Looking for a cage, wondering about a new rat's behaviour, or trying to identify a coat colour? These nine FAQ collections bring together questions from prospective adopters, keepers and people who have found a baby rat. Each topic heading opens the full collection; the two question links underneath take you straight to those answers.
For a first introduction, start with roof rats versus Norway rats. Adoption covers availability and arrangements. The other topics let you look up a particular concern, from overturned water dishes and play-biting to introductions, rescue and finding a vet.
129 questions across 9 topics. Latest FAQ review: .
All recorded review dates here were recovered from editing history. They describe historical FAQ edits, not a fresh review of the answers.
Roof Rat Health & Lifespan
How long roof rats live, how healthy they tend to be, their day/night rhythm, and when to see a vet.
Find the entries on sneezing, coughing, dehydration, lumps, head tilt, itching, weak back legs, dental concerns and bloating. Other questions cover weight, lifespan, giving medicine orally or in water, and finding a vet who treats rats. The ageing-related entries ask about supplements and ergothioneine. Each link leads to the existing answer; this index does not assess an individual rat's symptoms.
Roof Rat Bonding, Taming & Play
How roof rats behave, social structure, play-biting, popcorning, and how to win one over.
Picking up a rat, nervous rescues, petting and rough play-biting each have their own questions. The play and training entries cover tricks, learning a name, coming when called, tickling, laughter, popcorning and zoomies. You can also find questions about catching an escaped rat and noise at night. Interactions with other animals belong in the Social Life collection.
Roof Rat Diet, Food & Treats
What domesticated roof rats eat, the diet base, safe treats, fresh water, and a note on feeding rescued orphans.
Look up the questions about lab blocks, fresh water, fruit, cheese, chocolate and forage mixes. Other entries ask about onion, garlic and xylitol, and about feeding an orphaned baby. The supplement questions cover ergothioneine, taurine, betaine, fish oil, flax and chia; follow the relevant answer for its explanation rather than reading this list as a feeding recommendation.
Roof Rat vs Norway Rat (Black vs Brown Rat): Pet, Not Pest
Here is how the two compare, and why roof rats are pets, not vermin.
What is a roof rat, and how does keeping one compare with keeping a fancy rat? This collection covers questions about climbing, lifespan, domestication and whether the two kinds can interbreed. It also addresses the pest-or-pet question, pet-store availability, taming and legality. Use the coat collection for questions specifically about black, brown or blonde colouring.
Roof Rat Housing & Cages
What kind of cage and setup roof rats need, and why height matters far more than floor space.
The equipment questions cover bar spacing, cage height, bare wire floors, wooden houses, bedding and exercise wheels. There are also entries on assembling a Martin's Cage, litter training, removable litter trays and a rat that keeps tipping its water dish over. For time outside the enclosure, look for the question explaining what keepers mean by free ranging.
Adopting Roof Rats
How to get roof rats from us, where we are, what we ask of adopters, and the local-breeder alternative.
Find questions about cost, pairs or single rats, males or females, and the age at which babies leave. Transport and distance have their own entries, alongside contacting us and finding another breeder. This is also where the FAQ addresses emotional support animals, local legality and requests for feeder rats. Cage equipment is covered separately in Housing & Cages.
Roof Rat Colors, Coat Genetics & Markings
Our line carries several naturally-arising coat colors and markings we track across generations.
Explore the questions about agouti, black and blonde coats, the origin of the blonde line, and white tail-tip markings. Separate entries ask how the coat genes work, whether colour relates to temperament, and whether blonde rats are more sensitive to light. Questions about breeding for colour and the number of breeding lines are also collected here.
Roof Rat Social Life: Other Rats & Pets
How roof rats get along with each other and with your other pets: keeping more than one, introductions, fighting, and life with cats, dogs and fancy rats.
The questions distinguish living alone, sharing a cage, introducing a newcomer and fighting between males. They also ask whether roof rats follow the dominance patterns familiar to Norway-rat keepers. For a household with other animals, there are separate entries on cats and dogs, playing with Dumbo rats, and sharing a cage with fancy or Norway rats.
Roof Rat Babies, Life Stages & Rescue
Raising babies, rescuing a found litter, and rehoming: the questions that come up around the youngest roof rats.
A found litter, an orphan needing milk, and a rat you can no longer care for have different entries here. The collection includes questions about keeping or releasing a rescued baby, feeding an orphan, when to begin handling and socialising babies, and the age at which roof rats can reproduce. Adoption arrangements have their own collection above.
More FAQ links
Real questions about domesticated roof rats (Rattus rattus), answered by the breeder. Most information online is about Norway rats, or about roof rats as wild pests; this is the alternative: roof rats as affectionate, selectively-bred pets. Browse by topic:
- Roof rats vs Norway rats, pet, not pest
- Roof rat colors, coat genetics & markings
- Diet, food and treats
- Health, lifespan and common conditions
- Housing and cages
- Bonding, taming and play
- Social life: other rats and pets
- Babies, life stages and rescue
- Adopting roof rats
Thinking about keeping or breeding roof rats yourself? See Successor Breeders Wanted and What It Takes, or get in touch.