# Help hanging hammocks DCN



## Camelle (Feb 11, 2013)

Okay so I feel like a complete and total idiot for this but it's driving me mad so I need some help. I got all these beautiful hammocks from chelsey's cozies: http://www.chelseyscozies.com I highly recommend her by the way!! She was AMAZING!! Super nice and helpful for clueless me and answered all my questions and helped me every step of the way to getting my hammocks and even had them from paying to at my house in a week!!! Anyway! So now that I have all these beautiful hammocks I have no idea how to best hang them for optimum enjoyment/aesthetic beauty(?)i guess. So I was wondering if we could start anew thread on here (or at least just post answers for me because I'm probably the only one with this issue anyway) about all the different ways to hang different hammocks in a DCN. Cause when you google that it only gives you tutorials for how to make them No one bothers to tell you how all you can hang them. So oh great wise rat people please share your knowledge with me about all the ways to hang different hammocks? Perhaps some of you have found other unusual ways to hang hammocks other than how they usually go? ( i feel like that makes no sense but my brain is fried) I would be interested in that too. And also not only how you can hang them but all the best places in a DCN to hang them would be EXTREMELY appreciated!!! PLEASE I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP BECAUSE I'M AN IDIOT AND NEAT FREAK AND THEY'RE NOT WORKING TOGETHER AT ALL ;'(

These are the kinds of hammocks that I currently have from her( but you can also feel free to include any other kinds of hammocks as well):
-Also you can include more than one way to hang it if there are any you know of or have come up with yourself.
--Also if you click on the pictures they get bigger I just don't want to make them HUGE in the post and take up a lot of space and make it any longer than it already is. 

Standard Hammock:














Size: medium (15" x 13") 

Pouch Pocket:








Size: medium (15" x 13")

Corner Hammock:








Size: Standard 20" x 16"
I'd really love to know the best way to hang this in order to show off those adorable whales (as the red side is fleece and the whales are cloth I'm not sure there really is any good way but figured I couldn't look much or stupid than I already do so what the heck? Why not ask)

Double Decker:








Size: Standard 12"L x 6"W x 7" opening

Cube (I call it the BatCube)








Size: 9" x 9"

Triangle:








Size: 12" x 12" x 12"
This thing is like basically the whole reason I decided to finally make this post. It's driving me nuts!!!! I can't figure out how to hang this properly where everything looks nice. If I get the front looking good the the back clip never has enough space to be pulled taught at all and it just hangs and i've spent HOURS trying to figure this out. please help me?! WHere the **** do you hang this thing and how?!?! So that it looks nice in a DCN? because (at least the way my DCN is set up You can't hang it above the shelf cause there's not enough room (mine is hooked into the middles holes) and if you move the shelf down A) there's no room under the shelf to put anything at all and B) it adds too much space and the triangle is back to being in the same situation as described before,

Envelope:














Size: Standard (there is no dimension really and I'm not going to even try to measure that^ sorry.) 
-These are super cute and I love them (although I really wished I'd gotten a lotus bunk these are niffty as well) the only thing with these is: i don't know if you can tell but the holes for where you put the hooks aren't in the corners; they're in between the corners so instead of hanging down nice and low, they hang really short and it makes it challenging to figure out where to put it so my rats will actually even be able to see that it's there much less have the slightest hope of getting in them.

Bunk Bed:








Size: Standard
I love this thing! The only thing I hate about it is the fact that regardless of the fact that the inside is amazing and super warm and fleece filled my rats decide the only place they will sleep on this thing is on top of it but they won't sleep on a standard flat hammock even though it's basically the same thing -.- silly rats!

These are the type of hooks I have for them:
http://nzrr.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_05181-e1351626435890-1024x750.jpg

Don't forget I'm looking for all the different ways to hang them in a DCN and also all the different places to hang them in a DCN. Thank you guys so much if any of you answer this!! I really need the help! I love you guys!! Also these are my exact hammocks so I'm also I guess showing off my beautiful hammocks she made me too c: Thank you!!


