Popularity of decorative rats as pets, steadily increases. And there is no wonder, decorative rats differ in mind and ingenuity, show exclusive friendliness to the person and do not demand difficult leaving. The only minus of these remarkable small animals is the small term of life.
Life expectancy of rats
The wild rats living on streets, as a rule, live no more than a year. The tame rats who are comfortably living in a house situation on average live from 1.5 to 2-2.5 years. The long-livers who stepped a three-year boundary also occur among decorative rats. Very seldom rats live 4 years and more. The longest life term manual of a rat is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records and makes 7 years. Life expectancy of rats is affected by two factors: conditions of dwelling and geneticist.
Conditions of dwelling of a ratTo increase chances of a rat to live to a ripe old age, it is necessary to create it as much as possible favorable conditions which include the healthy balanced nutrition, timely medical care and competent leaving. The rat diet for 80% has to consist of dry whole grain (wheat, corn, a rye, a millet, rice, oats, buckwheat, barley) and for 20% from fresh vegetables and greens (cucumbers, carrots, pumpkin, parsley, fennel). In a cage constantly there has to be fresh water and mineral fertilizing — a special stone for rodents (without salt content). Rats, especially during active growth, it is useful to feed up low-fat boiled meat (chicken, a turkey, a rabbit, an offal) and the hard-boiled eggs. Also rats can give a small amount of nuts (peanut, cashew, sweet almonds, a filbert) and fruit (apples, bananas, grapes, dates). By Krysovodami it is noticed that positive influence on health and life expectancy of rats renders addition in a diet of the sprouted cereals. The doctor-veterinarian who is engaged in treatment of decorative rats is called ratology. In many large cities such doctors are in some vetklinik. They render the highly skilled specialized help, if necessary can perform to a rat operation which will save it life. Unfortunately, in small settlements there are no doctors-ratologov usually. Nevertheless, before an institution of a domestic rat it is desirable to find the veterinarian who will be able to make at least the general recommendations about treatment of the pet when it is required. Competent care for a rat means purchases of rather spacious cage and its arrangement (lodges, hammocks, short flights of stairs) that it was interesting to rat to be there. It is in addition important to use quality filler — corn or paper. Wood fillers do not approach because of the essential oils which are contained in them which adversely act on health of a rat: they destroy by it cells of lungs and a trachea, give load of a liver.
Genetics
Besides accommodation conditions for the term of life of rats the heredity has a great influence. It is better to take an infant rat from manufacturers who not only receive posterity from healthy parents, but also provide to newborn small animals competent care. Knittings of decorative rats always take place in nurseries according to the plan, but not in a random way. For receiving posterity the adult healthy individuals who are not showing aggression and other undesirable traits of character are selected. Females in nurseries, as a rule, bring no more than two dung for all life. Too frequent pregnancies are undesirable as they exhaust a rat. Besides, as a result of repeated or too early pregnancies, small infant rats with poor health are born. The tame rats who are on sale in pet-shops often are born as a result of unplanned knittings. Usually nobody watches over health of parents. Rats of both sexes in common live in close cages that is inadmissible. In normal conditions the male and a female of a rat are put in one cage only for the planned pairing. In the rest of the time the domestic rats have to live in same-sex packs. In most pet-shops these conditions are not met, rats uncontrolledly and too often copulate that, naturally, not in the best way affects health and viability of posterity.
The dangers trapping a tame rat
Sometimes domestic rats do not live the term which is released by it because of carelessness of owners. The most frequent reasons of premature death of decorative rats: contact with other pets (cats, dogs), sgryzaniye of electrical wires, eating of plants, poisonous for them. The following plants are deadly to rats: euphorbia, nightshade, ivy, laurels, rhododendron, kalanchoe, azalea, fern, aloe, Amaryllis, geranium, hyacinth, cyclamen, myrtle, dieffenbachia, carnation, mistletoe, tulip, narcissus, lily of the valley.