# So the rats escaped....AGAIN?!?



## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

I have a travel cage that I put my rats in when I clean them out and it is meant for snakes or something, made of clear plastic with ventilation holes. They have always been able to undo the lid by themselves so to start with I put the box of food on the lid but they escaped so I put a small TABLE on top of them and they still escaped! It took me around 15 minutes to find them and I don't want to keep losing them :/ so can anyone reccomend a good relatively inexpensive travel cage. I'd been looking at. Small hamster cages:
This one looks good
Savic Noddy double navy blue hamster cage
It's also going cheap, what do u think?


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## Nathan4d (Feb 17, 2013)

It is small but based on them only being in there when you are cleaning it should be ok. Have you seen how they were getting out of the other carrier? Maybe they use a different route


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

i dont know if you can get it in the states but the ultimate rat carrier for me is the Hagen cat Cabrio, it's a cat sized carrier that works really well for rats as you can add a hammock and a water bottle with minimum creativity and it makes a great emergency/intro/hospital cage too. The little doors on the front hold water and food bowls that slide out. If you leave them out it makes the perfect size ratty door.


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## mink (Jun 24, 2007)

I love love LOVE the carrier I got, I tried a few before buying this one and its not very expensive at all. I've taken my boys out on the patio in it on a nice day, taken them to the vet and everything. I even lent it to my friend for transport when she rescued Ayano from being PTS by a laboratory a couple counties away.

http://www.superpetusa.com/product-list/take-me-home-large.htm

I also have my eye on this carrier - I'm convinced I must have it someday - 

http://www.petco.com/product/118414/Petmate-Look-N-See-Mesh-Top-Kennel.aspx


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I’ve always found that mesh carriers are ok for in the house but can be quite drafty if your taking a sick rat to the vets or even healthy rats out and about in less good weather (I show a lot with mine). They are much easier to attach things to though so well worth considering if you’re main requirement is a temporary cage cleaning home.

In terms of size its well worth thinking whether you want something big like my carrier or something much smaller and lighter. I opted for big because I occasionally have my guys stop overnight in it, say I’m staying over at a friends or am doing an introduction where they need a small space overnight. I also have between 4 and 6 boys, they are big boys, typically around 600g fully grown, so I need somewhere where they can at least stretch out and potter around a little. I also drive my lads around rather than using public transport or carrying them far. My carrier is big and heavy and would be a nightmare if I had to walk a long way with it (though it does have a fancy shoulder strap which helps), but its perfect for car journeys and the handle is shaped perfectly for being strapped in with a seatbelt. It’s also thick tough plastic so can handle a small amount of chewing and the way the holes are in it (with deep plastic grids) means that if something is put over or against the carriers the rats can’t grab it, pull it in and destroy it, something which is very easily done with an open mesh carrier.

Using a hamster cage or a largely mesh carrier can be a lot lighter and more suitable for small stays or indoor use so well worth using if it suits you more. Most of my friends have one of each, I’ve got a couple small carriers I use for short trips for only a couple of rats too, but mine are mainly enclosed things. I would love a small mesh hamster cage, but that’s more for a mating cage lol…


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

Well thanks...I have ordered the savic noddy navy, I only have 2 rats and is nice and light, good for trips to the vet and small stays in, maybe a couple of hours. It is quite dinky too and who can refuse when it was reduced to £8 on amazon, eh? (that's a saving of £30!) sorry, where was I? Yes it is good for me and when I think about when the day may possibly come, as I have two rats, when one of them passes away and the other is healthy and in need of another cage mate, it should be ok for a new rat for a week or so during intros. Anyway that's a very long time away and may possibly not happen, so my question now is where can I got hold of those savic hand holds for cages. This cage doesn't come with any and I will probally need them iffy trips to the vet and so on!
Thanks for all the help 


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## WinonaGun42 (Feb 2, 2013)

I have something similar from Super Pet, which I got for free, when I took in my first girl. It is mainly for hamsters, but it works great as a carrier. I put a hammock in it and my three usually pile in there when going to the vet or when I used it for temporary holding while their former cages were being cleaned. When going to the vet, I usually take a towel to protect them from the direct sunlight, drafts and as a cover in the waiting room. The old towel works well to put on the vet table when the vet is doing an exam too.
I don't know if I would house a mature rat in it for any extended periods of time, but it should work well for much younger rats during quarantine. 8 pounds was a great deal for that cage. I would have probably bought it too. 

