# My dahlings.



## CatTheTerrible (Nov 14, 2007)

Hello, I'm a newb from Illinois. I've been raising rats since about 1996, when my sister and I got two albinos from a neighbor.

Here are the four females I have right now:










Left to right: Kitty, Yuki, Cappucino and Desu, demanding attention immediately.










They live together in a three-level cage.










When I got Desu and Cappucino as pups, I introduced them to the other two, who I'd had for a few months, in my bathtub.










Somehow, they love my roommate's bunny. They're happy to visit his cage when I'm cleaning theirs. They keep trying to groom him, and he just sits there like, "What."










He even lets them in his house. They're good friends.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

the bunny and rat pictures are very cute. i especially like the last one. my bunny seems to like the rats too or at least he doesn't care one way or the other. i wonder if its a bunny thing or if ours are just special that way...


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

Haha, I love the photo of them all lined up. I only have two, and I can't get them both focused and centered in the same shot to save my life. Cute Siamese's. 

Question: Is that their primary/only cage? It looks a little small for four to me, but it's hard to tell from photos.


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## Nenn (Nov 13, 2007)

Awww, they are so cute ^^, I wish my rats would be friendly with our dog... or well maybe they would be friendly , but she wont... shes maniac.

And like Captain said, the cage does look rather small for four in the pictures, but its hard to say


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## CatTheTerrible (Nov 14, 2007)

The area of the tray is not large, but the cage has three stories. They get a lot of exercise climbing up and down. I let them exercise in the huge rabbit cage, or in a 30 gallon terrarium I have. They also climb on me. XP


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

Your rats are adorable!! Is one siamese? 

Please get your rats a bigger cage, a member here had that cage for to rats and they were too cramped. Its a hamster cage, meant for one hamster, not four rats.


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## CatTheTerrible (Nov 14, 2007)

I can't decide. I've looked at the Siamese standard. Kitty and Cappucino both have ruby eyes and brown noses, and Cappucino's fur also fades to brown toward her tail, but neither of them has brown feet or ears.


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

Well, also keep in mind that most rats aren't show standards! One of my girls is a capped, but she has a color "spill," as I call it, all down one shoulder, which is definitely not a show standard. And my berk has a very irregular line between her color and white parts, very broken. She's not show standard, either.


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## magickat (Oct 19, 2007)

What happy campers. I love the stripe on your hooded girls face. Very cute.

Ditto with glingella on the cage. While I was waiting for my girls I got a cage that was four stories, but it was only 11 1/2 inches deep and grown rats need more than that, especially girls. I had to sell that one and get a bigger one before they came.

Check out this thread it has some links for cage calculators. http://www.ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=1247.html
I prefer this one beause it takes the levels into account. 
http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/habitat/cagecalculator/


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## magickat (Oct 19, 2007)

oops. the calculator is at 
http://health.ratzrus.co.uk/cagecalc/index.htm


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## la_marÃ©e_haute (Nov 1, 2007)

Wow. 

Firstly, cute rats and rabbit.  But secondly and most importantly, that's a hamster cage and it's WAAAAAY too small. I have the same little nesting house for my mice and they're even squashed in there. I know that house is usually smaller than most adult rats.

And tanks are not suitable for rats without question. They have poor ventilation. A 30 gall. is too small and not good for their breathing, no matter how long they're in there. It shouldn't be a problem if they visit it for like... 3 minutes once a week, I guess? LOL But basically, I don't think even as a temporary home, it is suitable.

I'm sure they get a lot of exercise, but for them to be comfortable they really do need a large cage as their home. Think about it. They spend every single day in it (day = night for them, while you're asleep). I just don't think it's OK.

Please use the cage calculator and get them a much larger cage. They'll thank you.


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## CatTheTerrible (Nov 14, 2007)

Oh, bugger. I was unaware of this with cages. Thanks for the advice. I can't afford any of the really vast cages at the pet store, so to eBay I go, equipped with the rat cage calculator.  If that doesn't work, I suppose I'll steal a shopping cart and build one.


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

Ebay is the best! Search "sugar glider", some really spectacular cages come up! there was one a few days ago that looks just fabulous for $100! (That includes shipping!), or another large decent looking one for $50 incl shipping.


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## CatTheTerrible (Nov 14, 2007)

Sorry to bump the thread after so long, but I got a new cage on eBay for about $70. The cage calculator said this size is okay, and I watched my rats in there for some time - even holding food a few inches from the cage! - to make sure they can't get out between the bars.



















This came just in the nick of time, as it turns out - they figured out how to open the latch of their old cage today. 8O 

I like the wheels. It makes it easier to take the tray out to the dumpster, and it's funny when the rabbit hides under the cage.

The nesting house is small, but they've enlarged the doorway themselves, and I think it makes them comfortable, since they've had it since I got them as pups. They hide food in there a lot. I gave them some fabric, and they made a little nest in the bottom corner of the cage.

I'm thinking about making them a hammock. Any other suggestions? Thanks for the warnings about the cage, btw.


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## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

Hammocks! Rats love hammocks. Just hang one from the ceiling there, they'll love it!


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Very awesome! That's a huge improvement and I'm sure your girls are much happier. Is that bedding aspen?

I would honestly advice against letting the rats and rabbits free in the same area. Sure you may trust both tremendously to get along but they are different species. One mis communication or scare could lead to very injured rats due to the power in a rabbits kick or an injured rabbit due to the powerful jaws of rats. Just a FYI.


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## rattieluver (Dec 29, 2007)

Thats adorable!


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

Good on getting your rats a new cage. 

I'd watch those bars, though. Maybe buy some hardware cloth and zip tie it around the outside of the bars. I've seen at least one person who had a rat die from asphyxiating itself when it got its head stuck between bars with one inch spacing like that. My own rat got her head stuck in a ferret cage with bars that wide, and luckily I was home to free her, but her whole face swelled up something awful.


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