# Covering Wire Floor



## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

On Istagram, I posted a picture of my boys in their cage, The PetCo Rat Manor. There wasn't anything covering the floors (Cage cleaning day) and a girl started freaking out at me telling me to cover them.

Like do the floors really need to be covered?

I told her it was cage cleaning day and she's all like, "They shouldn't be walking on that."

Well..I don't know. Do the floors need to be covered? 

I've heard yes and no's and I was wondering what you guys think.


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## Endgame (Dec 21, 2013)

It's not exactly going to kill them but you'll want to be on the safe side in case they hurt themselves. If you have an old towel just place it on the floor for them to walk on, that should do it.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

For the best part, assume yes. Wire floors are prone to being easily soiled and not so easily cleaned. They also are adept at catching ratty feet and causing injuries. The two combined (injury and unsanitary) means bumble foot. 

On top of that, who wants to walk on that all day? My rats clear off the fleece in their house to lay on the wire but I don't let them walk on it. 


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

Thanks guys

I looked on another forum, and people were saying it wasn't necessary. 

They said what causes bumble foot is dirty living and over weight.

I still cover them, but I clean their cage every week, and they're not over weight..

But I'll still cover them just in case


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Bumble foot is an infection. There's theory that it could be partially genetic, but for the most part it is almost always an infected wound on the foot. Wire floors are more prone to cause injuries and to hold dirt better (because they must be washed between and around, not just wiped over). Covering wire floors is more than comfort, as it keeps them clean and prevents them from cutting or catching a ratty foot. 


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

No, they do not have to be covered. It is a myth that wire flooring causes bumble foot. The real cause is dirty flooring, which can happen even on solid floors and liners. As long as it's clean, it's fine.


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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

You can get a cleaning brush with a handle on it and it is AMAZING for really deep cleaning wire floors. I just take a Tupperware with warm water and a little bit of soap and dip the brush in when it needs it and scrub away. It gets all that nasty stuff off the wire keeping it safe for ratty feet. I wipe it down with baby wipes every day and scrub on cleaning days. 
My rats have been on wire floor for months with no issues. Only bad thing to happen was one of my girls jumping from top shelf and stubbing her toe leaving it swollen a couple days. Haven't had an incident since and it wasn't even that bad. And one of my boys got in a rat ball of a fight and got his foot bit by one of his brother's and they were just fine. He walked around with an wound on his foot and it healed up with no infection at any point in time and no bumble foot. Having kept it clean helped of course but the wire floor had no adverse affects.

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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

Voltage said:


> You can get a cleaning brush with a handle on it and it is AMAZING for really deep cleaning wire floors. I just take a Tupperware with warm water and a little bit of soap and dip the brush in when it needs it and scrub away. It gets all that nasty stuff off the wire keeping it safe for ratty feet. I wipe it down with baby wipes every day and scrub on cleaning days.
> My rats have been on wire floor for months with no issues. Only bad thing to happen was one of my girls jumping from top shelf and stubbing her toe leaving it swollen a couple days. Haven't had an incident since and it wasn't even that bad. And one of my boys got in a rat ball of a fight and got his foot bit by one of his brother's and they were just fine. He walked around with an wound on his foot and it healed up with no infection at any point in time and no bumble foot. Having kept it clean helped of course but the wire floor had no adverse affects.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Oh cool thanks! I clean my cage every week, and I scrub it

I also try to wipe everything down everyday with a baby wipe, so it will probably be okay


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## Olivia G (Mar 26, 2021)

Endgame said:


> It's not exactly going to kill them but you'll want to be on the safe side in case they hurt themselves. If you have an old towel just place it on the floor for them to walk on, that should do it.


Hey, so does anyone know a good material to cover the floor on the cage with? Right now the floor is just wire and I want to know if there is something I can use to cover it. I just want the best for my babies!


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## MinkShadow (Mar 5, 2021)

Olivia G said:


> Hey, so does anyone know a good material to cover the floor on the cage with? Right now the floor is just wire and I want to know if there is something I can use to cover it. I just want the best for my babies!


I use newspaper! It's nice and absorbent and a thick layer protects their feet well


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## Enne (Dec 12, 2020)

Olivia G said:


> Hey, so does anyone know a good material to cover the floor on the cage with? Right now the floor is just wire and I want to know if there is something I can use to cover it. I just want the best for my babies!


Fleece liners (either custom made for the cage or just a hunk of fleece clipped to the wire panels), Mighty Mats (made for rabbit show cages), cardboard, etc.


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## Frog (Feb 25, 2021)

Olivia G said:


> Hey, so does anyone know a good material to cover the floor on the cage with? Right now the floor is just wire and I want to know if there is something I can use to cover it. I just want the best for my babies!


Newspaper is a pretty good option. It’s free and will cover the bottom of the floor, it’s also thick which helps protect against wire flooring very well. However, it’s not very absorbent, so it’s a good idea to use newspaper with a paper bedding or a safe wood bedding, since those are very absorbent and will eliminate odors and infection.


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