How much do rats cost?

Including cage and the food .How much do rats cost?
The rat itself will cost anywhere between $3-$15. (If you adopt a neutered or spayed rat, it'll run you closer to $35.)





If you luck out, you can get a cage from Craiglist or a garage sale for as low as $20. But that's pretty unlikely. Good cages are from Martin's Cages (about $60 and up for the smaller cages); Midwest (about $150 and up for the ferret cages); and Super Pet Exotics cage (about $100). We have one of the fancier cages, a Martin's R-695, that we spent about $150 on (including shipping).





An $8 bag of food should last like two months.





Litter and bedding can really vary. For instance, I spent like $30 on tons of marked-down polar fleece, and that's what I use as bedding, I just wash it when it's gross. If you use CareFresh Ultra as bedding, it'll probably cost about $25 a month.





Accessories like hammocks can be pretty cheap if you make them yourself, you'll pretty much just have to buy some cheap fleece (you can really use just about anything) and hooks. I used the fleece I bought above to make a bunch of hammocks.





I use a heavy glass ramekin as a food dish (about $3), a 16 oz. water bottle ($5) and a Pyrex baking dish as a litter box ($4).





Vet visits are usually pretty expensive because good exotics or small animal vets are pretty rare.





I've personally spent almost $400: $5 on one rat, $35 on another rat, $150 on the cage, $30 on fleece, $15 on accessories, $20 on food, $35 on a little carrier cage and $75 on a vet visit and antibiotics for a respiratory infection.How much do rats cost?
Don't let the fact that most rats sell for 3-10$ at a petstore fool you. Rats are one of the more expensive small animals to own.





The rat itself is probably the most inexpensive part of owning a pet rat. If you get one from a petstore they will probably be between 3-10$. Rescues usually charge an adoption fee of 5-15$ for intact animals, and 30-60$ for animals which have been spayed or neutered (a real bargin, considering the surgery usually costs $100+). Breeders generally charge $20-30 for a same-sex pair. I highly recommend purchasing a rat from a rescue or a reputable breeder.





Rats need a large cage--think along the lines of a what a ferret needs, NOT what a hamster needs. It will probably cost you about 75-100$ for a suitable cage if you buy it new--but depending on where you live, you will probably be able to find a great cage used off of a site like craigslist for significantly less. I keep my girls in an extra-large ferret cage that I purchased off of craigslist for 40$--it would've cost me over 300$ if I bought it new.





I feed my rats Natural Balance Vegetarian dog food. Don't purchase cheap seed mixes, or brands of lab block like Kaytee--they are filled with cancer-causing preservatives, and aren't really well balanced for a rat. A 5lb bag costs me 10$ and usually lasts for a little over a month (I have four females).





As far as bedding, this is another highly variable amount, as it depends on which (if any) bedding you chose. Most rats can be potty trained, and thus their owners keep them on fleece liners (which can be washed and re-used, virtually eliminating bedding costs). I keep my girls on aspen bedding, which costs about 15$ for a large container that lasts about two months.





It's also important to have an emergency vet fund. By owning a small animal, you are commiting to take care of it for its entire natural life. Exotic animal vets are usually not cheap, and it is a good idea to have a few hundred dollars in reserve just in case your rats need a vet.
The rats themselves cost about $7-$12 at a pet store, and if you get feeder rats (ones that are to be fed to snakes), they will cost you probably less than $3. With female rats (and even young male rats), you should really get 2 because just one will get lonely and crazy, etc. You need to get a semi large cage, that is the most expensive part. A hamster cage is really too small. You can sometimes find cages on craigslist that are big and cheap, but you're looking at $35 and up most likely for the cage. The food is probably $5-$10, you should get the kind that is compressed little nugget-ish things instead of the mix of seeds because the mix makes them fat. You probably want to get them a few ledges, ropes or an exercise wheel or something so that they don't get bored...that might be $10 or $15 depending on what you get. You can find some good stuff to hook on the cage in the bird section. You'll also need a water bottle. That's about $3. I think thats really it. If you're thinking of getting an exercise ball, those are expensive. Like $20. Hope that helps. Getting rats is more pricy than a hamster or gerbil or mice. They require more room.
$4-$5 or you can find someone giving away rats for free ibred my rats so now i have 32!


hope this helps