Pets bring joy, laughter and children's smiles to the house. A house in which at least some living creature does not live, looks dull and lifeless. Thanks to our smaller brothers, life becomes more fun and kind. Animals require care and attention - it is very important to know when choosing a pet. It should be understood that this is not a toy for a while, but a living creature that has certain needs.
Rats
The rat is a smart and very cunning animal. She refers to rodents. In nature, there are about 64 species of rats. The body structure of these animals is very interesting, because the length of the tail is equal to the length of the body, and sometimes exceeds it. Most often, rats are born with a gray color, but you can find red, orange and yellow shades of color. Rats have very movable toes.
Such animals lead a terrestrial lifestyle. They can live one at a time or in groups. They use burrows as a refuge from predators and bad weather. It can be actually made "dwellings" or burrows of other animals. Rats are considered omnivores, but each species has its own preference: plant or animal food. Animal breeding occurs year round.
Rats as pets
Many people choose rats as pets. In fact, this is not strange, because we are not talking about dirty animals living in the basements of houses. When you start a rat, you should understand that you have to look after it, as it is not too clean. Most often, these animals are chosen precisely because they are relatively smart.
From the end of the 19th century, specially bred domestic rats began to appear. This is often a type of gray rat. Such rodents are calm and balanced, their behavior is very different from the behavior of wild ancestors. Also, domestic rats are often bred as live food for residents of domestic zoos and terrariums.
Rat: care and maintenance
Choosing a rat as a pet, you should understand that this is a big responsibility. When choosing a pet, many mistakenly believe that a large animal requires more thorough and long-term care than a small one. But this is not so. Caring for rats and small rodents can be more time consuming than caring for a watchdog. The content of the rat in the house has some features that you need to know in order to be prepared. It is undesirable to let the rat go for a free walk around the apartment, since it is a rodent. In other words, the animal will look for what can be eaten. As such an item, the leg of a sofa, bed, corner of a pedestal or cords can be selected. If spoiling the furniture just does some harm to you, then overheating the cable can even lead to a fire. The first rule of keeping rats at home is that she should walk under the watchful eye.
Rats also like to mark territory. The smell of their secretions is quite specific, so you have to get used to it. The content of decorative rats will in any case be accompanied by a certain aroma, therefore great attention should be paid to daily cleaning of the cage.
The temperature regime for these animals is very important. They react very poorly to drafts and direct sunlight. Be sure to keep this in mind when choosing a place for the animal’s cell. The most suitable temperature for a domestic rat is 18-21 ° C.
Cell selection
A comfortable rat is not possible without an equipped cage. First you need to understand that a large cage will be convenient not only for the animal, but also for the owners. Small inconvenient containers are very inconvenient to clean. It should be remembered that cleaning should be everyday. It is much more convenient to wash a spacious area. In the cage there must be an entertainment zone for the rat. It includes various wheels, ladders, etc. All this can be purchased complete with a cage in a pet store or purchased separately. For young rats, movement is very important, so the animal will be delighted with the large number of objects that you can run around. More mature individuals do not need such an active pastime. A cage with one running wheel is suitable for them, on which they will occasionally climb.
Sawdust is best used as a filler. It is important that they are not too small, because tiny particles of wood fall into the animal’s eyes, nose and ears. This can cause a severe allergic reaction. You can also use paper. In this case, it should be without inscriptions or drawings. Using cotton as a filler for a cell is not recommended at all.
Cleaning
Rat conditions indicate that one weekly cleaning is sufficient. In such conditions, the animal will be comfortable. Cleaning should be comprehensive. It is necessary to carry out a complete disinfection in order to avoid the possibility of infection of the rat with various bacteria or fungus. As mentioned above, you can carry out daily easy cleaning, which is necessary in order to minimize unpleasant odors from the vital activity of the animal. Do not disinfect every day.
Animal nutrition
Decorative rats, the care and maintenance of which have already been partially considered, have some nutritional features. The animal constantly needs clean fresh water. In order for the water not to spill into the cage, you must purchase a special drinker. The water in it must be changed every day. You can feed your pet with cereal feed, fruits, vegetables, dandelion and plantain leaves, nuts and chicken bones. All this must be alternated, focusing on grain feed. Nuts are very useful for rats to grind their teeth, so their inclusion in the diet is required. Meat can be added to rat nutrition, but not often. Rats especially like the following fruits: apples, cherries, persimmons, apricots, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, grapes and peaches. It will be very useful for animals to include dried fruits in the diet. Adults need two meals a day, cubs need to be fed up to 4 times a day.
A mineral stone should be put in the pet’s cage, thanks to which the rat will be able to get the calcium it needs. It is strictly forbidden to give animals salted, smoked, fried, fatty, spicy, cold foods. You should also abandon sweets, sausages, rolls, muffins, cabbage, legumes, raw potatoes, unripe or overripe fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, leaves of ornamental plants, beets and almonds. It should be understood that this is not just a collection of junk food. Eating this food with a rat can lead to serious health problems. Adhering to proper nutrition and an active lifestyle, the pet will grow healthy and cheerful.
Breeding individuals
Keeping a rat alone does not threaten the appearance of offspring. Moreover, if a couple of individuals live in the cage, the appearance of offspring is possible. This is a very important issue, which is given little attention. These rodents reach puberty at 5 weeks, so if several individuals live in a cage, they must be separated from each other. There is no specific breeding period, so babies can appear at any time.
Communication with the animal
The content of the rat is not limited to care and nutrition. It is very important to communicate with the animal, because the cell becomes actually a prison. Moreover, the animal is deprived of any contact with nature, which significantly limits the rat. It is very important to let the pet out for a walk, pick it up and stroke it. The little rat quickly gets used to the owner. Also, these animals love attention very much, so play with them more often.
Since these are very smart animals, they should be given easy logic puzzles. Many owners of rats are amazed at how affectionate and kind such a small animal can be if you treat it with patience and tenderness.
The danger of wild rats
The rat, the content, the feeding of which was discussed above, can bring mankind great trouble. However, this applies only to certain types of rodents. Synanthropic rats cause great damage to the economy by spoiling any goods. In addition, they can damage the power grid, resulting in fires. In the United States, such cases are not uncommon. Some species of rats feed on crops in vast fields, causing damage to large-scale agriculture. Having found a place rich in food, rats multiply more actively, which only leads to a worsening of the general situation. Today, there are many ways to control pests.
Street rats are very dangerous for humans. They are carriers of many zoonotic and anthropozoonotic infections. Rats carry the causative agents of plague, rabies, typhoid and other serious diseases.
Summing up, it should be said that the domestic rat, the care and maintenance of which were examined in detail, still needs attention and affection, like any other pet.