about to adopt pet rats

Question
Hi,
I am planning on adopting 2 female baby rats in the next 3 months for my daughter (and I) and have a few questions.  I had a rat as a child and she was a wonderful pet.  
1-do you advise spaying/neutering rats to reduce the risk of breast tumors? (my childhood  pet rat died from a breast tumor).
2-I live in Mason and want to locate a veterinarian before we bring our new ratties home in case of an illness..do you know of any rat-knowledgeable vets local to the north side of Cincinnati?
3-I have had a difficult time finding a local breeder, the closest I have identified is in the Columbus area...do you know of  anyone closer by who is focused on breeding for health and temperament?
4-I am planning on getting a multi level cage from "Martin's cages".  I plan on litter training. I think it would be better to cover the wire mesh floors and landings with a soft surface..and recommendations?

thanks in advance for your help

Answer

I dont think you have found my site, sandyscrittercity.com!  Please check it out. I have tons of pages on topics that you are asking about now, from litter training to cages. I will go over everything now briefly though for you but do check it out since I have alot  more in depth info on my site.


1-do you advise spaying/neutering rats to reduce the risk of breast tumors? (my childhood  pet rat died from a breast tumor).

I shy away from female rats now due to mammary tumors. Females are prone to them after menopause, when hormone levels rise rapidly. Males are not exempt from them, but it is much more common in females. Spaying at a young age can reduce the risks greatly, but the risk of surgery on a 4 month old rat is high, too, so its like robbing Peter to pay Paul...in a sense. Providing the Vet is very skilled, the rat usually does great, but the vet needs to really have his act together before I would ever consider spaying a young female like that....which leads me back to having males all the time now rather than girls.  I left a great vet back in Charlotte NC when I moved to Florida and have yet to find a vet here that I would trust spaying any female rat.



2-I live in Mason and want to locate a veterinarian before we bring our new ratties home in case of an illness..do you know of any rat-knowledgeable vets local to the north side of Cincinnati?
Here are two choices, with the first one being my first choice, although both are acceptable. Keep in mind that there are only 130 certified avian/exotic vets in the WORLD, but we do have a new specialty called "Exotic companion mammal Specialists" who are board certified avian/exotic vets that are going back to school for training to be a small mammal specialist. This means that FINALLY our rats will have a Vet whos main focus is indeed about the small mammal. Vets only learn a tiny bit about small mammals in college and when it comes to rats, its even less. They learn the very basic things they need to know about rats and thats it. Scary.  Vets now are being mistaken for exotic Vets by simply "seeing" rats and ferrets which is a big bad mistake to make that assumption.  Also, a vet that labels himself as a "small animal vet" doesnt mean he or she sees small mammals.....the title is small animal, not small MAMMAL....and this simply means they see dogs and cats rather than horses and goats if you get my drift.   The vet that sees exotics and knows a little bit extra stuff about them have what is known in the veterinary world as a "strong interest" in exotic medicine. This means they have taken courses and gone to workshops on exotics but nothing is formal about it by any means.  Now that said, I must be fair and say that while there are many vets that should keep their mits off of our rats, there are also general practice vets that are absolutely AWESOME with rats and can remove a mammary tumor blindfolded with one hand tied behind their back.  Once I come across these Vets, I keep their name in a sealed gold case in a vault for safe keeping and give these names to rat owners when they are looking for vets that see rats and it just so happens these God sent Angel Vets live close enough to those people.  LOL  Ok I dont keep their name in a vault but you get the idea. LOL

So here is who I have for you to check out. Good job looking for vets before you need to take your rats to see them.

First choice:

The Animal Hospital on Mt. Lookout Sq.
3175 Linwood Ave
Cincinnati OH 45208
Phone:  513-871-8866
Website: www.ahomls.com

Second choice:

Dr. Jeff Werwa
Cincinnati Animal Medical Ctr
8350 Plainfield Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
(513) 761-8387



3-I have had a difficult time finding a local breeder, the closest I have identified is in the Columbus area...do you know of  anyone closer by who is focused on breeding for health and temperament?
That one I dont know.....I will have to check. Have you checked Ratster?


4-I am planning on getting a multi level cage from "Martin's cages".  I plan on litter training. I think it would be better to cover the wire mesh floors and landings with a soft surface..and recommendations?

I have a page on my site about litter training rats and also tell you how to cover the wire floors safely and also a good way to keep things clean and dry and free from odor.  As for cages, Martins is good, but the Critter Nation cage is better. Total awesome cage!
Google CRITTER NATION.  You can buy one or two stories.  So roomy it makes you not feel as guilty keeping them in a cage when they have a cage as big as a small refrigerator.  They are under $200 too.  Shipping is free!!!!!


thanks in advance for your help