# I made a mini rat tent!



## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

I made this for my rat, Koko, today. It was so fun, just wanted to share. Koko likes it already
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## Nenn (Nov 13, 2007)

Oh my god, that is so awesome! I wish I would be good with my hands. I would make two of those for my girlies new cage when it arrives!


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## British (Apr 2, 2012)

That's great!


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## Paul_Julian (Oct 31, 2011)

So much work and care and rats will easi;ly chew it ! This mini tent is just gorgous ! I saw such in pet-stores, but those were made from not soft fabric, and this looks soooo cozy !


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Wow, nice work!


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

Paul_Julian said:


> So much work and care and rats will easi;ly chew it ! This mini tent is just gorgous ! I saw such in pet-stores, but those were made from not soft fabric, and this looks soooo cozy !


Thanks Luckily my rat doesn't chew any of the beds I make for her so this should last a long time (probably until I get more baby rats which will likely chew it to pieces). But I don't mind if it gets chewed...it was fun to make and cost almost nothing since I buy all my fabric from second hand stores.


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

Just wanted to add this cuz it's so cute
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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

Nenn said:


> Oh my god, that is so awesome! I wish I would be good with my hands. I would make two of those for my girlies new cage when it arrives!


Nenn, you should give sewing a try. I didn't know how to sew 4 months ago, but I found some instructions on how to sew rat hammocks and cubes and started to teach myself. I think it's a great way to learn because your rats are not harsh critics and will love anything you make for them. I do have a sewing machine now (I got a basic one for free) but for the first while I did everything by hand. All you need is a needle, thread, and some fabric. You can get cheap fabric in second hand stores too, so it wouldn't be expensive.


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## tm22 (Mar 19, 2012)

Can I get instructions on this?


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## PipRat (Jan 24, 2012)

What did you use for the tent poles? Is it a bent coat hanger? It looks so cute!


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

I should've taken pictures of the steps but I can still explain it:

1. Cut out cardboard templates: make one rounded triangular template for the sides (mine was 10 inches across the bottom and 10 inches high, but you could try a different size or shape) and one square cardboard template for the bottom (mine was 10 by 10 inches)
2. Trace the triangular template on your fabric 8 times (4 for the outside and 4 for the inside) and trace the square 2 times (one for the inside and one for the outside) This give the whole tent double thickness.
3. Cut out all the pieces and lay them out, pinning together the inside and outside pieces of fabric for each side. Make sure you pin them with the wrong sides together.
4. Cut out small strips of fabric (or you can use thick ribbon) for the tabs that will hold the wire in place. You will need 9 pieces (I made mine about 2 inches long so that when they were folded over they were one inch). The 5 top and middle pieces can all be the same width (I think mine were about an inch and a half wide), but the bottom 4 need to be about a 1/2 inch wider because they need to be sewn along the bottom so that the wire stays in. I sewed the bottom tabs inside out so that it looked tidier. 
5. Before you sew the tent together, cut a hole out of the front triangular side for the door (cut through both layers). Using a cup for tracing works well. If you're using fleece the hole will stretch a bit so don't cut it too big. 
6. To make the door look more finished I like to cut a strip of fabric and hand-sew it around the edge of the door. I use a fat strip of fabric and fold it around the edge of the door so that no edges are showing. 
7. Start sewing the tent together: start by sewing the bottom of one triangle side to the square bottom. Make sure you sew inside out (as in, pin a triangle side to the square bottom with the right sides together and sew along the edge). Repeat for the other 3 sides.
8. Next, you can start sewing up the sides of the tent (again sew inside out). Make sure you remember to pin the tabs in place first (and that they are in the right way). I pinned it all together first and then turned it right side out to check that everything was in the right place before I turned it back inside out and started to sew. Once you're done sewing you can trim off any untidy edges and then turn the tent right side out.
9. For the tent poles I used coat hanger wire (because that's what I had at home so it was free.) I just cut two pieces with wire snips and bent them into arcs. I also bent over the ends to that they wouldn't start poking through the fabric. I have seen others use different types of flexible plastic though, so you can just use whatever you can find (as long as its safe). 
10. Then thread the poles through the tabs and you're done

*I made my tent with two layers of fabric so it would be really cozy and sturdy, but you could probably get away with just one layer if you want. 

I think this came out sounding a lot more complicated than it really is. Sorry, I'm not very good at explaining things without pictures.


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

PipRat said:


> What did you use for the tent poles? Is it a bent coat hanger? It looks so cute!


Thanks And yes, its a coat hanger.


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

JessyGene said:


> I should've taken pictures of the steps but I can still explain it:
> 
> 1. Cut out cardboard templates: make one rounded triangular template for the sides (mine was 10 inches across the bottom and 10 inches high, but you could try a different size or shape) and one square cardboard template for the bottom (mine was 10 by 10 inches)
> 2. Trace the triangular template on your fabric 8 times (4 for the outside and 4 for the inside) and trace the square 2 times (one for the inside and one for the outside) This give the whole tent double thickness.
> ...


Oh, and I might be making another one soon. If I do I'll take pics of the steps so its more clear.


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## Axelmyrat (Dec 5, 2010)

Wow I love it!


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

JessyGene said:


> I should've taken pictures of the steps but I can still explain it:
> 
> 1. Cut out cardboard templates: make one rounded triangular template for the sides (mine was 10 inches across the bottom and 10 inches high, but you could try a different size or shape) and one square cardboard template for the bottom (mine was 10 by 10 inches)
> 2. Trace the triangular template on your fabric 8 times (4 for the outside and 4 for the inside) and trace the square 2 times (one for the inside and one for the outside) This give the whole tent double thickness.
> ...


Oh, and I might be making another one soon. If I do I'll take pics of the steps so its more clear.


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## Nenn (Nov 13, 2007)

I have done SOME sewing by hand couple years back, but they didnt look as nice as yours 
Id love to have a sewing machine but they cost so much in here.

When you make another tent, please take pics of step by step! Maybe Ill give it a try aswell  Also, your little rattie looks sooooo adorable


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

So I was in a real sewing mood today so I already made another tent and I took step by step pictures. Rather than post them one by one in here I just made an instructional page on squidoo.com. Here's a link to the page: http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-sew-a-small-animal-tent 
I hope it's not too confusing!


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## Nenn (Nov 13, 2007)

Thank you for the link and guide! As soon as I get some fleece, ill be trying to make a tent aswell


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHFUUUUUUUUUUUUU
That'ssoooawesome.


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## Rubber Duck (Apr 7, 2012)

It looks like those little miniature display model tents at the sporting goods places. They don't have a lot of room to set up full size tents so they make these little mini versions. I always thought they were cool looking.


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## PetLover88 (Apr 6, 2012)

How cute! I have some fleece left over from the shelf liner i made.... Looks like i'll be making the girls a tent next time i'm off of work! Wish i had found this before i bought that igloo hut they don't even use.... ;D


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## Munchie (Mar 13, 2012)

This is so cute  I want one aha


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

I would so buy one off of you!!!!


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## RatVeldman (Apr 23, 2012)

Makes me want to take my rats camping with me.


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