# Flipping rat



## gelarphoenix (Dec 12, 2013)

I'm a first time rat owner and everything has been great, both have settled in well and enjoy a daily routine of hopping into their balls for a roll around the house while i freshen up their box and give them new water. Cloud doesn't mind at all when i pick him up and let him back in the box, he's usually ecstatic to see fresh food and dives right in but Yuffie is another story. The day we got them she did backflips inside the box trying to get out. I accepted this as being scared and wanting to get out but now she does it every time we put her back. It was mildly amusing the first time and now it's a bit worrying. She jumps as if to get out and hits the roof before falling, sometimes in the water bowl. I'm a little worried she'll hurt herself because she looks a little dazed and then goes to do it again.

They won't stay in their current digs for long due to cage renovations but has anyone ever experienced rats doing this.. Or anything like it. I can only think of putting a blanket over the top to calm her down.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

Sounds odd. Is she young? Young rats have tons of energy, especially females - hence 'popcorning' sometimes. Yet I've not seen it to that degree.

If she constantly does it, I'd recommend changing the water bowl for a bottle. You don't want her landing awkwardly on a hard edge.


----------



## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

I have never seen a rat backflip before-and I have 3 females (one of which is incredibly hyper and excitable). If she is young then I would expect it to be popcorning but on an extreme level. How long have you had them for?On a side note:Rats shouldn't be put in balls. It's bad for their spines because they are having to 'arch' their backs and can leave perminant spinal damage. Avoid the balls for rats. Instead, section off an area of the house where you will allow them to run around freely. Some people use the bathroom, sofa, dining room table or build a playpen specificly made for the rats. Personally, I use my whole room for free range time. Just make sure it's rat proofed before setting your rats in that area!


----------



## Andyurgay (Jun 10, 2013)

What kind of cage are you keeping them in? Also, you say you have a boy and girl? Are they seperated? If not, they really should be or you will be over run with babies before you know what to do. But rats should also never be kept alone if at all possible. They need either a cage mate of the same sex, or one of the opposite who is fixed. 
If the cage is big enough, she should calm down, find her place to hide out until she feels comfortable and comes out on her own. If that is the case, she may just full of energy and needs to get out and expend some of it. But on top of them being new with you, she may be scared. Rats do jump VERY high and a lot while scared if they do not have a secure place to hide. When you let them out, forget the ball. That does not allow for the needed amount of exercise and does not allow them to explore like rats do. Rats taste, smell, touch, chew and climb everything to get to know it and where they live. A rat that is only allowed out in a ball will go back into the cage more wound up than when put in one because it will see all of these new places, but will be unable to experience it. And that is what separates rats from other small animals. They are too **** smart for their own good and curious as anything. A starving rat will often times bi-pass food if it is put in a new place. He will explore first, eat after.
Putting them in a ball is just teasing them and making them want out of the cage more and more.


----------



## Andyurgay (Jun 10, 2013)

And for the blanket, I would not do it. Rats need good air circulation. And she will most likely use her excess energy to put said blanket into where ever she is and shred it to bits lol


----------



## bazmonkey (Nov 8, 2013)

Is this an actual box, like something opaque? If so, you're never gonna stop them trying to jump out.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I'm pretty sure your rat is trying to tell you he wants to be out of his cage... My rats prefer to be out of the cage pretty much all day and usually are out about 20 hours... So I'm thinking the back flips are him telling you to let him out... 

As to rats wanting out of their cage, I've never had one that didn't... so however they express it, it's just communication and normal.


----------



## gelarphoenix (Dec 12, 2013)

Thanks for all the input guys. I'm still getting used to what's normal for their behaviour and whatnot. They're both young, I'm guessing maybe around the 6-8 weeks old mark. We're getting one of them fixed, probably Yuffie because I think Cloud would be lost without his junk, he's so proud of it. They are indeed in a small box. Upon reflection I and my partner should have thought about housing before getting them but we were so excited and didn't think. The only thing the pet store had (bearing in mind this is a small town 2 hours away from one with more pet stores) was fish aquariums, tiny birdcages and a slightly larger birdcage that they could definitely get out of. It's definitely too small for them now, and even worse when they get bigger. It breaks my heart to see them in there but we have several large birdcages out the back and we've chosen the largest to cover up with thick hardware mesh with small gaps and convert it to a rat palace. I've got it all worked out in my head, all I'm waiting for is a day when my SO is free so we can go and buy everything. It's quite amazing what you can find and use for toys and ramps when you start thinking outside the box.

And I agree wholeheartedly on the seeing the outside world and not sniffing and crawling on it. Our roommates will just have to pee in the garden because we're sooooooo hogging the bathroom now. It's the only room free of stuff to lose them in or gaps to escape from. Not to mention theres a wild rat in the roof and at least one small mouse living in the walls that we can't get rid of...Doubly now we have pet rats. We even named the roof rat... Bob. I think I'll dub the mouse Cocky because I confused it for a cockroach before realising it was a mouse. Opened the door, turned on the light and saw this small brown thing dash under the bed and through the wall.

Again thanks for the help. I'm just looking everywhere for all the knowledge I can get because I love them so much already and I want to make their lives the best I can.


----------



## Andyurgay (Jun 10, 2013)

I'm really happy to hear you are putting your all into making the best of it for them =] I'm lucky that I live somewhere surrounded by pet stores with unlimited options. But a large bird cage with hard ware clothe will work just fine for them for now =] And it is shocking the amount of things you can use for ratties. I always giggle at my boyfriend being trapped to one or two places in a store for his bearded dragon while I wonder the bird, dog, cat, small animal and fish sections for rattie stuff. Even kids toys. I'm constantly feeling fabric for hammock and tunnel use and even hardware stores or outdoors. It's limitless.

There are some things you can read up on to make any room reasonably rat proof. I say reasonably because rats are just so damned smart that they will absolutely amaze you with the things they can get into but you can make it reasonably safe for your rats and your belongings. Just in case your roommates take offense to having the bathroom occupied by rodents lol My brothers hate when I close off the upstairs bathroom for the girls. But they deal with it because they have bonded with the girls.

Also for the wild rat and mouse, toooo cute! 
Well I wish you the best of luck with your new little ones and I'm sure you will find answers to any questions you have. I was new to this forum just back in June with my first rats and over the months have learned more and been helped through each "crisis" with ease and no judgement of my rat keeping skills. We're all learning from each other. And I for one am always happy to see a new person taking interest in rats and doing their best for them =]


----------



## JudeWriley (Aug 1, 2007)

You'll want to be doubly careful if your rats are as old as you say. Rats become sexually mature at 4 weeks, so it's completely possible (likely) that you could seeing babies soon. You'll want to keep them separated until you can get the female spayed.


----------



## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

It's highly recommended that females be spayed over males being neutered. Spayed femaled have a significantly lower risk of developing tumours and reproductive cancers. Also, it's not correct to assume that Cloud would be "lost" without his junk. If we didn't neuter for that reason, we'd be even more over-run with dogs, cats, rats, etc. than we already are. We shouldn't be spreading the message that males "need" their testicals and females "need" their ovaries. It just adds to the spaying/neutering myths out there.


----------

