# Rat will not stop chewing cage!



## NotACactus (Jan 7, 2021)

Hi, I'm looking for some advice on one of my rats. 
In September me and my rats moved into a new term-time house (I'm a university student). Where before their cage was in the living room, they now have a huge 3 storey rabbit cage in my bedroom between the two of them. 
I noticed quite soon after the move, that one of the rats has started chewing the bars to the cage. She especially does it around food times, sometimes waking me up really early in the morning. I've started splitting their feeds into two per day and trying to space out their snacks around it. Also, I make a point of ignoring any chewing and leave the room until she has stopped. I always wait until she is not chewing anymore before feeding them.
I didn't find a solution before going back home for Christmas. At home they have a smaller "holiday" cage, not in my room. I didn't notice the chewing nearly as much - and this could be because I wasn't constantly with them, but the bars also have much fewer signs of chewing. I used the opportunity to repaint the big cage, since I would be away for a month and that would give the fumes time to dissapate. (It's a really nice cage that I spent a lot of time finding, so I really don't want it to rust!!). Thinking that this might be to get my attention, I bought them a toy bell and have been giving her extra attention whenever she rings it. This seemed to actually work at home, and she would ring the bell at mealtimes and whenever she wanted my attention. 
Now that I'm back, it's started again with a vengeance. it took a couple of days for her to get used to being back, but she's already chewed the paint off a couple of bars. I have brought the bell back and make a point of still ringing it at foodtimes so that she associates it with being fed, but she is just chewing instead. 
I'm especially worried that there is something stressful making her do it. I've bought some Pet remedy and they always have a piece of fabric sprayed with it. 
They have a lot of wooden toys and things to chew on, lots of cardboard boxes and other things in their cage. They love shredding newspaper, but there is only so much newspaper I can give them! I don't interact with them outside the cage as much as I would like to, but they also don't really like human contact that much, so I'm not sure what I can do. Are there any other toys which they might enjoy? They love destroying things, but often it just doesn't last long enough. I'm terrified that they are bored out of their minds, but I don't know what else I can do. 

Any advice would be massively appreciated! I feel like I'm going mad, and I'm completely at my wit's end. This is making me so anxious, and I just want her to be happy and stop chewing!


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## Rex the Rat (Apr 7, 2020)

What kind of cage do they have? How long are they out for? 


NotACactus said:


> Are there any other toys which they might enjoy? They love destroying things, but often it just doesn't last long enough.


A foraging toy should keep them busy:


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## VivDaRatLuver (Dec 26, 2020)

Maybe try a more active cage setup because my girl Dibs used to chew the bars when she was bored.


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## 511958 (Feb 11, 2019)

Can you share a photo of your cage as it is now?

Most of the time rabbit cages aren't suitable for rats (I'm not saying yours is not suitable though) so your rats might be a bit bored since the cage might not be best for them.


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## _dizzy_ (Mar 28, 2018)

Yes, a picture would help. You can also try putting pepper flakes(or some other type of spicy seasoning that's rat safe) in hit water and let it steep for a bit then use a cloth to put the spicy liquid on the bars.


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## NotACactus (Jan 7, 2021)

_







This is their cage at the moment! You're probably right that they need some more things inside it- I'm going to go to a pet shop tomorrow and see what I can get. 
(Also, the bedding is hemp, so fine for their little noses!)_


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## 511958 (Feb 11, 2019)

NotACactus said:


> _
> View attachment 303045
> This is their cage at the moment! You're probably right that they need some more things inside it- I'm going to go to a pet shop tomorrow and see what I can get.
> (Also, the bedding is hemp, so fine for their little noses!)_


That looks like more than enough space! (the bar spacing looks like 1" though, did you know most young rats and females can escape from cages with that bar spacing?) You could use a bit more toys- foraging toys and climbing toys. Otherwise, the rats probably aren't biting the bars because of boredom.


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## NotACactus (Jan 7, 2021)

Willow&Whiskers said:


> (the bar spacing looks like 1" though, did you know most young rats and females can escape from cages with that bar spacing?)


I was really worried about that when I got it- I didn't realise it was so wide when I bought it! Luckily they definitely can't fit their heads through the bars 😂


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

If the bar spacing is wider on their new cage, that might be the answer.


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## _dizzy_ (Mar 28, 2018)

Here's a link to a thread where I posted a list of toys to get rats. Bird toys and puzzles are always a great choice! You can also find rabbit forging matts on Etsy and wish(that is if you trust using wish, lol). These are great for little ratties!









Opinions Plz?!!? I just got this cage and i want...


