# Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 votes)



## Crispen (Jun 5, 2008)

Ok I need your help guys...I need to actually know what are the chances of rats escaping from their cages...just please do the poll, thanks very much 

I'm trying to get as many votes as possible here, so I get a real indication...

Thankyou all who vote!


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## clarry (May 19, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped?*

Mine have never escaped, I left the cage door open today for about 2 hours, went in their and noticed and crapped myself looking 4 them-they were both curled up asleep in the corner of their cage!


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## Crispen (Jun 5, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped?*

Sweet! lol thats really cool, thanks


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## stephigigo (Jun 18, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped?*

I left the cage open while i was out once and they were all still there when I got back.

Only one of my rats has ever escaped - my cage has a big plastic tunnel and it came a bit loose one time. My rat Peach spent the night playing in the kitchen by herself (scoffed a whole bag of sunflower seeds and pulled all my washing off the maiden, but she didn't do any damage). As soon as my boyfriend came home from work Peach went running to greet him.

in my opinion, if a rat has a good home then they shouldn't want to escape. the bar spacing on my cage is massive but my girls have never even tried to get through it.


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## Crispen (Jun 5, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

kk thanks, maybe I should have made the poll about fully wire cages lol oh well

Keep the votes coming!


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## BlueSkyy (Sep 27, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

My boys have never escaped, even if I leave the cage door open. They just peek their heads out to see what's going on!


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## amandahoney (May 14, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

in the last 10 years, during which i have had 15 rats, i've had ONE major escape. the very first rats i ever had were constant escape artists, but it was completely my fault. i didn't know much about rats (i was eleven at the time, and without the internet) and i had them in an aquarium with a plastic lid. duh. i'd wake up some mornings to find the lid on the floor and the rats nowhere to be found. one time, one of them was out in the house for two weeks. she did minimal damage, though. i found out years later that she made herself a little nest of our outgrown clothes in a box in the basement (didn't actually ruin anything). eventually i caught her, by waiting next to the couch with a laundry basket. she wasn't ever very friendly toward me after that.

so, in terms to damage to the house, none. it was more damage to the poor rat's personality.

also, for a while when i first got my current cage, i didn't realize the bar spacing was too big, and my girls were "visiting" me at night. i have since remedied that with coated hardware mesh. they still couldn't get out of my room, though, since i sleep with the door closed, and i'd usually find them in the laundry basket in the morning, if they didn't wake me up by wiggling under the covers.

conclusion: if my rats have escaped, it's been my fault, and no lasting damage has ever come from it.


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## abbycrazed (Mar 7, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

The first week when I got my rat (still my first and only T_T parents are hard to convince...).... the first week i had an aquarium with a lid that just sat on top. my rat climbed up (10 gal aquarium, not hard to do), pushed the roof out of her way and was almost lost if i hadn't caught the tip of her tail disappearing over the edge of my bed. Since I got the wire cage, I haven't had any problems though. If I leave the door open, she'll stick her head/nose out and sniff around, then curl up and go back to sleep.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

never had any rat escapes

I had one female that took a stroll around the room & go back to her cage but no one ever escaped. We had found signs of poo but could never figure out how it got there until she was eventually busted mid-prance running under the bed with a large peanut she pulled out of a treat bag. She was placed in a cage with smaller bar set until she grew out a bit more & could be returned to the big girl cage.

This isn't true about the gerbil my girls brought in without my knowledge several years ago. They waited a day to tell me about sneaking him in & he sneaking out of his cage. We never found him, never heard him, never saw any signs of him... poof!

The only thing I could figure is that he found his way outside. The house was an older construction block home that was originally built without central heat & air. At some point they added a unit so there were all kinds of fabricated openings in walls & in the backs of closets to run the duct work room room to room. Some of these spots were not sealed very well. He had to have found his way out that way. I know in the 3 years I lived there I patched a few places where I found hot drafts coming in which were a dead give-away that there was an opening to the outside world. 

So nope... not rat escapes but we did have one successful gerbil escape.

Does that count?

(ps... my girls never ever sneaked an animal in again, they felt horrible about this & some 7 years later they still talk about the one that got away)


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## kenRakuu (Mar 29, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

My two boys have never really escaped, but one time I left the cage open and Pilot got out (Albert just stayed in bed) My whole room is rat proof so it's set up for them to free range anyway, but I'm guessing pilot fell off the cage or off the desk and got a minor sprain that healed in two-three days anyhow but nothing was damaged in my room, maybe save for toys, but thats the point of them right?


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

One of my rats was able to squeeze through the bars in the Ferret Nation. Most of the time she'd just climb up to the top of the cage and hang out in the plastic bin where I keep extra cloth and stuff to give to them.

