# Bedding for FN cage



## NatRat (Feb 28, 2011)

Hello 

I've recently adopted a pair of rats and they're being housed in the top level of my Ferret Nation cage. Right now I have them on some towels and wash cloths (I've been checking to make sure they don't get stuck) but I'd like to get them some bedding and liners soon. I read that fleece is the best material to use and I was wondering if someone could better explain to me why this and rather or not I should do all of the new bedding and cage accessories in fleece. I also wanted to know what pieces of bedding your ratties seem to prefer ie; hammocks, cubes, tunnels. I've put in a few of my ferret's clean sleep sacks and a hammock to get an idea of what kind of stuff they like...but I only just got them so they're still very shy about exploring the cage. They have a little igloo that they both like to cram under


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

fleece is nice because it doesn't fray, and instead of absorbing the urine it sort of wicks it so you're not left with a soggy soaked through mess... means you have to wash it more frequently though. i actually liked using towels a lot more in my ferret nation - just make sure you're on top of clipping any stray threads. my rats are the cram in the igloo/hut type too - i could put nothing but a tissue box in their cage and they'd be perfectly content. occasionally one will chill in the hammock or tunnel but even as i type they're snuggling under the upside down basket. xD


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## NatRat (Feb 28, 2011)

Haha I like the Mau5 avatar 

I need to get them a bigger igloo, this is a random one from probably a pet hamster...If there's two ratties inside it's off the ground xD. They still seem to prefer it to the cardboard box in the cage though. Thank you for the info on the fleece, I guess I'll have to see what you mean with the "wickng" but easy to clean is always nice. 

Do you think the FN will be roomy enough without the upper area until they get more familiar with potty training? They came from a hoarding case so I know they haven't really been trained.


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

Like Jaguar says, fleece wicks it so it stays dry. You can get the best of both worlds though, so you could put down towel with fleece over it. The fleece will wick the moisture to the towels, which absorb the pee, but the fleece will be dry so the rats aren't walking on their pee.

You can make fleece on fleece hammocks, most people use flannel or cotton on fleece, with fleece being the part they sleep on/in.

Do you mean the bottom half of a double FN? If so, yes, absolutely big enough for a pair, even a few more rats (it technically fits six).


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## NatRat (Feb 28, 2011)

I do have the double FN but the top and bottom levels are closed off from each other, rats in the top, weasel in the bottom. Don't worry I've also plugged this hole with more than the ladder.

So basically just the 141 size but without the ramp and the upper shelf that goes in. This is how I trained my ferret when he was younger so I thought having one level temporarily would help train ratties too. But I'm not sure if just the floor level would be a little bit too space restrictive because they're more active in the cage than a ferret usually is.

So it would be OK to have cloth hammocks as long as the lining is fleece? Because this is the way all of my ferret bedding is done...and it gives me a bit more variety with fabric. The liners will definitely be solid fleece though. I always have too much fun outfitting this cage.


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

I'm not sure if they will be helped by doing that. I can give some tips though. They require a large litter box, like the ferret corner ones, or a small kitten litter box. Just throw all their poops in it, so it smells like them. People also have a lot of luck putting it under the ramp, rats seem to like pooping at the bottom of ramps for some reason LOL. If you catch them using it, give them a treat when they finish. Also, two litter boxes is better than one, as some rats are a bit lazy.

Yup, so long as you use fleece lining it works.


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## NatRat (Feb 28, 2011)

Yeah they have my ferret's old corner box...so they should be good in that department. I've seen them climb into it once but I haven't figured out what they enjoy as far as treats yet. One will eat just about anything from me and the other is reluctant to take food from me but sometimes tries to steal it from her sister :. It seemed like they were peeing in the right corner but just on the upper levels. Maybe the towel seemed more like bedding than the wash cloths. I'm definitely finding poops everywhere before I throw them into the box though. 

Are rats pretty good at not pooping and peeing in areas where they sleep and eat? Or do they not care too much as long as it's a corner?


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

Rats will pee just about everywhere, especially where they sleep because they have no control over their bladder while sleeping. You can't really train them to pee in one spot. I mean, mine don't pee outside their cage when I take them out for free ranging, aside from marking things sometimes with a bitty drop of pee, but as far as getting them to choose one spot in the cage its a no go.

Pooping, it depends on the rat, none of mine will poop where they eat or sleep, and mine all picked up on litter training quickly, but apparently some will poop in hammocks-eww lol.

It can take a little while, but keep working on it. Rats generally try to be pretty clean.


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