# Linoleum Flooring?



## RattieQueen

Hi Guys, 

So I have a few questions about linoleum flooring, I have four young female rats in a very large multilevel wire cage.

I have been using fleece to cover my wire levels and ladders and I have heard that wire flooring is not good for rattie feet, I have put carefresh down the bottom. However, after using the fleece for the last month, I've realised that it has become quite a hassal, I'm having to wash the fleece every two days because it stinks... 

So I'm considering linoleum/vinyl (unsure of whether linoleum is readily available on the Gold Coast) for flooring but I have a few questions about it:

Does urine seep through the linoleum?

Does it aborb odour?

Is it bad for rats to be walking around on their pee even if it's only for a few hours in between wipes?

Assuming th urine will stay on the surface, will rats lay down in their urine and get all stinky?

What sort of linoleum and or vinyl is best to use?

How do I attach the linoleum to the wire levels? (if anyone is able to, maybe link me a video?)

Also, does anyone know where I can find linoleum offcuts in the Gold Coast Area?

Thankyou for anyone who helps me out with this question


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## Famous Amos

Solid levels pool pee and that causes bumble foot.

I prefer wire because of it.

I also worry about the toxins in Leno if they eat it. It's all chemicals.


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## Siringo

I would think having to wipe down the tile every few hours would be more work? A lot of people buy multiple sets of liners, so they can change them out, and save up the dirty liners to be washed at the end of the week (or longer). I keep the dirty liners in a trash bag.

I don't think having the tile would make your rats more smelly, but their feet would be wet with pee a lot of the time, which could be harmful


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## RattieQueen

The wire on my levels is very widely space, they could barely walk on it if it wasn't covered, in regards to bumblefoot, I've heard the main cause is wire, the wire causes the damage to the feet and only when their feet are damaged/ have open wounds can the urine/feces cause any infection. 

In regards to the effort, you have no idea how much effort it is to change the liners, the levels are hard to get in and out of the cage, so removing them is a mission in itself and the liners are wrapped using a lot of safety pins, so that also takes a lot of time. I do have a few sets, but having to go through a 30-45 minutes process in which I usually end up all scratched up from the wire and trying to squeeze myself inside the cage to unlatch thing, just having to wipe something down would be a lot easier. 

I really appreciate both of your comments, but I would prefer to hear what someone says who has actually used linoleum or vinyl. Also, linoleum is quite naural,  it is generally comprised of linseed oil (linoxyn), pine rosin, ground cork dust, wood flour, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate (wiki).


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## poodlecrazy1

I put linoleum down on my my cage floor, I have a review of the cage on youtube and it shows the linoleum on the cage floor and a square of it off the cage floor. here is the link for it, http://youtu.be/xscBtwq91Rs . So far I love it!! the linoleum looks great (I prefer the stone that my boys have instead of the wood that the girls have), it is super cheap, and soooooo much easier to wipe down and clean. So far I haven't noticed the urine soaking into the linoleum. I will see puddles in the same spot all day until I wipe it up (and if I don't it will be there dried up in the same spot). I don't know if the linoleum I got is like sealed or something but it doesn't absorb the urine. My girls will drag their tails through the urine puddles but they usually try to avoid walking in them. As for my boys they do like to get in their urine a bit, but then they are boys soooo yeah. As for the type of linoleum I have no clue. I didn't even know there were different types . I just passed the sample squares in Home Depot and thought they would be perfect for the cage. I didn't even know they were linoleum until I checked out and saw the name on the screen, lol. Attaching them was simple, peel and stick. They have a sticky back on them so I just peeled the paper off and stuck them to the floor. Well I measured and cut 3 of them to fit then peeled and stuck. The stone ones were a lot stickier almost like glue, I had to use acetone to get the stick off my fingers. My rats don't chew on them either. My rats aren't chewers but I have them so tightly put in that they wouldn't be able to wedge their teeth anywhere to chew. I don't know where the Gold Coast Area is so I am not sure where you would be able to get them if you don't have a Home Depot or Lowes. Maybe a hardware,building, or flooring store.


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## Famous Amos

Wire doesn't damage rat feet. That's a wife's tail. That only applies to cats and dogs and animals with large feet. Rats have small feet and can walk on wire as well as we can walk on a 2x 4 board. It's very comfortable. That old wives tail has been debunked and is old news for the past 15 years. 