One day, though, I was on my computer and saw her running around the ground. She ended up in my recliner, so I had some trouble getting her out, but nothing serious happened. Now my Ferret Nation has wires over the bars so no problems.

Edit: By the way, I don't think this forum has 100 active members. So I don't think you'll get all those votes


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## xampx (Dec 31, 2006)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

Carrot managed to fit her head through her old cage so we got a new one. IT was a guinea pig cage though so its to be expected.

I leave the cage open when free ranging and they usually go back in after an hour or so by themselves. The new baby doesn't know how to get out of his cage yet, its cute.


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

It really depends on the cage you buy. If you buy a Ferret Nation or other cage with wide-spaced bars, then your chances are much higher of having an escape than if you buy something with smaller bar spacing, like a Martin's.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

Rats are NEVER going to burn your house down. Your dad's claims have no basis.


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## pinkpixies (May 22, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

When I was a kid...our hamster escaped...and we never found her...or well...we found her dead several months later


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*



KayRatz said:


> Rats are NEVER going to burn your house down. Your dad's claims have no basis.


I dunno. I've once had a rat pee on the back of a DVD player and it started to spark and smoke. If it gets into some open wiring, onto an open appliance etc .. I'm sure the risk is there. Even if it's minimal

Hence a good ratproofed room! Lol


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

My rats get out all the time. My boys leave their cage door opened though. They always come back when I call them or when I put food in their cage. They never get into anything, if anything happens they either pick on the dog, sleep in a shoe, or come to find you so you can hold and pet them. Capitan Morgan is the only one who gets into anything and the only thing he even gets into is my son's toys. He loves the puppets and will climb into them and it does take a bit to find him again, but now that we know where his hiding spots are it's simple.


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## sourat (May 9, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

My little Ed managed to get away from me during free range time. The little sly thing squeezed into a spot where not even my hand to reach him! I had to spend quite some time coaxing him to get out.. but then again, he was always independant. & if the cage top was ever open he'd dash to get out. Using food for bribary is effective


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*



Ration1802 said:


> KayRatz said:
> 
> 
> > Rats are NEVER going to burn your house down. Your dad's claims have no basis.
> ...


Exactly.... the room my rats are in is terrible if they escape, there's a computer, two gaming systems, a TV, a DVD/VCR player, a fishtank and a bass guitar amp in here. O_O


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## ScootersPet (Sep 4, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

Once.... my little female..I forgot to close the door to her cage, she didnt go far, just up the stairs and back down, but that was enough lol.
My boys wont leave their cage unless i allow them to, they poke their heads out a look around then go about their business.


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## Angry_J (Feb 3, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

According to this book, wild rats are responsible for an estimated 25% of structure fires.

That said, I've never had a rat escape *yet*. Snakes - that's another story.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

snakes are escape artists.


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## Crispen (Jun 5, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*



cjshrader said:


> Edit: By the way, I don't think this forum has 100 active members.  So I don't think you'll get all those votes


Oh :lol: well its going quite good so far...

Thanks everyone who has voted and commented so far by the way  

*KayRatz*: My dad is worried that the rats will escape, get in the walls, chew wiring and thus start a fire...but most of his arguements for not getting rats are in fact based on NO real knowledge or information... :roll:


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## phaidraft (Apr 9, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

No escapes here.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*



Crispen said:


> cjshrader said:
> 
> 
> > Edit: By the way, I don't think this forum has 100 active members. So I don't think you'll get all those votes
> ...


Any rodent can do that -_- But I've never heard of pet rats "getting in the walls." Seriously, at least if they escape we aren't introducing a new species...


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

I've never heard of a pet rat getting into the walls. I don't see why they would though either. Wild rats get into walls because they chew through them in order to get to food. Your pet rats know where the food is... it's in their food bowl. They don't scavage for food like wild rats do! If anything a wild rat will climb back into their cage with their friends where their hammocks are the very second they are hungry or thirsty. Yes if they smell it they will come, but they don't go out and activley look for food all the time like wild rats do! Your dad's fears are unfounded. Tell him that comparing a wild rat to a pet rat is like comparing a pet dog to a wolf. There isn't a comparison. Yes the same manerisms, a wild rat will clean himself the same as a pet rat, but a wolf will lick his butt the same as a toy poodle will....... doesn't mean they are the same!


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

Mine haven't ever escaped, unless you count hiding under a futon during 'out' time escaping. (The look on his face when I pull him out was hilarious though.) I think if you're careful about the safety of the cage them getting out shouldn't be an issue... and there are ways to find/catch a missing rat...


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## Meliss (Sep 1, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

My one rat koi escaped once- but it was my fault we had to give my girl Tara her medicine and opened the roof of the cage to get her- and I guess we didn't secure the roof down tight enough when we put tara back and we found Koi in my moms closet underneath some clothes.


