# Play area/free range



## phaidraft (Apr 9, 2008)

What do you do for your ratties to get them enough free range time? 

Up until about three minutes ago, I was just letting them run around my living room area (I blocked off the rest of the house). Well, turns out, they're just consistently destroying things (i.e. inside of my couch). They love to be out, but I just can't keep track of them the entire time. I really need to find an alternative.

How much space do they need for free-ranging?


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## CeilingofStars (Apr 21, 2008)

Mine destroy things too.

I'm looking into getting one of those large playpens, like for ferrets. then you can put extra toys or "play" mats (even kids' toys) in there, or you can sit in there with them, and you don't have to worry about them escaping or ruining anything.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

phaidraft said:


> What do you do for your ratties to get them enough free range time?
> 
> Up until about three minutes ago, I was just letting them run around my living room area (I blocked off the rest of the house). Well, turns out, they're just consistently destroying things (i.e. inside of my couch). They love to be out, but I just can't keep track of them the entire time. I really need to find an alternative.
> 
> How much space do they need for free-ranging?


I have a very large foyer that I can easily block off for free time. I put in a large wheel, lots of tubes, misc boxes, a few jingle balls & a patio chair with a ladder & a rope climb.... sometime I even put me &/or another one of their humans in there to play with.

Before I this I made all different types of enclosures. Geting huge card board boxes & opening them up & taping them together was the easiest fix. I made a couple out of thin panel board before as well. If I can find an inexpensive source of coroplast board I plan to make another huge enclosure that I can place outside for free time.

As for how much space.. you just offer as much as you safely can.

You can build a better play pen but the best source of entertainment for our rats is ourselves.


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## AlxBlack17 (Dec 3, 2007)

I let mine out to play on my bed, which is twin/single sized. I take everything off and cover it with a flat sheet. I put out boxes, a paint tray with water (for fishing for peas), a pair of old pajama pants that they use like a tunnel, a cat tunnel, some cat toys and anything else I have on hand that I don't mind them destroying. They get really excited though when I sit on the bed and let them run around on me.


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## illmithra (Apr 15, 2008)

i made aplay pen out of a big pile of cardboard boxes, we have a great area for free range but too many cords etc that could be chewed, but they love the play pen.


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## AlxBlack17 (Dec 3, 2007)

Just be careful with the card board boxes. Mine eventually learned that they could jump out.


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## illmithra (Apr 15, 2008)

they are able to jump out if they get bored and want a scritch on my lap, but most of the time they're happy to just run and play in there then cuddle up asleep for a few minutes before running around again. they're never left unsupervised when out free-ranging in it, i just sit next to it and read or play with them in it, so the fact they can jump out isn't a problem for me.


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## phaidraft (Apr 9, 2008)

Mine have just recently learned to climb and jump... Lizzy can jump up onto my window sills... 

I used to let them free range on my bed, but Lizzy learned how to slide off of it, and she teaches Lark all the naughty habits she picks up. LOL

Thanks for all the suggestions, I might just suck it up and buy a Martin's playpen.


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## Brizzle (Mar 26, 2008)

I have a cheap large table that I let my rats free range on. That's the only thing it's used for. I will place out boxes and all kinds of stuff for them to mess around with. And will hide treats inside different boxes and such. They all love it. 
First hour boys come out and play on the table, then the second hour are the girls. While they play, I usually just read a book, and when they decide they want me to play with them, I'll join in.  They'll start trying to reach me and climb on me when they want my attention.


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## Caity (Apr 1, 2008)

I let them run around everywhere but I have to keep an eye on them because my apartment is tiny and full of stuff, and very hard to rat proof. I'm thinking I might get some kind of baby playpen although it probably wouldn't last long. Who knows? I dig this one though.


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## BlueSkyy (Sep 27, 2007)

Here's what I do:

- Go to Target, and buy a box of those wire grid shelving things.
- Make a "box" out of them, 2 grids wide by 4 grids long by 1 grid tall.
- Spread a blanket over the area you want them to play.
- Set the "box" over the blanket and insert rats!

They can't push it or squeeze out (unless you have really small rats) Plus they can climb the wires!

I'll try to post a pic of what it looks like.


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## BlueSkyy (Sep 27, 2007)

Oh - the biggest perk is that the grid shelving kits are on sale for like $13!


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## hipoluvsmud (May 22, 2008)

After I discovered how destructive ratties are I thought I had frank-proofed my convservatory. I nailed laminate floor boards across the underside of the sofa so that he couldn't get inside, and I boxed my computer cabinet in (again using the same floorboards) so that all of the pc cables are completely out of his reach. I don't mind him climbing on the bookcase, and I make sure the window is closed when he's dashing around the window ledge. Jake spends hours just messing around with him, and I spend at least an hour a day.

Oh, I said I thought I had frank-proofed the room, then he started stripping the wallpaper. Hey ho!


