# Frustrated with free-ranging



## Hamsterific (Jan 14, 2013)

*sigh*
I have been trying different methods of free-ranging but nothing is working out very well. 

1) I put them in the shower - they seemed to like it in there but it's super tiny and the last time we "free-ranged" in there, I stepped on Margot's tail and she had to be taken to the hospital. I can't fit in there with the 3 of them and not injure someone so that's out.

2) I put them in the bathroom. Much larger than the shower but they hate it in there for whatever reason. They cower in the corner the whole time and now they've figured out how to open the cabinet doors and sneak in there!

3) I bought them a playpen but they easily climbed up the horizontal bars. Also they hated it.

4) I bought them another playpen with no horizontal bars but they easily shimmied up the vertical bars! Also they hated it. I thought of getting a cover for the playpen but knowing these rats they will chew it to shreds.

I am moving in a few months and taking them out of my room is a no-no (I live in a shared house) so I would have to come up with some sort of semi-permanent free-range set-up in my room. The bedroom is also really small.

I feel incredibly guilty because the rats don't get out very often at all and I haven't made much progress with socializing them at this point. Any suggestions?


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## zurfaces (Jan 16, 2013)

Go to the dollar store and get some foam board and duct tape. Tape them together with a smidge of space between them wrap it around so it covers both side. Make sure they're all even though otherwise they will shimmy underneath. It's worked great for my girls. I wedge one end inbetween the door and the frame and I put a brick on either side of the other end they can't jump out unless I put something too close to the boards. They can't climb out because its a smooth surface it also only cost about 8 dollars and its huge! 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## sara1991 (Apr 12, 2013)

I just give my room a quick tidy round and lift wires up then let them run round my bedroom... or when I can't be bothered rat proofing I just let them on my bed to run round they don't jump off and I find it makes interacting with them easier


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## RattieLove* (May 1, 2013)

I was having the exact same issue! I'm also tight on cash so I couldn't buy a pet store play pen, not like they're even worth it though. The bed is always a good place for free range, as long as it's moderately high up, your rats won't jump. If you can find foam boards do exactly what Zurfaces said, trust me, you'll love it. If you can't find foam boards, you can do something similar. Find large cardboard boxes. They don't have to be huge, just high enough that your rats can't jump out. I used the parts from a few cardboard storage boxes I bought for 1.50 each at the dollar store, or you can definitely get them at Walmart or some kind of office supply store.

It looks like this

I used the parts for a few of those boxes to make a playpen, just cut and duct tape the disassembled parts together into the shape of a play pen. It works PERFECT, is very inexpensive, and you can make it as large as you want! I only used like, 2 and a half boxes and my playpen has plenty of space for me and my girls and their toys and boxes. It might be uneven in height on different sides because of the different parts of the box (it's hard to explain but if you do this you'll know what I mean) but the shortest side is still tall enough that my girls can't jump over, and they can jump pretty high. Either way, they love it so much in there they don't even try to jump out! If you do this and the first few times you put them in they don't do much, and just sit in a corner, don't be discouraged! They need time to analyze their surroundings and get used to it, and once they do they'll love it. Give them time  Really hope you can try this out, good luck!


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## Ltukey (May 28, 2013)

how about a dollhouse on a card table? raised play area. its how I started when it had to be a small space. you can decorate, put a carrier next to it for the cave like appeal, change things out or expand up. just an idea until you figure out floor time.


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## pwoink (Feb 19, 2013)

Can you tell why they dislike the places you've had them in? It may be that it is too open of a space, and not interesting enough. For example, if they try to get into the cabinets in the bathroom, it may be that they're scared. Perhaps spreading a blanket out and draping it over some stools would provide enough cover for the bathroom to feel safe and fun. (I have an extra bedroom I play with the rats in, but they didn't come out of my jacket the first two hours, until I put some pillows and blankets out in a way that provided shadow and climbing space. After they explored it that way, they got braver and started exploring the whole room, not just the blanket.)


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## RattieLove* (May 1, 2013)

Yeah that's another thing. They dont like wide open spaces. You need to fill the area with sheets, pillow cases, stuff for them to tunnel around under, and cardboard boxes with holes cut out in them work great to make a little rattie fort. Theyll have tons of fun running around and through everything. Just give them a while to get used to it and they'll be fine.


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

I just use my dining table for free-range time. Throw a fleece cover on it, put some tubes and boxes for them to run around in and move the chairs away so they can't jump off. I actually have a modified book shelf with holes cut out of the shelves that I use so they have more space to climb.

I also lay a blanket down on the couch and let my rats hang out with me. I would only advise doing this when your rats are comfortable being out so they won't attempt to burrow under the cushions to escape.


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## Hamsterific (Jan 14, 2013)

Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys. And sorry for my late reply!

I think part of the reason why they're scared is because the space is too open like some of you mentioned. The playpen has been working okay, I put a bunch of stuff in there and they are getting more used to it, but they can escape the second I turn my back so it's not ideal. But for bigger areas they probably feel overwhelmed by the empty space.

The room I'll be living in is really tiny and I have no space for a table, though that sounds like it would be ideal. I might try the foam board playpen. In a perfect world I would let them just run around the room but it's carpeted and I'm afraid they'll get it all gross and my landlord will be upset. Plus there will be cords and stuff for my computer so it won't be entirely safe.

Anyways thanks again for the replies!


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Well, in my thread on shoulder rat training, I recommend working with your rats at a safe site as a way of training shoulder rats, but if you have no good indoor play areas the safe site is also a good place to just take your rats and play with them. No, you don't have to move on to training a real shoulder rat and you can use a carrier to get there and back home. But given a few acres of free range space your rats and you can have some real fun.

We started out at our safe site because we didn't have any good indoor play space either. 

Just a thought.









Fuzzy Rat just hanging out at the safe site.


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## tigerrose (Jun 29, 2013)

When I was figuring out how to free-range my rat, I tried the cardboard pen too. I was able to make a 4-foot-tall barrier out of a few paper towel boxes from the grocery store. Unfortunately, my rat Skittles is a total beast and was able to jump two feet out and six inches up from the edge of the top of her cage and land balanced on the edge of the cut up cardboard box. I swear she's superrat. Eventually, I found out that she does very well simply running around the room as long as she can't get under the bed, because she actually tried burrowing into the box spring. I almost destroyed it trying to get her out! She always goes back to her cage to pee or poo, and it's fun because I'll be sitting there working on something and she'll start climbing all over me! My other rat also got used to it pretty quickly, though she can sometimes be difficult to catch.


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