Can you keep a rat from peeing in a playpen? And is willow safe?

[creative animal lover]

So I have 2 questions, and I just wanted to include them both in one post even if they are not related. I was looking at rat safe woods and unsafe ones, and I saw willow listed as unsafe? It seems hard to find chew toys ( even though I hear most don’t chew a lot and they brux) and I was looking at wooden toys and wondered if the wood wa safe or not so I searched up a list and it seemed like multiple sites used the same exact list and just copied each other, but it seemed like willow was listed as unsafe which made me desipointed because I love willow balls and sticks. And I was frustrated because most small animal toys did not have the type of wood listed besides willow and China fir which makes me feel like I have a limited toy selection to choose from.

But secondly I know a lot of people set up cooroplast or cardboard play pens just on their floor and I was wondering how you deal with rat pee. Rat poo still kind of grosses me out because I do have carpet and I don’t want too much bacteria, but pee aspecialy concerns me. Should I just put like a baby quilt on the floor or a thick blanket? Or could I put a litter pan in? Which I doubt would be affective. I have heard of rats holding their pee, but that was only when the owner had them on their shoulder walking around a store. I also would love to use like baby foam squares as a flooring and make a minimplaypen around the cage which I would use daily so it’s easy and right there and I would just fold it up, but I would love to use up more of my room with a big playpen, but it would be over my carpet like I mentioned.

 

[SQ]

But secondly I know a lot of people set up cooroplast or cardboard play pens just on their floor and I was wondering how you deal with rat pee. Rat poo still kind of grosses me out because I do have carpet and I don’t want too much bacteria, but pee aspecialy concerns me. Should I just put like a baby quilt on the floor or a thick blanket? Or could I put a litter pan in? Which I doubt would be affective. I have heard of rats holding their pee, but that was only when the owner had them on their shoulder walking around a store. I also would love to use like baby foam squares as a flooring and make a minimplaypen around the cage which I would use daily so it’s easy and right there and I would just fold it up, but I would love to use up more of my room with a big playpen, but it would be over my carpet like I mentioned.

I can not answer your first question, but with respect to your second question,

I make sure that they have access to a litter box in their playpen. I also cover the floor of the playpen with a large fleece blanket that the play pen sits on top of so the blanket extends past the sides of the playpen.

In the large play area, they have access to their cages so they go back and forth. They have access to litter boxes, but the floor does get messy ……. I cover the floor with a large piece of thick linoleum or large pieces of thick linoleum that overlap with the seams sealed with duct tape - this protects the floor from damage but it does need to be cleaned as it gets dirty

 

[mvZD]

I was wondering about willow too. I have some willow chew sticks but found the same list saying it’s not safe. I just bought some apple orchard sticks instead, which seems to be safe..

My rats are really goo about using their litter box. They’ve never peed or pooped outside of the cage, but they do mark a lot, so I see little pee droplets here and there. I have fleece blankets laid out on the floor of their room, over the hardwood. And I swap the blankets out once every 1-2 weeks, though they usually stay pretty clean. I also always leave their cage doors open during their playtime so they can go in and out as they please. And I have seen them go in just to potty and come right back out.

 

[Kaat]

I also cover the floor of my playpen with fleece, my rats will poo in their litter but not pee, they just pee wherever they like. Some people have success with litter training to pee, but I think its generally accepted that rats just pee where they want.

 

[SQ]

Some people have success with litter training to be, but I think its generally accepted that rats just pee where they want.

Yes LOL, like dogs, rats urine mark their territory …… including their owners
and sometimes elderly rats will empty their bladders on you
Thus rat owners wear "rat clothes" when they play with their rats because rats will chew your clothing and pee on you.

Also, for those who may not be aware, it is a good idea to put something behind the cage or you may find urine dried on the wall
And the way to litter train rats is to put a litter box everywhere they have decided they want a toilet …. usually every corner in the cage and under ramps LOL ……. I have accumulated quite the collection of litter boxes