Help! First Rat need some advice!!!!!!!

[sharky]

G'Day all! I acquired my first ever rat today courtesy of Pets Domain!..after endless begging to mum she let up!!! I wasn't expecting to get one today(was just looking at prices) but after mum saw him she insisted! I haven't got any pics yet but I will soon. He is a hooded rat. Has a really light creamy coffee coloured 'hood' and a same colour spot on his back. He was the last little tyke left of all the rats and is by far the cutest rat I have evr seen!!!! Cost me $14.50 for him. Best $14.50 I have ever spent!!! He IS NOT FOOD! He is my buddy I wasn't told his age but he looks like he's only around 3months or so.
So now, onto the questions. I have the set up all done but just have a few Q's about it.
He is currently housed in a 59x40x39.5cm (LxWxH). Wire cage. I'll post some pictures as soon as I can upload them!!!!
Substrate: Newspaper that is covered with hay. Is this good or do I have to change it?
He has a drippy bottle thing....I never know what they are called!!! And a food bowl located at the front of her cage.
Accessories: An excercise wheel, a climby rope, a box hide and stubbie holder hide (he seems to love that!) and a cardboard tube
Food: Today I have fed him pellets and about 2-3 sunflower seeds (He didn't seem that hungry).
Tomorrow I plan on feeding him a breakfast of a mix I made. It contains ground up weet bix, plain/natural oats, pellets, rice, sun flower seeds and a pinch of rice bubbles. Should I add or take out anything? Is this okay or should I just feed him pellets? He is also going to get some yummy carrot sticks and some apple through out the day And for tea tomorrow we are having chicken so he will get to nibble on the cooked bones as I heard this is good for them.
Right now he is asleep in the corner of his cage, snuggled up within the hay, he is so cute!!!!!

Thanks in advance for all the help!!!
I'll get pictures up tomorrow as I don't want to disturb him

 

[Monitors_R_Us]

I like your style, give it a good home, feed it HEAPS, make it feel loved so when judgment day comes it has no idea and the meat is oh so moist.

 

[ingie]

Awh that sounds lovely Pellets are a fantastic staple diet, and then food scraps and other tid bits are good for treats Sounds like you have one very spoiled rat. Here are 2 pictures illustrating the difference between a high quality rodent pellet and a "mix" diet.

The one with a kinked tail on the right, was the runt, significantly smaller than the rest of the litter at 5 weeks old. He was kept by the breeder and fed on Cummins rat cubes. The other male went to another home with the rest of the litter, who were all fed on a "mix" of seed, a few cubes and some other things, for 5 weeks. The rest of the litter are the same size as the rat on the left.

Same deal here: The one on the right was fed a mix, while his brother was fed with Cummins rat and mouse pellets. Both were the same size when the diets changed a few weeks prior to the photo being taken.

 

[Bananapeel]

Wow that really shows the difference of a good diet vs a bad one.
Congrats on your new purchase! I wish my mum could go into a petshop and 'insist' I get a rat!
I love them!

 

[sharky]

hahaha, thank you everyone! I just want the best for the little fella So I am doing everything right by the sounds of things?

Yeah, my parents are great! Really laid back And my dad is an animal lover so he can't say no and so is my mum!!! Happy family, lol!

 

[Bananapeel]

That's so lucky! my mum likes animals but she doesn't love them. And she likes snakes but that doesn't mean I need pet one apparently. but I convinced her to get one next year and now need to convince her to let me get a pet spider and some geckos and maybe a beardie and a pet rat... etc etc.
unlikely but...

 

[sharky]

hahahahaha! That's what I do. As long as I pay for it I can get it! But now my family have started pitching in to buy animals because they love them as well! THis year I got my first snake and my parents said this one only....since then I've got 2 more! lol!!!
Sounds like you have a good plan going! Don't worry, as soon as you get the snake your mum will fall in love with it and let you get more It always works
I have so many pets I am amazed I'm still allowed to get more...already have 14!!!!!!

 

[Joshpython]

That's cool as. I have great enclosure for a rat. As long as it doesn't mind sharing with my coastal.....