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Well before I got my ratties I was really into sewing already (I mean I have four machines), so I make everything myself. That kinda allows me freedom in making hammocks different sizes and lengths to construct weird hanging structures. Lol I have hammocks that are super long and thin like bridges that I use and connect across or ones that are somewhat like a "bag" mine crawl in and can slide down. 

I don't know if I'm explaining myself well. I should take pictures when I have time. Lol the biggest thing is your cage is probably always going to look really "busy" with the variety of toys and items to keep the little rattiums stimulated there isn't a good way to make it look "neat". Mine look like chaos central always because things are going every which way.

What type of hooks do you use? I use those colorful little plastic chain length ones from Ebay (forget what they are called). Multiple ones can be linked together and extended making it easier to sort of hang stuff from different levels and such. Sorry if I'm not explaining myself well there!


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## Velo (Dec 30, 2014)

The sky is the limit!
I shove myself in the cage and just start hanging and placing stuff. If I don't like it, I move it. It can be back-breaking, but I already have a bad back so that might just be me. 
I think the best way might be to look at CNs and DCNs with hammocks in them...?
Here is mine right now:








I also like to put my cubes on the top shelf, and I hang up two of the hooks so they stay propped open, but resting on the shelf.
You can hang those little corner hammocks on the under wires of the shelves.
I like building up the hammocks so they can walk from one to another to another.
It's rather hard to describe actually haha.


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## zmashd (Dec 25, 2013)

I usually play around with the hammocks, holding them here and there before I attach them (though I sew my own, so they all kinda "have a place") and it tends to take me at least an hour to decide on the final placement.
I don't think there are right and wrong ways to go about it.... and you can always change it around until both you and the ratties are happy! (if there is a hammock they are not using much, move it around and see what happens)

A tip that might be useful though - I usually put the hammocks fleece side up in winter, but they are probably too warm for the summer so then I flip them up cotton side up, which the rats seem to appreciate. 
Also, I always leave the rings attached to the cage when I wash the hammocks, so that I don't have to re-do everything every week! That helps!

And if you're a neat freak, like me, maybe try not to cram up the cage to much! I reduced the contents of my cage to those that my boys actually use, and I like to leave a bit of space in between beds so that they get a bit of exercise, rather than just doze off all day. That way the cage looks a lot neater. 

(Though I'm going to get a third rat soon, and he's quite little still, so I am going to have to cram my cage with hammocks to make it easier for him to get around. )


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## Camelle (Feb 11, 2013)

Thank you guys for your help! I've spent probably like 12 hours (at least) trying to figure all the best places to put stuff before I posted this (which I why I posted it cause I was frustrated) and then probably another 6-8 after messing around with it. I think i've managed to get most of the cage sorted for now. I kinda just meant for this to be a look through catalogue of sorts so you could go through, find a type of hammock, and then see all the ways you can hang it and all the locations. I think that would be a really cool thing to have on here and really helpful.


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## Camelle (Feb 11, 2013)

Also Velo: WE HAVE THE SAME RAINBOW WHALES!!! c: I love those rainbow whale! I'm so ordering more of them!! I don't know if you noticed it or not but I have a corner hammock in them c:


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## Velo (Dec 30, 2014)

Lol yes I did see your whales too! I love the fabric. ^_^ I think they have it at JoAnns because I didn't get my whale stuff from Chelsey's Cozies, although I've heard she's great too. :3


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## Camelle (Feb 11, 2013)

I can't sew to save my life and neither can my mom not that she'd teach me if she could so the only fabric I buy goes to line their cage sadly I can't make hammocks. and since the whales are cotton not fleece I can't use as cage liner otherwise I totally would. I love it too!!


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

If you start searching on some different fabric sites you might find rainbow options if you want to go that way and not just with whales. Each of my cages have a different color theme I guess and one of mine looks like it came from the 80's with lots of neon colors on black. I do have one though where my boys have rainbow stuff, and I've found a large variety of rainbow fleece. If you want to go the way of making your own and not sewing fleece really doesn't unravel like other material does. You could make "no sew" items?


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