Plastic Hideouts
Plastic hideouts make for easy to clean, reusable rat houses. There are a variety of commercial made hideouts from pet stores, but you can also get them from dollar stores (namely dollar tree). When you see a plastic bin in a store, like the one pictured on the left, tip it upside down and it makes a perfect rat hideout. Also, you can buy PVC piping for your rats. Rats love running through tunnels, so I suggest going to your local hardware store and buying a large PVC pipe or two. I also suggest checking out the Lixit Critter Space Pod and the Kaytee Rat Igloo, both on amazon.
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Wheels
A lot of people instinctively think of rats using wheels when they first adopt their rat companions. This notion is not too far off, though a lot of rats will not use wheels altogether. There are a couple things to keep in mind when buying a wheel. Firstly, you'll want a wheel that won't injure your rats. Avoid any wheel that looks like your rat could get their tail jammed or stuck (be careful with mesh). Also, consider the size of the wheel. For rats, a 12" wheel is standard. Do not settle for less! Even if your rat is still young, they will soon grow big enough to need the large wheel.
I trust the Wobust Wodent Wheel for safety, and my rats seem to know how to use it! There are other wheels on the market, but this one seems to have the best customer reviews overall. |
Digging Boxes / Cat Grass
Some rats just love to dig. To solve this, many owners will buy their rats some non toxic, fertilizer free potting soil. This works well if you can manage to find clean potting soil like such, but for some reason most soil comes with potentially harmful chemicals. A safer solution would be to use coconut fiber bedding found in a pet store's reptile section. Use your best judgement on whether or not it is too dusty for your rats. I have used it personally without issues, though the dust did concern me. I have heard of people adding moisture to the coconut bedding to lessen the dust.
Once you've got your soil or coconut bedding, I recommend getting a tall enough plastic bin for the rats to dig in. Height is important so the rats don't push it all over the floor! You can hide toys and treats in the soil for them to find, too. I find that nuts work well because they do not attract the dirt as much as something like cereal would.
Alternatively, you can buy some cat grass from a pet store (or even grocery store) that come with non toxic soil. Personally, my rats love these things! Not always for digging, but also for eating the grass and seeds.
Once you've got your soil or coconut bedding, I recommend getting a tall enough plastic bin for the rats to dig in. Height is important so the rats don't push it all over the floor! You can hide toys and treats in the soil for them to find, too. I find that nuts work well because they do not attract the dirt as much as something like cereal would.
Alternatively, you can buy some cat grass from a pet store (or even grocery store) that come with non toxic soil. Personally, my rats love these things! Not always for digging, but also for eating the grass and seeds.
Coming Soon!
coroplast
bedding types - paper, rabbit food, fleece liners
litter boxes
cat furniture
give me some ideas through the "Intro and Contact" page
bedding types - paper, rabbit food, fleece liners
litter boxes
cat furniture
give me some ideas through the "Intro and Contact" page