Reddit mentions of ECO BEDDING FiberCore with Odor Control, 4.5 lbs Bag

Things you absolutely need:

• 2 or more rats, never get only one rat they need to be in pairs, although I think they do better in 3s
  
• An exotic vet that sees rats
  
• An emergency vet fund... taking a rat to the vet is usually more expensive since they are considered exotic
  
• A decent size wire cage. If you have the money, a Single Critter Nation will be your best option (or a double!) here's some other decent cages that aren't quite as expensive: This cage is good for 2 This is the cage I currently have and I like it a lot for my 3.
  
• Good Quality food. Oxbow is your best bet.
  
• A dust free, scent free bedding. Rats have very sensitive respiratory systems so dust and scent free is a must. There's lots of options for bedding. You can use paper bedding, Kiln Dried wood shavings, etc. This is what I use and prefer, the rats LOVE it and it works really really well.
  
  Common Mistakes:
  
  
• keeping rats in too small of cages without proper ventilation
  
• keeping lone rats
  
• Feeding rats seed mixes with crappy fillers like dried corn.. this is absolutely not needed. Oxbow supplemented with fresh fruits and veggies is what they need.
  
• Keeping intact female and male rats together, NEVER do this, they WILL have babies
  
  General tips:
  
  
• Find a good rat breeder in your area, this will ensure you have friendly rats. If you can't find a breeder look for a rescue and visit the rats a couple times to see how they interact with you. A lot of times rescued rats and rats from 'backyard breeders' will be much more shy or even aggressive.
  
• Rats love busy cages.. fill your cage with fleece hammocks, rope bird perches, lava ledges, plastic baskets, wooden ladders, tunnels, bird toys, cardboard boxes.. you can find a lot of fun toys at the dollar store or the bird sections of pet stores!
  
• Make sure you have a safe area for them to free roam, whether that's your bed, the bathroom, a designated room... just make sure there's no holes or gaps they could possibly crawl into and escape.. triple check because they will find any hole!
  
• I have found that the easiest cage cleaning routine that keeps the smell down is to wipe the levels down daily with baby wipes, and then to do a full cleaning every weekend where I replace the bedding, wash any fleece hammocks, clean all toys etc. Baby wipes have been a life saver for me!
  
• Keep looking through reddit, and researching! Rats are wonderful pets but they are not the easiest animal. The one thing I wasn't prepared for was how often they get sick, I have battled with respiratory infections in my rats from the moment I brought them home, even with proper care they are still prone to illnesses and it's frustrating and expensive but they are worth it.