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## shinzo-chan (Apr 2, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

My rats have never escaped, ive left the cage door open a few times and they just ignored it, theyd go back in by themselves if they were hungry anyway.

Ive had mice escape before, when i had them. They did half chew a few wires and nibble some paper though, but the damage was minimal. They were escape artists before i got a proper covering for their tank, lol.


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## tialloydragon (Aug 27, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

My one rat, Tori, escaped a few times in the middle of the night because she could fit through the bars of my old cage. I discovered she was out everytime because she jumped on my head while I was sleeping and started licking my face. It was really cute, but ultimately stressful being woken up out of a sound sleep three consecutive nights. A new cage with 1/2 inch bar spacing solved that. 

My alpha, Nyah, and Tori got out one time during a top-level wrestling match, when they took a tumble and knocked the door open on the way down. Once again I was woken up by Tori licking my face and then Nyah's pudgy frame running across my back. I keep my bedroom door closed so it was just a matter of scooping them up and putting them back in. I lock my cage with a miniature padlock now.


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## clarry (May 19, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

One thing I have to say which is slightly irrelevant-I had a rabbit, he was THE most amazing animal and I miss him like ****, he was a house rabbit and very much trained and proofed to my whole house, although he managed to get the phone wire/t.v wire etc and eat them. I left his cage unlocked (closed just 4got to lock) 3 or 4 times in th 3 years i had him, every time I came home he'd eaten all my barbies, had a very fun running around and throwing my toys (although he still peed in his tray) but STILL we came home the next morning to him being in his cage with minimal damage done. My rats seem to be the same, I have been irresponsible and left the cage open a few times for a few hours BUT they have never left it, apart from ONE time. I trust them, so when I am not sure if they want to come out I leave open the door and go out of the room for about 2/3mins, if when I go back they are hanging out waiting for me I will get them out, being sure they are not tierd, if they are where I left them, I think they are just awake because I woke them so will just shut the door. Once i 4got i left the door open and Moscow got out, he walked about one foot in 10 mins, I wouldnt worry with boys, they are too lazy!


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## BoyzRcrazy (Feb 18, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

No escapes yet, as I am a new rat mommy. I love my Martin's Skyscraper and Petco Rat Manor! But I am a complete and total airhead, so leaving the door open in the future might well happen. (Admitting my problem is the first step in overcoming it!) :wink:


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## Suzuks (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

One of my boys figured out how to escape from their cage which is on top of a dresser a good 4.5 feet off of the ground. I used to leave the door open all the time cause I figured there's no way he'd make it down - but he did. 

He managed to be loose for a whole day until I found him . . . apparently, he couldn't figure out how to escape back INTO his cage - he managed to climb all the way up the dresser again but couldn't get around to the front of the cage on his own. 

I scolded him - and me. and put him away. 
crazy rattie.


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## kancerr (Apr 7, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

one of my rats has escaped because the doors arent properly closed. 2 of the doors are against a wall with some books and what not holding them closed. ive bumped into a couple times and one of them has crawled out but ive always noticed it before they got off the side of the cage. never any real problems from it.


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## kaylaface (Sep 6, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

lol My two younger boys only escaped once, because I didnt't latch the cage. I didn't think they could get out of it, but the litle smarties did it anyways. One lifted the door open and the other crawled underneath and waited for his brother to get out and then fallowed suit. XD They were on a mission to get my cheese bread.


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## Crispen (Jun 5, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

OK thanks everyone for votes and comments!


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## AlienMando (Jan 19, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*



KayRatz said:


> Rats are NEVER going to burn your house down. Your dad's claims have no basis.


Knock on wood anyway! Anything is possible, a chewed wire could spark on a rug or on built-up dust or even a candle could get tipped by a curious rat. 

My neighbors car engine caught on fire this past winter, due to rats chewing through the wires.

Remember after all, a cow once burned down an entire major city. I think a house for a rat isn't completely out of the impossible range. 

Its nice that at least no one has had any 'major problems'!


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## lostbutnotforgot (Apr 19, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

I have always been freakishly careful with my dear rats as if they escape they will become toys for my sister's cat. They still try though! Amazingly, if I leave the door open for to long it's my big scaredy rat that is the first who tries to make a break for it! They all know a name (not necessarily their own) to come to when they're out, and always come to it, without fail (so far). I have checked and double checked every place they could try to escape in their cage and watched them closely at first to make sure they couldn't get out, especially since they're in a cage that is for ferrets, not rats.

