In the past I have mostly used Critter style cages, although I am now moving over to using Ferplast XL types.

Critters are large, versatile, relatively cheap cages that can be adapted for pretty much all rats from babies to oldies depending on how you furnish them. The access is good and I find them easy to clean. They also flatpack which is very useful. Negatives that other people have said about them is that they rust easily - mine have rusted slightly after two years, and that they are not sturdy - I find mine very sturdy, once put together properly! There is a definite knack to putting them together but I've got it down to a fine art now. The only alterations I have made is to turn the doors around so they open outwards rather than inwards, which frees up more space inside the cage. I also now use some ferplast shelves rather than all the full width wire shelves that come with the cages, as I feel this makes the space more flexible. The Critter 3 can hold up to six rats according to a cage calculator, I feel that six girls would be fine (I have had five girls in mine), but with boys being that much larger, I think four boys would be a maximum. I bought my cages from www.cages4all.com and www.petcages.co.uk and found them excellent value for money and good customer service.

Ferplast XL cages are much larger and more expensive, they are also quite versatile and flatpack for storage. They offer a lot of space for the rats, one downside is that most hammocks are too small for them (as they are square-shaped and very big!) so you either have to be creative or buy some extra big hammocks! The full width shelves from the critter cages are handling the right width for the XLs too and can be secured with some cable ties (a very useful accessory in the rattery!). The Ferplast XL and Ferplast Furet Tower are both fairly expensive cages, but so much bigger than other cages that are only marginally cheaper. They are available from various online pet shops, I bought mine new from ebay, they are increasingly becoming available second hand now too if you watch forum marketplaces and ebay.

Photos of my rat room coming soon!

Litter & Bedding

Rats should not be kept on any bedding or litter that contains irritant phenols (such as pine or cedar woodshavings) nor any bedding that is dusty at all, as they are very prone to respiratory problems. I keep my crew on ecopetbed shredded cardboard. It is also available from tack shops or other horse supply outlets, or over the internet at www.earthlyenterprises.co.uk. It is a very economical bedding, especially if you can find a way to get it without paying for delivery!

As well as the cage litter, my rats have litter trays which they are trained to poo in for ease of cleaning. I use either Bob Martins 100% Paper Based Cat Litter, or BioCatelet cat litter in the litter tray. Bob Martins is available from Asda, BioCatelet is available in most supermarkets and pet shops.

My rats also have nesting material in their igloos, in the form of shredded paper which I get by the bagful from a friend who works at a school, and also scraps of fleece material and old tea towels.

Cage Toys & Accessories

In their cages my rats have various things to hide under/sleep in/chew/play with etc.

Number 1 priority has to be hammocks, and lots of them! My favourite hammocks are 'fluffbums' from Rat Warehouse, especially the pink 'princess' style for my girls! I also have assorted hammocks from Acrorats, Kate's Pet Komforts, Equine Canine Feline (who do a discount for Fancy Rats forum members) and homemade ones from Sarah (www.shakespearerats.co.uk). I find Acrorats hammocks expensive but incredibly durable - if your rats are chewers, these are the ones for you. Kate's Pet Komforts are cheap and cheerful for plain hammocks, but I found the hammock house not strong enough for my chunky monkey boy rats. The hammocks and other assorted items from Equine Canine Feline were all very good quality and excellent value for money, however some of the padded items such as the dotty igloo had their linings ripped out before you could blink! However other things such as the blue double hammock and plush fluffy lined hammock are gorgeous and have stood up to my lot so far. Sarah's 'smartprice' hammocks that she makes and sells at rat shows are my staple, excellent value and pretty durable, and all my rats love them. You could of course make your own hammocks at home - I'm not that nifty with a needle so haven't attempted that yet, but have a look at Karly's hammock tutorial on the Fancy Rats forum if you fancy a go yourself.

Next on the list is igloos and other assorted 'houses'. These are a must as somewhere to doze or stash food in away from cagemates! I especially like the 'ratty tardis' from Acrorats, which is inexpensive and my girls love it - there's always at least one if not all of them squished in there. My boys love their 'living world' wooden house, which is available in most pet shops and also the superpet castle igloo. However the wooden house is starting to pong a bit - I'd recommend if you have wooden toys to protect them with japlac first, so the rats can't marinade them quite so much!

I have ferplast tubes and shelves in my cages, which independent pet shops usually sell or can often order in for you, or they are usually available second hand or new on ebay. I am lucky enough to have got all of mine second hand quite cheaply.

Lastly, various 'toys' such as wooden parrot toys are a big hit with my lot - again these can be picked up cheaply on ebay. Also toys that involve food such as kabobs or veggie cages from Rat Warehouse go down well. You can make your own toys for free at home with cardboard boxes, tissue boxes, eggboxes, loo rolls etc - the only limit is your imagination. Have a look at the Dapper Rat site for some inspiration.

Cage Cleaning

Keeping the rats' cages clean is incredibly important. I clean mine out completely once a week, plus have a mid-week mini clear out when I change all the hammocks and any dirty bedding. Every day I have a quick tidy up of leftover fresh food etc and empty litter trays if need be.

Wet wipes (the unscented kind, I usually use supermarket value brands) are a must have for everyday spot cleans, wiping down shelves and igloos etc, they are also useful to have on hand when your rats pee on you or your visitors! For major cage cleans I use dilute hibiscrub (chlorhexidine), scrub with a stiff-bristled brush and rinse thoroughly. I also put many things - shelves, iglood, food bowls etc in the dishwasher, which works very well! Be warned though the temperature can warp drinking bottles so they are best done by hand with a bottle brush. Hammocks and other fabric accessories go in the washing machine.

Diet

I feed my rats according to the shunamite diet as devised by Alison Campbell. I buy sacks of Alpha Herbal rabbit food that my local independent pet shop orders in for me, or you can also buy it online at www.gpsdirect.biz. To this I add James Wellbeloved senior/light dog kibble (available at good pet shops), wholemeal pasta and human grade cereals such as cornflakes, oats, barley and rye flakes, puffed rice or broken rice cakes, and mini shredded wheats. Be careful to choose low sugar/low salt varieties - once you start feeding the shunamite diet to your rats, you become an expert on reading cereal packets and will be horrified by the amount of sugar in most breakfast cereals!

This makes up approx 80% of my rats diet, and each evening they get a small fresh meal which makes up the remainder. This usually includes two or three items such as fresh greens and veggies such as kale, broccoli, pak choi, spinach, carrots, peppers, sweet potato, cauliflower or green beans, fruit such as apples, grapes, kiwi fruit or melon, cooked pasta, couscous or rice. Once or perhaps twice a week they will have some protein-based food such as egg (hardboiled or scrambled), cooked chicken, wet senior/light dog food such as naturediet or natures:menu, or tinned fish such as tuna in spring water, or pilchards in tomato sauce (a particularly smelly favourite!).

The best advice I can give any rat owner is to get hold of a copy of 'The Scuttling Gourmet' by Alison Campbell - sold by Acrorats or Rat Warehouse. Rat Warehouse also sell small quantities of Alpha Herbal if you want to try out the shunamite diet without buying a whole sack.

Exercise & Handling

My rats get free range time every day, usually in the evening whilst I'm watching tv or working on the computer. My rat room/study is rat-proofed so I can just open the cage door and away they go. They have various out-time toys such as a cat scratching post, a bunny tunnel, pop-up tents, a wine rack to clamber on, cardboard boxes and paper bags. I also try to encourage them to exercise with toys such as feather wands - particularly good for getting fatty rats to run up and down the stairs!

Rats also love cuddles and shoulder-riding, and I will spend one-on-one time with most of my rats each day.