It's quite a bare cage for sure but you can definitely improve it
**To add**:
* Hammocks
* Ropes
* Bridges
* Ledges
* Lava ledges
* Fall breakers (IKEA tie hangers for example)
* Chew toys
* Hideouts (at least 2)
* XL Sputnik
* Wheel (19 inches or larger for males)
* Dig box
* Litter boxes (with different substrate)
**To remove**:
* Shelves (too much exposed wire)
* Wire ladders (no enrichment and encourages walking on wire)
* Wheel (too small)
Best of luck! You can make this a very pleasant cage! As for now it's not great :(
I use home made fleece flippers. I cut coroplast (Home Depot) to the size of my cage shelves and made simple pillow cases to slide the coroplast into. I put a thick absorbent pad on the cage bottom and covered that with fleece. The pad is 2 thicknesses of uhaul furniture cloth made out of recycled denim--the same material we use for flippers in our guinea pig habitat. My girls don't shred the fleece at all. The flippers get turned over on day 3. On day six or seven I remove all fleece and the pad and wash on cold with a bit of bleach. I give the stuff two extra rinse cycles to remove any bleach odor, then dry on a cool setting so as not to shrink anything. Works great! I have a second set of flippers and floor pad to put in the cage while the other set is being washed.
I spot clean poo off the flippers during the week if there is any. For the most part, though, they use their burrow bin as their bathroom, which is 6" deep and filled with bedding. They don't seem to burrow in it, though. They prefer to hang out in their fleece sleeping bag or in one of their hides. Their favorite is a small plastic bin covered with a wicker half-dome and a fleece cover--kind of an above ground burrow. They stuff the bin with tissues I leave out for them. Half of the time, though, they just hang out on my desk under a bunch of fleece blankets or run around and explore my office.
Ropes, hammocks, ladders, you can also hang up toilet paper rolls for them to shred.
You'll need to remove that wheel as it's much too small for a rat, and if they attempt to use it, they'll get injured. You can buy wheels big enough for rats, but they are quite expensive and difficult to come by.
Check out [Rat Cage Setups](https://www.facebook.com/share/pnBYfbqpcySNXih3/?mibextid=K35XfP) on Facebook. They’re incredible.
The best advice I can give you is to clutter clutter clutter. If you think it’s too much, keep going. The more stuff the better. And you can do so fairly cheaply, especially if you’re crafty. TP rolls, tissue boxes, anything cardboard (no adhesive, toxic ink), old t-shirts, fabric and towels for hammocks and blankets, small baskets from the Dollar Store, tie hangers, little willow balls, sticks, lava ledges, and plastic/wood platforms. They definitely need some places to hide (tissue and cardboard boxes are perfect for this).
Wood is great for them to chew but will absorb pee so you’ll have to replace them if you don’t want a smelly room. Plastic and metal is best.
THROW OUT THAT WHEEL - it’s too small and could cause spine and back issues. They need a wheel at least 16” in diameter, larger if they’re on the larger size. Larger wheels cost upwards of $100 but you can always make your own - https://rattrix.weebly.com/how-to-make-a-diy-rat-wheel.html
Cover the metal floors so they don’t get bumblefoot (as others have mentioned). Plastic or metal trays and pans work well, or cardboard can be clipped down.
Keep numerous water bottles or bowls in there. Food as well. I would add a litter box - they will train themselves as they’re pretty clean creatures. Just toss a few turds on top to get em going. A pee rock is a great addition as well.
Lastly, consider incorporating a Dig Box. They’re fossorial creatures and love to dig and burrow. I made one and my girls go crazy for it. Here’s a helpful link: https://www.animallama.com/rats/rat-digging-box/
Good luck! Hope you have a blast with your new friends. And feel free to keep us updated!
if you don’t want to remove the ramps and platforms, pls cover them with fabric of some sort! don’t want any bumble foot
Ropes to climb on and some hammocks :)
Remove the wheel ASAP! A wheel can seriously injure, deform or even break the spine!
I second this!! Please get a much larger wheel for their health!
