# Pay you to decorate?



## Hippy (Jul 23, 2007)

Good lordie, where do you guys find the time or patience to decorate your Fn's and make the hammocks and the coverings and such. It took me an hour to make a cube thing, and whatnot not. I'm so frustrated.

I can't find a thrift store that has fun kid toys for them to play with. My cage is so boring and dull. I wish I could pay someone to decorate it for me. Besides ebay are there any sites or something where I can buy hammocks and tunnels and tubes and cubes and FN shelf and floor covers?

:roll:


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

For quick tunnels I use dryer tubing/hose whatever the term is. Tin snips to cut to the right size, safety pin or zip tie to the side of the cage....

Quick hammocks, two pieces of fabric, same size, pinned up in the cage. It's very stable, and it may not look perfect, but the rats chew up anything nice, so cheap and quick seems best. 

You can also try PVC or Metal tubing from a hardware store for solid tubes, and storage containers with wash clothes in them for huts....

I just pick up random things here and there. :lol:


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

My cages aren't that exciting either. For hammocks, I just use scraps of old clothes, or hand towels and washcloths. Each cage has a pop box or two, the boys have an igloo, a hanging basket that's actually the top wire part of a little carrier (the bottom is being used as a litter box). I have another basket I got at Target for $1, but I haven't seen those lately. Jingly toys, wheels... I think I just described everything in my rats' cages ^^; 

My girls either sleep or run in the wheels or wrestle with each other, no matter what else goes in the cage, so I don't feel any pressing need to add anything else. They ignore hammocks, except this time around, since I made it so they have to use the hammocks to get to their basket (the favorite sleeping spot of 5 out of the 6). The boys just sleep all day. I've only had them less than a week though, so they're still getting used to things.

As far as shelf/floor covers, I just use towels. Some people worry about their claws catching in the towel, but none of my rats have had a problem with it, and it absorbs so much better than fleece. I use regular sized towels for the bottom pans, and just tuck them under, and hand towels for the shelves, and pull the edges under the bars that hold the plastic on.

If I had the time/skill/materials/inclination, I might make some stuff to brighten up the cages a bit, but that would be more for myself than for the rats. The cages look a bit drab, I suppose, but the rats can't see colors well anyway, and if they're happy, who am I to argue?


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

My favorite find for brightening up cages are those purse-looking paper clips. I bought 100 of them for like, $3, and they're almost all in use. I use them for pinning down fabric on shelves, hanging up hammocks (two large squares of fleece together, throw each corner over a wire, clip in place, and presto, instant hammock, no holes to cut, no sewing. Or my girls really like the hammock where I clipped fabric loosly under a shelf so it'a little darker, warmer, and cozier. And still super easy to do.), and clipping toys and treats up high on the cage.


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## Hippy (Jul 23, 2007)

Are there any websites that have DIY rat toys and hammocks and such so I can get ideas?


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Hippy said:


> Are there any websites that have DIY rat toys and hammocks and such so I can get ideas?


Dapper Rat is always good for ideas.


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

Also:

http://www.afrma.org/enviroenrich.htm
http://www.ratsauce.com/toys_games/index.php
http://www.rattycorner.com/funstuff/toys.shtml
http://pages.interlog.com/~audiotre/games.html
http://members.aol.com/juliesrats/fun.html#games

ENJOY!


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## Meghan (Jul 31, 2007)

I like coming up with fun things,Ollie loves to sleep in a pile of scarves,and he renavates anything I put in his cage to the style he wants, just find some old stuff you don't need(thats safe for them)and they can figure it out,I can't make hammoks or anything either


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## reachthestars (Feb 27, 2007)

Well, making rat hammocks and whatnot can be frusterating to me too, so I aim to make one new thing a day. I grommet them after a week or so, and suddenly there's a whole bunch of new stuff for the cage!


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## Schmea (Sep 21, 2007)

Doing stuff for my rats is kind of a stress reliever for me. My job can be insanely stressful, and so sitting down to make something for the girls, and watching them enjoy it, is one of the most peaceful times of my day. It's not so much that I have tonnes of extra time, it's just that the time with/for the girls is valuable to me now, and I'll make time for it if I don't have it.

Besides, they pay back everything I do for them ten fold.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

I really don't recall where I first found this link ( LJ I think ) but I have shared it with everyone I know because so many of us either have no time to sew, no skills at sewing or don't have a sewing machine to sex with.

ENJOY!!!

http://www.suzsugargliders.com/nosewaccessories.htm

Everyone has had great success with the patterns & several have made modifications to come up with new designs. I only heard one negative... the pouch that is definitely intended for sugar gliders is not something her rats were too crazy about but not many rats really like to be packed into a pouch & carried around.

Have fun


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## magickat (Oct 19, 2007)

OMG. I have been looking for a site like that. And I just this morning bought a couple yards of fleece to make stuff for my new ratties. 
Thank You!

Those Gliders are adorable! They seem high maint., tho.


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