Rat Ran Away !!!!

[lillywithluv]

hello !! so my little Orson escaped his cage somehow and left his brother bug behind. we didn't want him to be alone so we went and picked up a new baby boy today, skully.

as we were getting bug and skully introduced we heard scratching in the walls and Orson peaked his head out of a little hole! we put a haveaheart trap by the hole to catch him.

bug and Orson are very strongly bonded, but bug and skully have already become friends. when we catch Orson should I keep all three and see how they get along, or should I give skully away? I love them all dearly, but I want what will make them happiest

Update: we caught Orson and introduced everybody ! they're a big happy family

 

[SQ]

WOW!!! I am so very glad that Orson was found and I hope that he is ok and will soon be safe and back with his brother!!

Keep all 3, rats normally live in large family groups and they will be happy together

If they are all under 12 weeks old, you can just put them all together
If any are over 12 weeks old then you need to do gradual intros (seehttps://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/introducing-new-rats.34842/ and joinrats.com)

What kind of cage do you have?
You need a cage with small bar spacing, that is at least 6 cubic feet in size
with a base at least 30 inches by 18 inches and height with large levels but bigger is better

Edit: can you put bedding that smells like his brother and food in the trap ..... and put flour on the floor around it so if he come close but leaves, you can see where he went

I hope that you post lots of pictures .... we love pictures

 

[lillywithluv]

thank you for the reply ! and I have the three story you & me rat Manor (I will try to take pictures when I'm home) with lots of hammocks and toys ! the cage door was left open, that's how he got out, but we have no idea how it opened because we closed it right before we left.

they are all around two months, my oldest is very very friendly and loves taking care of the youngins though

 

[Sheldon]

Very sweet family photo!

Check on the latch of the cage. It might be sticking and if it is you can use some cooking oil to loosen the moving parts. Don’t use WD-40 or other sprays like it because the rats might be able to reach it and will lick it.

 

[SQ]

Nice picture, sweet babies.
So glad that all three are safe and together

I looked up your cage on the internet. The rat manor looks like a decent cage for hamsters, but the base is way too small for rats If you have not done so, you need to cover all the wire floors. I would suggest thick linoleum cut to fit on the full level and dollar store dish drain trays cut to fir and attached using cable/zip ties on the balconies.

Keep an eye out for a Midwest critter nation ... sometimes you can get them second hand and sometimes they go on sale. PetSmart sells the double critter nation under a different name, often has it on sale, and has the double Critter Nation cage (they call it the All living things multi level small animal cage) on sale right now. Ferret.com also sells it and has both the single and the double Critter Nation cages on sale right now. The critter nation has smaller bar spacing then the ferret nation and is a good cage for all rats, including tiny babies

 

[lillywithluv]

Nice picture, sweet babies.
So glad that all three are safe and together

I looked up your cage on the internet. The rat manor looks like a decent cage for hamsters, but the base is way too small for rats If you have not done so, you need to cover all the wire floors. I would suggest thick linoleum cut to fit on the full level and dollar store dish drain trays cut to fir and attached using cable/zip ties on the balconies.

Keep an eye out for a Midwest critter nation ... sometimes you can get them second hand and sometimes they go on sale. PetSmart sells the double critter nation under a different name, often has it on sale, and has the double Critter Nation cage (they call it the All living things multi level small animal cage) on sale right now. Ferret.com also sells it and has both the single and the double Critter Nation cages on sale right now. The critter nation has smaller bar spacing then the ferret nation and is a good cage for all rats, including tiny babies

thank you so much for the cage information! that was the only option I had when I first bought my babies, and I've been looking into buying a new cage. I will definitely keep an eye out for those

 

[Fidget]

I went from stressed to joy in your first post! So glad all worked out well for all 4 of you. They're a beautiful little trio!

 

[lillywithluv]

I went from stressed to joy in your first post! So glad all worked out well for all 4 of you. They're a beautiful little trio!

thank you so much !

 

[Ame]

Nice picture, sweet babies.
So glad that all three are safe and together

I looked up your cage on the internet. The rat manor looks like a decent cage for hamsters, but the base is way too small for rats If you have not done so, you need to cover all the wire floors. I would suggest thick linoleum cut to fit on the full level and dollar store dish drain trays cut to fir and attached using cable/zip ties on the balconies.

Keep an eye out for a Midwest critter nation ... sometimes you can get them second hand and sometimes they go on sale. PetSmart sells the double critter nation under a different name, often has it on sale, and has the double Critter Nation cage (they call it the All living things multi level small animal cage) on sale right now. Ferret.com also sells it and has both the single and the double Critter Nation cages on sale right now. The critter nation has smaller bar spacing then the ferret nation and is a good cage for all rats, including tiny babies

Chewy.com has the best price on Critter Nation with free 2 day shipping. They are extremely nice which makes a world of difference to me. The warehouse was out of them when I ordered so it was going to take a week. I called them to ask about it & they gave me a really HUGE refund so I could use the money to get a temporary cage. Just thought I'd let anybody know.

 

[Luna&Ralph]

I have had several different sizes of groups of rats and 3 has been the best for me. It’s small enough that you can check for health issues daily and big enough in case one dies suddenly.

The Petsmart version of the double critter nation that SQ was telling you about is the cage I have, and it is exactly the same but cheaper than the original from what I’ve seen. It’s also a great cage because the doors are easy to latch and can’t be unlatched by the rats.

Congratulations on your new sweet trio!