# new rat will NOT go to bed at night...help! can't sleep anymore



## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

Okay so I got a new rat from Petco about a week and a half ago..some snake breeder was looking to get a female to breed with his male rat to make his "own snake food supply". Anyway, she is about 4 months old I would say, not fully grown still a baby. Well she is fairly active..I know in general females are active but I have another female as well who is 2 years old and she wasn't always this hyper even when she was a baby. I have a neutered male who is chubby..gets active for a bit then wears himself out and naps. So the new rat gets her free range time and shoulder riding time throughout the day. She is VERY lovable. However it seems she can never have TO much time out...whenever I put her back in her cage she constantly chews the cage bars and wakes all my other animals up and gets them started. My other 2 rats then chew the bars as well. And she even gets my rabbits cranky!! The bunnies start chewing their hideout boxes VERY loud and she also keeps my dog up at night. I have a german shepherd so you can imagine how loud her bark is. What do I do? I don't want to give her away she is to sweet. I also don't want to keep her isolated from everyone in the house.


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

The best advice I can offer is to keep her awake as much as possible throughout the day. Constantly give her things to piddle around with. Mental stimulation can be just as tiring as physical exercise so give her puzzles to solve, like hanging treat bags or something else to keep her mind going. And if she tries to nap during the day, wake her up. 
Hopefully, after a while, her sleeping patterns will change.

Rats are supposed to be nocturnal creatures but my boys are up when I am and asleep when I am (but I guess that doesn't say much, considering my small sleeping time frame, haha)


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## 1a1a (May 6, 2011)

Seconded, going by experience, she will probably be like an energizer bunny for the first 6 months.

Could you isolate her with the other rats? (The rats shouldn't mind really, being nocturnal too).


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## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

Would an extra large wheel work? Not the ones with wires though, a solid one


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

Yes if she will use a wheel then I'd definitely suggest it. They sell ones called The Silent Spinner or The Flying Saucer, I like these specifically because they are super quiet and come plenty large enough for rats. She will probably calm down eventually but until then I'd set up plenty of things to keep her busy, like hiding treats before night time or introducing new toys (quiet ones, like plush if possible) to keep her busy. Also I've heard of people using tastes to prevent chewing for many types of animals (for example I spray to wires in my house with lemon juice as my cats like to chew them, but they HATE citrus.) If you have a spare room then I'd give your rats the temporary boot, the rats should be fine as they are nocturnal but your dog, rabbits, and you need sleep. If not, I'd suggest getting a white noise generator. The consistant background noise will drown out the chewing and allow the rest of you to get some much needed sleep.


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## BigBen (Nov 22, 2011)

As far as wheels go, I have the large Wodent Wheel, which is reasonably quiet, but they like to poop in it and then run with the poop clattering away as the wheel spins. It was so loud the other night I actually stopped my girl and took the poop out, but that seemed to ruin her fun. Ratties!

My mischief, fortunately, hasn't yet discovered the joys of cage-chewing, and the rest of the noise they make is actually kind of soothing. When I hear them rummaging around in the dark, it reassures me that they're okay, and I can fall asleep. As my mother did when my sister and I were kids, I get nervous when they're too quiet. It usually means they're up to no good!


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## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

CarolineRose said:


> Yes if she will use a wheel then I'd definitely suggest it. They sell ones called The Silent Spinner or The Flying Saucer, I like these specifically because they are super quiet and come plenty large enough for rats. She will probably calm down eventually but until then I'd set up plenty of things to keep her busy, like hiding treats before night time or introducing new toys (quiet ones, like plush if possible) to keep her busy. Also I've heard of people using tastes to prevent chewing for many types of animals (for example I spray to wires in my house with lemon juice as my cats like to chew them, but they HATE citrus.) If you have a spare room then I'd give your rats the temporary boot, the rats should be fine as they are nocturnal but your dog, rabbits, and you need sleep. If not, I'd suggest getting a white noise generator. The consistant background noise will drown out the chewing and allow the rest of you to get some much needed sleep.


They are around $30-35 but well worth it IF she uses it. Worth a try at least. Where would I get a white noise generator? Are they expensive? I've never heard of it


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## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

BigBen said:


> As far as wheels go, I have the large Wodent Wheel, which is reasonably quiet, but they like to poop in it and then run with the poop clattering away as the wheel spins. It was so loud the other night I actually stopped my girl and took the poop out, but that seemed to ruin her fun. Ratties!
> 
> My mischief, fortunately, hasn't yet discovered the joys of cage-chewing, and the rest of the noise they make is actually kind of soothing. When I hear them rummaging around in the dark, it reassures me that they're okay, and I can fall asleep. As my mother did when my sister and I were kids, I get nervous when they're too quiet. It usually means they're up to no good!


Guess i'll have to give the wheel a try!


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## LilSmurfThing (Jan 6, 2012)

I had the same problem with a pair I got back in September. Do you take their food out at night or leave it in the cage? I took their food away at night and eventually the way their metabolism worked they started sleeping at night when i'd take the food out and in the morning would wake up when i put it back in. It's kind of like how if you work third shift you're supposed to change your eating schedules to help with your sleep schedule.


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

kindhearted said:


> They are around $30-35 but well worth it IF she uses it. Worth a try at least. Where would I get a white noise generator? Are they expensive? I've never heard of it


Some can be pricy but the less expensive one's work just as well. Here's one I found at WalMart its only twelve dollars: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Conair-Sound-Therapy-with-Night-Light/14098214


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## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

LilSmurfThing said:


> I had the same problem with a pair I got back in September. Do you take their food out at night or leave it in the cage? I took their food away at night and eventually the way their metabolism worked they started sleeping at night when i'd take the food out and in the morning would wake up when i put it back in. It's kind of like how if you work third shift you're supposed to change your eating schedules to help with your sleep schedule.


No I always leave food out or then they'll REALLY go nuts lol!!


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## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

CarolineRose said:


> Some can be pricy but the less expensive one's work just as well. Here's one I found at WalMart its only twelve dollars: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Conair-Sound-Therapy-with-Night-Light/14098214


Thank you, maybe i'll give it a try for 12 bucks!


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