# Aquarium advice



## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Just checked my email, got one of my mam telling me about her friend that's just got a couple of ratties. She's animal mad lol. But... she's bought an aquarium for them. She was advised in the pet shop to get an aquarium :? (clueless pet shops again!). If she keeps them in the aquarium how often will it need to be cleaned etc? Hopefully my mam will pass on the info to her about aquariums not being too good and that it will need to be cleaned more.


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

You will need the correct bedding, something that absorbs ALOT like yesterdays news or some other kind of recycled paper. Carefresh doesn't absorb enough moisture and it's harder to tell if it's wet. You will have to clean it out at least twice a day and replace all the litter at least ever 2 days to keep the amonia levels down. My concern though is that for 2 rats in an aquarium it would have to be at least a 40 gallon aquarium to give adequate room and I highly doubt that's what she's purchased, most people go for 10 or 20 gallons. Even so there is no where to hang things, and the rats will be bored soon in that cage. Bored rats means depressed rats.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

As said above for two rats it would have to be a huge aquarium. It should be spot-cleaned at least daily, and perhaps full-cleaned each day or every other. Even a topper doesn't help that much, but it does help some.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Thanks for the info! I've emailed my mam back and she's going to let her know . Will it decrease their life expectancy or if kept clean should they be ok?? Would a fan nearby help keep ammonia levels down or be pointless? I don't know what size she bought. Hopefully the little guys will be ok =)


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

Yes it will decrease the life expectancy because they are going to be more prone to upper respiratory issues, plus there is no way to hang toys, they won't be able to climb so they need to be out of the cage more frequently than just the typical hour or two a day which for some people can't be done. Also because there isn't much to do in an aquarium they will be bored and bored = depressed. If the aquarium is too small then yes it will decrease their life expectancy more because chances are they won't have enough room and one might just kill the other because of it no matter how bonded they are.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

A wooden frame and wire mesh lid has been made for the top so she'll be able to hang some toys and maybe a hammock. I hope they won't suffer being in there . Maybe she'll get a cage for them at some point hopefully. 

Has anyone had any experience of their rats being kept in an tank?? (their health throughout, age reached etc)


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## CrazyBones (Apr 1, 2008)

I have a large tank for my boy. I used a kitchen fridge shelf for the top and pulled apart an old cage for the extra space that needed covering.

The old cage i got can unclick so you can clean it. its the only top wire of the cage, so it will have a door and shelf. The tank is now 2 story.
I hang toys and a hammocks from the shelf.

I clean my tank 5 days everyweek. I use shredded newspaper thats deliverd to my door for soaking up their waist. When i have everything out of the tank, i water it with a cloth and wipe it down drying it all you can think of to get rid of the smell, replace the bedding, change the water and food.

I take my rat out everyday for hours about 1hour or more.
The tank should be in a cool room, maybe higher of the ground.

I don't always have him in a tank, i put him in a cage most often when i have to take the tank to the bathroom for extra cleaning.
With my experiance with my rats in tanks, they had no health issues. I clean the tank throughly, give them alot of socialize and exersize.

Most cases, cages are better for rats, but i only have a huge tank because i can't afford a huge cage yet.
And now im going to switch my boy into a cage because im going to use the tank for my pregnant girl.

Just make sure the aquaruim has good air circulation, in a cool room, the rats get alot of exersize and its clean everyday.


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## xampx (Dec 31, 2006)

It might be better if they put the tank on its side with a mesh front, that way more air could circulate. It will definitely need cleaning every other day.

I just got an old tank type cage for my boy until we get him neutered and he can move in with the girls. He is an eating/pooping machine though so I already have to clean the cage every 3 days


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## radlations (May 24, 2008)

Aquariums are bad. ESPECIALLY for summer. There better be good air conditioning at her house or else theyll die very soon.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

radlations said:


> Aquariums are bad. ESPECIALLY for summer. There better be good air conditioning at her house or else theyll die very soon.


No air conditioning, no need for it here. I wouldn't really say we get a summer here lol, crappy british weather.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

I'm sure I saw some people on here mention they kept their first rats in a tank, what was their lifespan?


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

My friend kept a rat in a tank, lone rat (before she knew better she was only a child at the time) and he lived a little over a year.


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

Back before I knew better, I kept rats in a tank. I went through a few (probably about a year, maybe a year and a half each), and then added a topper. These lived for about a year and a half. THEN I got a wire cage, and I had several rats live long enough to develop mammary tumors. (An odd thing to celebrate, but at least they were living long enough to die of age-related difficulties)

Aquariums most definitely decrease lifespan, and your mother's friend should start looking around ASAP for something else. But at least she's got you to help her out, and it sounds like she's trying.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Yeah I'm trying to find out from those who have kept them in aquariums in the past, or know people that have, to get an idea of how it decreased their lifespan so I can give her that info =). Hopefully she will end up looking into alternative housing.

Anyone else that knows of people or has themselves kept rats in an aquarium, please let me know. Also if they encountered health problems due to the tank would be useful. Thank you!


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## CrazyBones (Apr 1, 2008)

Okay, yes i had my rats in a tank before and again, but with my creativity i design more air circulation and two storys..
Before this year, my rats lived to 2years max. But there was a one time for 3 years.

They had no health problems that i know of... but also i was young back then so i might of forgotten.

Just hope your friend knows alot about aquariums.


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## amybunny (Aug 17, 2007)

The ONLY time rats should be kept in a tank is for a very short time frame (read: birthing & as a hospital cage for sick rats).


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

AmyBunny said:


> The ONLY time rats should be kept in a tank is for a very short time frame (read: birthing & as a hospital cage for sick rats).


Yeah I know, it's not myself that has the aquarium for the rats though and they aren't as of yet getting an alternative housing solution. Just trying to find out some info from those that have kept their rats in aquariums in the past and how often to clean etc =)


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

I have a new rat in an aquarium right now. He's in QT with his brothers and he can't get along with any of them and has made 2 of them have to go to the vet since being with me. I use recycled newspaper bedding, I clean it once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and every evening I dump and replace all litter. It's a small 20gallon tank, I have tons of tubes, tunnels, a hammock (ok so not really it's an old super lacy bra hung up by the lid and the weights on the lid, but hey it's the only way to get a hammock in a aquarium while still allowing tons of air flow), and he gets a minimum of 3 hours a day outside his cage because he's a lone rat and because I want him out of the tank as much as possible. (Today because it's a weekend he's been in the ratty playground for about 6 hours with my boys playing with him). I'm hoping that when he's introduced in a few weeks to my older males he will stop with his aggression. If not when his brothers are introduced into my cage he will get an actual cage. Tanks can be useful for a short period of time, however you have to really keep up with it or bad bad things can happen really quickly! I had a rat in a tank that I cleaned only once a day. He was there because of a neuter surgery. I didn't clean the cage but once a day. It took him all of 4 days to get a URI in there with once a day cage cleanings (which I thought were ok)........ He went on antibiotics and when I was done with 3 weeks of those after almost loosing him several times and $200 in vet bills later between x rays, re-checks and higher doses and more expensive antibiotics he was better, however it wasn't worth it to put him in that tank. I could have purchased several cages for that amount of money!


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