Now pets are popular with decorative rats, grooming and maintenance of rodents have their own nuances. Pets are attracted with remarkable intelligence, cunning, excellent memory, they can respond to their name, they are well trained and easily show various tricks.
Types of decorative rats
There are different breeds of ornamental rats. By the type of wool they are divided into:
- standard, with a short and smooth nap;
- Rex, having a mustache and wavy hair;
- satin - with a shiny silky fur;
- sphinxes are naked rats;
- dams - individuals stand out with rounded low-set ears, reminiscent of Mickey Mouse.
The colors of animals are divided into subspecies:
- homogeneous: there are purely black, white, chocolate, blue, albino and others;
- heterogeneous: rats have Siamese, Himalayan, sable, silver and other colors;
- variegated: consists of several colors.
Lifespan of decorative rat
Decorative domestic rats do not live long, the average term is 2 years. With competent care and a balanced diet, the animal can enjoy its presence for up to 4 years, but this is already an advanced age for such an animal. A short life expectancy is compensated by the high fecundity of individuals and a high degree of their adaptation to any conditions. The maximum age of a domestic rat recorded by amateurs is 7 years.
Contents of decorative rats
Home decorative rats - rodents, care and maintenance behind them are made in metal cages, because they are the most durable and durable. In plastic and wooden structures of animals it is better not to keep. In aquariums, they also do not advise to settle - they are heavily cleaned, and animals jump to a height of 40-50 cm and can escape. The house is installed in a place where there is no direct sunlight and a draft from which the rat can catch pneumonia. Near the battery, housing is not necessary - dry air harms the animals. Optimum temperature regime + 18-20 ° С.
For a decorative rat, the cage should have a size of 60x40x30 (for growth), often the house has two floors. Inside the dwelling it is necessary to establish:
- A plastic pallet with a filler (preferably dry wood granulated.) Fine sawdust can cause allergies in rats, getting into their eyes and nose .The newspaper paper contains harmful substances, and it is not suitable for keeping it as a litter);
- Stairs and tunnels, a wheel (animals like to play);
- plastic house for privacy;
- a mineral stone for rodents (they sharpen their teeth);
- drinking bowl;
- 1-2 bowls;
- a rag for sleeping or a hammock.
How to care for a decorative rat?
If decorative rats live in the house, care and maintenance after them include the mandatory cleaning of the cage. Drink bowls and bowls need to be washed daily, remove soiled or damp bedding, food residues, change the filler in the tray. Cage and all household items should be systematically disinfected. If you carefully care for the decorative rat, the smell from it will be almost invisible. Animals are unpretentious and adapt easily to any environment. They can sometimes be released to take a walk, but we need to look after the pet so that he does not bite valuable things.
Can I bathe decorative rats?
Decorative domestic rats are neat and clean animals, the content of babies means obligatory bathing. Carry out the procedure if the animal is itching or an unpleasant smell emanates from it. Shampoo from a pet store will help him to cope with it. For bathing prepare a container with heated water. They put the animal in it and wash it with their hands. In this case, the rodent can scratch and bite, but some like this procedure. During bathing it is necessary to pay attention that in ears and a nose of a rat water does not get. After the procedure, the animal is wiped with a towel.
What to feed a decorative rat at home?
Care and maintenance of the rodent have their nuances in nutrition. Although animals in food are unpretentious, their diet should contain as little fat as possible. Feed adults 2 times a day, kids - 4 times. They also need clean and fresh water. What to feed the house decorative rat:
- Grain base (wheat, oats, barley, corn, millet). Quality balanced mixtures are sold at pet stores.
- Vegetables, fruits: white cabbage, carrots, bananas, cucumbers, apples, boiled potatoes, pumpkin, eggplant, grapes.
- Protein food (given once a week): a piece of boiled meat, cottage cheese, cheese, egg.
- Chicken bones: animals like to sharpen their teeth with their help.
- In autumn and winter, pets are recommended to give ready-made vitamins from a pet store.