With my PEW boys before, I was using my old lovebirds' cage to transport them and while their cage was being cleaned. I needed some clips to hold the sliding doors closed, but other than that, it worked fine as well.

When I first got my girls, I had a soft sided carrier with nylon netting. BIG MISTAKE. They chewed up that netting and were wriggling out in no time. lol. I ended up putting a bit of hardware cloth in there so they wouldn't chew through the netting, but they just started in on the doors. It was best used as a hideout in the cage, but then it got too stinky so I tossed it.


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

Yeah I had this as a travel cage for my 2 girls:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B003K0YDT6/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1370322422&sr=8-5&pi=SL75
They just kept popping the lid off - I found they were very clever (and strong) and they just kept doing it and escaping! In the end I had to weight the door down with a large box of food but they still got out so I used a SMALL TABLE and they still managed it?!? Anyway, hopefully I wont have to search around of my hands and knees, shaking the food for about 10 minutes to find them. 
Thanks for all the help, will post pic of them enjoying it when it comes!!!


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

We use those tanks as show tanks here in the uk, but replace the lids with slide on mesh lids. They are very handy for 2 boys or 3 girls as a short term carrier


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

haha 
(I'm from the uk too btw!) 
COULD HAVE TOLD ME EARILER!!! 
Joking - I think my rats will be happy for a bit of extra room!



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## WinonaGun42 (Feb 2, 2013)

I have one of those containers that your rats keep escaping from. I popped the top clear part off and am using it as Aeryn's hording box. She loved to bury oxbow in a corner of her old cage, in the aspen bedding. When I switched to the DCN, she was ripping up the fleece and sticking the Oxbow underneath the fleece. I put some aspen bedding in there and now she no longer rips the fleece. All the Oxbow now goes in there and she likes to eat her treats in there too. It's easier for me to find her stash when she hides it and she is happy.


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

Thanks for help!
Sorry haven't been on this forum for ages but the cage has finally arrived! It took yonks cause of postage and not being able to deliver but it's here now. I set it up last night, wasn't difficult but would have been grateful for instructions as where thing need to go! I like the cage alot though, just what I was after. The rats aren't too impressed, I guess it will take a little time for them to get used to it. I only have one problem, an extra hole in the level for something I'm not sure what. On all the pictures the igloo is over it. I'll add some pictures to show you what I mean.
Whole cage







Level with hole?







Closer!







Hmmm...the rats aren't sure 







Thanks for all help 



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## PurpleGirl (Oct 12, 2012)

Looking at the size of the cage in ratio to the rat, it looks like a hamster cage; I imagine the small hole is probably designed for a hamster to go down to the floor through.


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

Thanks. Ithought this may be what it is for but for somereason I thought it had a more siginicant...use! I plan on buying a small tube andfixing it in so that rats can climb via the tube (do rats like tubes?) I porbally post when I do,with yet more photos


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## Charliesmom (Nov 13, 2012)

*This kitty crate is an awesome rat keeper for cleaning time! tiny small grate front gate for even the tiniest babies, secure up and down lock on front and only 16 bucks! my boys tried chewing but the plastic is too hard. *http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751228&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo


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## tillyouise (Apr 9, 2013)

hi, try training your rats in one room in the evenings with a box of treats say a command like their name and "come" and when they come out of curiosity give them the treat ,i shake the box of cereals that way they know what this means food, be patient eventually they willl just come when called thinking they will get a treat that way its easy to get them when theyve escaped ,


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

yeah thanks, I used this method when they escaped but they don't anymore and are starting to like their new cage it is very secure and they have no problem hopping in and out now. Thanks


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