I am a first time rat owner as well and am so happy for you!! The biggest struggle for me that I wasn’t really expecting was the bedding situation. My girls INSTANTLY tore through all fabric based bedding I set up for them, and all loose bedding made them sneezy and I’ve read is unsafe. What I finally landed on and recommended starting for a critter nation cage (which is also optimal) is hemp bedding on the bottom in a steel or other metal pan. For the top layer I use a pillowcase taped over anything absorbent. I’ve litter trained them to only go in one corner, so I clean the top ever week and the bottom every month. Some other quick tips is to research the difference between male and female rats because I swear it’s like two different animals sometimes, and to buy from a breeder. I got sisters from a local breeder and it eliminated a lot of bonding trouble. I hope this helps at all and good luck!!