# Habitrail for rats.



## dodochop (Dec 27, 2011)

does anybody else have an issue of rats not fitting in the habitrail or critter trail? i got some hoping i could make tons of trails for them but the bigger one wont go in it.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

those are dangerous anyway. Small animals pull bedding in the tubes and can suffocate, dehydrate, or starve. They can get stuck and die. They also have dreadful ventilation and can sometimes be easy to escape from.


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## Ruairidh (Aug 29, 2011)

Yeah, habitrail is a bad idea in general, and consistently too small even for dwarf rats. To be safe, the inside opening needs to be at least the size of a pint canning jar, lest your ratties get stuck. They need to have good ventilation, or else you risk a build-up of ammonia and other toxic/harmful fumes inside the tunnels. They must be easy to get apart in case of emergency, but secure enough to keep your inventive little friends from finding a way out on their own. Commercial habitrail does not and cannot meet the standards for ratlies, and it can be a nightmare finding this out first-hand (I ended up having to cut up a habitrail section with wire clippers when a friend thought it would be funny to force the rat she was sitting for me into it, and my girl got stuck in a tight corner. The friend never pet-sat for me again). 

tl;dr: Habitrail = too risky in general, also too small. 

If, however, you are intent on giving tunnels to your rats, a few hours of planning, a trip to the hardware store for good-sized PVC pipe and some hardware, and an afternoon of drilling and assembling, and you should have a suitable play-space.


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## binkyhoo (Sep 28, 2008)

The habitrail. not for rats. The PVC idea. Great for rats. I never constucted a big project, but easy to find and build if you are so inclined.


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