2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21
Pets bring joy, laughter and children's smiles into the house. A house in which at least some living creatures do not live looks dull and lifeless. Thanks to our smaller brothers, life becomes more cheerful and kind. Animals require care and attention - this is very important to know when choosing a pet. It should be understood that this is not a toy for a while, but a living being that has certain needs.
Rats
A rat is a smart and very cunning animal. It belongs to rodents. In nature, there are about 64 species of rats. The body structure of these animals is very interesting, because the length of the tail is equal to the length of the body, and sometimes exceeds it. Most often, rats are born with a gray color, but you can find red, orange and yellow shades of color. Rats have very mobile toes.
Such animals lead a terrestrial lifestyle. They can live alone or in groups. They use burrows as shelter from predators and bad weather. These can be actually made “dwellings” or burrows of other animals. Rats are considered omnivores, but each species has its own preference: plant or animal food. Animal reproduction occurs roundyear.
Rats as pets
Many people choose rats as pets. In fact, there is nothing strange in this, because we are not talking about dirty animals living in the basements of houses. When getting a rat, it should be understood that it will have to be looked after, since it is not too clean. Most often, these animals are chosen precisely because they are relatively smart.
From the end of the 19th century, specially bred domestic rats began to appear. Often this is a type of gray rat. Such rodents are calm and balanced, their behavior is very different from the behavior of wild ancestors. Also, domestic rats are often bred as live food for residents of home zoos and terrariums.
Rat: care and maintenance
Choosing a rat as a pet should be understood as a big responsibility. When choosing a pet, many mistakenly believe that a large animal requires more thorough and long-term care than a small one. But it's not. Caring for rats and small rodents can be more time consuming than caring for a guard dog. Keeping a rat in the house has some features that you need to know in order to be prepared. It is undesirable to release a rat for a free walk around the apartment, since it is a rodent. In other words, the animal will look for something to chew on. As such an item, a sofa leg, bed, cabinet corner or cords can be chosen. If damage to furniture simply causes you some damage, then a cable bite can even lead to a fire. Firstthe rule of keeping rats at home says that she must walk under vigilant supervision.
Rats also like to mark their territory. The smell of their secretions is quite specific, so you have to get used to it. The maintenance of decorative rats in any case will be accompanied by a certain aroma, so great attention should be paid to daily cleaning of the cage.
The temperature regime for these animals is very important. They react very poorly to drafts and direct sunlight. Be sure to keep this in mind when choosing a place for the animal's cage. The most suitable temperature for a domestic rat is 18-21 °C.
Cage selection
Comfortable keeping of a rat is impossible without an equipped cage. First you need to understand that a large cage will be convenient not only for the animal, but also for the owners. Small uncomfortable containers are very inconvenient to clean. It should be remembered that cleaning should be everyday. It is much more convenient to wash a spacious area. The cage must have an entertainment area for the rat. It includes various wheels, ladders, etc. All this can be purchased complete with a cage at a pet store or purchased separately. For young rats, movement is very important, so the animal will be delighted with a large number of objects on which to run. More mature individuals do not need such an active pastime. For them, a cage with one running wheel is suitable, on which they will occasionally climb.
It is best to use sawdust as a filler. It is important that they are not too small, because tiny particles of wood get into the animal's eyes, nose and ears. This can lead to a severe allergic reaction. You can also use paper. However, it should be without inscriptions or drawings. It is not recommended to use cotton wool as a cell filler.
Cleaning
Rat conditions indicate that one cleaning per week is enough. In such conditions, the animal will be comfortable. Cleaning must be comprehensive. It is necessary to carry out a complete disinfection in order to avoid the possibility of infection of the rat with various bacteria or fungi. As mentioned above, you can carry out daily light cleaning, which is necessary in order to minimize unpleasant odors from the life of the animal. Do not disinfect every day.
Animal food
Decorative rats, the care and maintenance of which have already been partially considered, have some nutritional features. The animal constantly needs clean fresh water. In order to prevent water from spilling into the cage, you must purchase a special drinker. The water in it needs to be changed every day. You can feed your pet with grain feed, fruits, vegetables, dandelion and plantain leaves, nuts and chicken bones. All this must be alternated, focusing on grain feed. Nuts are very useful for rats to grind their teeth, so their inclusion in the diet is mandatory. Meat can be added to the diet of a rat, but not often. Ratsespecially like the following fruits: apples, cherries, persimmons, apricots, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, grapes and peaches. The inclusion of dried fruits in the diet will be very useful for animals. Adults need two meals a day, cubs need to be fed up to 4 times a day.
A mineral stone should be placed in the pet's cage, thanks to which the rat will be able to get the calcium it needs. It is strictly forbidden to give animals s alty, smoked, fried, fatty, spicy, cold foods. You should also give up sweets, sausages, rolls, muffins, cabbage, legumes, raw potatoes, unripe or overripe fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, leaves of ornamental plants, beets and almonds. It should be understood that this is not just a set of junk food. Eating such food by a rat can lead to serious he alth problems. By adhering to proper nutrition and an active lifestyle, the pet will grow up he althy and cheerful.
Reproduction of individuals
Keeping a rat alone does not threaten the appearance of offspring. Moreover, if a couple of individuals live in a cell, offspring may appear. This is a very important issue that gets little attention. These rodents reach sexual maturity at 5 weeks, so if several individuals live in a cage, they must be separated from each other. There is no specific breeding season, so babies can appear at any time.
Communicating with an animal
Rat care is not limited to care and nutrition. It is very important to communicate with the animal, because the cagebecomes a virtual prison. At the same time, the animal is deprived of any contact with nature, which significantly limits the rat. It is very important to let your pet out for a walk, pick it up and pet it. The little rat quickly gets used to the owner. Also, these animals are very fond of attention, so play with them often.
Because they are very smart animals, you should give them easy logic puzzles. Many rat owners are amazed at how gentle and kind such a small animal can be when treated with patience and tenderness.
Danger of wild rats
A rat, the content, feeding of which was discussed above, can bring great trouble to mankind. However, this only applies to certain species of rodents. Synanthropic rats cause great damage to the economy by spoiling any goods. In addition, they can damage electrical networks, leading to fires. In the US, such cases are not uncommon. Some types of rats feed on crops in vast fields, causing damage to large-scale agriculture. Having found a place rich in food, rats multiply more actively, which only leads to a worsening of the general situation. Today, there are many ways to deal with pests.
Street rats are very dangerous for humans. They are carriers of many zoonotic and anthropozoonotic infections. Rats carry plague, rabies, typhoid and other serious diseases.
Summarizing, it should be said that the domestic rat, care andthe contents of which have been examined in detail, still needs attention and affection, like any other pet.
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