Ceiling fan?

[howlerkos]

I might get rats, and i've been wanting some for about seven years now. Me gettign some depends on whether or not a ceiling fan would give them chills? It gets really hot here in the summer. 110 or so, so the fans on even with the A/C to get a good 70 degrees or so. I was wondering if this would get them sick? Or would it be ok so long as theyve got a nice igloo to go in?

 

[lilangel]

We have a ceiling fan right in the area with the rats summer and winter(winter we make the fan pull up not blow down) we keep it on low setting.

We also have AC in the house for the summer months only when its pretty hot like 30+ 25 under we do not use the AC even for us.

Edited for typos.

 

[jorats]

Wow 7 years! It's about time you get them. lol
I used to have ceiling fans all over the place and the rats were ok. If you can, don't place the cage directly under the fan.

 

[howlerkos]

Yay xD
The reason why I haven't been able to get them is my mom is scared of new things. She doesn't like their tails at all. Its strange though. every time we go look at rats, especially dumbo rats, she falls in love with them.
But now I might be able to get some. i was thinking about maybe getting this cage :
http://pet.imageg.net/graphics/product_ ... 2649dt.jpg
or this one :
http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com ... 36b473.jpg
Not sure which is better. c:

 

[lilangel]

the first cage is flimsy and some say pee rivers on the levels and the second cage is not big enough for rats. Some people still have and work with the first cage but smaller females and babies will go through the bars.

A lot of people like martins cages http://www.martinscages.com/ or ferret nations or critter nations.
http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratcages.html great site explaining pros and cons of cages.

 

[Rachael]

I know there are 'pee rivers' but I actually found that quite helpful, the ditches. :blush: The pee obviously drained into that bit and it was always really easy to clean up. I just found it easy hehe.

Congratulations, hope you do get ratties soon.

Oh and on the original topic, we bought a ceiling fan a few weeks ago for the first time. In the winter we use fan heaters to heat the rooms, and we've used free standing fans the past few summers to keep it cool, but the ceiling fan has been good. It's sort of fighting a losing battle though, our rats are in "attic" rooms so it's boiling and the temperature is a nightmare.

 

[howlerkos]

Oh wow. Thanks for letting me know!

For the martin cages, whats the difference between powder coated and galvanized?

 

[jorats]

Galvanized is just the steel and sooooo stinky once a rat pees on it. You really want powder coated.
Get something with a 30 x 18 base and some height for levels and climbing.

 

[xxchelle]

You want powder coated. It's a coating that's on the wire that prevents urine from soaking into/rusting the bare wire (galvanized). Trust me, galvanized cages will STINK after just a short time.

Edit: Oops, Jo beat me to it. Heh.

 

[Rachael]

Are Martins cages all wire? Just wondered how members work that, do you just cover it with fleece?
I think they are a bit like the Critter cages here. :/ But the Martings website link won't load for me.

 

[Maple]

I say "go for it". I have fans in almost every room in the house. They help to circulate the cold air around and seems to keep all my rodents comfortable during the hot days.

 

[howlerkos]

And one last question:
...Ithink xD

with the purple and green ferret cage, wouldn't it be fine for larger rats? And if it was covered in like.. a wire mesh of some sorts?

Oh, then Ill definitely get power coated. worth the extra money.

 

[lilangel]

if you covered it with mesh it would make it sturdy. I netted a superpet home before it did make it stronger. For me i do not mind the superpet cages too much.

 

[howlerkos]

What type of mesh would be best? Does home depot have powder coated wire?

Sorry for all the questions. Im only familiar with hamsters, not rats. o3o

 

[jorats]

If you pick up adult male rats, you'll be fine with the superpet cage with no mesh. It's not as sturdy but I never found it to be much of a problem. If you have babies it will definitely need a mesh like chicken wire mesh. Home Depot places have a few to choose from.
It's a good start to a cage. A couple of rats in that cage will think they've hit the jackpot.

 

[Rachael]

I don't have the super pet cage in the picture, mine is I think a bit bigger/taller. Sorry the cages weren't getting fully used that's why they're so empty.

 

[Sorraia]

As long as the ceiling fan doesn't creation a chilly draft, it shouldn't bother them. I like to keep the ceiling fan running in my rat room so keep the air circulating. That helps with cooling and preventing the air from getting "stale". Around here it gets quite hot, so any room that the air isn't circulating gets hard to breath in.

 

[howlerkos]

Thank you all for your comments and answers. Theyve helped a lot! c:
Im only familiar with hamsters, but i havent had any in a long time. my last one died of a seizure and it kinda traumatized me o.o
I think ill get that super pet cage, since I think it would be a good starter cage, and I can get a hold of chicken wire for free ;D

 

[lansauce]

the ceiling fan should be fine as long as they have some sort of shelter to nest in to get away from the breeze, but i would dust it regularly i know from experience, even with those things running on a regular basis they can collect and stir up quite a bit of dust

 

I find the superpet cages not to bad, the levels are annoying because they collect pee, but atleast the ratties don't step in the groves, so therefore they are not walking in pee.
You do have to wipe the levels a few times daily and soak them every second day in hot soapy water.
Also if you have males the cage would be fine without mesh.

Racheal, Martins cages are all wire, I cover the levels with towels instead of fleece because I find towels absorb more.