Rat village idea?

Question

Ok I have this idea but I doing some research. My thought is that rats are interesting individuals or are intelligent and need stimulation. I cringe when I see boring rat cages. My idea is to build a series of a cages hopefully would like to inter connect with some sort of habitrail or tubing. I want to include a sort of play area with clothesline for climbing and parrot ladders and all sort of fun ratties things to do. I do need a little advice and ideas on how to put it all together.
Problem 1 rats are the houdinis are of the rat world as us rattie lovers know so how to make it escape proof.
2 Does anyone know where I could get rat sized tubing or habitrail type items? The hamster size are much to slender for my fat girls.
3) I also want to make some hammocks but I don't have any direction.
4) Other easily made rat toys that are safe and fun for them. .

Answer 1

Oh you must be such a good rat owner - your rats are lucky to have you. Here are some of my suggestions for you:

1)If you have a large cage, all the tubes are best build inside rather than the outside of the cage. All corners and walls should be solid - bar cages are usually no good. If you have a bar cage, spray bitter apple training spray on the bars to get your rats not to chew. What some rat owners find is that ferret cages are usually a good start to your rat cage. If you buy a large ferret cage, you can add onto it. If the bars are too big of a gap, cover it with wire mesh. Whenever you clean the cage, keep an eye open for holes that your rats have started to dig, and for areas of the cage that your rat has started to chew. Always keep the cage in good condition. Keep your rat cage in a room with no holes in the wall, and no open heat vents or windows. No active mousetraps should be in the room - if you have a vermin problem you should keep the rats in the least effected area of the house where no mousetraps are needed. Always keep the door to the room closed when you are not inside. This way, if they ever happen to escape, they will safe and easy to find.

2) You can purchase ferret tubes from a pet store, which will comforably fit a rat. These, like other tubes, are hard to clean. Also, you can buy duct pipes from a store that sells construction materials. The duct pipes should have atleast a 3 inch diameter. Also, see the link I put in #4, below, for instructions of how to build sewable tunnels.
3) see #4 below. Other than the suggested ways, I have two other workable ways of making rat hammocks:
a. buy some tough material at a fabric store. You can also use the fabric from an old pair of jeans.
b. Cut the fabric into approx. 17" x 11" minimum (you could also cut two 8.5" x 11") and fold in half horizontally. Cut It so that it shapes a wide "D"
c. If you want the hammock to look nice, turn the fabric so the bad sides are facing outwards. Sew the rounded part of the "D" Shape, leaving the top part open. It is best to use a sewing maching, but if you are doing this by hand, use very tight stitching.
d. Turn the fabric so that the good sides are facing you, and sew a handle to hang it in the rat cage. The handle should be made of thick, strong, nonchewable string. Spray it with bitter apple spray to prevent chewing. The hammock should look like a purse when it is done.
Here is a simpeler way of making a hammock that some rats actually prefer:
a. Cut a rectangular piece of fabric with room for your rat to lie down. 8.5" x 11" is a good size. This should also be made of tough material.
b.Cut a hole in each corner, tying a knot with tough non-chewable string, also sprayed with bitter apple spray.
c. Hang it in the rat cage, and its done!
It is often a good idea to have several hammocks prepared, so that you can wash them and still have a hammock in the rat cage.
If you do not want to make a rat hammock, you can purchase a ferret hammock from the pet store, but these are much more expensive.
4) http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm is a really good website that has many ideas for toys and games for your rat. Make sure and check out the site.

Answer 2

I have a "rat run" that contains their cage, ladders, hamocks, ropes, and tubes. Their run is 4x4x4 and is made from plywood. I painted it with two coats of high gloss paint which makes it easy to wipe down. It has windows with pvc coated wire mesh and a top made of the same pvc coated mesh. The door opens up so I can get inside when I take the top off to clean. The tubes are the pvc tubes you find in the plumbing department with holes I drilled. The hamocks are made from different fabric I got in the discount section under a buck a yard. I just cut the fabric so it looks like an odd H and tie the ends to the hooks on their run. I also use those little cat balls that are made from plastic and have holes in them to stick treats in that they have to dig out with their paws.

Hope that helps

Answer 3

I love the idea of a Rat Village -- someday, when my rats have a room of their own, they will have a Village. I've given this a LOT of thought.

The one tip I want to give you is -- make sure you can CLEAN it. Those ferret tunnel things are REALLY HARD to clean. If you can, set things up so that you can run a HOSE through everything and drain the water into a bucket or something.

Have fun!

Answer 4

well...have you checked out the ferret section at your local pet store? they make huge ferret cages that you can hook large tubing up to and habitrail sells large tubing which might be too big for your rats but you should still check it out...I've made hammocks for my hamsters out of bandanna with each corner tied to the roof of the cage (however petco or petsmart also sell hammocks for ferrets and hamsters in different sizes-you should check it out!) good luck-I LOVE your idea of a rat city! keep brainstorming because I know it's gonna look great when it's all done!!

Answer 5

I'm not sure what your budget is, but you should get a FerretNation. They have tons of room and are great for rats. You can put lots of toys and hammocks and such for them in there. Sorry, but I'm not a rat owner, so I wouldn't know what kinds of toys they would like, so I'll leave that to someone else. ;)

Good luck!

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Answer 6

Check out Kathy's Kritters website, she didn't have rats, but she has hamster & guinea pig cages with very elaborate setups, kinda similar to what your asking about.

Answer 7

u could use pbc piping for rats cuz its been reccomended for guinea pigs. u might want to drill some air holes in it incase they plug up both ends.