# Help!!!!!! My rats chewed a hole in their cage!



## Rat_Lover17 (Jan 17, 2018)

I woke up at 3am this morning to the sound of my rats chewing on their cage. I need to replace it, but I don't have any money. I am going to talk to my parents to see if they will loan me some, (as I am only 13), but if they don't I don't know what I'm going to do.Please Help!!!!!!!


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## Vampiric Conure (Aug 17, 2018)

Do you have a piece of hardware cloth hanging around? You can zip tie it into place or use gardening wire. In an absolute pinch, you could keep them in plastic bin. It's NOT the best place for a rat to be, but if it's all you have until you can get a new cage, it can do  . 

Being 13 is tough when there's so little money floating around! I remember those days... Oy vey.


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## Cara (Jul 5, 2017)

In a pitch you could use a plastic bin or terrarium/aquarium temporarily but not for too long since the ammonia in their urine will harm their lungs. You could also patch the hole with chicken wire (I'd also wrap the entire cage in it as a buffer) if you need a slightly longer term solution. People use that technique if the spaces between the bars are too large.


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## Steffy (Oct 6, 2017)

Which part of the cage have they chewed and do they fit through yet?
Assuming it's a plastic part, you could try and block it from the outside with a piece of wood or a brick or a small piece of sheet metal (aluminium, tin, there's roofing material that's thin and malleable but strong, you'd need tin snips to cut it though) or anything else that would block the hole. 
Be creative - we've blocked rat access holes with milk bottles, rubbish bags, rags, sticks, whatever you can think of and will suit the purpose.


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## athenianratdaddy (Dec 20, 2017)

What kind of a cage are you using (meaning what is it made of), where is the hole, and how big is it? You could use a piece of plywood, or a small section of chicken wire, and there are several ways to attach them to the cage. Pretty cheap too if you have to buy anything. Post a photo if you can.


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## Rat_Lover17 (Jan 17, 2018)

My dad took me to lowes and we got some flash tape, so like steel tape. We covered the hole since it wasn't too big. I'm going to start saving my money for a bigger and better quality cage. What ones do you recommend?


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## Vampiric Conure (Aug 17, 2018)

The Critter Nation is pretty good. Supposedly the best for rats. One single level cage can hold upwards of six rats. Me - I'm looking at the All Living Things (Petsmart brand) version of the Critter Nation. I've heard good things about it. It goes for about $100 cheaper than the Critter Nation. Martin's Cages are also another good thing to look into. There's a whole sticky here in the Rat Forums on types of cages to look into with the pros and cons of them  You can find the sticky here: https://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?60993-Choosing-a-Good-Cage-for-your-Rats-GUIDE 

Right now I'm using a converted bird cage. It's too small for four rats and I'll have to upgrade when the sisters get older. I'm also looking into the All living Things rat starter kit. It can house upwards of 4 rats. It has a plastic bin , so there's a chance of rats chewing through it, but in all the years I've had rats, I've never had one escape the cage via chewing. You might want to avoid this if your ratties have already tried to make an escape. The water bottle and food that come with the kit are apparently really crappy and you'd have to pick up a new one. Shouldn't be a problem if you already have your own bottle and food. Up here in Canada it ranges between $80-$130CD. In the states I've heard it goes for $90-$100 USD. 

You must post pictures of your new cage once you get it! Good luck to you!


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## Cara (Jul 5, 2017)

I use the Kaytee Ferret cage. We want a Critter Nation but we simply don't have the room for such a big cage on wheels so we got a cage that we can sit on top of our dresser. It works fine for us but we plan on getting a bigger one in the future when we get the room.Also, you are able to teach your rats not to bite the bars. You can check out this video: https://youtu.be/Dgq7_C_mWVU. She actually has a lot of good information and tips on rats. I'd also recommend searching Rat Guru on Youtube. She's an excellent resource.Best of luck!


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## Cam (Sep 28, 2015)

I had to bring two very young boys to a hotel room once, and I brought their whole cage. Woke up in the morning and there was a hole in the plastic portion of their cage, and they were gone. I panicked. But within 5 minutes they came to me when I called them, they were both sitting together under the bed. I don't know how they did it so fast....there was no hole before that night, they chewed the whole thing in a few hours. They must have been very freaked out about the new place, or maybe curious, I don't know. But that is the only time I've had a rat chew a hole in a cage. I ended up just putting some wood over the hole and taping it down real well. My boys free roamed at home, so I didn't worry about them chewing a hole at home.


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