# What to do if your rat escapes?



## AmberlynKnight (Apr 11, 2016)

I don't own my ratties yet- but I got the okay from both my landlords to own two of them which is amazing considering the first rule when I moved in was no small pets. However, one of them is still concerned about them getting out of my/their room and running around the house. He seems to think that during supervised freeroaming in my bedroom that they will be able to gnaw through the walls and destroy the house immediately. We had an issue with mice not long ago, so he's still very tense about the idea. I've tried to explain that they won't leave because of food, snuggles and treats during playtime, but he doesn't seem too convinced. So I have two questions!

1.) Do rats try to run away and find a way out of their play area with intentions to escape?

2.) How do you get a reluctant rat back if they get out during freeroaming and you can't find them?

I'm not worried about this. As far as I'm concerned, they will learn that a shake of the treats jar means a tasty snack-- which I imagine should eliminate that problem altogether since rats are very food driven. Still, even after I explained name training and treats he is not convinced this won't be an issue.


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## catty-ratty (Feb 21, 2016)

Rats love their humans, want to be with them. It's highly unlikely that they will have any intentions of escape. They WILL want explore EVERYTHING, and it could be pretty easy to lose track of them, but they will also come back. Bond with them before allowing them outside the cage for free time if you're not using a playpen for them. The only concern I would have is the possibility of them going under the door to your room. If the space between the floor and the bottom of door is more than 1/2", block it off. If you have young rats, block it off anyway. Baby can slip through tiny places. 

So my advice...

Even if you don't plan on using one, I would suggest is getting a play pen for your rats and show it to your land lord explaining that your rats can't get out of it. 

Now, here's the sneaky part. 

Only explain that your rats can't get out of it. DON'T say, '...when my rats are in the pen for play time....... Just say _'I bought this play pen for my rats and they can't get out of it'_. You won't be lying to him. You're only explaining that your rats can't get out of it. The landlord will connect the dots on his own, assuming that you mean '_when the rats are out for playtime in the pen, they can't get out of it_'. But in reality, you didn't actually _say_ that and you are not lying, just leading him to the conclusion he needs, assurance that your rats can't get out or escape.
;D

Now, if you've taken measures to rat proof the bottom of the door and your rats are bonded to you, and they happen to get lost, it will be in your room and it shouldn't be a problem. Keep a box in the from the cage that your rats have slept in. If they get lost, they will eventually find their way back to the cage and wait until you let them back in. Rats get attached to their cages. If you don't know you'll be there when they come back, put the used box near the cage. Your rat will find the familiar box and hide there until you come back.

I've done it before and it worked for me. 

Not the playpen thing, the box thing!


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## Toxicat (Jan 18, 2015)

I let my rats run around on my bed or sit on my shoulder when I'm doing house work. Because of the height they don't really try to escape. I've had a problem with rats escaping their cage and exploring the room though. (I even saw one rat figure out how to open the door and then teach the other rat how to do it.) My rats are pretty well trained though, my door has a 1.5 inch gap they can fit through but they've never left the room (thankfully, considering my roommates have a cat) or used the restroom outside their cage. ^.^ Whenever I came home to an open rat cage, I would just shake their treats and they come running though. I also don't ever really have an issue putting them back in their cage, I have a pretty good feel of when they want to go back in their cage.


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

The box idea works wonders. My second day ever owning rats, one of my boys jumps out of my hands, darts down the back of my dresser, and vanishes into my laundry pile. I had work in twenty minutes, so I left their litter box on the floor. Found him hiding behind it when I got home.


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

But I keep a live squirrel trap in my storage closet... mostly just because my phobic mother babysits for me and one of my guys figured out how to open doors.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Our rats free range the house... they always show up when they want affection or food. Depending on your building I suppose they could get into the walls if you have openings... so seal them off. Use aluminum flashing or metal from soda or beer cans. 

Mostly the worst hazard pet rats represent is a fire hazard. They can chew the insulation off of wires, that can shock you or even burn the building down... I've had a lot of wires cut by our rats, but amazingly they never caused a short or a fire, but if your rats do, your landlords are likely go change their minds about your rats quickly.

And yes, rats can chew through walls and even doors, but for the most part domestic rats are way too lazy to chew through anything more resistant than carpet.

On the up side, rats are territorial... your pet rat's are actually likely to keep wild ones out. 

Best luck.


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