not getting free roam time everyday

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oasisandbambi

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
48
Location
Portugal
Okay this might be a dumb post, but, Im tired of feeling terrible when sometimes I spend the night out (with friends or sleeping at my gf house etc) , or go away for a few days, and my ratties dont get time outside of their cage lol. This doesnt happen too often but when It does I just feel real bad. Is it okay to do this? For them not to be able to free roam every single day? I do have a fairly big cage and a lot of toys and other rattie supplies. And I let them out almost every day for about 2/3 hours. When I do go away for the night or a few days I usually rearranged their cage and give them new toys/ stuff to do to keep them entertained. Can anyone put my mind at ease? Or does this actually affect them? Im just an extremely anxious person, sorry.
 
It sounds like you are doing all the right things by having them in a big cage and changing things around for extra stimulation when you do leave them. Human interaction is great for them when they get it, but letting them have the chance to just interact with each other could also be nice every now and then.
Personally, I feel like it could be compared to us leaving the house. We like to be able to leave the house and interact with other people every day, but we don’t suffer if some days we don’t get that change of scenery and just spend a day or two inside just enjoying the company of family or watching movies. Obviously you would feel cooped up if you didn’t leave the house for a week or longer, but you’re fine to not go out for a few days at a time as long as you have another source of entertainment.
 
I do remember that guilt. haha But yeah, it didn't happen often but once in a while, my rats didn't get their out time. I'm sure the rats forgive us. What truly matters is that they are cared for, they have food, they have water and buddies.
 
I was feeling bad about doing this too but when I did some research I found out that rats actually sleep about 16 hours a day! So I just let them out when they're awake.
 
If the cage is huge enough etc and it only occasionally happens then they should be ok
But you do need to handle them a couple of times a day because rats get ill and die fast
If not handled twice a day (morning and evening for example), then you might not notice that they are ill and they could die

Hopefully when you go away you are getting a knowledgeable person to care for them who will be able to recognize illness and contact you or take them to their vet
 
If the cage is huge enough etc and it only occasionally happens then they should be ok
But you do need to handle them a couple of times a day because rats get ill and die fast
If not handled twice a day (morning and evening for example), then you might not notice that they are ill and they could die

Hopefully when you go away you are getting a knowledgeable person to care for them who will be able to recognize illness and contact you or take them to their vet
I handle them every morning and afternoon when Im home.
I will! Thanks for replying.
 
That is good, because it is important to handle every single rat twice a day and also to do a health check on each rat at least once a week, to know if they are ok, or to spot illness as soon as possible
 
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