Bumble foot is caused by a cut getting pee or pop in it and getting infected. And solid levels cause the pooling to happen. Also solid levels are very laberous to clean. And much more often.


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## Daize

If your rats, for the most part, use the litter pans then solid floors shouldn't be a problem. 

I have solid floors for my rat and her feet are fine. I wipe the levels down daily. It takes about 2 minutes to wipe down all the levels. 

I also use a baby wipe to wipe down my rat and clean her feet daily. Cleaning my rat takes about 10 minutes, but she really enjoys it, so I take my time.


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## JBird

I prefer solid floors to wire. I find cleaning the wire much more tasking and irritating, and my girls seem to like the solid floors just fine. I think that it's personal preference... if some people prefer wire, fine, but not everyone needs to use that if it doesn't suit their needs. We had a brief issue with pee pooling up, but they actually corrected that on their own & haven't done it in a long time. (hint: I moved their food from a bowl on the solid level to a wire basket which hangs over their litter box... I noticed they peed a lot next to their food bowl/while eating, so now the pee just dribbles into the litterbox. It's literally changed the cleanliness of the whole cage!!)

I think the linoleum sounds like an awesome idea, especially if your kids aren't bad chewers. I wouldn't want them chewing on it mostly due to the adhesive on the bottom and the worry of them ingesting it. Since it's so cheap, you can easily remove it and not feel too heartbroken if the girls destroy it. 
I watched poodlecrazy's review on it (btw, fellow poodle nut here... I can tell you have good taste  ) and I'm smitten. It looks awesome and is a great alternative to wire floors imho. I'm totally fine with wiping down a couple times a day! I hate cleaning the wire bars of my girls cage and find it stinks faster cause I can't get all parts of each wire. My girls mostly pee in their box or towels, and I'd like to put a layer of fleece over the lino for comfort, but want something underneath to catch any liquid & provide stability. Seems like a great plan!!


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## ratclaws

Famous Amos said:


> Wire doesn't damage rat feet. That's a wife's tail. That only applies to cats and dogs and animals with large feet. Rats have small feet and can walk on wire as well as we can walk on a 2x 4 board. It's very comfortable. That old wives tail has been debunked and is old news for the past 15 years.
> 
> Bumble foot is caused by a cut getting pee or pop in it and getting infected. And solid levels cause the pooling to happen. Also solid levels are very laberous to clean. And much more often.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I really don't see how a rat is less likely to cut it's foot on wire over solid flooring. It's definitely the other way around. Not to mention that if they had a scuffle on the wired flooring, there's a possibility of catching a toe or nail in the wire which is definitely more dangerous than them fighting on a flat, solid surface. This makes no sense at all...


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## Famous Amos

Rats don't catch toenails on wire. Maybe your thinking of some old busted up cage. Rats feet are the same width as wire. So they can walk on it like a solid surface.


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## Daize

Either flooring will work. It just depends on what you like best. As long as your rat doesn't have any problems, go with what you like best.


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## ratclaws

Famous Amos said:


> Rats don't catch toenails on wire. Maybe your thinking of some old busted up cage. Rats feet are the same width as wire. So they can walk on it like a solid surface.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'm pretty sure rats have caught their toenails on wire before... It's not an impossibility, whereas with solid flooring it is. I was referring to the kind of floor you see in degu cages for example, the ones with squares sort of? If you know what I mean haha. Even if their feet are the same width as the wire, their toes are still going to be smaller, and their nail tips. I'm just saying it's likely safer to have a solid base to eliminate all negative possibilities that's all!

As for the lino, my girlfriend uses it in her rat's cage to cover the wire between the top and the bottom layer. It's fine to use really, never chewed or anything. The only issue it gets is that poop sticks to the bottom with the urine, but this is because the layer she uses it on doesn't have any bedding in it because it's not in a tray.


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## JBird

Famous Amos said:


> Rats don't catch toenails on wire. Maybe your thinking of some old busted up cage. Rats feet are the same width as wire. So they can walk on it like a solid surface.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Now I know that's not true. That's a hefty assumption to say rats don't catch their toes on wire... I've seen more than one rat with a broken toe or lost toenail due to wire flooring or a wire wheel. I think it's a little silly to assume that wire floors are 100% safe and the best option when so many rats honestly do get caught up in them. I don't really care if the rats' foot is the size of the wire (which doesn't make much sense to me, but I may be reading it incorrectly. My rats feet can easily slip through a wire gap, if not their feet their toes and nails can.), but I can feel confident that solid floors are a safe option. They just need to be wiped down, which is not so difficult. 

