We feed Harlan Tekland 2018, with an occassional bag of Purina LabChow 5001. This is a vegetarian formula and is fed not on moral grounds, but on the scientific evidence that low phytoestrogens in food reduce the risk of certain cancers. Treats are given sparingly and include seed/nut mixes, fruits, vegetables and yogurt drops.
Housing is provided by many manufacturers. SuperPet with wire overlay and Fern are the brands we can especially like, however, if you're in the market for new cages, you could also try Martin's Cages or Enchanted Forest. Each rat gets at least two cubic feet of space, along with the company of one to seven other rats. Litters are raised in 20-40 gallon tanks.
We observe a three week minimum quarantine after a rat show or after a new rat has been added to the rattery. Before any new rats enter the rattery, they undergo an additional off-site three week quarantine. Quarantines after any illness are based on the demands of that particular pathogen and may range from 10 days to 6 months.
Litter and bedding is changed every 4-6 days on average. Keeping the ammonia levels down significantly improves rat health. Cages are disinfected with a freshly made 10-20% bleach solution every two weeks. Dishes and water bottles are cleaned by dishwasher every few days. Ventilation is monitored within the room and each cage and kept at an appropriate amount.
Every rat is at least handled daily. Some are allowed free-range time in certain rooms of the house.
Health surveillance is done every week. Diagnostic methods to check for continued good health are applied at least six times a year. These include complete necropsies with histopathology and bacteriology, serology testing by MFI or ELISA, mass biopsies, regular respiratory cultures and more. Sick rats are seen by competant and professionally-respected veterinarians. A list of any health issues is made public online and made available to adopters before they take home their new rats.
We follow the RFL code of ethics, which can be found here.