# Plastic or Fleece?



## yomo (Oct 5, 2015)

I'm a bit apprehensive about using anything plastic in my boy's cage for nesting/housing, I'm afraid they're going to chew it and get sick  but I'd love to get one of the larger igloos since I keep having to make little houses out of cardboard after they pee in them lol. I also don't want a lot of wood since, well, they'd pee on that too. So I feel like I'm out of options besides attempting to find a fleece cube/tunnel that will stand on its own.

Opinions? I'm getting a CN for Christmas so I'm trying to plan out stuff now.


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## Love My Rats (Sep 3, 2015)

they have the plastic igloo's at Pet Smart and their safe if he does chew on them it won't hurt him , never had any problems with them and I have them in both of my cages , in fact I have an extra one if you was closer I would give you one for free


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## crow (Nov 18, 2015)

I use cardboard boxes for hides, the best thing I've found is one of those cardboard Quaker oatmeal cylinders with the ends removed. But any small cardboard boxes with two holes cut in will do (I say two holes so nobody is cornering anybody). Or those plastic space pods designed for small animals work well too, they sometimes chew plastic but never eat it. Hammocks are always good also. 
I swear by fleece to line the cage, I wash it often in scent-free detergent and it soaks up the urine well.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Dont worry about them chewing plastic, generally they just chew and spit it out, and if they do swallow some its very inert and does pass right through (I have seen the evidence lol).


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## RattusMaximus (Apr 6, 2015)

Plastic is generally OK, and some rats don't even like to chew it... Mine prefer wood, honestly. I'm not sure why, but mine aren't big chewers anyway. The plastic igloos are likely alright, since they are made for rats, and like Isamurat said, they don't usually eat it. BTW, I'm not sure how you make the huts now, but if you make them without a floor, the pee doesn't soak in very much.


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## RatEmporiumToronto (Jun 10, 2015)

Wooden pieces in your cage are good for your rats teeth and great entertainment for them! All of my babes love their wooden huts! I soak them if they get smelly in vinegar and water, wash them off and let them dry and that clears it all up. Of course if you would rather they dont get the chance to pee on any huts I would also recommend picking up some hanging wooden toys!
Critter nations are the best cages ever omi you're going to have so much fun decorating ^.^


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

i have a few of those plastic igloos. Im not a huge fan. My rats do not really chew them. But I don't think they are all that great as a hide spot since they are kindof see through.

I mostly use cardboard boxes. Just toss when you clean the cage and replace.

But i do suggest a few fleece hammocks/beds as well!


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## yomo (Oct 5, 2015)

Love My Rats said:


> they have the plastic igloo's at Pet Smart and their safe if he does chew on them it won't hurt him , never had any problems with them and I have them in both of my cages , in fact I have an extra one if you was closer I would give you one for free


Aw that's sweet  thank you! And that's makes me feel better for sure!


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## yomo (Oct 5, 2015)

crow said:


> I use cardboard boxes for hides, the best thing I've found is one of those cardboard Quaker oatmeal cylinders with the ends removed. But any small cardboard boxes with two holes cut in will do (I say two holes so nobody is cornering anybody). Or those plastic space pods designed for small animals work well too, they sometimes chew plastic but never eat it. Hammocks are always good also.
> I swear by fleece to line the cage, I wash it often in scent-free detergent and it soaks up the urine well.


Ever since I got them I have used fleece to line the cage with, I adore it and I think they do too. They both chatter up a storm with eye boggles when I change their fleece lol. One of my boy's favorite hideouts is a cardboard box that I cut a top and side entrance to, but I wanted something that I didn't have to replace all the time. I will still be doing new cardboard creations to keep them busy.


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## yomo (Oct 5, 2015)

Isamurat said:


> Dont worry about them chewing plastic, generally they just chew and spit it out, and if they do swallow some its very inert and does pass right through (I have seen the evidence lol).


That's great to know, thanks ;D I'm sure that was interesting to discover lol.


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## yomo (Oct 5, 2015)

RattusMaximus said:


> Plastic is generally OK, and some rats don't even like to chew it... Mine prefer wood, honestly. I'm not sure why, but mine aren't big chewers anyway. The plastic igloos are likely alright, since they are made for rats, and like Isamurat said, they don't usually eat it. BTW, I'm not sure how you make the huts now, but if you make them without a floor, the pee doesn't soak in very much.


Mine love to nibble on fabrics, cardboard, and wood, but I haven't seen any wear on their plastic litterbox so I assume they don't prefer plastic (or just don't want to chew near poop  ) but I still wanted to be cautious until I could find out more. Also, that's genius...why have I never thought of that? Such a simple fix!


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## yomo (Oct 5, 2015)

RatEmporiumToronto said:


> Wooden pieces in your cage are good for your rats teeth and great entertainment for them! All of my babes love their wooden huts! I soak them if they get smelly in vinegar and water, wash them off and let them dry and that clears it all up. Of course if you would rather they dont get the chance to pee on any huts I would also recommend picking up some hanging wooden toys!
> Critter nations are the best cages ever omi you're going to have so much fun decorating ^.^


They do have one of those kabob toys that you can replace the wood pieces on as well as some loofa and grassy chews (and a kajillion toy mice while we're on the subject), although I didn't know there was any way to clean wood at all  so in that case I hope to get them a wooden hut when I do get the new cage. They just got their first honeycomb hammock and I want to spoil them and give them lots of places to hide. 

I really hope I have fun decorating it  I'm excited to be able to actually take the trays out and put new fleece on, and to be able to have full access to the cage in general. I currently have a Rat Manor from PETCO which is notorious for its small doors. The CN is going to be like a castle to my little guys compared to it  even if it is just a single unit.


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## yomo (Oct 5, 2015)

moonkissed said:


> i have a few of those plastic igloos. Im not a huge fan. My rats do not really chew them. But I don't think they are all that great as a hide spot since they are kindof see through.
> 
> I mostly use cardboard boxes. Just toss when you clean the cage and replace.
> 
> But i do suggest a few fleece hammocks/beds as well!


Yeah I considered that, but I may fashion a kind of igloo-cozy to go atop it for extra warmth and privacy. It depends I guess. They have one big 4 level honeycomb hammock at the moment, they don't seem to use just a regular one, it has to have pockets lol. So I have to make or get more of those for the upgrade too.


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

The space pods are good... but small for adult boys. 1 very large or 2 smaller males might fit in one... but you could always give them more than one. Mine love them. They also hang from the top of the cage so they don't take up ground space. 

I use cardboard boxes all the time.... Either that or plastic hides. I got one from a UK site... I think it is for Guinea pigs (it is called a garage or something like that). I don't like the igloos as they have a small opening and only one of them.. I think some rats feel trapped in them. 

I have also used the "waffle house" I think that's what it is called. It is made of connecting plastic sides that look like legos sort of. You can detach them to clean. The downside is the rats love chewing the knobs that stick out and so it becomes unusable over time.


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