Weighing Down Litter Boxes?

[Slapdash]

I am really sick of cleaning up litter every night because one of the rats will tip over one of the litter boxes! Has anyone come up with a clever way to weight them down? I have the large triangular ones but with the litter I use and the type of plastic they are made of they are still pretty light? Am I the only one with this problem? Do you think a flat rock would work.be safe? Thanks!

Amanda

 

[victoria]

I had the same problem and then I got a rat that devoured my corner an in one night so I bought ceramic baking dishes to use instead and I have not looked back. I bought two pans, one square and the other rectangular, with no handles (so I don't lose any space) for about $10 ea., which is cheaper than the corner pan I lost. I only wish I'd bought more at the time because now I'd like another two for another cage and can't find any that would work as well. You can see my square pan in the bottom pic of the first post to get an idea of what I'm talking about viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16615.

 

[Godmother]

Now there is a brilliant idea, victoria!

Some of mine are weighted down by the ramps, some of the triangular ones I attached with a shower hook. But they can still move them around, naughty little ratties.

 

I use yesterdays news (its nice and heavy) and I use triangle litter pans which go in the corners.

 

[Slapdash]

Thanks for the help guys! Victoria, what a great idea and those are probably pretty easy to wipe clean as well? I'll have to look into them because I am sick of cleaning up litter lol and the most annoying part is once comone spills half the litter out of the pan then everyone starts pooping in the spilled litter lol! BTW where did you find black pvc? Thanks again!

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

I have the plastic stackable shelf thingies (lol) from Dollarama and I attach them to the cage with shower hooks and have yet to have any problems with dumping. Of course a bit gets kicked out as the week goes on but no dumping here.

 

Oh and my triangle pans clip onto the cage as well! Mine also dig in there's ..but I change it everyday so n odds there.

 

[Scythe]

I had that problem(and a problem with the rats deciding they didnt like the litter box in the corner and moving it), so I got a corner pan that has clips that clip to the cage bars -- and the actual pan itself just slides onto the clips and holes in place pretty firmly.

 

[Fidget]

I use same idea as Victoria but I found a set of 6 bowls with octagonal sides and flat bottoms... Hit the 2nd hand stores and you should find something in the kitchen section.

 

[victoria]

Thanks for the help guys! Victoria, what a great idea and those are probably pretty easy to wipe clean as well? I'll have to look into them because I am sick of cleaning up litter lol and the most annoying part is once comone spills half the litter out of the pan then everyone starts pooping in the spilled litter lol! BTW where did you find black pvc? Thanks again!

They are very easy to clean, although they sometimes do kick it out of the pan. I avoid some of the mess by picking up and throwing out the amount they kick out and I only fill it enough to cover the bottom.

I got the black PCV pipes years ago (the week after I got my first rats) at Home Hardware, which is a Canadian hardware/home improvement store. Unlike some other members that bought theirs with jagged edges from being cut, mine was produced like that, so it came with rounded edges straight out of the factory and I did not have to worry about sanding it down for my girls. Lucky I guess, because I had only gone into the hardware story to see if there was anything I could use as a hiding place for my rats since the pet store didn't have anything suitable and they really needed another hiding spot as they had peed all over their cardboard tube :roll:

Good luck figuring out what to do about your litter box.

 

[Slapdash]

Thanks again everyone! I think I'm going to try out the ceramic dishes because I already have one of the corner plastic ones that snrews onto the cage and not only have they chewed the clips but one of the biggest offenders of spilling the litter is my biggest boy Ralphie who gets a kick out of trying to get under the litter box either by going under the fleece or just pushing up at the litter box till he gets under then he does that thing where they push up their back over and over and litter goes everywhere! lol I was wondering about the black pvc cause I have the same style in white but I like how sleek the black looks hehe thanks!

 

[ema-leigh]

I put a rock in our litter box, as I find the rats like to pee on them. It also weighs it down and deters them from rolling around in it. The rock will have to be sterilized before going in with them.

 

[Cigar]

I always found that the best place to put a litter box was under a ramp. I use a small cat litter box. They've never attempted to move it.. I'm lucky I guess? When Morris was with me he really liked to move the aluminum turkey pan around so I stuck a brick in it. He loved to pee on it but it stunk. lol

 

[lilspaz68]

I use small cat litter boxes for young agile rats under the ramps, corner litterboxes that are attached the sides with pipecleaners (if they don't have a natural attachment you can quickly drill holes instead. I have used flat low trays for oldies with issues and also heavy stackable bins from Walmart for bigger groups. Use the YN or Mewsprint or derivative thereof and they don't move

 

[jorats]

I always found that the best place to put a litter box was under a ramp. I use a small cat litter box.

That's exactly what I do. So the ramp holds it down and the bombs they throw from the top of the ramp tumbles nicely into the pan. lol

 

[Cassandra]

When my girls were going through a 'we hate the litter box' stage, it wasn't safe anywhere.
So i had to drill some holes in it and tie it to the cage with wire. They figured out pretty quickly that the jig was up and they got over it.
And i stopped having to tie it to the bars after a while.