# How often do female rats urinate?



## Twister (Dec 28, 2011)

Obviously this is on average and for a healthy rat. 

Last night I had the girls out on the bed in my spare room. It's a queen sized bed and I thought they'd have fun running around. I'm still nervous about having them running freely everywhere, and I do have two cats so that's not likely ever going to happen anyway. I am also not a huge fan of having rat urine everywhere. At this point we are cleaning the cage and blankets about once a week and so far there is no noticeable smells (or we are getting used to it??). Anyway...I had some toys and the lid from the old hamster cage for them to play on. Sprocket when inside, found a corner and peed on the bed that I had JUST made up with clean bedding for them to play on. 

Is there any "standard" for how often they pee? Can you train them to ONLY pee in their cage? Am I expecting too much? I'm not a neat freak but I am also not a fan of urine all over my house! They seemed very interested in exploring and at one point I lost Cricket inside a pillow...bit of a panick there. We played until Sprocket peed...about a half hour...then I put them back. They also seem to poop everywhere in their cage...particularly where they sleep! Do they like to sleep in a "messy" nest? Can you train them NOT to?

Also...can you teach them to only go certain places? At what age can "training" begin? How do you let them have "free" time outside of the cage without losing them?? Will they not wander off and get lost? My house is about 2500 sq feet not including the basement and there are so many things for them to get into! Is it a good idea to have them all out at one time or should I only take one out at a time? I tell you once they got going on the bed it was a tad overwhelming to keep track of all three of them by myself!

I hope I've posted this in the right place! Thanks all!


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## Sidurah (Sep 28, 2011)

Rats (male and female) will urine mark. My girls pee a little when I take them out, so I just put down a "sacrifice sheet" and confine them to it. That way, my sheets and blankets stay clean. 

I also put them back in the cage every 15 minutes or so, and hope they'll go in their litterbox.


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## Maltey (Jun 26, 2011)

There's not much you can do really. You can put their potty out if they're potty trained, but it's still unlikely to stop them.
I've got a big play mat the size of the bed which I put down, like sidurah's sacrifice sheet I guess. It's made of that pvc wipe-down table cloth type material.


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## 1a1a (May 6, 2011)

If you've just woken them up, leave them in the cage for a bit, like us, they tend to need to go pee straight after awaking. Other than that, they will scent mark, and probably pick one spot while free ranging to go (where you can put a rag or a litter tray or something). Start off free ranging somewhere small with no hidey holes like the bathroom (as opposed to the entire house).


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## BigBen (Nov 22, 2011)

Scent-marking is a minute quantity, never more than a couple of drops at most, with my gang. I barely notice it. I _have _noticed, however, a couple of wet patches on occasion, always when I lost track of time and play time went on past the half-hour mark. I have no trouble with urinating if they go back in the cage after thirty minutes. But even those wet patches were not really a large quantity of urine. The puddles didn't even soak through the old quilt to the futon beneath, and they dried very quickly. I couldn't even tell where they'd been, once they dried.

As far as defecating goes, they have never done that outside the cage unless I've frightened them (_e.g., _one of the boys when I was trying to get the hang of giving him his antibiotic), but I suppose that if playtime went on too long . . .


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## meekosan (Dec 23, 2011)

Oh lordy. My one rat has been affectionately nicknamed the "Mad Shitter" because she always leaves piles of surprises when we have her out. Today she was pretty good. Abby left a quite a large pile on the kitchen table however. But I think she was nervous for her babies (we had them out to take pictures and check sexes again).


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## BigBen (Nov 22, 2011)

meekosan said:


> Oh lordy. My one rat has been affectionately nicknamed the "Mad Shitter" because she always leaves piles of surprises when we have her out. Today she was pretty good. Abby left a quite a large pile on the kitchen table however. But I think she was nervous for her babies (we had them out to take pictures and check sexes again).


Would that make Abby the "Baby Shitter," then? Just asking. <tee-hee!>


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## meekosan (Dec 23, 2011)

BigBen said:


> Would that make Abby the "Baby Shitter," then? Just asking. <tee-hee!>


LOL, well when I clean out the tank, I call my mother to come over to 'Abby-sit' so that she doesn't get in the way because last time she grabbed a baby and started to run away and up my arms with it to find some place to hide him.


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## Twister (Dec 28, 2011)

Table cloth! What a great idea! Im'a pick some up at the dollar store tonight! Thanks! I like to have them on the bed to play in the spare room...so next time I'll put a wee litter pan there for them and see if that does the trick. They don't really seem to be getting the litter idea....but that's another post!


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