A long time ago, back before I was even the owner of 'my' rats they lived outside (it was a covered patio, but was still basically outside) and one time the door was left open to their cage and one of the rats inside did get out into the great outdoors, and we thought she was gone forever ( and technically she should have been), but I did manage to find her under a bush by calling her name and she was just fine, thankfully.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*



lostbutnotforgot said:


> A long time ago, back before I was even the owner of 'my' rats they lived outside (it was a covered patio, but was still basically outside) and one time the door was left open to their cage and one of the rats inside did get out into the great outdoors, and we thought she was gone forever ( and technically she should have been), but I did manage to find her under a bush by calling her name and she was just fine, thankfully.


Awww that's lucky you found her!


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## Lucara (May 5, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

It would be a miracle if my rats could figure out a way to open up the 2 latches to the front of their cage to escape =P


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## stephigigo (Jun 18, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

Well, another one of my rats escaped last week - bringing the total up to two escapees since September (my cage has a big plastic tunnel over it that sometimes comes loose).

When my boyfriend got up that morning he found the rat sat in the middle of the kitchen waiting for him because she wanted to go back to bed!

From my experience, it's not a problem if they escape. I think they enjoy the freedom for a bit but usually they want to go back in the cage and they even seem to get upset if they're out for too long and can't find the way back in. 

I always shut the door to the rat room as well - so even if they do get out they can't leave the room. There's nothing they can damage in there either.


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## Kathleen (Jul 1, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

My boys are still small enough that they can slip through the bars of their cage. They don't for the most part, though. In fact, when I try to get them to free-range in my room, they just toddle back home...

On that note, Starbuck has gotten out before. I found him in my pillowcase. I didn't really mind.


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## zombiedork (Jul 7, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

Mine have yet to escape *knocks on wood*


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## southpaw (Apr 8, 2007)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

I've only had 2 rats, but in 2 1/2 years I never had an escape. 
I had a Martins cage with a flip-top lid, and I never put the latches on the flip-top. I don't know how easy it would have been for them to escape that way, but they never tried to. 

My hamsters, on the other hand, were very good at escaping. :?


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## Crispen (Jun 5, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

OK thanks guys, we might just get to 100 votes! lol


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## Dravana (Jul 17, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

I had an incident the other night where my rat Ziggy escaped, but it was my fault. My two rats have a makeshift playpen on top of our dining room table where their cage sits. We've been using the table for weeks because they won't jump off of it. We open the doors during the day and close the cage doors at night for their own safety. Oddly, they had a nasty sounding fight the previous night (my husband and I have never heard them do this before) this was full on rat screaming, not playful squeaks, and when we checked on them they just stopped and looked at us like "what?", so I really don't know what they were up to but it scared us to death and that's another story. Anyway, the next night we left the cage door open hoping that all the extra room on the table would prevent any quarrels during the night. I'd been dozing on and off for a few hours when I heard a very Ziggy-like sneeze. Being half asleep I asked my husband if that was him...no reply. So I checked things out and sure enough...Ziggy had been roaming our bedroom floor for who knows how long. Thank goodness she didn't get into any trouble and get herself hurt (we have so many cords everywhere in our house.) We still don't know if she fell off of the table by accident or decided to be daring and jump to a nearby chair. :roll: 

So much for leaving the cage doors open at night like I'd been thinking of doing.


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## CrazyBones (Apr 1, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

My rats have escaped their cage. I didn't leave the cage door open, they opend it themselfs.

As they know where the door is and how it opens, they lift the door, or use their heads to bang it open.

Sadley, i found both female and male together, and im suspecting little ones in a weeks time.

Now i use heavy objects or paperclips to keep the doors closed


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## Kathleen (Jul 1, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

I have to add that, last night, I had Ahab and Starbuck out with me for several hours while I was reading in bed. I then put them back but Starbuck apparently didn't want to spend the night in his cage. Twice I woke up to him lying on me. LOL. I put him back the second time and made sure he was tucked into his hut before going back to sleep. He's stayed in there since.

I'd say that my boys are about a week or two away from being too big to slip through the bars. I'm waiting for that time. I really don't mind Starbuck getting out (his forays last night make escape numbers three and four; Ahab's never gotten out) but I'd feel more comfortable if he was only out when I'm there (and awake) to supervise.


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## Volkl (Feb 14, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

Once upon a time when i was younger and living with my parents, one of my girls discovered how to open her cage door (cheap cage, the door was a bit loose). she escaped while the other much more shy girl stayed in the cage.

she decided it would be fun to go visit people, but she got to see me all the time! that would be boring. she ran down the hallway and into my parents' bedroom. my mother awoke to a strange noise. she looked for where the noise was coming from and all of a sudden, a little rat head popped out of her purse to say "hello!"

my mother isnt a rat person so it was interesting to say the least.


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## Crispen (Jun 5, 2008)

*Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo*

:lol: 

almost at one hundred!


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