# My ratties are duds



## Rayne333 (Aug 29, 2014)

My boys are young about 8-9 weeks old and we got them a huge cage and been adding stuff slowly to play with or sleep in, but they just lay around the cage, is it normal? They have no interest in the hammock of play tube, they just find a corner and stay in it. Any advise? What I'm doing wrong or is this normal? I have a double critter nation and they are doing very well with litter training.


----------



## ratsaremylife (Nov 5, 2013)

They just need time, get them involved.


----------



## thenightgoddess (Apr 2, 2014)

Some rats don't like hammocks or toys and there still young so they might still be scared so just give them time.


----------



## Rayne333 (Aug 29, 2014)

Okay long as there isn't something wrong. We use treats to get them to come up to us who we open the doors and that works, we took their hiding house away cause that's all they did was hide in it. They still can hide in the hammock or Fleece tube. One of the boys is very friendly and the other is a bit skiddish so we've been spending a lot of time with him out of the cage.


----------



## LittleBird (Jun 22, 2014)

How long have you had them? Did they go directly into the big cage or did they spend time in a small cage first and just recently got moved into the big cage? 

The reason I ask is because I also have a DCN and I know it's huge compared to the cage my girls originally came from. When I first got them, they had to not only deal with having a new mommy, living in a new location, but also having to get used to an enormous scary new home with all new stuff. My girls piled up in a corner and pretty much stayed there for more than a week. At about 2 weeks, they finally began to settle in and get comfortable. 

So depending on how long you've had them, I would say to just relax and give them time to settle in and begin to feel at home in their new home.


----------



## Rayne333 (Aug 29, 2014)

I've had them Oh 3-4 weeks and yes they were in a smaller home they got their big house last Saturday. I'll give them More time. Good to know they just need more time. I just want to give them the best life possible! Any other advise is very welcome!


----------



## new_rattie_mommy (Aug 24, 2014)

Mine slept all the time and still do cuz they are boys. But they didn't use their wheel, bed, or hammock at all. just dug out the bedding in the corner and slept on the plastic. then i adjusted their cage and changed the wheel into a cave so they can hide and they loved that. they were way too fearful to use anything like a play tube though. They do now cuz it's been 2 months but it took guts to do that. Also, one advice i can give is to spread your hammock almost completely flat cuz mine wouldn't use the hammock at all when it was more hot dog shaped. I think cuz it was like falling in a hole sort of when they went in it. Then we tried stretching it way out and now they love it and one actually sleeps on it! I never thought it would happen. As long as you dont see signs of illness like sneezing and porphyrin then i wouldn't be worried. they will come out of their shells more soon.


----------



## webspinnr (Jul 27, 2014)

Have you tried immersion training? Done free range with them? When it comes to the cage I would of thought mine were duds too. Sleep all the time, don't play with anything, etc. check out RatDaddy's immersion thread. Spend some time in the bathtub with them. Their personalities came out for me and I think they will for you too.


----------



## Cyrix (May 2, 2014)

Our rats don't like their hammock much, they've slept in it a few times but usually sleep elsewhere. They really like the large Critter Space Pod and the fabric play tubes (although the latter only last a few months).

You need to play with them a lot and add new things to their cage regularly (it gets expensive but I'd say once a month) because they will get bored and miserable if their cage is the same for months at a time. Rats get bored and need variety just like humans do. It sounds like you're already adding stuff but honestly your cage looks pretty bare and boring to me. Get a Space Pod, they're awesome, and you can even break them apart into two igloos if you want.

Oh, a cheap way to give your rats extra fun that they never seem to tire of -* stuff small wads of toilet paper in the sides of the cage*. They will pull the wads through the bars (fun to watch!) and use them to decorate or pad the cage, cover their stashed treats, etc. We do this daily, and it keeps them entertained. As a bonus, the TP soaks up urine and makes cleaning the cage easier.

Make sure they have enough to eat (they eat quite a lot), maybe they're not getting enough food and low on energy?

Immersion worked really well for our rats, it was a big struggle but they have improved enormously and are much more social, trusting, loyal, and fun.


----------



## Rayne333 (Aug 29, 2014)

We take them out everyday for at least 2 hours and they are allowed to run on the couches which one just loves running and playing the other finds a dark place and hides. I've read over the immersion training guess I need to put it into practice. I made them some Fleece toys today, a ball a soft tube and something to climb up. They have access to food all day, they have some preferences over what they eat and don't, I'm not real sure how much food I should be giving them daily? Just today I got my order in from crafty rat for food so happy to be feeding the good stuff now.


----------



## Ladyfish_xx (Feb 26, 2013)

Aww give the little guys some time. Most of my guys ignore hammocks and most toys, unless they involve treats! Little ones need to adjust to new surroundings and companions. My shyest baby has turned out to be my bravest and craziest little rat: he wouldn't even take treats from us the first few weeks! Now I have to chase him all over the house  their demeanors are super similar to humans- like us, they need to adjust and get comfortable, then their real personalities will come out!


----------



## wadefarrow (Aug 7, 2014)

My rats didnt touch their first hammock for 3 weeks (two boys) then one of them finally started sleeping in it so I ordered them a fleece cage set with two corner hamocks a 17 inch hammock a 12 inch hammock and a huge 10 inch cube, and a tube They love them. They will still occasionally sleep on the floor in the bedding, but they almost exclusively sleep in the hammocks on the highest level right by the top of the cage. tight and flat or loose and hotdogged, they love them. They just have to get used to it. Also, my boys are lazy as **** during the day, they usually get real active around midnight and settle back down around 4-5 am. So you may be sleeping during a lot of their activity. They will come around though.


----------



## Rayne333 (Aug 29, 2014)

I want to report they are. Moving around the cage much more now so I guess they just needed time. Thanks everyone for calming my fears!


----------

