Pet Rat Supplies

Here's a list of pet rat supplies to start out with. I've given this list much consideration after going through my own rat supplies. Not everything is absolute necessary, especially when you get towards the bottom of the list. However, you should give everything on this list some amount of consideration when buying supplies for your pet rat.

Water Bottles

• Fill-top water bottles are easier to fill if you don't want to constantly detach it from your rat cage.
• Glass water bottles can prevent a rat that loves to chew from destroying it.
• Plastic water bottles will work for most rat. I commonly use water bottles from Lixit.
• Get the biggest water bottle you can find. Rats drink an amazing amount of water for their tiny little bodies.

Food Dish

• Rats will often hide their food so having a food dish can often seem pointless.

Rat Food

• Grain mixes can help supplement your rats diet. Despite popular beliefs, a grain mix is not necessary to have a balanced rat diet.
• Harlan Teklad (can also be named "Native Earth") is my rat food of choice. Most pet store brands are not very high quality. The only other brand that is acceptable is Oxbox Regal Rat.

Rat Cage

• Remember to always adopt your rats in pairs and to get an appropriate sized cages.
• If you choose a Critter Nation or Ferret Nation, you may also want to consider buying pans from Bass Equipment.

Bedding

• Fleece cloth can be laid out as bedding though this would require much more frequent cleaning (including laundry) to keep odors down.
• CareFresh is also a suitable bedding but rather pricey and dusty. Be sure to freeze for 24 hour before use as it can contain bugs.
• Yesterday's News can be used in their litter box. Make sure you get the fragrance free package.

Litterbox

• Corner litter boxes is more space saving but the regular rectangular ones work fine as well.
• To successfully litter train, it helps to use different material in your litter box than you use as regular bedding. Example: don't use carefresh in the litter box AND as bedding but you can use Yesterday's News as litter box material and Carefresh as bedding. Read more about litter box training here.

Hammocks

• Fleece hammocks are the most comfortable especially during cold nights.
• Nylon hammocks are suitable for summer nights because nylon is much thinner and lowers the risk of the rat getting too warm.
• All hammocks are at risk of being chewed and will need frequent replacing.
• Nesting Box/Storage box
• Avoid wooden nesting boxes as mites and their eggs can hide in the pores of the wood
• Plastic housing (such as the igloos from Super Pet) can be easily cleaned. I usually run mine through the dishwasher when it gets dirty.

Rat Cage Cleaning Supplies

• Spray bottles: useful for diluting cleaning products with water.
• Pooper scooper
• Vinegar - soak the litter box or cage pan in vinegar to remove urine smells.
• Scrubber - a sponge or scour pad would do just fine.

Pet Shampoo

• Oatmeal shampoo is what I personally recommend. There are all natural formulas out there.
• Herbal shampoos sometimes contains products to assist in killing mites. I generally try to avoid these as the smell can be too strong.
• Make sure that whatever product you decide to get, it has a mild smell (like Oatmeal) or is fragrance free.