Decorative rats - care and maintenance: what can not be given in food:
- chocolate, sweets, sweets;
- raw beans or kidney beans;
- smoked sausage;
- raw potatoes;
- chips;
- soda and sweet drinks;
- Brussels and red cabbage.
What kind of grass can I give to decorative rats?
In the daily diet of rodents must be present greens. What do decorative rats from grasses eat:
- dill;
- dandelion;
- parsley;
- cilantro;
- plantain;
- tops from radishes.
Decorative rats - diseases
A healthy animal is always mobile, it has clear eyes and a shiny coat. Around the eyes, nose and ears of the rodent, there should be no red spots. Knowing what a decorative rat looks like with proper care in a healthy state, if deviations are found, you should consult your doctor. Diseases of rodents:
- Excessive tooth rupture. Occurs with insufficient stitching and use of only soft food - the veterinarian can help.
- Mycoplasmosis. Bacterial ailment, infection occurs by air, leads to the onset of pneumonia. To save a small animal is almost impossible.
- Abscesses. On the skin abscesses appear, the doctor opens them and processes them, introduces the necessary preparations.
- Tumors. They are benign or malignant, the veterinarian takes the decision to remove them.
- External parasites are pincers. Appear from an overabundance of protein foods. It is necessary to remove sunflower seeds, nuts, meat from the diet, and clean the dwelling daily for 1-2 weeks.
Observance of the sanitary regime and ensuring a balanced diet are the main conditions for the proper maintenance and care of the animal. Some infectious and parasitic ailments are dangerous for humans, so you need to monitor the behavior and appearance of animals and observe personal hygiene. If the pet has lost its appetite, has become less active or looks unusual - it is important to contact the veterinarian.
How to tame a decorative rat?
Decorative rats have pros and cons in character. The first include openness to communication and ingenuity. As soon as a rat appears at home, they immediately give him a name, they turn to him when they feed the food. Three days later, the rodent begins to react to the nickname and find out the owner. Then you can gradually accustom it to your hands. After the animal finally gets used to its owner, they let him take a walk around the apartment. The minus of the pet is the desire to gnaw something - this must be controlled.
Decorative rat - reproduction
The breeding of ornamental rats is performed with the help of a pair of heterogeneous individuals at the age of 6 months. Girls weigh 200-400 g, they are smart and neat. Boys - for 450-600 g, mostly clumsy and sloppy. The feces are repeated every 10 days. Sluchku spend for 1-4 hours in any territory - it does not matter a girl or boy. Pregnancy of the female lasts 21 days, at this time it needs to eat more fruits and vegetables. Before childbirth, the future mother builds a nest - pulls different materials (rags, toilet paper). The female gives birth to 8 rats weighing 5-7 g.
If the couple lives together, then at the time of birth the male must be set aside, so that he does not show aggression to the kids. It is important for the mother to ensure access to clean water so that she does not eat her litter. The mother feeds newborns for a month, from the third week of life they begin to try adult feed. The wool of babies grows to 8-10 day, eyes open between 12 and 16 days. At the age of 1,5 months the animals become completely independent and they must be seated by sex or sold. After 12-18 months of life, females can no longer acquire offspring.
Training of decorative rats
There are many tricks that supplement the natural habits of rodents and bring pleasure to the masters. To do this, you need a treat - a piece of meat, pumpkin seeds. How to train a decorative rat:
- Return to the cage. After the animal has taken root, it can be let out to walk around the apartment. It's easy to return the animal: at the same time it is necessary to pour the food, knock the bowl on the floor and call the pet - he will come running.
- "Sit" or "serve". We must keep a delicacy over the head of the animal and say the command. The rat will learn that it gets good after standing on its hind legs and will always execute the order to "sit" even without refreshments.
- Running around in circles. You can drive along the trajectory and give it to the beast after he does the trick. Also, with the help of delicacies, it is easy to accustom the rat to run on the stairs.