Outdoor Rat Cage

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whisperskeep

New Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
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2
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Tornto
I am wondering if it possible to build a rat cage stuble for them during the winter and summer, outdoors. That can protect them over night and keep them at a steady tempurtare. My mom keeps asking about this, I have feeling this is a really terrible idea, but I am still asking.
 
Extremely bad idea. Unless you build a separate building, with its own electricity, that can be heated or using an A/C cooled in the summer. But from what you tell us, I doubt you will get any help with this :(
 
I wouldn't, besides rats should live indoors where the family is for the interactions and also for better to keep an eye on them to make sure they are always safe.
 
My roommates hate my rats! I need the same thing, an outdoor rat hutch. They were in our study room, then got moved to our porch, now they are talking about putting them in a shed an acre behind the house! I need to find an alternative way to keep them, without them being in any "public" house zones..

Im a college student, and these are my pet rats that I love! I live with a bunch of little babies who cant handle the rats! PLEASE HELP!

Btw, I have 2 fancy rats (Standard ear) and two dumbo rats
 
Can you keep your rats in your bedroom?
If they can not be in the shared ares of the home, that is the best place for them.
An air purifier with a permanant hepta air filter (not an ionizer, etc) will help with odor.
If they are in your bedroom, they will be out of sight and family/room mates will not be constantly thinking about them.

As Jorats said, there is no way to make them physically safe outdoors - temp, humidity, predators, etc
and rats need to live in well used areas so they get interaction from people.
 
Mine live in my room... I don't think my rookies hate them, but I don't want them to make a mess out of my room lol. I have figured out ways to keep them from making too much noise.
I got large waterbottles that I keep full because they seem quieter to me. I oil the wheel once a week and that keeps it pretty silent. I take out toys with bells at night when I check on everyone. I also dont Put food in the cage befor bed (they still have blocks but no treats) so they don't run around trying to steel it from each other all night.
I honestly feel better about keeping my babies in my room because I don't necessarily trust my rookies friends. I know the girls I live with wouldn't hurt my buddies; but their stupid ass friends might.
 
Evancopello said:
My roommates hate my rats! I need the same thing, an outdoor rat hutch. They were in our study room, then got moved to our porch, now they are talking about putting them in a shed an acre behind the house! I need to find an alternative way to keep them, without them being in any "public" house zones..

Im a college student, and these are my pet rats that I love! I live with a bunch of little babies who cant handle the rats! PLEASE HELP!

Btw, I have 2 fancy rats (Standard ear) and two dumbo rats

A shed outside is not a good place for rats. Even if the shed was properly insulated with good air circulation, rats NEED constant human interactions, even if it's to hear people talk in another room. They need the socializing aspect of human life. They are a domesticated pet, born and raised to be with humans, same as with dogs.
 
is not a good idea....for rats, dogs cats rabbits etc....but it is done and can be done and I would MUCH rather see people keep their pets and build them a great quality outside home and spend as much time as possible with them then to re-home them. You never know what will happen to them....and there are SO many unwanted pets out there. I am not sure how you would do this for rats.....maybe something similar to a rabbit hutch.??? To build them a quality place to live where they would be warm in the winter, cool in the summer and safe at all times would not be cheep....or easy to do.
 
I'm sorry, but I don't understand why you would want to keep a companion animal outside the house. If they're not around for you to interact or spend time with, what's the point? I see this a lot with rabbits and (beyond the obvious dangers to the rabbit) I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would want one other than to say they have a rabbit. How much time are you realistically going to spend outside with them each and every day?

I can see you care about them and their welfare, but if you can't provide them a clean, healthy, enriched, safe environment, then the best thing to do for the rats is to find them a good home that can. My roommates in university had varying opinions of my rats (everything from being disgusted by the thought of them to wanting to steal them from me) but I always made it clear that we came as a package. Perhaps if you sit down with your roommates and discuss exactly what their issues with your rats are, you can come up with a compromise that suits everyone.
 
I'm the complete opposite from Dahlas - I'd much rather see a pet re-homed to someone who can actually give them the care they need, than to be banished outdoors. I don't agree with outdoor housing for any animal that isn't a livestock animal like cows or horses or something. Dogs (primarily Beagles) and rabbits are the two most common pets I see living in cages outdoors, and as far as I'm concerned, it should be grounds to have pets taken away and for the owner to be disallowed from ever owning any other pet. Not that they'll even notice, if their pets were living outside away from the family all the time anyways. I feel the same way about "outdoor" dogs/rabbits/rats as I do outdoor cats; one doesn't own an "outdoor" cat, they simply feed a homeless cat sometimes.
 
Your roomates might not like it but they are your pets, and you are responsiable for them so they are just going to have to live with it.
I also don't think it is right to have ratties outside, whether it's in a shed or not.... it's just not right....
 
If you can't provide your pets with the care they need, I think it's best to find them another good home... It's your responsibility as their "parent" to decide what's best for them, and sometimes that can be a really hard decision for us if it's not what we want, but their health and happiness should be your priority.

I live in a college apartment as well, with three roommates, and I keep my babies in my room. Shared living spaces have to be a compromise between all roommates, yes, but your bedroom is YOURS and yours only.
 
All animals deserve a loving home and family.
I have no doubts that you love your ratties but they deserve more from life than to be banished outside.
I would say rehoming them would be a good idea or keep them in your room and tell your roommates "too bad." there staying.
You pay rent too so......









'
 
Please tell me that this is a joke thread.

You don't keep rats outside, case closed. They have extremely sensitive respiratory systems and severe heat or cold can, and will, kill them.

You either have to toughen up and tell your roommates to suck it up or you have to be responsible and rehome them.

You do NOT house rats outside. I can't believe what I am reading here.
:stickpoke: :redhot:
 
This thread is quite old and the second person to ask for advice hasn't been beck since they saw the first few responses. (The first surrendered her rats to CCH I believe.)
 
That's good that she surrendered her rats to the shelter, I was just gonna say that she maybe had no choice in that case since it was her mom banishing them and from a hunch she was most likely underage!
 
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