Rat health and welfare

To give your pet rats a happy, healthy life, here's what to do to give them the care and attention they need.

Buying rats

Before buying a rat, look into breed-specific needs and what health and behaviour problems are most common. Some breeds have specific physical features and may have health and welfare problems associated with them. Consider whether you have the time and resources needed to provide the rats with what they need.

Checking your rats

You should check your rats regularly and carefully to make sure they’re happy and healthy.

Check them morning and evening when they’re normally active.
Watch each rat in the cage without disturbing them, and check that each rat is moving, breathing well, sitting normally and has bright eyes and a shiny coat. Watch for any changes in their feeding, drinking, social behaviour or general activity – these may be an early sign of a problem.
Check that your rats do not have any red staining around the eyes and nostrils. This is known as chromodacryorrhoea and can happen when rats get stressed, which can be due to something in their environment or potential health problems. If you notice small amounts, make sure that it’s not recurring. Rats regularly groom, so large amounts of this staining can indicate a severe problem. Consult your vet if you’re at all concerned.
Physically examine each rat regularly by running your fingers over their body to check for any lumps or bumps. Look closely for signs of stress, pain, illness or injury.
Weigh your rats regularly, to make sure that they’re not rapidly gaining or losing weight. Do this at the same time as cleaning to minimise disturbance.
Always handle your rats in a safe, considerate and confident manner – ideally over a surface to prevent falls where the rat might get hurt. Make sure a responsible person can carry out these checks if you’re away.

Keeping your rats safe

Always make sure that your rats are safe and cannot come into contact with things that can harm them.

Call your vet if your rat:

Make sure your rats can’t access or eat poisonous materials (including poisonous food, plants and chemicals). Rats can’t vomit, so even a small amount of harmful substances can kill them. Contact your vet immediately if you are concerned that your rats have come into contact with anything that could be harmful.
Only use medicines that have been prescribed for your individual rats by a vet. Human medication and medication designated for other animals can be very dangerous to rats.
If your rats are allowed out of their cage to explore and exercise, make sure toxic items (for example, some house plants) and other dangerous items (for example, electric cables) are well out of reach.
Always supervise your rats when they’re out of their cage.
Never leave your rats to roam unsupervised with another animal or person who may (deliberately or unintentionally) harm or frighten them.

Even if your rats are well, it's still a good idea to take them for regular check-ups with the vet. Ask the vet to check if their teeth are growing correctly and get advice on protecting their health, such as through vaccination, worming and neutering.

Gnawing behaviour

Rats’ teeth continuously grow, so gnawing helps to wear down the teeth and help to prevent health problems and pain. Suitable gnawing materials include commercially available wooden items, bits of fruit wood branches (such as apple wood) or low-calorie dog biscuits.

If your rats are gnawing at their cage bars, then you might need to give them a bigger cage – this behaviour can often be a sign of boredom, frustration and that they’re trying to escape.

Signs of concern in rats

Become familiar with your rats and how each individual normally behaves. It’ll help to develop a bond, and will help you notice if any of your rats are behaving differently, which can be an early sign that something is wrong. Your rat could be stressed if they show any of the following, and you should investigate further. If you are at all concerned, always speak to your vet.

Excessive grooming, especially their head and forepaws
Increased aggression
Vocalisation
Chromodacryorrhoea (red staining around the eyes and nostrils)
Hiding more than usual
Increased thigmotaxia (when a normally social rat suddenly avoids human contact)
Increased fear of novel things
Anxious behaviour in a rat who is normally confident
Exaggerated escape behaviours

When to call the vet for your rat

Watch your rats closely for signs of stress, pain, illness and injury and consult your vet immediately if you notice something wrong. Rats feel pain, but as prey animals they don't show outward signs of it and may suffer greatly before you realise they're hurting.

Call your vet if your rat:

Develops repetitive behaviour - such as repeatedly chewing metal cage bars. Rats suffer if their surroundings don't suit them or if they're prevented from behaving naturally.
Develop bald patches - to check they don't have skin problems, such as mites or an allergy. You can also try providing more space, enrichment and hiding places so they can avoid one another. Rats spend lots of time grooming, and bald patches ('barbering') can be caused by rats over-grooming themselves or each other, which may suggest they either don't get on or they're bored.
Is obese - give plenty of opportunities for activity and lots of space with interesting objects to encourage exercise. Keep an eye on their treats or other food which is on top their daily allowance.

You should also contact your vet if your rats show any of the following signs:

Not eating or drinking
Not eating foods they’d previously liked
Drinking a lot or not drinking at all
Losing weight, or quickly putting weight on
Diarrhoea
Avoiding social interaction
Starry coat (oily, clumped matted and/or unkempt)
Not grooming
Sneezing, wheezing or breathing strangely
Sunken or dull-looking eyes
Discharge from their eyes or nose
Reduced activity
Sleeping more than usual (that is, when your rats would normally be active)
Has a hunched, stiff body posture
Walking strangely
Not able to balance properly
Guarding a painful area

Even if your rats are well, it's still a good idea to take them for regular check-ups with the vet. You should ask for advice on protecting their health through vaccination, worming and neutering.

Transporting your rats

Don’t transport your rats unless it’s absolutely necessary. If you have to, make sure you provide for all their needs and that you reduce the stress of transportation wherever possible.

Use a suitable, secure pet cage as a familiar travelling cage.
Provide bedding material and unsoiled nesting material for comfort, as well as a hiding place.
Make sure your rats have access to food and water. Food can be given as pellets, and to avoid spillages water can be given as pieces of apple, pear or potato unless it’s a long journey.
If possible transport any cage mates, who your rat is usually housed with, with them. This helps to reduce stress and can also reduce aggression when the rat is reintroduced to their group.
Make sure that the cage is secured within the vehicle and protected as much as possible from noise, bright light, vibration, heat and cold.
Cover the transport cage to keep it dark, but keep it ventilated without being open to draughts.
Transport them in a quiet, air-conditioned car, rather than on public transport.
Plan your route to minimise journey time and maintain suitable comfort and environmental conditions.

If you go away

If you're off on holiday, make sure you have someone responsible to care for your rats in their cage at your home and give them all the information they need to look after them.