 

[Bananapeel]

That's so amazing sharkyy! Hopefully you're right about my parents, I have owned quite a few in my life such as chooks, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, a dog, goldfish then I moved overseas and owned hamsters, those tiny red earded slider/terrapin things, a wild abandoned 5 week old kitten that we had to hand raise and some other injured things that my ex-wild cat dragged in. Now back in Aus with my dog and a different cat. so now i need the reptiles and a rat and some spiders etc etc. but my mum doesn't want any of those things. haha oh well

 

[sharky]

That's so cool! I'd love to live over seas like in america....mainly because I want a Columbian Red Tail boa :lol:
What type of dog do you have? I have two short Haired Border Collies Hopefully your collection of animals will grow soon. My mum didn't want any of the animals I got but now she loves all of them! Your mum will come around eventually

Now I'm about to go take some pictures of my little ratty for all you guys to seee! He is a cutie pie

 

[Xeaal]

Well done! Rats are great pets - they come in lovely colours and are very sweet. Years ago I had quite a few of them and just kept them in fish tanks (yes, without the water). They came on drives in the car with me, went visiting people, watched TV. Even now, I cannot bear feeding coloured rats to my snakes - they have to be plain white. The diet you are suggesting for your rat is perfect - he will love those things and fresh veges are good for him. Sounds like that is one lucky little rattie who now has a great home.

 

[wokka]

Rodent pellets are made as a balanced diet for rodents.Feeding treats upsets that balance. It a bit like feeding kids lollies, icecream and coke. They love it but it isn't necessarilly good for them. Consistency is the key to keeping any animal healthy. Sudden changes to diet can cause digestive upset, similarily,changes to environmental parameters. As boring as it sounds animals do best at a consistent temperature and humidity in familiar surounds with a consitent food supply rather than treating them to different experiences.

 

[sharky]

Sorry the pics are bad....1 he won't stay still for a photo! 2 they were taken on a DS They are blurry but they give you the basic idea When my dad comes home I'll get him to take some better shots!!!

First few are of his enclosure, The stuff in th bowl is what I feed him mixed with extra pellets. There is rice, oats, sun flower seeds, pellets and some ground up weet bix with little pieces of bread! And then the rest are of him. He loves his stubbie holder They aren't the best but it shows you his colour
Thank you for looking. An advice on he set up is appreciated!!!!!

 

[caliherp]

Congrats on the new pickup. I had rat and mice breeders as a kid for snake food, they ended up producing faster then my snakes could safely eat them so I had to get rid of them. Nowadays the only rodents in my house are frozen. Maybe one day soon ill start to breed them again.

 

[sharky]

That's why I picked him up. I'm planning on breeding them for food but the adults aren't going to be used as food I want to breed pythons in the future so I figured I'd have a lot of tiny mouths to feed and buying frozen from the only pet shop that sells frozen in my area would cost around $950+ if I held them for 6 months before finding them new homes!!!!
But this guy is special and he is my buddy

 

[Zanks]

Hey sharkey, a professional just gave you a huge tip on the care of your new best freind and you've chosen to ignore it?????
(My apologies if you have simply missed the post)

P.s. Noticed the wheel in your photo, apparentley they are tail and leg breakers, I wouldnt chance it.
Sorry to be so negative, just trying to be helpfull.
Nice looking rat by the way. I'm getting my first on Wednesday!!

 

[sharky]

Oh.....went back and just read it!!! well that's a tad awkward...Thanks Zanks, would have missed that completely

 

[Zanks]

Thats cool it happens, just edited my previous post too, please re-read it

 

[sharky]

Oh really? Stupid petshops!!! Wouldn't let me buy the rat unless I bought one of those. What I covered the inside of the wheel with cardboard or a tough fbric (felt, etc) so he wouldn't get his legs tangled or tail caught? He really seems to like it...
Congrats on you getting a rat on wednesday! They are absolutely amazing little dudes and so friendly!!! Post pucs of yours when you get him/her

 

[Zanks]

Wheels are important for exercise but need to be fully enclosed apart from obvious side entrance.
I have read this on a few rat related websites. You might try getting a refund from said petshop and explain to them that open wire wheels are dangerous and can they order in some enclosed ones instead.
Avoid wheels with air holes too as apparently they can break their toes.
Hope this helps