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

Lucky for me our third bedroom is small and unused. I rat-proofed it, reconstructed the play closet of old, threw in a futon with steps to get up on it, blankets and a few more little hidey cardboard boxes. I actually made a video tour of my rat room once:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v232/JulieL/?action=view&current=100_0322.flv

By the way, I don't actually have a lisp, the poor sound quality of the camera just made it sound that way.


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## SweetLittleDelilah (May 13, 2008)

Jules:
Your Lilah looks almost exactly like Delilah! xD Haha.
And her nickname is "lilas"...maybe they're long lost sisters. o.o lol.


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## Marysmuse (Apr 28, 2008)

Jules, you sound so lucious-ly blonde... 

Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary

Ps my daughter, Jessica says "I like her rats- they're cute."


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

Marysmuse said:


> Jules, you sound so lucious-ly blonde...
> 
> Rejoicing in the day,
> -Mary
> ...


lmao! I always sound girlier on tape than I think I do in person. And tell your daughter I said thank you. Lilah has since passed, and Gracie will be following her shortly, unfortunately. You didn't get to see Bart or Emma in the video, both were sleeping in the cage at the time. You can see Emma in this one, though. Ever since Gracie's first time pea fishing, she's convinced that there must be peas in any liquid offered to her, and she goes digging for them in my coffee latte with vanilla soymilk.


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## clarry (May 19, 2008)

Wow Jules thats amazing, I so plan to have a rat room when I have my own house, It looks so fun


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

AlxBlack17 said:


> Just be careful with the card board boxes. Mine eventually learned that they could jump out.


Mine can jump out too but there's not much they could destroy fast on the other side so I'm OK with leaving them in there while I clean cage etc


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## selfdestructingturnip (Nov 17, 2007)

I just use my sunroom which can be easily closed. I don't even rat proof it at all. i was worried about it at first but one of my rats is very shy and skittish and won't get off of the couch or wherever I put her. She doesn't like the wood floor, I guess. My other rat is into everything and everyone (my huge black dog in particular) but she ash never chewed on any cords at all. Is this a big problem with anyone about the free range? They are rarely in there unattended, though.


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## myboys2 (Jul 7, 2008)

"she ash never chewed on any cords at all. Is this a big problem with anyone about the free range? " The only time my boys have chewed cords was when they chewed my wireless internet one in half, but lucky for me I have a handy husband and he fixed it right up! Other than that, they don't chew on anything but food. (not even chew toys!)

I used to have playtime on my bed until my husband woke up one morning with a poop under his pillow from the night before. Then I had playtime in my office until the above-mentioned wireless internet incident. Now I put a ladder from their cage to the coffee table and prop my feet on the table so they can use my legs as a rattie bridge to the couch. Then they jump from one couch to the other and climb on my husband for a bit. 

Right now with my daughter having just cleaned her room they are in there enjoying her space.


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## Indigo_Paradox (Jul 10, 2008)

I have several options for my kiddos, and I just learned of a good idea that I have yet to try.

1) I block off the office so the ratties can run around while I'm working. We did have to rat proof the room so that there are no wires hanging out anywhere for ratties to chew on. 


2) The digging box: The digging box is a shoe box with sand in it. We bury yogies in the sand and the rats dig them out.

3) Pea-Fishing: Most of you probably know what pea-fishing is, but for those who don't. It's a pan full of water that we float peas in for the rats to fish out. I have great pictures of pea-fishing that I will post soon.

4) When the ratties are out free-ranging I have little toys, and an old doll-house, chew sticks, snacks and water available for them.

5) Each rat gets shoulder time while I'm working and cuddle time throughout the day. (Like earlier when I posted I had Rolf out... now I've got Guinness on my shoulder... although sometimes they like to help me type)

It sounds like a lot, but I do work from home, so I do have the luxury of hanging out with rats all day... heh.

A neat idea I just found out about is from the rat breeder I always love to talk about (she's fabu). She has a kiddie pool that she fills with toys and snacks and things for her rats and rotates the toys. She puts it on a table and they go hog wild. I may try this idea so if I want to work downstairs the rats can run around.

-Rozaylia


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## 2boysloose (Jun 27, 2008)

Lol, lol, lol, lol. I just now let me boys out to run in my room for some free-range time for about an hour, and the funniest ting happened. While I was sitting there with my popcorn (sharing with them of course), my dad speaks to me through the door, and tell me that my cat Saddie is sitting by my door watching the shadows from my rats. Well, Cadvan and Darser where laying there resting, and I guess they sensed Saddie on the other side of the door, and FLEW off running into there hide out! lol. It was kinda sad, but really funny at the same time. It took me forever to convince them that no, the kitty was not inside the room with us. lol.


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## Skitza (May 18, 2008)

my ratties just find a way to get into tight spaces. but other times they follow me around.


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