Intro + Advice Please

[pobblebonk]

Hi! How are you?

I am researching and thinking about getting my son two pet rats for his birthday (okay, I'm lying, one will be mine and one will be his).

Do you recommend a particular sex?

I'm looking at cages, and it's getting a bit much. What sort of cage do you recommend? I would like one that is easy to remove the tray from for cleaning.

Also, what sort of bedding would you recommend for rats?

I'm going to get some hammocks etc from Dapper Rats for them, including the carry sack for the rats.

Any help is appreciated!

[wulfyskingdom]

Hi pobblebonk. Welcome to the forum!

Who can blame you for wanting one for yourself lol. How old is your son?

Whether you get two boys or two girls is up to you of course - to sum it up girls are quite active and boys as they get older become more cuddlier. Of course this doesnt take into account their individual personalities. Some girls do prefer cuddles to running around and vice versa. I would suggest reading through some of the posts in here and they might help you choose. Someone else might also jump in here and give a more thorough description too lol.

With cages, if your looking to get 2 young rats you can always start off with a smaller cage and in a few months time (depending on how fast they grow) upgrade after the xmas rush is over. Lately pet stores have started selling actual "rodent" cages, however you might find on the large ones the bar spacing is too wide for young rats and will need to wait for them to grow a bit before you can use it. Ebay is a good alternative for cages as you can usually buy them cheaper than some stores still (that is once you add postage of course lol).

Are you on the northside or southside of Brisbane?

Bedding can be anything that is rat safe. You can use newspaper, breeders choice kitty litter (recycled paper pellets i think is the best one, or so i've heard), old clothes, towels, bath mats, spare pieces of lino, cardboard, empty boxes, kitchen towel, tissues etc.

Dapper rat is a good place for hammocks and things, you cant go wrong buying from there.

I'll send you a PM too.