# Getting rats to use a bonding pouch or cuddle sack.



## WinonaGun42 (Feb 2, 2013)

I have two active girls that are about 4-5 months old. Kaylee will not sit still. She is zooming and wants to explore everything. Aeryn is more timid and cautious, but friendly and active.
Recently I bought a bunch of new fleece fabric to make in to stuff and for coordinated cage shelf covers. I washed it all twice in Dr. Bronners Uncented Mild Baby Castille soap. The third time I just put the fleece through a rinse cycle, then air dried it. Procceeded to make a bunch of stuff for the cage after that. 
While they love the hammocks, tubes, cuddle cubes and "blankets" for the hidey places, they will not go in a pouch for long. They will curl up inside the same exact fabric for the "pouch" hammock, but a neck cowl, bonding pouch or sling they will not want to stay inside. Aeryn will stubbornly sit on TOP of the neck cowl and just chill under my hair, but doesn't want to go inside it. Kaylee sat in a neck cowl for about 5 minutes and then she was scrambling all over me like usual. 

I've tried putting cheerios in the tube or pouches to get them to want to go in there. I've tried doing it seperately after a long play session. I've tried waking them up and putting one in there. Before dinner, after dinner, during the day, at night and nothing seems to work. 
It is to the point where if they won't stay in the pouch twice after I put them there, I will put them back in their cage. I am attempting this about once an hour and doing it with each rat by itself. I was hoping they would learn it's better to stay out in the sack than to keep going back in the cage. That sucks because it is cutting down on my interaction time with them. 
I thought rats liked cuddle sacks. I could barely get my PEW boys out of things to play with me. All they wanted to do was chill in a knit hat or the hood of my sweatshirt. Now my girls won't go IN to one, much less stay in there. 

Any tips for getting rats to like going in cuddle sacks, neck cowls or bonding pouches?


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

That's girls for ya.


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## apac (Jan 23, 2012)

my girls will never sit still. they run amuck all over me, the coach, table, window sills, anything. sometimes we go for walks outside and after 4 hours of hanging out they will sleep in my hood. i suppose they just have to be in the mood, because most of the time they are to busy with rat buisness to sit still for a second


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## WinonaGun42 (Feb 2, 2013)

I'm starting to think that the girls won't sit still long enough to enjoy a cuddle sack. When I make the free range play area on the queen sized bed or in the tub, they are always zooming around and exploring everything. It's not uncommon for the wheel to be going for an hour as they take turns running on it. Also can't keep them in a soft sided pet carrier as Kaylee tends to shred the netting after a while. I had to put bunny wire inside the soft carrier just to be able to keep them in there.

I love my little girls to pieces and wouldn't trade them for the world. I just wish they were a little more mellow. Hopefully they will chill a bit with age but I'm not going to expect it. Guess I'm going to stop making cuddle sacks and just focus on cage accessories from here on out. lol.


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