Black Woods Rattery
Main Diet: Oxbow adult, Envigo/Harlan Teklad, or Mazuri. I buy mine a 25# bag of Mazuri on their website for $28. If feeding Oxbow to rats under 6 months old they need additional protein such as a boiled egg once a week. I don't reccomend getting Oxbow young rat as the quality isn't good as the adult diet. Cat food has too much protein, kaytee blocks and most store bought blocks have way too many preservatives, seed mixes they can pick and choose and won't get enough nutrients. Although seed mixes and cat food can be offered as treats along side a well balanced lab block. Dog foods without red dyes such as "Doggy Bag" can work okay but I do not reccomend them, some will say it works fine but they really don't. Another food I've heard can work ok is Purina Nature's Match Sow and Piglet formula, it closely resembles Mazuri in ingredients and nutritional info. There is also some good homemade mixes you can find online, but you should always mix that with a good lab block base. Any food should be between 16-18% protein when they're under 6 months old and no more then 14% after that.
Bedding: Aspen, Carefresh, paper or wood pellets, Yesterday's news, fleece lining, shredded paper, or cloth. I used to use aspen but can't stand the smell or it sticking to the carpet. I tried Carefresh for a while but it's insane how much dust it has and does pretty much nothing for odor control. There was a study done on various beddings and carefresh did the worst on ammonia control, I will include a link later as I thought it was an interesting read. A good bedding should have little to no dust. Then I used shredded paper and some pine wood pellets underneath which worked okay. Now I am using pine flakes on top of the pine pellets. When wet it turns crumbly but stays together and having the shredded paper or flakes on top provides them with comfy places to walk or sleep. It works wonderfully for absorbing odors. I know lots of people claim pine isnt good for them but the only studies that have been done are with non kiln dried pine. Edit: I have found a few newer studies and will include links to them later. Of course it is up the owners discretion to use it or not. As long as it's kiln-dried and doesn't smell too much of pine its safe. I also use fleece liners. If you use fleece you want to use an something absorbant on the bottom of it such as towels or moving pads. Never use cedar at all or pine that has not been kiln-dried.
Cleaning: There are lots ofways to clean cages properly. What I do is replace all bedding once every 4-7 days and clean the base and walls with 50/50 vinegar water mixed with some dish soap. Then rinse as the vinegar can be a bit strong. You may want to clean the cage bars every 2-3 days with baby wipes. For the times I use fleece I change it out every 2-3 days and spot clean daily (cleaning up dust or picking up poops and placing in the litter box). Once a month depending on if the cage is in use a lot, I'll wash and disenfect them really well in the bathtub or outside using a 10% bleach solution. It helps to vaccum/sweep the surrounding area, don't keep cages near walls as they'll pee and the wall will soak it up and they're a pain to clean. I recommend an air purifier to keep on near them but it's not needed.
Caging: Critter Nation, Kaytee Multi Level Exotics Cage, You & Me Rat Manor, Pervue Pet Products Rat and Chinchilla Critter Cage, Martin's, and many others. Rats need 2-3 cubic feet each and levels in their cage. I use large modified bins as nursery cages. Tanks aren't recommended as long term housing due to the ammonia buildup and since its very hard to add in levels. If a tank is used however, a 20 gallon long is the minimum size per rat and needs to be cleaned daily to avoid buildup. Bins can be chewed out of easily so aren't a safe option for long term housing. If used, be sure to get the biggest size possible with the thickest plastic as possible, no rough areas inside that they can get ahold of to chew, add in plenty of vents/windows, and levels. For the housing of most of my rats I use the Kaytee Multi Level home, a Double Critter Nation, a ferret cage, and two converted bird cages. Wire floors are fine as long as you wipe them down everyday. Bumblefoot is caused by unsanitary condition, wires that are not powder coated, and if a rat is overweight they have more of a chance getting it, not just from wire floors. Even a flat base can cause bumblefoot in a rat. Locally there are some cheap cages for $50-$80 that will hold up to 4 rats if you add in levels. You can also find good deals on cage size on craigslist. A calculator for rat cages. > http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml
Water Bottles vs. Bowls: Water bottles are by far better then bowls in my opinion. Bowls can be tipped over, filled with bedding, peed or pooed in, which can make your rat sick. With a water bottle you don't have to worry about that. If you can, I'd recommend getting a glass water bottle as they are chew resistant as well as having a back up on hand in case it gets broken/chewed. They do like having a water bowl to "bathe" or fish for treats in sometimes alongside a water bottle.
Treats: Vegetables should make up 15-20% of their diet. Fruits are also very good for them. Variety is key when feeding them so offer as many veggies and fruits as possible! Veggies are recommended to feed everyday but even once a week is better then none, fruit shouldn't be offered more then twice a week (you risk giving them diabetes), and any form of egg or other treats no more then once a week (else they may get fat). A healthy serving size is about the size of their head. Certain greens like spinach shouldn't be offered more then once a week as you risk causing kidney stones. Watercress is a really good green you can give daily. It's best to find as many different veggies as possible to switch around every week so they won't get bored of one. For chewing I offer bones, uncooked pasta, and shelled nuts. Here's a list of safe and unsafe foods. > https://pethelpful.com/rodents/Rat-Nutritional-Information-Can-my-Pet-Rat-Eat-This And a long list of safe veggies and fruits. > http://www.isamurats.co.uk/vegetables-and-fruits.html
Medicinal/Supplements: Bragg's apple cider ginger mixed 1/3rd full into their bottles and dilute with water helps keeps their coats shiny, repels insects, and to boost immune systems. The moringa leaf should be listed here because of you give more then one leaf per rat more then once a week it can have bad effects instead of good. I don't do this anymore but if you add a couple of drops of real vanilla extract into their water bottles it'll decrease the smell of the ammonia in their pee. This page I found and contains info on medication for rats and dosage. > https://mshmrattery.wixsite.com/moonshadow-mischief/health-information