# An outdoor rat run??



## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

I just bought DCN I plan to put outside. I was thinking maybe I will make it with out the stand and just place it on the ground bottomless so it sits on grass/dirt. I thought this would be fun for my rat to be able to hang out outside without having me around. I wouldn't leave him out there for long, an hour or so. I would put it in a shaded area. I know some concerns are spiders, but honestly I leave my window and doors in my house open with no protection, so there are probably just as many spiders inside as there are outside. Cat/raccoon are not a concern too much for two reasons. 1)The cage would be in a closed off area (my old bird aviary) and 2) my dog would go nuts. My mind is pretty much already made up that this idea is amazing. I went over what I feel are the pros and cons, but someone might have things to say I haven't thought of yet. I want to hear people's experiences and some opinions on having an outdoor cage for their rats.

Thanks ahead of time!

Wilder and I out and about today!
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## Mrs.Brisby (Jan 4, 2014)

I wouldn't leave my rats outside permanently but I always thought that an outside playpen would be pretty awesome. Good luck with your project! Love the pictures!


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

Yes, I agree he wouldn't live out there. haha. Just an hour a day or every other day. I'll put up photos once I am 100 percent sure this is okay. 
And Thank you


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

I personally think its a bad idea. Rats dig and can easily tunnel out in no time flat. Now if you took hardware cloth and attached it to the bottom that may work. Then grass can poke up and you don't have to worry about them escaping.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

What about heat? Allergies? How will this impact your time spent with him now that he is out there alone, if even just an hour 


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

Good point. I thought about digging the cage into the ground a bit and putting chicken wire down then putting dirt or grass on top of that in the cage. buuuuut maybe the hardware cloth would be a better/easier idea.
Thanks!


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

I'm not aware of allergies he may have... I figured he could handle the heat since normally he is attached to my body( I run hot)/outside with me anyway. I thought this would be perfect for him while I took my shower/my house cleaning that I don't do with him. Like cleaning the oven and dishes stuff like that.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Body temp and literally cooking from the sun in ones fur is different. Rats can't really handle 80+ F and will seek to go low. He won't be able to, which is the potential for heat stroke which is quick enough to mean death. 


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

Okay, no going outside is extreme heat or cold.


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

i take mine out all the time they dont have a cage outside but i also keep a eye on them, how about a tunnelcage that allows your ratty in through a window when it gets too warm? not sure how well it would work but it would be a good idea


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

also you have such a cute ratty!


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

Yea he comes outside with me, but I just figured maybe he would like to hang out alone. BUT!!! That would be a good idea!!!! hmmmmm... I don't think it would work in my room, but that is something I will look into. This could be an amazing indoor-outdoor cage situation! ahhh the ideas, this is good. THANK YOU!


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

HA! Thank you that is so kind of you! Ever since my phone got fixed I've been taking pictures of him constantly! It is so funny because I see the rats at the barn and think they are so gross... but for some reason I just don't feel that way about him. No clue why. haha


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

i love his coloring he is tiny though how old is he? my bear is like a giant lol


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

Ahh I found him when he was a baby, little bit of peach fuzz hair. That was in May, probably mid-end of May. So he is still very young. I feel like I've had him forever though!


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

was he wild? oh he is so cute lol!


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

Yes! I think he is a roof rat. Which is how he got his name Wilder Templeton. haha I was going to release him back where I found him when he was old enough, so I just called him Wild, which became Wilder. He ended up just not wanting to leave, so he now he lives with me and I didn't feel like changing his name after that. Templeton is what my dad calls him because that is the name of the barn rat from Charlotte's Web. So that became his middle name. Most my animals have middle names. BTW I saw your profile picture of your rats and they are soooo adorable as well!


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

thanks, he must be so happy


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

I hope so! He is a solo rat, so there is some debate on if he is truly happy or not. I try to give him everything he could want, and he seems happy to me :]
I just finished building the Critter Nation outside. It was a pain! haha I gave up on doing it without tools and got a hammer and started beating the cage until it fit together! i am going to work on digging a hole a different day.


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## Roonel (Jan 27, 2014)

What a sweet little rat! I like the idea of making sure he can't dig out of the outdoor cage.


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## darkiss4428 (May 31, 2014)

i think he will enjoy it


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

Oh new pics of wilder!!! I am always looking for them.  You can tell him he has a fan.


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

I will!Thank you.  I always gush and post pictures of him, I didn't know if it was annoying people. haha. Yesterday we just went to a movie and the park, so I didn't take any that I thought people would care to see. 
I'll see if I can get him to model today ;]


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

Roonel said:


> What a sweet little rat! I like the idea of making sure he can't dig out of the outdoor cage.


Yea! I was just trying to think of the best way to do this. haha We will see in a couple weeks once it's done if he likes it. I probably should have made a cage. I figured the CN was more sturdy than anything I could build.


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