# Clay Rat House



## silenthawk2x3 (May 25, 2011)

I have yet to acquire my rats, and yes I'm getting two, but I'm preparing ahead of time.

I recently made a large rat house out of clay with two sizable round holes in it for entrances/exits. Sorry about not having any pics, but it went back into the kiln today with glaze. It's round with no sharp corners and no purchase for little rat teeth so I'm not especially concerned with them gnawing on it and breaking it. Not to mention I made the walls extremely thick for added weight so they may be too thick for a rat to get it's mouth around.

I'm wondering if this will be okay to use for my rats as I have never heard of using clay for housing. The clay is your average run of the mill organic clay and when fired is essentially just earthenware. The glaze is also nontoxic and is safe for human use and I could run it through the dishwasher if I needed to.


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

Huh, I don't know but I'll be interested to find out I think that's pretty neat.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

i have heard of people using clay pots and planters to help keep rats cool in the summer... i don't see why it would be a problem. just hopefully they don't chew it!


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## silenthawk2x3 (May 25, 2011)

Thanks for the input! I'll put actual pics up as soon as I can bring it home, but this "awesome" picture I made in paint should show you what it generally looks like. The larger door hole I can fit my hand in without fear of getting it stuck, (I have large hands for a woman.) I'm starting to wonder if it is going to be big enough for the male rats I am hoping to get once I can raise the funds. The bottom diameter is probably between 6-8 inches with the top between 4-6. I'm guessing its about 5-6 inches tall?


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## Terpsichore (May 28, 2011)

I have ceramic hideouts for my rats and they love them. I never had them during the summer, so I do not know about them keeping rats cool. They do seem to stay cool to the touch, now that it is starting to get warm here. I do know, however, that they are great for the winter! Because they are ceramic, they hold onto the body heat of the rat and stay very warm long after the rat has left. I was always surprised when I would take them out to clean and they would still be warm.

Mine are actually unglazed, they were made for reptiles, and I do not see any signs of them being chewed on. They might have gotten a few test tastes when they were new, but I have never seen any of them try to chew on them.

I hope your rats will like it as much as mine do!


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