I have four female rats, Hulu & Dibs 7 months (littermates), Sprout 4 months, Mochi 3 1/2 months. I got this cage yesterday and I am slowly buying and making things to fill it up. Bottom half: loose carefresh bedding, 3 litter boxes, homemade cardboard balls, and tunnel, tree stump hide (behind...




www.ratforum.com


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## VivDaRatLuver (Dec 26, 2020)

Dog foraging toys are also good for rats if you get a small enough size!


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## Verucasdad (Aug 31, 2015)

NotACactus said:


> _
> View attachment 303045
> This is their cage at the moment! You're probably right that they need some more things inside it- I'm going to go to a pet shop tomorrow and see what I can get.
> (Also, the bedding is hemp, so fine for their little noses!)_


Don't just hit the pet stores! Go to the dollar stores and thrift stores. It will save you $$.


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## VivDaRatLuver (Dec 26, 2020)

Oooh, I never thought about hitting up thrift stores for pet supplies.


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## 511958 (Feb 11, 2019)

VivDaRatLuver said:


> Oooh, I never thought about hitting up thrift stores for pet supplies.


Definitely! I've got lots of stuff for my rats at the dollar store- specifically, Dollar Tree, since everything is a dollar.

-Plastic baskets are good to hang around the cage (my rats love to snuggle in them when I put fleece, etc. in them)
-The microfiber car cleaning cloths are really nice to put in hides, baskets, etc. since they're so soft and warm
-Small dog ropes are good to hang in the cage for climbing material
-Cat wands are fun for free roam, etc. cause some rats really like to chase and "catch" them
-You can fill a dollar tree bin with ping pong balls (they're sold in packs of 4 here) for a different type of dig box
-Shower curtain rings in packs of 12 to hang hammocks, etc.
-Fleece baby blankets that you can use to make hammocks, etc.

... and so much more! If you take a trip to Dollar Tree you'll see so many things that you can get for your ratties, and you won't feel bad buying stuff that gets destroyed since everything is a dollar- LOL!


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## VivDaRatLuver (Dec 26, 2020)

Willow&Whiskers said:


> Definitely! I've got lots of stuff for my rats at the dollar store- specifically, Dollar Tree, since everything is a dollar.
> 
> -Plastic baskets are good to hang around the cage (my rats love to snuggle in them when I put fleece, etc. in them)
> -The microfiber car cleaning cloths are really nice to put in hides, baskets, etc. since they're so soft and warm
> ...


 I have used the microfiber cloths & baby blankets to make hammocks and was able to make 12 hammocks (2 triple honeycomb, 3 flat, 2 cube, 1 bunk-bed, 2 tunnel, 1 double honeycomb) out of 9 baby blankets and 2 microfiber for $11. Most hammocks that you buy at petstores or online are $11 for one single hammock.


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## 511958 (Feb 11, 2019)

VivDaRatLuver said:


> I have used the microfiber cloths & baby blankets to make hammocks and was able to make 12 hammocks (2 triple honeycomb, 3 flat, 2 cube, 1 bunk-bed, 2 tunnel, 1 double honeycomb) out of 9 baby blankets and 2 microfiber for $11. Most hammocks that you buy at petstores or online are $11 for one single hammock.


Yup! I used to get hammocks off etsy and amazon for $15 for a flat or bunk bed. Even though I'm not the best at sewing, I just started making my own hammocks- I got 2 large rolls of fleece from Joann's for $4.00 total (50% off sale ) and was able to make 3 flats- and I still have fleece left for a bunk bed or something like that.


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## Rex the Rat (Apr 7, 2020)

I honestly just cut up the fleece blankets from the dollar store and hook them onto the cage 😂 Its about time I buy the sewing supplies and put in the effort to spoil my girlies


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## VivDaRatLuver (Dec 26, 2020)

My sister is into sewing but I'm decent soo she lets me borrow her sewing machine which makes it soooo easy.


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## VivDaRatLuver (Dec 26, 2020)

There are a lot of good tutorials on youtube that helped me a lot and they end up being really easy once you get the hang of it.


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## Rex the Rat (Apr 7, 2020)

Would you mind posting some links?


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## VivDaRatLuver (Dec 26, 2020)

Ya give me a few mins


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## 511958 (Feb 11, 2019)

Rex the Rat said:


> Would you mind posting some links?


I don't use youtube tutorials, I find this one page has everything I need: https://ratropolis.com/Rat Tutorials/Tutorials for Common Rat Hammocks and Accessories.pdf

If that doesn't work, click on the link to the pdf here: Ratropolis: Life with Rats - Rat Hammock Tutorials


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## VivDaRatLuver (Dec 26, 2020)

Easy:
Flat (square & triangle)
Bunk Bed

Medium:
Double Honeycomb
Triple Honeycomb
Tunnel Hammock

Hard:
Cube
Corner Hut


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## VivDaRatLuver (Dec 26, 2020)

I prefer to watch videos because I can see exactly what they are doing.


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