How to Avoid Some Common Pet Rat Mistakes

Common Beginner Mistakes with Pet Rats (And How to Avoid Them) 🐀

If you’re new to pet rats, let me start by saying this: mistakes happen. Rats are not as straightforward as many people expect and most of us didn’t have a single comprehensive, ethical resource when we first started. This is exactly why Small Town Ratties exists.

I’ve made mistakes. Big ones. Expensive ones. Some that taught me lessons the hard way. But each of those mistakes taught me very valuable lessons. The goal of this post isn’t to shame anyone, it is to help you avoid the same pitfalls so your rats can live safer, healthier, happier lives.

Mistake #1: Using a Glass Tank “Just for Now”

This is one of the most common beginner mistakes. And yes, I made it too. Glass tanks are often how rats are displayed in pet stores, so people assume they’re acceptable. Unfortunately, glass tanks are one of the worst housing options for rats for these reasons:

• Poor ventilation traps ammonia from urine

• Rats have extremely sensitive respiratory systems

• Chronic exposure leads to lifelong breathing issues

• Heat and humidity build up quickly

Even temporary tank housing can cause long-term damage. Wire cages with proper airflow are not a luxury, they are a necessity.

Mistake #2: DIY Cages That Seem Genius (But Aren’t)

At one point, I thought I had absolutely cracked the code. I converted two five-shelf bookcases into a massive cage setup — boys on one side, girls on the other — cutting holes into each shelf, lining them with tile and rugs to make cleaning easier, adding ramps so they had five huge levels to explore. On paper? Incredible. In reality? A cautionary tale.

What Went Wrong

• The setup took up an enormous amount of space

• Wood absorbed urine over time despite being lined with tile

• No amount of deep cleaning removed the smell

• The structure wasn’t truly escape-proof

Even the most creative DIY solutions often fail because rats are determined, urine is relentless, and wood remembers everything.

Purpose-built wire cages exist for a reason.

Mistake #3: Underestimating How Many Babies Rats Can Have

If you plan to breed rats — or think you might “just once” — this one is critical.

I intentionally bred rats early on and still wasn’t prepared. One of my females had:

• 16 babies in her first litter

• 15 babies in her second

I was shocked! Thankfully, her sisters also had litters and they all communal-nursed and cared for each other’s babies (rats are amazing like that). But even when things go right, the numbers add up fast.

Now imagine when things go wrong.

Mistake #4: Not Securing the Cage (Or the Room)

This is where things truly escalated. We went on a Christmas vacation and made the mistake of not securing a responsible, rat-savvy pet sitter. When we came home, my original boy, Flynn, had somehow ended up in the females’ enclosure. A few days after than discovery, one of my females escaped and was found sitting on top of my male Sebastian’s cage when I woke up one morning.

Three weeks later? I had 98 babies. That brought my total to 116 rats! Yes, really.

This is why:

• Cage locks matter

• Binder clips matter

• Bar spacing matters

• Pet sitters matter

• And males and females should never be housed side-by-side

(Trust me, I’ll tell the full story in its own post someday.)

Mistake #5: Housing Males and Females Too Close Together

Even if cages are separate, placing male and female cages directly next to each other is asking for trouble.

Rats can, climb, jump, chew, squeeze and problem-solve far better than most people expect (ask me how I know).

If you own both sexes (which I do not recommend unless you are an experienced breeder), it's a good idea to:

• Keep them on opposite sides of the room or in separate rooms

• Double-secure cage doors and add smaller wire to cages that have bars more than 1/2" inch apart

• Never rely on “they’ve never escaped before” because the one time they do could be disastrous.

Mistake #6: Thinking “I’ll Figure It Out as I Go”

Rats are not as beginner-proof pets as I thought. Waiting until there’s a health issue, behavior problem, a grand escape or an accidental litter means your rats are the ones paying the price.

Preparation matters, research matters and learning from people who have already made the mistakes matters.

What All These Mistakes Taught Me

 Every mistake I made pushed me to learn more, do better and advocate harder for rats as a species. They’re intelligent, emotional and incredibly forgiving animals, but they rely on us to get things right.

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be informed.

And if my chaos-filled rat journey saves even one person from ending up with nearly 100 unexpected babies, then sharing it is absolutely worth it.

The Small Town Ratties Takeaway 💛

 Most beginner mistakes come from good intentions paired with bad information. By learning from real experiences, not just ideal scenarios, you’re already setting your rats up for success.

Rats deserve safe housing, proper companionship, thoughtful planning and humans who are willing to learn from the past.

Trust me when I say it’s much easier to learn from someone else’s mistakes than to live them yourself.

👀 Coming Soon

Yes, I will share the full story of how I ended up with 116 rats (Penelope and Opal in the photo below were two of the moms), because some lessons are too wild not to tell properly.

Penelope and Opal during free roam time.

Curated Item:

✅Multi-Functional Metal Spring Hooks

👉These are great because they attach to one of the bars and then stretch sideways to clip to the bars on the other side of the door. If you have an escape artist, these are perfect!

🔗You can find them under my "Supplies" Tab