# Rat jumpers.



## lieunym (Jun 8, 2007)

I've been trying to build a rat playpen, and finished it today. I put them in (it was around 1+ feet tall) and my rats jumped out of it. I bumped it up to 2 feet and my rats were still able to get out of the playpen.
How high can rats jump?
And does anybody have any ideas about making the playpen so that they can't jump out?
Thanks =/


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## renay (May 30, 2007)

I would personally put a top on it, my girls are avid jumpers and they can jump half way up my thigh, now i'm nowhere near tall but thats still atleast 2.5 feet


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## Barbiie (Sep 8, 2007)

I agree with renay make the pen about 3 foot tall and make a roof maybe that will hold the rascals a bit longer =]


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

A roof is probably your best bet... My jumpy boy (Puck) can jump what seems like 3 feet. :lol:


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## lieunym (Jun 8, 2007)

Oh man, alright haha.
So would a roof be covering the whole thing? How do I make it?


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

You could make it as a flat sheet bigger than your pen and then weight the edges so it holds in place... that way you could get it off quickly if needed?


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## giddy4ratz (Sep 14, 2007)

Eeer...yeah...rats are jumpers. I would def put a lid on it


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## MagicalLobster (Jun 30, 2007)

Rats, if willing enough, can jump up to three feet in height without any deployment. Put a nice wall for them to gain some momentum off of and they could probably shoot it up to about five feet. Consider smoothing out the walls and such if they're made of wire.


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## lieunym (Jun 8, 2007)

MagicalLobster said:


> Rats, if willing enough, can jump up to three feet in height without any deployment. Put a nice wall for them to gain some momentum off of and they could probably shoot it up to about five feet. Consider smoothing out the walls and such if they're made of wire.


They're cardboard walls. Does that give them alot of grip?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Are they jumping straight up off the floor? Or do you have items in there that they are launching off of?


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## Pomperella (Jun 4, 2007)

i thought that this was a thread about jumpers for rats - or pullovers, little rattie clothing articles!


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## giddy4ratz (Sep 14, 2007)

Pomperella said:


> i thought that this was a thread about jumpers for rats - or pullovers, little rattie clothing articles!


Lol... :lol: So did I til I read the post


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## Bandit (Jul 30, 2007)

Forsure a lid. I let my girls run around the bathroom because that is the only place safe in my house for them to scurry about.


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## Pomperella (Jun 4, 2007)

me and my housemate once spent about 2 hours making a run for my ratties. until they jumped out in a few seconds flat. we were humiliated!


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## lieunym (Jun 8, 2007)

lilspaz68 said:


> Are they jumping straight up off the floor? Or do you have items in there that they are launching off of?


Both. I think only one of them can do it off the floor though.


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## lieunym (Jun 8, 2007)

giddy4ratz said:


> Pomperella said:
> 
> 
> > i thought that this was a thread about jumpers for rats - or pullovers, little rattie clothing articles!
> ...


Haha :lol:


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## tialloydragon (Aug 27, 2007)

> Rats, if willing enough, can jump up to three feet in height without any deployment. Put a nice wall for them to gain some momentum off of and they could probably shoot it up to about five feet.


Ain't that the truth. I was dumbfounded just now when Nyah (grey hooded rat with black eyes and apparently really good depth perception) leaped way up onto my thigh, then springboarded off my thigh onto my footlocker to escape my 20 inch "Great Wall" playpen. It was very impressive. Ruby on the other hand, doesn't jump, and is content with exploring the confines of the playpen. 

But yeah, like everyone's been saying, rats are very smart, and very good jumpers. A dangerous combination for anyone trying to keep them contained.


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## lieunym (Jun 8, 2007)

I put a lip over the edges, and it seems to have worked. So far I haven't had an escape yet, but they've tried.
^^


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## giddy4ratz (Sep 14, 2007)

lieunym said:


> I put a lip over the edges, and it seems to have worked. So far I haven't had an escape yet, but they've tried.
> ^^


Oooh that is fantastic!  I hope they are enjoying their little selves


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## lieunym (Jun 8, 2007)

giddy4ratz said:


> lieunym said:
> 
> 
> > I put a lip over the edges, and it seems to have worked. So far I haven't had an escape yet, but they've tried.
> ...


He got out today :? 
Arggg I can't seem to figure it out.


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## giddy4ratz (Sep 14, 2007)

lieunym said:


> giddy4ratz said:
> 
> 
> > lieunym said:
> ...


oops :?


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## reachthestars (Feb 27, 2007)

Rats are quite the little acrobats, as you've now found out! The best bet for a 'rat wall' is to make it 3.5 to 4 feet high, and to not put anything next to the wall itself (or within jumping distance). 

I'm actually in the process of designing a wall for my rat room, and have decided that it will be 4 feet tall. Remy's a pretty impressive jumper. As always, no matter what the height, please remember constant supervision is the key .


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