# they don't want the hammock!



## tailpop (Nov 6, 2012)

So, Björn and Nanook are living with us for about 3 weeks now. I think they enjoy their cage as it's fairly big (Ferplast Furet XL)...but: they absolutely refuse to use their hammock! There is a plastic tunnel in the lower level they're starting to use more frequently, a plush tunnel right next to the hammock which is usually only used by Björn and two little huts, one at the bottom and one on 2nd floor.
Something like this (sorry for poor picture, I had to take a photo early morning with half the lights off with my phone):









They are not really afraid of us anymore, however Nanook sometimes freaks out if we move too suddenly or he thinks he hears something odd, but he's a little bit more timid and introverted than Björn anyway. Is it possible that they don't want to sleep in an open space like a hammock because they are still scared..? Or is there something wrong with the hammock itself? Should we put it some place else or replace it with an other one? Does anyone else have rats who are not really interested in this stuff? Last time when I had rats as a teenage it was nearly impossible to drag my rats out of their hammocks (one of them even carried it around the room whenever he was out, just in case he wants to take a nap). Seriously, what are we missing here? I want them to use their toys so their environment would be much more fun, but they don't seem to get the idea. They just stick with the two huts (which I'm gonna replace with plastic ones as soon as possible because they reek of pee) and that's it.


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## CherriBomb (Nov 13, 2012)

Quite possibly they have not learned the joys of the hammock yet! My two boys lovedddd their tissue box, until I threw it away during a cage clean. When they arrived back into their newly cleaned home they decided maybe it was time to try out the weird thing in the corner on the top level... and well...its impossible to get them out of it now. I put some treats in it to entice them to go into it and it seemed to have worked. You could try putting something tasty in it, many rats will become extremely curious and try it out without any assistance. It is possible they prefer a closed tighter space for warmth or snuggling, in that case you could try making a tube-like hammock. The dapper rat website has a lot of nifty ideas.


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## tailpop (Nov 6, 2012)

We tried putting yummies in the hammock before going to bed and leaving them them to it. Treats were gone in the morning but no sign of a rat using it properly . We should continue with that for a bit longer I suppose.. I am planning on updating and rearranging their cage next month, I'll definitely get a cube for them in the first place but leave the hammock in, just in case they change their mind then.


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## KSati (Oct 19, 2012)

Some rats just seem to prefer an enclosed space to sleep/relax in. I've got two hammocks and a basket in the upper level of a CN, and my boys just use them to get to either their cube or space pods more easily.


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## sarashine (Oct 12, 2012)

May I ask if Nanook is a Frank Zappa reference?


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## tailpop (Nov 6, 2012)

Haha, no. We gave them names related to northern culture as they are...you know...huskies.  Nanook is actually the master of bears in Inuit mithology. Look at them. They're both look precisely like 2000 lb polar bears, don't they? ;D


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## TachisMom (Oct 17, 2012)

It took my girls 3 months before they started using their hammocks lol. I thought they just didn't like them, but once they started it has become their favorite sleepy area


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## tailpop (Nov 6, 2012)

Oh well, I think I shouldn't blame myself then. I'll try some more treats to give them a hint and just see what happens....also getting a cube/closed hammock. They're as choosy as spoiled 5yr olds, they don't like the food I give them so why would they like the toys I buy.


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## ZombieMama (Nov 19, 2012)

I made a hanging tunnel an it took my
Boys a few weeks before they used it. Now they love it 









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## TachisMom (Oct 17, 2012)

tailpop said:


> We tried putting yummies in the hammock before going to bed and leaving them them to it. Treats were gone in the morning but no sign of a rat using it properly . We should continue with that for a bit longer I suppose.. I am planning on updating and rearranging their cage next month, I'll definitely get a cube for them in the first place but leave the hammock in, just in case they change their mind then.


It took my girls even longer to want to use the cube lol.....I think they thought I was trying to trap them somehow  But now that they have tried it out, it's their FAVORITE! Same with the hanging fleece tubes.


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## Charliesmom (Nov 13, 2012)

*Charlie didn't know what the heck that thing was when he got his first hammock. well what i did, was when he fell asleep on me *I am talking that deep rattie sleep where you could run a marching band through the room and he wouldn't move* I walked into my room and put my sleepy rat on his hammock, then rubbed his cheeks till he dozed back off. he slept in his hammock for two hours, ever since then he loves it!*


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## IndyYawns! (Oct 30, 2012)

I noticed that if I moved a rat into the hammock during a moment while the rat is sleepy, the rat will be to lazy to get out at that moment and lay in there for a few minutes, at least..


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## tailpop (Nov 6, 2012)

I don't think sneaking the sleepy rat into the hammock could work. They're way too active and curious to fall asleep while freeranging (I hope this will change as I'd love two cuddly pocket monsters). Björn is quite comfortable around me but Nanook will go around for ages looking for the shortest wormhole to a universe where I'm preferably not present. 

I think we stick with leaving treats on the hammock and getting a closed one also so they have a choice. I have removed one of their huts as it was unbearably smelly and I'm quite afraid of them breathing too much ammonia. Now that they don't have their favorite super-gross hut we'll see...

Anyway, It's good to know our guys not the only ones...


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

I bought this hammock and my rats haven't used it - it's been about a month or so. I tried the treat thing and they quickly grabbed the treat and didn't get close to that area again. I think my ladies prefer a roof over their lounging area, so I bought this bunker hammock and am waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I have a feeling they will like this one a lot better. It also looks comfier too!


