Norway (Fancy) Rat

Also known as brown rats, this species exists in the wild but has been bred extensively in captivity producing the so-called fancy rat. Rats make excellent pets for most people as they are highly interactive animals. Potential owners must be willing to spend at least a good hour or two a day with their rats or they can become depressed or unsocialized. They need a lot of stimulus to prevent boredom such as handling or a variety of toys in their cage. They do tend to leave drops of urine as scent marks but it is not really offensive. Rats make good starter pets for anyone interested in getting something small and lower maintenance.

Scientific name: Rattus Norvegicus
Size: 35-45 cm long including tail
Lifespan: 2-4 years
Natural range: Europe and parts of Asia

Housing

• large rat or chinchilla type cage with levels is best
• allow at least 30 by 60cm floor space for a pair in a cage without levels
• rats are very social and should never be housed on their own
• they can be kept in same sex pairs or groups
• Bedding: aspen or corn cob
• Accessories: wheel, branches, hideaway, tubes, chews

Food

• mixture of quality rodent blocks and commercial rodent seed mix
• fresh fruits or veggies weekly
• occassional kitten kibble

Breeding

• Maturity: 5-6 weeks
• Gestation: 22 days
• Litter size: 5-12
• eyes should open at about 14 days
• should be fully weaned by 5 weeks