Rats, Chinchillas & Degus

Housing requirements will vary depending on the number of rats. Please see our rat housing pages for advice.

Prior to adoption we will carry out a set-up check, usually via email, to ensure the housing requirements for the animal you wish to adopt will be met.

Rats are social animals, so we will never rehome a rat to live alone. Rats adopted from us must not be bred from under any circumstances. We provide full rescue back-up for all animals adopted from us. This also means that if you are adopting a rat/rats to introduce to your current rats, if they do not bond, we will always take them back. We are also happy to carry out initial introductions/bonding for you if required.

Rats require daily out of cage play time and socialisation with their human carers. You will need a suitable safe space for your ratties to play in, as well as an appropriate spacious cage set-up.

Sadly, rats can be prone to a number of health issues and vet bills can be high. Adopters should be aware of this and be prepared for the costs of vet treatment if required. We highly recommend having a ‘vet fund’ and putting money aside into this fund each month – we do this for our own rats. In the event of illness, rats need to be seen by a rat-savvy exotics vet. If you are based in Manchester, we cannot recommend Ashleigh Veterinary Centre in Chorlton highly enough.

Our adoption fee for a rat is a £10 minimum donation to help cover the costs of caring for the animals at Tiny Paws MCR . Adopters must be aged 18+