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Rypie1106

New Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2019
Messages
1
Location
Kansas
Hello everyone! I foster for a local rescue and I got a call today about 4 baby female rats. I have a huge cage that I currently have them in but I know they need more. What can I fill the cage with? I'm sure they will be with me for a while! I have owned rats before many years ago! Any tips are welcome
 
Hi and welcome. Thank you for caring for helpless little creatures.

Some shelves, some hammocks, some hideaways and a lot of toys. Maybe a litter box or two and tubes that are large enough for them so they won't stuck in them. At least two sources of water and a food bowl.

It's important that the cage has vertical bars so they can climb all over.
 
Welcome to the forum! What kind of cage do you have? Pictures?

I would have multiple food bowls, multiple water bottles, and multiple water bowls. The bowls can be a toy to play in, but they can be an easier way for the babies and rats to get a drink in case the water bottles malfunction or give little water. After that, you can design your own hammocks, own hanging tubes, use cardboard boxes (these last a week tops since my rats seem to enjoy urinating on and in them), litteboxes to help litter train the rats (as along as pee rocks if you want them to pee in the litterbox). Rats can make toys out of anything.
Make sure you have plenty of chewing toys. Wooden hides and wooden chew toys are essential to keep their teeth in great shape and it also prevents them from pulling anything through the bars and being destructive. I use those lava ledges too. My rats climb up those, chew on them, etc.

It's important that the cage has vertical bars so they can climb all over.
I think you meant horizontal bars. Vertical bars go up and down and I've never seen a rat scale vertical bars, only horizontal ones. Well.. actually I saw one scale vertical bars, but that was when he was a tiny baby and had too much energy. Older, bigger rats just can't scale vertical bars.
 
Welcome to the forum! What kind of cage do you have? Pictures?

I would have multiple food bowls, multiple water bottles, and multiple water bowls. The bowls can be a toy to play in, but they can be an easier way for the babies and rats to get a drink in case the water bottles malfunction or give little water. After that, you can design your own hammocks, own hanging tubes, use cardboard boxes (these last a week tops since my rats seem to enjoy urinating on and in them), litteboxes to help litter train the rats (as along as pee rocks if you want them to pee in the litterbox). Rats can make toys out of anything.
Make sure you have plenty of chewing toys. Wooden hides and wooden chew toys are essential to keep their teeth in great shape and it also prevents them from pulling anything through the bars and being destructive. I use those lava ledges too. My rats climb up those, chew on them, etc.


I think you meant horizontal bars. Vertical bars go up and down and I've never seen a rat scale vertical bars, only horizontal ones. Well.. actually I saw one scale vertical bars, but that was when he was a tiny baby and had too much energy. Older, bigger rats just can't scale vertical bars.


Actually, mine are in a homemade cage, that we made with wire shelves, and they are vertical bars, and mine have learned to scale them. They are quite good at it too! Even the heavy boys! :p Also, I made a dig box, with holes cute out of the sides, so they can go in and out, and put crumbled up paper in it, and sprinkled treats in it. But my girls shredded the paper, and crammed it in their space pod. o_O But they still play in the box. :D
 
Actually, mine are in a homemade cage, that we made with wire shelves, and they are vertical bars, and mine have learned to scale them. They are quite good at it too! Even the heavy boys! :p Also, I made a dig box, with holes cute out of the sides, so they can go in and out, and put crumbled up paper in it, and sprinkled treats in it. But my girls shredded the paper, and crammed it in their space pod. o_O But they still play in the box. :D

That's amazing. My rats have never been able to scale vertical bars, hence why I switched to horizontal.
Is the dig box super messy? I've debated making one for my rats. I've just done the diving for peas toys (except it's a bin with a lot of rocks and peas) and my rats like to splash in it. It's quite adorable to hear them playing in the rocks and water around 1AM. I also noticed a lot less wrestling with this toy. Although... I did have one of my older rats fall off a shelf and into the water toy. I had to nurse his bruises. He might have done it just t earn lots of kisses and cuddles, though. He is the one who gives off mischief vibes...
 
People have already make good suggestions …… I would add a 12 inch diameter solid wheel, house, tubes hung on the side of the cage and tubes to run through, and a large space pod (pic below off internet)
Please see the Reference Thread for good info and links to ideas. https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/
There are also lots of ideas in the Habitat section

Water dishes that can not be upset are important for all rats but particularly important for baby rats as their tongues are not strong enough to move the ball bearing in water bottles

As you likely are aware, rats wear their teeth down by bruxing, and do not require chew toys for this purpose but they do need chew toys because they enjoy them

space pod.jpg
 
The dig box I made is not messy. I just used crumpled up paper, and sprinkled some pumpkin seeds, baby puffs, and a couple of sunflower seeds in it. They just shredded the paper getting it out (Mackie is a hoarder), and sleep in the box.
 
Oh, it's a dig box with no dirt; I assumed it was a dirt digging box. I do like the crumpled paper idea though. I'll have to dig out another Tupperware container to do that.
 
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