Think about it: If a rat is wrestling on a wire floor and her foot gets stuck, it can easily get twisted while caught in that and break or get hurt; that's such a frequent occurance with a lot of pets (and humans! It's easy to get our own feet stuck in a hole that's just big enough for them! Think of some kids playgrounds..) If a rat is wrestling on a solid floor, not only can she jump and run without having to place her feet specifically, but there is no concern of her foot getting caught on anything. 

I don't personally see the advantage to wire floors vs. solid unless you have a TON of rats and wiping down frequently or changing liners is not a wise option. I'm talking like 3+ cages at least.


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## Famous Amos

I've been using wire for 30 years. And I can say its very true. Solid levels give you more issues with feet. I tried that for 3 years I had nothing but problems with it the entire time.


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## Lesti

If you have a powder coated cage I would just cover the second level (if you have one)... Galvanized is pretty harsh since its thinner metal, which can result in more cuts, and ultimately, bumblefoot. I have the petco rat manor (powder coated) and I just cover the second level to give Stitch some variation in his cage... Wire itself does not cause bumblefoot, and if you are worried about this don't buy wire leveled cages unless you are prepared to continue covering levels. I'd just leave most of it uncovered unless the metal isn't powder coated. I use placemats in my cage to cover what I want to. I wipe down the wire every day so that, just in case he does get a cut, feces and urine will be less likely to get in it. And yes, I have a single rat. I am working on getting him a buddy.


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## Booder81

I am a sales rep in the flooring industry. Linoleum or vinyl flooring as it is called now a days is toxic. If you actually take a piece of it and lay the back side of the vinyl against your skin you will have a reaction. Urine does sink into vinyl over time and will hold smell. If you can make sure your rats are chewing it at all and that they don't have access to the back of the material you could give it a try


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## Jaguar

The adhesive on the back of lino is likely toxic - you have to make sure not to use it with chewers. Coroplast (corrugated plastic - sign material) is a good for making solid shelves out of.

Wire floors causing bumblefoot is a myth. However, caught feet and twisted ankles in wire/mesh floors is DEFINITELY a possibility and I do remember some horror stories from lilspaz68 about old timers getting their feet caught in larger square mesh (ie. bigger than a Martin's cage). Keeping their environment clean, washing bedding regularly, and wiping down shelves and bars will do a lot towards preventing bumblefoot, but sometimes rats will get it for seemingly no reason, especially older rats that drag their feet as they walk.


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## Sheila111

RattieQueen said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> So I have a few questions about linoleum flooring, I have four young female rats in a very large multilevel wire cage.
> 
> I have been using fleece to cover my wire levels and ladders and I have heard that wire flooring is not good for rattie feet, I have put carefresh down the bottom. However, after using the fleece for the last month, I've realised that it has become quite a hassal, I'm having to wash the fleece every two days because it stinks...
> 
> So I'm considering linoleum/vinyl (unsure of whether linoleum is readily available on the Gold Coast) for flooring but I have a few questions about it:
> 
> Does urine seep through the linoleum?
> 
> Does it aborb odour?
> 
> Is it bad for rats to be walking around on their pee even if it's only for a few hours in between wipes?
> 
> Assuming th urine will stay on the surface, will rats lay down in their urine and get all stinky?
> 
> What sort of linoleum and or vinyl is best to use?
> 
> How do I attach the linoleum to the wire levels? (if anyone is able to, maybe link me a video?)
> 
> Also, does anyone know where I can find linoleum offcuts in the Gold Coast Area?
> 
> Thankyou for anyone who helps me out with this question


I have linoleum for my rats and I have never had a problem they don't chew on it their litter trained sometimes you'll get a little puddles and poop but thats it's been great because you could just wipe it down I use a little dust pan and a little swiper I got it at Dollar Tree and it's perfect if I have to sweep up anything hope this helps


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## Rats_for_life

Sheila111 said:


> I have linoleum for my rats and I have never had a problem they don't chew on it their litter trained sometimes you'll get a little puddles and poop but thats it's been great because you could just wipe it down I use a little dust pan and a little swiper I got it at Dollar Tree and it's perfect if I have to sweep up anything hope this helps


Just letting you know their post was in 2013 they might not see your message


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