I was called out to a job earlier to replace a busted door. When I got there, I saw these two sitting outside in the hot sun, their cage uncleaned, with no water. Animal abuse being one of the things that set me off, I start fussing about the condition these guys are being kept in.
One thing led to another, and the owners ended up telling me that if I didn’t like it, take the damned things, do my job, and leave. So that’s what I did, after getting in writing that they were indeed giving me the rats.
I’m in the middle of building them a munch bigger cage, and waiting on my sister to bring some fresh bedding. Don’t know how well I’ll do with rats, but it should be a fun experience.
I’m proud of you Mr. Accident. Too many of us are not willing to confront abusers. I’ve never had the need to but I’m a coward and I don’t know if I’d be able to if it came up.
Thank you for being brave enough to deal with the problem and thank you for being brave enough to take on an animal you’re not used to.
I love the names too. We decided not to rename our dogs when we got them but as I got to know them, I decided that Pinky and The Brain would have fit them perfectly. Ginger is lanky and occasionally really stupid. Holly is short and stout and sometimes alarmingly intelligent.
They are too adorable! I’ve heard great things from friends who have had rats - that they are friendly, playful, and clever. Have fun with your new additions to the family.
Thank you. I don’t see it as being brave myself, I just couldn’t stand the thought of leaving them like that.
Heh, I just got shown how clever they are, and had a demonstration of how small a space they can get into. One of them opened the door on their cage, and they both slipped out when I wasn’t looking. I managed to catch Pinky, but Brain slipped under the crack beneath the laundry room door, which is less than an inch in height. This door leads outside.
Lucky for me Taffy was wandering around outside and managed to pin him until I got out there.
I’ve got them back into their cage now, and I put a padlock on the door. I really need to finish their new cage so they’ll have more room.
I’m converting an old bookshelf into the cage. It stands 5’ wide, 4’ tall, and about 18" deep. I figure I’ll rig a couple of water bottles and their food bucket near the top shelf, their toys on the second shelf, place some ramps and a hammock above the bottom shelf, and have ramps connecting it all. I’ll fix a litter box to the very bottom for their bathroom use, and face it all with they smallest hexed wire I can find to allow for max air flow and give them an additional thing to climb on.
It is my understanding that male rats pee a LOT and all over everything too. I think if you make your own cage it will quickly be destroyed by chewing and urine, and you will have to get something else. Almost anything you can seal the wood with has fumes that are bad for the rats as well. Just something to keep in mind before you spend a lot of time and money on a cage; most people who go that route end up having to buy one anyway and regret it.
If you decide to buy a cage, try a Critter Nation by Midwest. They are available through several online retailers, and shipping is often very reasonable (check though, sometimes it isn’t!). A single level will be more than sufficient for two males (up to five, actually). They run around $150 including shipping, and they are incredibly sturdy and easy to clean.
edited to add: I am owned by three female rats, and even though I am far from an expert, I am happy to help if you have questions. Feel free to PM me
Awww, I used to have ratties. They’re like tiny dogs: personable, intelligent, and very trainable. Concur with **Miss Elizabeth **that wood-based cages are a bad idea: you want as much wire as possible, and little to no wood. Seriously, none is best. Make sure no electrical wires are near the cage - they’ll streeeetch their little mitts out and grab what they can.
Feeding them is easy as pie. No citrus, but other than that: if it’s good for you it’s good for them.
So how did you decide which one was Pinky and which one was the Brain? I guess going by size would be easiest, but I’m kind of hoping there was a personality match-up.
I don’t know if most rats will, but these two are. I had them running around yesterday, and to my surprise they ran to the cat’s litter box and used it. So I got an old tupperware bowl, filled it with litter, and stuck it in their temporary cage. They’ve been defecating in it since. The rest of the cage has shredded aspen in it. I’ve been doing some reading since yesterday’s post and may remove the litter though, as it might not be safe for their lungs.
Thanks for alerting me to the urine and the chewing. I hadn’t thought about that, or about the fumes from sealants being dangerous to rats. I’m still going to build them a cage, but I’ll build a wire cage instead.
Why no citrus?
Yup, total slip of judgment on my part.
Why thank you. I don’t think the mods would be happy if I did that though.
Just randomly picked I’m afraid. They’re roughly the same size, and right now they’re still skittish around me, so if I enter the laundry room they go all still and quiet. They do squeek a lot when they’re in there alone, so I’m sure they’re plotting something.
I don’t see it as being brave myself, I just couldn’t stand the thought of leaving them like that.
I don’t think the mods would be happy if I did that though.
