet. A litter tray in the corner they choose. Keep food, water and toilet areas easy to clean.
• Nesting. White tissue, shredded paper or hay for building nests.
• Foraging. Add it slowly, so the cage stays usable.

Leave a clear path between water, food and sleeping spots. Put heavier pieces where they won't block the doors. Our guide to what a rat cage should have in it goes item by item, our guide on how to choose rat cage accessories builds the setup step by step, and our guide to rat toys covers enrichment.

Food, water and daily care

Feed a complete rat food, ideally nuggets (pellets) rather than a muesli-style mix: rats pick the sweet, fatty pieces out of a mix and leave the rest. The RSPCA asks for food designed for rats, not rabbit, guinea pig or hamster pellets, which don't give rats what they need. Add small amounts of fresh vegetables each day, and keep fresh water available at all times. If you are unsure about a food, check our safe food list for rats, the rat food checker, our rat diet guide, or ask your vet.

Rat feeding schedule

The RSPCA advises feeding twice a day, morning and evening, because rats eat mainly at dawn and dusk. Adjust portions so the rats finish their food and stay a healthy weight, and count treats and enrichment food as part of the daily allowance. Rats also eat some of their own fresh droppings, which the RSPCA says is normal and important for nutrition. The RMCA puts an average rat's drinking at up to about 60 ml (2 fl oz) a day, mostly at night.

Feeding through the life stages

Our guide to caring for rats at every age covers each stage in more detail.

Daily and weekly care checklist

Every day:

• Check food and water, morning and evening
• Spot-clean droppings, soiled bedding and food that could go off
• Watch each rat's breathing, posture, coat, appetite and energy
• Give at least an hour of supervised time out of the cage, in a space with other pets shut out and hazards removed (see our free roam safety guide)

Every week:

• Clean the whole cage with a pet-safe cleaner, keeping back a little clean, familiar nesting material
• Weigh each rat and write it down
• Check the cage for chewed plastic, loose fittings and sharp edges
• Move or swap a few pieces so there is something new to explore

Our rat cage cleaning guide sets out a daily, weekly and deep-clean routine.

Health and finding a vet

Find a vet before your rats arrive, not after. Not every practice sees rats, so ask whether they do, how many rats they see, and how out-of-hours care works. RCVS Find a Vet is a good place to start in the UK; look for an exotics practice.

Learn what is normal for each rat. Weigh them regularly in the same way and write it down: sudden weight loss is often the first sign of illness. Contact a vet promptly if something is new, persistent or getting worse. Wood Green suggests a weekly check of each rat:

• Eyes clean, clear and bright, with no cloudiness or discharge
• Nose, ears and mouth clean, with no discharge or crusting, and quiet breathing
• Front teeth orange, smooth and wearing evenly, not curling
• No lumps, scabs or wounds, especially under the armpits, in the groin and around the neck
• Coat and skin healthy, with no fur loss or parasites, especially on the rump above the tail
• Feet free of sores and swelling

Sneezing can have different causes, so don't diagnose it from a guide. A little sneezing in the first few days in a new home can be settling in. Sneezing with discharge, red-brown porphyrin staining around the eyes or nose, wheezing or a rattling chest, weight loss, low energy or a hunched, fluffed-up posture needs a vet. Our guide to rat breathing changes explains what to record.

Other problems to know about include lumps and tumours (very common, especially in females, from about a year old), overgrown or broken teeth, scabs and mites, abscesses, back-leg weakness in older rats, and weight loss. See a vet as soon as you suspect something is wrong: a delay can make a small problem serious. Our guides to rat health problems and rat teeth care cover each one.

Your first week

1. Day 1. Have the cage fully set up before they arrive: hides, water, food and quiet places to retreat. Let them out of the carrier into the cage and step back.
2. Days 2 to 3. Sit near the cage and talk quietly. Let them come forward in their own time. No handling yet.
3. Days 4 to 5. Offer treats through the bars, then open the cage door and rest your hand inside, without chasing or grabbing.
4. Days 6 to 7. If they are settling well, try a short free-roam session in a small, rat-proofed area.

Watch how they use the cage over that week. The best pieces are the ones your rats actually use. Our first 30 days with pet rats plan carries on from here, day by day, and our guide to training pet rats picks up once they trust you.

Building a budget

Price the cage, food, bedding, enrichment, carrier and regular replacements before you commit. Ask nearby practices that treat rats for their consultation and out-of-hours prices, and set a little aside each month for vet bills. Separate the essentials from the nice extras: a secure cage, places to hide, safe feeding points, easy cleaning and enough to keep the group busy come first. Decorative pieces can follow once that works. Our rat cost guide sets out setup and monthly costs, and the pet rat supplies list is a ready-made pet rat checklist.

Male or female, smell and bites: more first questions

Are male or female rats better pets?

Neither is better as a pet. Males are often a little larger; the NFRS gives typical adult weights of around 500 g (18 oz) for males and 300 g (10.5 oz) for females. Unneutered males tend to smell more and mark their territory; a vet can neuter them, which reduces both. Females can live in a same-sex group without neutering. Keeping a male and a female together needs both neutered and advice from an exotic vet first (the RSPCA says all males in a mixed group must be neutered).

Why does my rat cage smell?

Rats groom themselves and are fairly clean animals. Most smell comes from urine soaking into bedding, droppings left to build up, and damp food. Spot-clean every day, use a litter tray and follow the routine in the rat cage cleaning guide. A sudden or strong change in smell, or wet fur around the bottom, is a reason to check with a vet.

Do rats bite?

A rat usually bites when it is frightened, startled, or can smell food on your hand. Let your rat come to you rather than grabbing it from above, and keep your hand calm and slow. If you are bitten, wash the bite with warm water and soap, and see a doctor if it becomes red, swollen, hot or painful. Our pet rat biting guide covers safer handling.

Related guides and shop

• Your first 30 days with pet rats
• Pet rat supplies: first cage checklist
• The complete rat cage setup guide
• Rat emergency guidance: when to contact a vet now
• Caring for rats at every age
• The questions pet rat owners ask most, with short answers

This guide is general rat care information, not a substitute for advice from your vet.