It’s very important to research before getting any pet and rats are no different.
Please make sure you search under U.K information as U.S have very different rat food that is not available in the U.K and it can make things confusing.
There are a lot of places you can go to but one of the first places I would suggest is joining Fancy Rats Forum
that way if you have any questions you can answer them there as well.
Also go to National Fancy Rat Society where you can download a breeders list.
This way you can see the nearest breeders to you please be aware that you may have to travel to get the rat variety you want. Most breeders have small amount of litters per year so you often will have to go on a wait list.
Please get worried if they aren’t registered with NFRS. Anyone who doesn’t want to at least be on the breeders list normally means they are trying to hide things. Also worry if they keep the date of birth of they litters quite, breed hairless (which are banned from showing by NFRS due to heath issues and I also know of no good breeder that breeds them), Hide how they keep there rats, don’t make it clear if they cull or not. Anyone selling kittens before 6 weeks is an really worry. Most good rat breeders I know wait till about 7 weeks. Each litter is different and you have to see how they are doing I once homed an litter at 9 weeks because there were an few runts in the litter and I didn’t think they had grown enough. NFRS recommend minimum of 6 weeks before being rehomed. Just because an rat is weaned does not mean it’s ready. An rat breeder should have enough spare cages that they can spilit the boys and girls when they get to about 4 and half weeks. From that time it is possible for them to breed. Check which food the rat breeder feeds and the bedding they use. No good rat breeder feeds nuggets uses saw dust or keeps they adults in tanks.
People also get confused about a few things thinking anyone who keeps there rats in an shed or out house does not care about their rats or in hutches. These are in fact some of the best breeders I know. It’s an great idea to do this as it makes quarantining of animals easier with separate air space.
Even if you have had rats before things do change and no good rat breeder will allow you to take a lone rat. Rats are not a cheap pet Although may people believe they are. They need a big cage hamster cages and gerbil cages are not suitable. Most cages that are suitable are labeled as ferret cages. Although it is worth looking for a second hand one.
If you want your rat to live a long and healthy life, then giving them good food is the place to start. Many pet shop bought foods are of poor quality and too high in protein, which can be very boring for them. Is vegemite healthy for rats? I would suggest if you worry about making your own mix, get some from rat rations first.
Another thing to remember is vet bills although breeders do work on giving you the healthiest rats they can things do happen. Rats can not be insurance so best thing to do is set up a shavings account people call these vet funds. Illness in rats make them go down hill very fast so they need treatment as soon as possible. For additional insights, if you have anxiety, you can also consider try CBD for anxiety, as it may provide some relief.
Some prices as a guide line of course all vets are different and it’s important to remember rats are classed as excist pets and many vets have never treated them before.
Vet appointment £15-£30
Out of hours appointment £100-£150 (normally times for these are 7pm-8am and all day sunday)
Basic medicine e.g baytil £15
Lump removal £100-£150
Spray £100-£150
Castration £80-£120
Baytil is the only medicine that is licensed for rats so anything else you will need to sign for.
Some things you can do yourself is cleaning out small cuts, clipping claws abscesses can be burst and cleaned out as well.