# QUESTION



## kimmeh_121 (Nov 8, 2007)

HI THERE, IV POSTED ON HERE BEFOR SHOWIN MY RAT GEORGIE,
BUT I HAVE A QUESTION, THERES A PICTURE BELOW OF THE CAGE I HAVE HIM IN TEMORALY THO BUT IM JUST WONDERING IF ITS OKAY FOR HIM HE HAS GOT A SECOND FLOOR IN IT, AND STILL RUNS AROUND AND PLAYS ALOT IN IT SO ITS NOT SHOWING PROBLEMS BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ITS SUITABLE FOR HIM UNTILL I BUILD HIS PROPER ONE WITCH WILL TAKE A WHILE THO....

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.


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## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

D:


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## lostbutnotforgot (Apr 19, 2007)

I'm sorry to say but that cage is WAY to small for any rat except as a travel cage, and even then it's on the small side for a male. Please get him a new cage ASAP, even if it's just like your rabbit cage and you cover the bars with hardware cloth so he cannot get out. Check Craig's List, Freecyclers, ect for inexpensive cages. Rats also do best in pairs, please consider getting him a friend of the same gender. Is that hay/straw at the bottom of his cage? Straw molds very quickly and rats have very delicate respiratory systems. Straw also does a very bad job at absorbing odor. Consider switching to aspen (Not pine or cedar!), carefresh, yesterday's news, or fleece.

In the future when typing please check to make sure the Caps Lock is off.

Edit: Also, check the stickies on this forum. They are full of great information!


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i think there are two rats in that cage in the picture. its good your rats have friends but it makes that cage even worse for them to being in. it really is too small even for one. i would use it only as a travel cage. to give you an idea, if that bunny is a dwarf then his cage would still only fit 2-3 male rats (at least that what i can tell from the picture-dimensions would give be a better idea on the bunny cage but the ones the rats are in now is definately too small). 

an alternative cage that you could find cheaply would be a medium to large breed dog travel cage such as a vari-kennel. they normally sell used for no more then $75 and often MUCH cheaper. with a bit of ingenuity it could be a very suitable cage while you build another one, or if you get a big enough one could be their permanent cage. but the one you have them in now will not suffice for any length of time.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

this also, belong in the rats homes section as it discusses cages so it has been moved.


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## kimmeh_121 (Nov 8, 2007)

thank you for youre help, there isnt 2 rats in there by the way its just a toy that hangs at the top for him, but i am looking for another male rat going to the local animal shelter to have a look at some on tuesday, but at the moment im concidering letting my sister hold my rabbit for me so that georgie can use his cage for the time being......i really dont mean to have him in a really small cage so i really dont want it seem like im being horrible to him, but he is out the cage nearly all day everyday having fun with the family and of course still gets to eat and drink as he has his own little shafts in the living room for his business and stuff he does use it, and the straw is only there tonight as i need to get some more stuff for his cage tomorrow.

hes not unhappy being on his own as he does get ALOT of attention from the family as hes always out and about having fun with us

sorry for the caps befor my keyboard was abit buggered lol.

thanks for the responces though


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

That bunny cage would be good for him. But consider it's showing lots of wear and tear and won't be long until the rat urine gets into those bars. So you may need to replace it soon. Also consider he may not seem unhappy and may seem like he gets a lot of attention and is happy with that, but rats are incredibly social animals and you would be AMAZED at how much better and happier pets rats really are with a buddy. They really do love and enjoy their own kind and no matter what you can't give them that bond. You just can't be there 24/7 and give them that love and communication. Sure you can give them your human love and I'm sure he does appreciate that greatly and it's awesome you do but if you want what's best for him it's definitely time to find a same sex friend. That is after you fix the cage situation.

The bunny needs something much larger as well FYI.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/index.htm
That is a really awesome site for making guinea pig cages that you can also make a good size rabbit cage. Rabbits really need a ton of room to be happy.

Good luck and keep us updated. I would just use his current cage as a travel cage if I were you lol. I have a hamster in a cage that small and I'm currently plotting to get even HIM in something larger than that just to give you an idea of how tiny that cage is a to a rat. The general rule of thumb is 2 cubic feet per rat.


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## kimmeh_121 (Nov 8, 2007)

thank you for the replys and help its much appreciated, ill be moving him into the rabbit cage 2night untill iv finished the cage im building, ill post some pics of the cage to see if you think it will be suitable for him for the time being.


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## kimmeh_121 (Nov 8, 2007)

ok so iv moved him now but i havnt quite finished yet, im goin 2 put a level and such inside still but he seems alot happier now, i kinda feel really bad having him inside that tiny one, i added the little cage well i dont really know why i did but hes made that like his little bed room, the pink fluffy thing inside it well he made that as his bed, oh and the purple ball thing he loves that for some reason he pushes it about but yeh all is well at the moment he loves running around and climbin the cage bars and stuff...alllsooo i will be addin mesh wire incase he can get out the bars, but its very unlikly he will because the bars are far to think for him 2 fit through, also iv noticed that since hes been in the cage and while hes running around he kinda twitches alot....i know rabbits do that the name for the rabbits doing it is called binkies that means there happy but i dont know about rats,anyway i hope this will be okay for him for the time being i still have to add more things bare in mind, thanks


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## lostbutnotforgot (Apr 19, 2007)

Mucho better! He seems much happier! Consider adding some hammocks (which can be made out of an old pair of jeans if need be), but it looks much better!


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

What type of bedding is that? He does look a lot happier. But the bedding looks like pine which can cause severe respiratory damage to rats due to the phenols in the wood. Rats don't do well on pine or cedar so make sure it's aspen, carefresh, yesterday news or something like that. Paper based or aspen basically. No sawdust 

Also if you didn't clean that pillow after the bunny I would clean it and everything thoroughly. Not saying you didn't but just warning you.

What type of food is that? 

Thanks for listening to the suggestions by the way!


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## madeittothemoon (Nov 1, 2007)

MUCH better! Just be careful with the bar spacing- your rat might be able to fit through those bars pretty easily. If it becomes a problem, you can just cover it in hardwire cloth.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

we call it popcorning when rats jump in the air in excitement 

Everyone else has pretty much covered the bedding and the food.  He's going to be much much happier. He looks young so see if you can find another young male or even a baby male to intro him to


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