Make sure your rats are protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease
 

Facts

• Rats feel pain in the same way as other mammals, including people. 
• Rats may not show if they are in pain or distress and can suffer greatly before you realise. Small changes in the way they normally behave can be an early sign that something is wrong. 
• Rats that are stressed are more likely to become ill. 
• Rats will suffer if their environment does not suit them or if they are not allowed to behave naturally. 
• Rats are meticulously clean creatures and spend a large proportion of their time grooming. 
• Chromodacryorrhoea, red staining around the eyes and nose, means that your rat is suffering from stress. This could be due to illness, social or environmental problems. 
• Common problems in rats include tumours (especially in females), breathing problems, obesity and overgrown teeth. 
• Rats’ teeth grow continuously throughout their lifetime. They therefore need to gnaw and chew to wear their teeth down. 
• Bald patches (‘barbering’) caused either by a rat over-grooming itself or being over-groomed by others, may indicate that the animals within a cage do not get on well or are bored. 
• Rats cannot vomit. 
• Some breeds of rat have been bred for specific physical features and may have health and welfare problems - regardless of care.
   

Things you should do 

• Regularly and carefully check your rat to make sure that they are happy and healthy. See Checking your rats (pdf 198kb) 
• Make sure that you are familiar with your rats and how each normally behaves. This will help you bond with your rats and notice if they are unwell. 
• Observe your rats closely for any signs of stress, pain, illness or injury and consult a vet immediately. See Signs of concern in rats (pdf 199kb) 
• Keep your rats safe from things that can harm them. See
  Keeping your rats safe (pdf 190 KB) and our information on Poisonous Materials. 
• Seek advice from a vet or other qualified rat care specialist, if your rats develop stereotypical behaviour (e.g. repeated chewing of metal cage bars). 
• If your rats develop bald patches, check with a vet that they do not have skin problems, such as mites or an allergy. Give them more space and more to do, and provide extra hiding places so that they can escape from one another. 
• If your rats are or become obese, seek the advice of your veterinary surgeon. Make sure you provide sufficient opportunities for your rats to be active, and space with suitable enrichments to encourage exercise. 
• Provide your rats with suitable gnawing material to prevent their teeth from growing continuously and causing health problems and pain. See Gnawing behaviour (pdf 175kb). 
• Take your rats for regular vet checkups to make sure they are healthy and happy. Ask your vet to check that your rats teeth are growing correctly, and about how to protect the health of your rats, such as vaccination, worming and neutering. 
• Make sure that you can financially care for your rats, including vet bills. 
• Do not transport your rats unless it is absolutely necessary. If you have to transport them make sure you provide for all their needs and reduce the stress of transportation wherever possible. See Transporting your rats (pdf 180kb). 
• When you are away make sure your rats are cared for by a responsible person that you trust to meet all their needs within your own home, and give them clear instructions on how to look after your rats. 
• Never leave your rats alone with another animal or person who may (deliberately or unintentionally) harm or frighten them. 
• Consider having your rats neutered if you want to keep a male and female together to avoid unwanted pups. Ask your vet for advice. 
• Before you get rats, find out about any special needs of the breed and what health and behaviour problems are most common.
   

Your rats rely on you for their care and wellbeing. If you are at all unsure about anything to do with your pet rats, you should always seek the advice of a vet.