Rat Care
These are links that may be useful to prospective or current
rat owners. Please note that these websites are external from the
Estuary Rat Club website, and as such we hold no responsibility
for their content. A link to a site is not necessarily an
endorsement, however the links we provide are always checked out
before being added. To add your website or article, please contact the webmaster.
Use the left-hand menu to take you to your particular area of interest.
Rat Ownership
- Cage Hygiene - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Coping with Allergies to Rats - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Introducing a New Rat - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Keeping Rats Cool or Warm - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- The Case Against Single Rats - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- The Toxicity of Pine and Cedar and a List of Safe Beddings - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Understanding Grief when a Rat Dies - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Selecting Your Rats - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Introducing New Rats - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Quarantining Rats - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Rats As Pets - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Moving With Rats - RMCA article by Mary Ann Isaksen
- Choosing a New Pet - RMCA article by Carol Lawton
- Cooling Off - RMCA article by Sarah Shuman
- Quarantine: Protection for your Pets - RMCA article by Patricia Whipple
Health
- RCVS Find A Vet - The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons lists over 3500 practices, making it easier to find a vet
- Medications - Helpful information on most medications
- Bloating & Megacolon - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Overgrown Teeth - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommon
- Poisonous Plants - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Rat First Aid - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Respiratory & Heart Disease in Rats - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Skin Problems and Parasites - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Surgery in Rats - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Tumors - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Rat First Aid Kit - Article by Marion Benham and Estelle Sandford
- Bumblefoot - Article by Alison Campbell
- Post Operative Care - Article by Julia Hands
- Choosing a Vet - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Rat Health Checks - Weekly health check article by Estelle Sandford
- Choking - RMCA article by Mary Ann Isaksen
- Drug Chart - RMCA chart by Mary Ann Isaksen and Daryl Mabley, D.V.M.
- Mycoplasmosis in the Pet Rat - RMCA article by Mary Ann Isaksen
- Nursing Care - RMCA article by Mary Ann Isaksen
- Rat Ear Hematoma - RMCA article by Mary Ann Isaksen
- The Great Spay Debate - RMCA article by Mary Ann Isaksen
- Care of Older Paralyzed Rats - RMCA article by Kayleigh Hessel
- Orange Juice, D-Limonene, and Cancer in Male Rats - RMCA article by Brian Lee
- Skin Abscesses in Small Rodents - RMCA article by Jan McArthur, RVT
- Ulcerative Pododermatitis aka. Bumblefoot - RMCA article by Jan McArthur, RVT
- What's Bugging Your Rats - RMCA article on lice and mites by Jan McArthur, RVT
- Arthritis in Rats - RMCA article by Sarah Shuman
- Respiratory Infections in Pet Rats - RMCA article by Virginia Simpson
- Rat Respiratory Disease - Our Experience - article published by CavyRescue
- Results of Questionnaires Concerning Degenerative Rat Disease - article by Sally Clark
- Herbal Help for Rat Respiratory Problems - RMCA article by Flora Johnson Skelly
- Getting Medications Into Your Rat - RMCA article by Lorelei Whitney
Behaviour
- Aggression in Rats - RMCA article by Caryl Hilscher-Conklin
- Rat Aggression - RMCA article by Jennifer Kroll
- Tardak - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Temperament Issues - Article by Alison Campbell
- Trust Training With Frightened Rats - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
Diet
- Chromium Extends Life Span - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Diet - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Nutritional Requirements of Rats - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Can I Make My Own Rat/Mouse Diet? - RMCA article by Theresa Lee
- Chocolate and Rats - RMCA article by Lori Chaddock
- Corn in the Rat Diet - RMCA article by Theresa Lee
- Ethoxyquin in the Rat Diet - RMCA article by Theresa Lee
- Feeding Rats in Health and Illness - Article by Alison Campbell
Housing
- Cage Substrates Review and Survey - Article by Matthew Creaney
- Cage Calculator - Fancy-Rats program that estimates the number of rats that can be kept in a particular cage
- Building Plans for a Cement Mixing Tray Cage - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Building Plans for a Wire Cage - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Building Plans for Round Cages - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Cages & Toys - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Digging Box - RMCA article by Kathy Bakken
- Accident Prevention - RMCA article by Ingrid Brucato
- Artificial Environments - RMCA article by David Jordan
- Odor Control Strategies for the Small Animal Caretaker - RMCA article by Theresa Lee
- Oh Boy! Rat Toys! - RMCA article by Sarah Shuman
Breeding
- Breeding for Colour (Shadings, Markings) - Article by Alison Campbell
- Breeding for Health - Article by Alison Campbell
- Breeding for Temperament - Article by Alison Campbell
- Breeding for Type - Article by Alison Campbell
- Breeding Ethics - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Rat Reproduction - Rat Fan Club article by Debbie Ducommun
- Breeding Rats - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Kitten Development - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Sexing Young Rats - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Caring for Orphaned Rats and Mice - RMCA article by Sharon Dubois
- Alternatives to Culling - RMCA article by Mary Ann Isaksen
- Breeding: Can YOU Live With It? - RMCA article by Mary Ann Isaksen
Varieties, Genetics and Showing
- Blue, Platinum & Russian Blue - Article by Sue Brown
- The European Husky - Article by Sue Brown
- How to Show Your Rats - Article by Graham Mobbs
- Comparison Page - Comparing varieties by Estelle Sandford
- Showing Rats - Article by Estelle Sandford
- Some Biology - Genetics article by Sheila Sowter
- Some Colours - Colour article by Sheila Sowter
- Some Markings - Markings article by Sheila Sowter
- NFRS Standards of Excellence - NFRS section on standards, with photographs
- Hawthorn Varieties - Website by Toyah Robson on varieties and genetics