Well… Long story short I’ve wanted a pet rodent for about 8 or so years now, and even though my parents probably still won’t allow me to get any, I figured it couldn’t hurt to get some advice on how to care for the little rats in case I did get some. I did some research and so far I’ve found some useful tips, but there are some things I’m still wondering. Like;

What kind of cage is best? Plastic or a tank doesn’t really provide much ventilation, but I’m not sure about a wire cage. And what size is optimal for 2 female rats, since if any that’s that I plan on getting?

What’s a good bedding type? Carefresh, the paper-based stuff, I heard was pretty good.

What kind of diet do they have? How often/how much should they be fed? And what foods should be avoided at all costs?

Aaaaand last but certainly not least, what are handy acessories? So far I’ve read hammocks and cat jingle toys are good. Besides the necessities (water bottle, something to chew on, a private place to sleep, food bowl, etc). Should I prepare a backup cage in case one takes sick?

Any other tips you have to offer would be greatly appreciated as well. =)

Environment-wise they would probably stay in my room, on my desk (since I never use it for its purpose, heh). The cage wouldn’t be in direct sunlight, and honestly I’m not sure what kind of temperature it is generally, but I consider it cool, maybe lukewarm. Colder in the winter and warmer in the summer of course, but nothing too extreme. Plus there’s always ways of cooling down or warming up. ^^ We do have one other pet, a dog (a 7 year old flat-coated retriever to be exact) but she doesn’t go in my room often and could certainly be kept out if necessary. If the rats wanted a larger place to run we do have rooms that could be free-range from time to time. Thanks! <3
Oh! How often should the cage be cleaned, as well?

Woohoo! Rats are amazing, I’ve got three :]

Let’s go:
What kind of cage is best? Plastic or a tank doesn’t really provide much ventilation, but I’m not sure about a wire cage. And what size is optimal for 2 female rats, since if any that’s that I plan on getting?:

A cage must be roomy and spacious for a rat, for two rats, the cheapest I can think of is the Petco Rat Manor, for $100 but, if you’ve got the extra cash a 1 unit, or 2 unit Critter Nation is AMZING.
One unit- [holds up to 5 rats] http://www.walmart.com/ip/Midwest-Pets-Critter-Nation-Single-Unit-with-Stand/14317989
Double unit [holds ten rats]- http://www.walmart.com/ip/Midwest-Pets-Critter-Nation-Double-Unit-with-Stand/14317990#QAmodule They’re very big, and spacious and rats love them.

Never use a tank, please. Bad ventilation, and air circulation can make your rats sick. Wire cage bar spacing should be be 1/2 and inch so they cannot slip out through the bars. :}

Rat Manor
[I don't recommend this nearly as much as the Critter Nation, but I have used it. It's okay...]

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyid=106171&Ntt=rat%20manor&OneResultRedirect=1

This website is always a good help if you need to know if a cage is big enough:

http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml

What’s a good bedding type? Carefresh, the paper-based stuff, I heard was pretty good.:

Carefresh Ultra>Carefresh. Regular Carefresh can be dusty and can irritate their longs. Aspen is good as well. Avoid pine and cedar beddings, these are terrible for rats. I personally use fleece lining on my cage shelves and bottom, and they have a litter pan with aspen.

What kind of diet do they have? How often/how much should they be fed? And what foods should be avoided at all costs?:
Pretty much, fill the bowl with food whenever it gets empty. If it’s still got some in it the next day, dump it and re-fill. Lab blocks are best. Mazuri and Harlan Teklad are two really good lab blocks. I’ve heard good things about oxbow as well.
Harlan Teklad:

http://mainelyratrescue.org/store2/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3&zenid=68907167a60f6d5252c74c06fbda02c4

[from a good rescue]

Oxbow:

http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products

Mazuri can be found in most pet stores.
Do NOT feed them seed mix, it’s bad for them, usually has too much fat and protein, they usually only eat the sunflower seeds out of it, and can have mites in it. Do not feed male rats oranges, do not feed them raw potatoes… better yet:
Forbidden Foods list:

http://www.petratscanada.com/forbidden_foods.htm

Aaaaand last but certainly not least, what are handy acessories? So far I’ve read hammocks and cat jingle toys are good. Besides the necessities (water bottle, something to chew on, a private place to sleep, food bowl, etc). Should I prepare a backup cage in case one takes sick?:

Backup cage is always a good idea for when you have a sick rat, have to take a rat to the vet, one gets injured and has to be kept alone while healing, something to put them in when cleaning the main cage and they can’t be supervised, etc. Good accessories are ferret toys, bird toys, cat toys, hammocks, dog toys, cute soft pillows, dollar store nic-nacs, etc. Home made toys are good, too.
Here are some good ideas:

http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm

Any other tips you have to offer would be greatly appreciated as well. =):

Other tips: Make sure you play with them at least an hour a day, if not more! :] And, there’s no such thing as too much cage space.

Environment-wise they would probably stay in my room, on my desk (since I never use it for its purpose, heh). The cage wouldn’t be in direct sunlight, and honestly I’m not sure what kind of temperature it is generally, but I consider it cool, maybe lukewarm. Colder in the winter and warmer in the summer of course, but nothing too extreme. Plus there’s always ways of cooling down or warming up. …… :

http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm

There’s some articles on how to cool off/warm up a rat if your room is too hot or too cold. My room tends to get hot so I always have a fan going, and when it’s REALLY hot I put ice cubes in their water and they have a Chin-Chiller [slab of marble that stays cool for them to lay on]
Best of luck.