# Why won't they use their hammock?



## kkdepp (May 22, 2007)

My boys have a hammock in their cage but NEVER use it. They don't even climb in it none the less sleep in it. It is one of those hammocks from Petsmart but I thought maybe they didn't use it because it is so thin and isn't soft and plushy, so yesterday I added to sheets of soft fabric to it but they still won't use it. Anyone know a way for them to see that is nice to sleep in and snuggle in together. Or are they just not going to use it because they never had one until they came home with me.

Any sugestions would help....they are missing out on a soft spot to snuggle!


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

None of my rats use hammocks either. My girls prefer sleeping in a little plastic basket I got from Target for a buck, and Rokk for some reason opts to conk out on a bare shelf instead of anywhere soft and comfortable (he even pushes the fabric away so he can sleep on the plastic ) Although before I put the basket in the girls' cage, they liked sleeping together in one of those tube hammocks, but they never touched any of the regular ones, except when they needed to use one to get from one place to another.


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## crackerkorean (Jul 4, 2007)

I know with our first rat we put a baby blanket (folded into quarters) used it with the hammock.

In the corners of the square (when folded) we cut slits so that the hammock would string through it. And in the top two layers of the folded blanked in the center we cut a slot so that Oz could crawl in there and hide and sleep. 

It took him a couple of days but he adjusted well and loved it to no end.


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## mink (Jun 24, 2007)

My Mika and Naru... i got them a hammock. Mika turned her nose up at it, and Naru almost never left it. Personality preferences I'd say lol.


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## MagicalLobster (Jun 30, 2007)

I noticed the same thing.

First off, make the hammocks big in size. Next, throw an old (clean) rag that you don't use (or maybe two) on top of it. I found that this helped my rats use their hammocks more often. This way they can cover themselves while in it, which is mostly what rats like.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Are they unsure of how to stand on it? I had to basically teach 2 of my girls how a hammie works...kind of like training wheels on a bike.

I fastened the hammie over a shelf so that the bottom was resting on the shelf but the corners were pulled up. Once they found that and started sleeping in it, then I tied it up a little higher. Once it was high enough I moved it away from the shelf, but by then I had to dig them out of the hammie. They just didn't like the insecurity when they walked on it.


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## mopydream44 (Jun 10, 2007)

My Ostrich wouldn't use the hammock I got him until I moved it by a shelf for super easy access. I also didn't let it sag too much. It makes walking on it easier but it's still a comfy place! 

Just try moving the hammock around a bit, and see if they fancy a spot!


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## chrisstrikeagain (Apr 10, 2007)

what do they sleep on now? if its something able to be moved, then put it on the hammock. my girls love their chubes and i put one in their new hammock. they then go in i and sleep in it for hte chubes...

also, try havin a tube or something lead into the hammock.

or you can try puttin one or two on the hammock and carry them around the house in it.


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## kkdepp (May 22, 2007)

They have an igloo, a wood hideout, a small chube, and some other places to hide. Sometimes they will just sleep on the fabric and towels I put over the plastic or sleep on just plastic together though. I will probably start lay the hammock on the floor of their cage where they lay or I might try taking them out and letting them sit it in while I walk around. Their hammock hangs right next to a shelf so that the edge of it touches the shelf. I also spaced the clips on it farther out so that it doesn't sink too much when they sit in but I'll see what I can do. Thanks for your help


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## thegrotto (May 11, 2007)

Some rats just don't like hammocks. Follow the others' suggestions, but if nothing works, maybe they're not hammock loving ratties.


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## kkdepp (May 22, 2007)

If they truly don't....that's ok....I love the cuties


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

none of my girls will use hammocks. ginger & loco have decided that sleeping in their dry food bowl is the way to go, while soot, ash & meggsy sleep either in a tissue box or in amongst the shredded tissues.


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## kkdepp (May 22, 2007)

My girls curl up together in a chube and my boys decide differently every night. I put a hammock in the girls cage and they hopped in it but by the next morning they had chewed off the sides. 

I decided to be lazy and i've let my young rat Pip(who lives with Raz) live in the entire cage with Raz instead of keeping him in the area wrapped in hardware cloth. When they free roam during the day they will come back to their cage by night and will be sleeping so I don't have to worry about them being out. Well last night I was cleaning my room and ended up being 2:00 in the morning so I pulled out a sleeping bag and layed down on the floor. Pip heard me down there and immediately squeezed through the bars and hopped up on my and started nibbling on my clothes. After putting him back at least 10 times I fell asleep(or at least that is all I remember) and I started waking up this morning because I felt something moving on ym leg. I look down and there's Pip. Once he saw I was awakehe started giving me tons of kisses and grooming me. It was a very cute way to wake up


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## dreadhead (Mar 1, 2007)

My girls did not care for the hammock... I tried putting them on it, putting treats in the middle, etc... after about a week they'd had enough of it and chewed through the straps. 

Mindy loves sleeping in her wodent wheel she uses often... Lucy will cuddle up in there, but doesn't care for it... it's cute to see them poke there heads out the holes and yawn though.

There all time favorite spot to sleep is in my tam (dread hat I donated to them after I had to cut 'em off). I have it hanging up by the bill and the bottom rests on the shelf to make a little tent for them... stuff it with some fluff and they are good. When it's warmer or humid they'll sprawl out on the grates to get a breeze from the fan. Funny part is I don't think I have ever seen them sleep alone.


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## Whiskers (Jun 29, 2007)

[align=center]Well I used an old little purse that I never use as a hammock for my rats. When I first got my rats, I don't think they knew they could go in it, so I put them in it. A few days later Alice loves going in the hammock and Penelope....well, she doesn't really care about it. She prefers going in the shoe.

So just give them time. They might not like it, but oh well.[/align]


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