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## Charliesmom (Nov 13, 2012)

*The reason Charlie was so easy to move was because he is a major mama's boy.... Charlie refuses to get more than five feet from me. He follows me like a dog when he is on the floor, and as soon as I pause it's up the leg, and down the shirt...lol*


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## thelittleredladybug (Aug 8, 2011)

TailPop, I offer a hammock called the bunker hammock. It's perfect for those ratties who are scared of open environment hammocks but still allows much breathing room and allows your rattie to lay with his buddies still.
The hammock is open but has the closed enclosure feeling since the hammock is surrounded by the two top layers and the sides being higher up then a regular hammock. 
You can find them here: I will be adding SOOO many new styles within the next couple of weeks!

Let me know if you have any questions. Right now, until the 25th, you can get 20% off your entire order by putting this code in your shopping cart: 20perentireorder


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## pocketmouse (Jun 13, 2012)

It took my girls a while to start using their hammock too, but now they love it  I would try filling it with some materials and things that smell like you, that way they'll have something to burrow in as well as something comforting that has your scent! I also find that they tend to switch what spot they sleep in depending on the weather/temperature of the house, when it's colder they'll snuggle up in their fuzzy pyramid hammock, during the summer they'll mostly sleep in their 'floating' plastic tube (a ferret sized tube zip tied to the top of the cage) or just on top of their shelf. Just recently while I was washing their other hammock I folded a pillow case in half, cut a hole in each corner and zip tied it to the top of the cage, and they've been loving it! It's really big even folded in half, so it takes up a good amount of the cage top, but I think they really enjoy the space. I also placed a pot holder in between the fabric layers, just to give them something more stable to stand on; they've been using it pretty much every night I think since I put it in there. I think I'm going to go to some thrift stores today to try to pick up a few more pillow cases. I also make sure to set them in the hammock for a second as soon as I put it in there, just so that they know it's safe to climb in, etc. They usually jump out immediately, but then they can explore it later without having to fear that it's not going to hold them or whatever.


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## ZombieMama (Nov 19, 2012)

This is my hammock boy.  he's the only one that seems to like the hammock so far. Lol 


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## DragonFire43 (Oct 20, 2012)

tailpop said:


> Haha, no. We gave them names related to northern culture as they are...you know...huskies.  Nanook is actually the master of bears in Inuit mithology. Look at them. They're both look precisely like 2000 lb polar bears, don't they? ;D


Oh I was Thinkin The Lost Boys movie. Their dog is names Nanook


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

My girls didn't use a hammock for two months... and then I got a ferret cube and now they sleep in it and Peachy sleeps on top of it, but they still do not touch the hammock.

I don't know why Peaches and Cream never discovered the joys of the hammock, but Silver had a few near death experiences with it. She fell from it several times. I think the cube gives her a sense of safety. Also, I think the only reason Peaches sleeps on top of it is that I put a bird perch right next to it, so she has something solid to grab in she needs to.

Rats are very careful when trying new things and I guess sometimes they'll never, or take for ever to, get what something is for and not be afraid to use it. So... Good luck with your babies!


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## tailpop (Nov 6, 2012)

Currently they have (and avoid ;D) this one:










But next week we're gonna put these in and see if they like it more:
















And of course a pee-proof Sputnik XL 

Unfortunately I don't live in the US (nor UK) to get the awesome stuff I see in some cages posted, but many people here with ferrets do cool stuff for rats also.

btw... what do you use to fix hammocks? I don't want any more chains as I think it's not so nice-looking, but I'm afraid they will chew through anything else like twine or ropes in a second..


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## tailpop (Nov 6, 2012)

thelittleredladybug said:


> TailPop, I offer a hammock called the bunker hammock. It's perfect for those ratties who are scared of open environment hammocks but still allows much breathing room and allows your rattie to lay with his buddies still.
> The hammock is open but has the closed enclosure feeling since the hammock is surrounded by the two top layers and the sides being higher up then a regular hammock.
> You can find them here: I will be adding SOOO many new styles within the next couple of weeks!
> 
> Let me know if you have any questions. Right now, until the 25th, you can get 20% off your entire order by putting this code in your shopping cart: 20perentireorder


I scrolled through your stuff, I love the SpongeBob design


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## ZombieMama (Nov 19, 2012)

View attachment 10718

Before my new cage only zombie would climb up an use the hammock but now that it's a lot easier to access they all seem to like it  


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## kmaria (Nov 30, 2012)

thelittleredladybug said:


> TailPop, I offer a hammock called the bunker hammock. It's perfect for those ratties who are scared of open environment hammocks but still allows much breathing room and allows your rattie to lay with his buddies still.
> The hammock is open but has the closed enclosure feeling since the hammock is surrounded by the two top layers and the sides being higher up then a regular hammock.
> You can find them here: I will be adding SOOO many new styles within the next couple of weeks!
> 
> Let me know if you have any questions. Right now, until the 25th, you can get 20% off your entire order by putting this code in your shopping cart: 20perentireorder


I just ordered our girls a spiderman bunker hammock! Can't wait to try it out with them, what a cool little hammock!


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## kmaria (Nov 30, 2012)

update, my rats have already destroyed our spiderman hammock. once they got used to it, they loved lounging in it! and one favored the very top , against the top of the cage and we called it the penthouse LOL. unfortunately they gnawed a lot of little holes in it so we will be ordering a new one soon. i am trying to figure out how to avoid them doing this in the future, but I can't think of anything.


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