The ratty room is in the utility room joined to the main farmhouse. It has windows and it’s own door leading to the garden so it can be cool in summer, and warm and cosy with central heating in the winter.

The girls have both upstairs and downstairs of the Savic Royal Suite (We LOVE this cage!) to charge around in. The slug beast boys who love nothing more to kip are in the neighbouring double Critter Nation- an equally good cage!

I also have an assortment of other temporary cages for babies too. All my cages (when appropriate) are kitted out with ropes, tree branches, hammocks , dig boxes filled with coco soil, and plenty of enrichment type toys and feeders to play with.

The substrate I use is Kiln dried and dust extracted Woodpecker shavings. One of my girls just doesn’t get on with hemp, so I have found this to be a lot less dusty. They all seem much happier and less sneezy on this.

I also provide back to nature paper pellets for their litter trays. The litter trays get cleaned out daily, the substrate gets cleaned out weekly (unless they have clumsied something and made a complete mess, which is common!)

All the rats are fed my version of the Shunamite diet adapted from the Scuttling Gourmet book by Alison Cambell. I rarely if ever recommend shop bought food as it’s mostly not suitable for rats. If you feel like mixing your own food, you can find out more here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jb6KZ2BN8I or here http://www.isamurats.co.uk/options-for-dry-mixes.html. I actually find it quite fun shopping around for their ingredients and knowing that their contentment is based on my mix.

If you do not feel confident to try mixing your own, the only rat food I have found in Ireland that I will use is JR Farm Feasts for rats. It is not perfect but does have some good ingredients in it. I usually boost these with more ingredients of my own, almost using it as a base mix. Just be careful to monitor the protein levels if you are going to mix, and adjust accordingly. I do not feed my rats by bowl, their food is scattered for further enrichment

My rats are also given fresh greens, veg and fruit 3-4 times a week as well as appropriate vitamins and supplements 5 times a week such as Daily Essentials and Calcivet.

First and foremost my rats are my much loved pets. The way I enjoy them is through touch, cuddles and free roaming fun. This is stress relieving for them and me! If I am ever having a bad day, just watching and having them climb over me like crazy jumping beans has me guaranteed to laugh and relax

The rats come out in different groups almost daily for approx 40 mins each group. The rats are never left unattended during their free run, but I have made the room as safe as any room can be.

The ratty room has a kitchen counter and sink which I call the nurcery free run area. This is perfect for socialising very young rats to different surfaces, equipment and relaxed hands. The ‘nursery’’ counter is a limited space area which means the more excitable rats cannot get into mischief climbing obstacles they are not ready for yet. More importantly they are not overwhelmed or able to hide in spaces where they will get scared being caught from!

Both on the surface of the nursery counter, and the floor (where the more experienced rats play) are tunnels, boxes, baby bath tubs filled with foraging material, and various platforms and hidden treats for them all to find and experience. There is also a radio in the ratty room for noise exposure and for me to relax too of an evening! It really is my most favourite room in the whole house!