Rats in Aquarium HELP ME!!!?

Question

Ok, I have a problem. We bought two boy rats about 3 weeks ago now and we are keeping them in an aquarium,I'm not sure of the size but I know its too small for them. Now I thought this was just a temporary measure until we got a good cage for them or at least a "tank topper" but my boyfriend said the other night that that was going to be their permanant home! He said he might put a mesh top on it but not extend it in any way. When I asked why he said "because if it has no cover you will be able to smell them"Now correct me if I am wrong but doesn't an aquarium with a wooden top smell worse than a cage with bars?!?! He also wanted to know why I was getting so worked up over a couple of rodents who only have a lifespan of two or so years and I asked how he'd feel spending his whole life in a glass bubble.
Ok, sorry about that, I suppose my question is: How do I convince him to at least put an extension on the tank (tank topper or otherwise) or get a good cage? Any ideas or websites.

Answer 1

Thank you for asking ;) The best way to convince him is hard evidence that he should be using a cage. Stay away from clay cat litter, at can cause URI's and if ingested lead to bowel obstruction.

Please advise him they can live up to 4-5 years if taken care of properly, and the love they give you is not exchangable with the love you receive from any other creature. Its just....unique.
I had my first rat in a glass tank his entire life. I wish I could change the past. All he did was sleep and eat and sleep and eat. Was not very active at all. I mean he didn't have any room to play, so what else was there for him to do?

I did some reasearch, scanned forums, and looked at what others reccomended. I made my own cage out of PVC coated 1/2"x1/2" welded wire. I have never seen a more active playful bunch of animals. Happy, bouncy, mischeivious!! Very much comparative to Ferrets activity levels, but without the stinky poo, and sometimes misplaced aggression (don't get me wrong ferrets are great pets, just a little too hyper for me). It was a completley different creature than my first rat. Then I got them some friends and my journey began. I got them litter box trained even !!

I now am the proud owner of 16 rats, some may think thats a bit strange, but I have taken in many rats in my area that have needed homes, or were to be put to sleep, or tossed out in the garbage. I think they deserve more than that.

I am adding some links to this answer to help you out with the cage question. I think you need to start out with gentle persuasion. The bigger cage you can agree to, the better for the rats. I personally choose ferret cages for the ease of cleaning and the amount of space. It is cheaper if you make a "Grotto" style cage out of an old book cabinet, just remember if its wood you will have to seal it and they are notoriously harder to clean. Anything large---buy it with wheels, it will make your life much easier in the longrun when you can wheel it outside to clean and spray it off with a hose (I even had that issue with heavy tanks and breakage....oh gosh wheels are SOO much less back breaking!) Remeber no Pine or cedar bedding chips it can cause very bad lung scarring and inffections(I have two from a petstore with this problem, they sneezed and wheezed all their lives, and there was nothing I could really do but try and throw medication at it which never helped) try to use only aspen bedding or commercial recyvled newspaper bedding (carefresh/Yesterdays news, unsure of comparission in AU)
Alot of people make their fleecy hammocks to lay and play in and use big baby toys. Mine love little plastic boats and untreated wicker baskets!

SO to sum up a few things if he would like to read this :
Rats can live up to 4-5 years.
Aquarium is not good for their health (or yours)
a wooden topper=MUCH more smelly
Cage=super thumps up!!
Rats can be littler trained
Use only aspen bedding/commercial recycled newspaper bedding (no pine or cedar)

Please feel free to e-mail me if you'd like anymore info or help!

Answer 2

I wouldn't be convincing him of anything, I'd simply buy a tank topper (at the very least) or a new cage myself. I don't need permission to properly care for my pets.

Aquariums do not offer enough space or ventilation for rats without the addition of a topper. Young rats especially need plenty of room to roam and climb about. In fact, because of the small size and lack of ventilation, an aquarium will smell MORE than a cage, as everything is concentrated. When I had to house a rat in an aquarium for a week while it recovered from surgery, it had to be cleaned twice as often as normal.

Answer 3

They do smell better in a cage. The aquarium traps the stale air and is real hard on the rats respiratory system. They need lots of room to climb around in.

Rats themselves have almost no odor. If the cage smells bad to you, it is worse to them. Also in an aquarium you might not clean it often enough. They are very clean creatures.

Cages are really easier to clean than aquariums anyway.

Rats need your attention and have some time out of the cage every day.

It sounds like your boyfriend is a bit controlling. If he cared about your love for your pets or the pets themselves he would not be acting this way. Will he listen to reason and has he ever changed his opinion?

Men who feel OK about themselves can and do change their minds if new facts arise. Men who feel unsure of themselves do everything they can to make themselves
"Be the Boss".

I hope he will see that when you take on pets, no matter the size, it's your responsibility to see to their welfare. He may grow to love your rattie boys and want what's best for them.

I hope so! For their sake and yours. And his too, really. Men must be compassionate to to be good fathers.

Answer 4

Absolutely not. Rats need wire cages for proper ventilation and for climbing. Rats like to climb bars and you can also add ropes, ladders, hammocks etc in a wire cage and you cannot in a tank. A 10 gallon is also way too small. Rats need at the very least 2 cubic (not square) feet. Rats are social animals and need to be kept in pairs. If you cannot afford a $40 cage then you cannot afford rats. They are not cheap animals.

Answer 5

Is there any way you could buy the little guys a proper cage, or @ least a cage topper, yourself? Unless there was a real problem with money or transportation, that's what i would do.
Rats don't smell bad if their cage is cleaned regularly, & if *you* can smell them, imagine what it's like for the rats, who are prone to respiratory problems as it is. Also, they are playful & active so they'd be *much* happier in a habitat where they could climb & you could hang hammocks , chew toys & other fun things for them.

Answer 6

He will soon smell it,why you need a cage.The ammonia builds up really badly in a tank,while it is not never that bad in a spacious,ventilated cage.And rats love to climb,too.
You know what, if he is still hard to convince,wait for about 2 weeks,during that time play together with your rats regularly and you will see how he will fall in love with his pets and buy the cage himself.Rats are fabulous pets.One of the best I have had so far.They are smart,cuddly and they starve for human contact!You guys will love them and he will want the best he can afford for them soon.

Answer 7

Tell him that they need better ventilation than an aquarium can provide, but I agree; you shouldn't need permission to properly care for your pets. If you two share the pets then it's both of your responsibility to take humane care of them, no matter how long they live.

http://fatratcentral.com/the-basics/caging/

Answer 8

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Answer 9

i think cages are better and the best. my hamster i don't think he'd be to happy in tank and besides with a bar cage the small animals will be happier. they can breathe better. to convince him tell him the animals would be WAY HAPPIER in a bar cage.

Answer 10

Well, I personally don't like rats 'cause they tend to be smelly. However, you might want to point out to him that he bought them and is now responsible for treating them humanely. You can get a cage top (be sure to keep it clamped/weighted) and change the bedding 2x a week that should keep the smell under control... Don't use cedar bedding though it's bad for their lungs...

As for cage size try the aspca for reccs that .