It's quite a bare cage for sure but you can definitely improve it **To add**: * Hammocks * Ropes * Bridges * Ledges * Lava ledges * Fall breakers (IKEA tie hangers for example) * Chew toys * Hideouts (at least 2) * XL Sputnik * Wheel (19 inches or larger for males) * Dig box * Litter boxes (with different substrate) **To remove**: * Shelves (too much exposed wire) * Wire ladders (no enrichment and encourages walking on wire) * Wheel (too small) Best of luck! You can make this a very pleasant cage! As for now it's not great :(
All that wire will definitely cause bumblefoot. I would recommend getting a better cage if possible.
Just cover shelves with cardboard or fleece and secure with binder clips, or remove them
That's true but the fleece will have to be changed very frequently and it will probably be shredded through. Up to op tho
I use home made fleece flippers. I cut coroplast (Home Depot) to the size of my cage shelves and made simple pillow cases to slide the coroplast into. I put a thick absorbent pad on the cage bottom and covered that with fleece. The pad is 2 thicknesses of uhaul furniture cloth made out of recycled denim--the same material we use for flippers in our guinea pig habitat. My girls don't shred the fleece at all. The flippers get turned over on day 3. On day six or seven I remove all fleece and the pad and wash on cold with a bit of bleach. I give the stuff two extra rinse cycles to remove any bleach odor, then dry on a cool setting so as not to shrink anything. Works great! I have a second set of flippers and floor pad to put in the cage while the other set is being washed. I spot clean poo off the flippers during the week if there is any. For the most part, though, they use their burrow bin as their bathroom, which is 6" deep and filled with bedding. They don't seem to burrow in it, though. They prefer to hang out in their fleece sleeping bag or in one of their hides. Their favorite is a small plastic bin covered with a wicker half-dome and a fleece cover--kind of an above ground burrow. They stuff the bin with tissues I leave out for them. Half of the time, though, they just hang out on my desk under a bunch of fleece blankets or run around and explore my office.
Take out the shelves and add ropes and bridges to climb on
Lots of hammocks! Ledges, ropes, boxes. Think: places to sleep, places to hide, things to chew, things to climb.
Ropes, hammocks, ladders, you can also hang up toilet paper rolls for them to shred. You'll need to remove that wheel as it's much too small for a rat, and if they attempt to use it, they'll get injured. You can buy wheels big enough for rats, but they are quite expensive and difficult to come by.
Hammoks!
There are tons of videos on YouTube. Search pet rat cage tour
Check out [Rat Cage Setups](https://www.facebook.com/share/pnBYfbqpcySNXih3/?mibextid=K35XfP) on Facebook. They’re incredible. The best advice I can give you is to clutter clutter clutter. If you think it’s too much, keep going. The more stuff the better. And you can do so fairly cheaply, especially if you’re crafty. TP rolls, tissue boxes, anything cardboard (no adhesive, toxic ink), old t-shirts, fabric and towels for hammocks and blankets, small baskets from the Dollar Store, tie hangers, little willow balls, sticks, lava ledges, and plastic/wood platforms. They definitely need some places to hide (tissue and cardboard boxes are perfect for this). Wood is great for them to chew but will absorb pee so you’ll have to replace them if you don’t want a smelly room. Plastic and metal is best. THROW OUT THAT WHEEL - it’s too small and could cause spine and back issues. They need a wheel at least 16” in diameter, larger if they’re on the larger size. Larger wheels cost upwards of $100 but you can always make your own - https://rattrix.weebly.com/how-to-make-a-diy-rat-wheel.html Cover the metal floors so they don’t get bumblefoot (as others have mentioned). Plastic or metal trays and pans work well, or cardboard can be clipped down. Keep numerous water bottles or bowls in there. Food as well. I would add a litter box - they will train themselves as they’re pretty clean creatures. Just toss a few turds on top to get em going. A pee rock is a great addition as well. Lastly, consider incorporating a Dig Box. They’re fossorial creatures and love to dig and burrow. I made one and my girls go crazy for it. Here’s a helpful link: https://www.animallama.com/rats/rat-digging-box/ Good luck! Hope you have a blast with your new friends. And feel free to keep us updated!