# Is this do-able??



## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

My landlady says its ok for me to have pet rats 
I haven't told my Oh yet but lol he won't have to do anything with them.

I don't have a cage anymore but I do have an empty 4ft tank, if I made a frame for the lid with wire, can I keep 2 rats in there??

I would build like shelves so there is more than one level for them, and have tunnels and hammocks and a wheel.

Also do you all use wood pellet cat litter for your rats cage rather than sawdust?? I did with my last 4 rats because my one before that got an eye infection from the dust.


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Oooh i want rats sooo badly! Sorry I can't answer any of your questions though lol! Except I don't think you can keep them in tanks because they smell too much/like to climb but I might be wrong! Post piccies when you get them I have to look at photos of other peoples rats to make myself feel better about not being able to have any lol


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

The tank is 15" tall... I'd not use the glass lids I'd make a wooden frame that sits just outside the glass and cover it in wire, needs to be heavyish so the cats don't get in! Lol And also so I can hang water bottle and hammocks off it


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## nic101 (Jun 8, 2009)

we had rats at college (animal course)

they were in a massive mesh/wire cage....

they like to climb so tbh i wouldnt put them in a tank - even with levels.... unless it was 3 foot high....


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

wouldnt a glass tank get uncomfortably hot in the summer? not to mention stinky!!


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Oh, I hadn't thought of that.
Maybe I will have to keep my eye out for a cage... It's soo expensive for one big enough for rats where I am.

My friend at school had rats, and she built them a cage inside her built in wardrobe! It was 7ft tall, 5ft wide and 3ft deep, she lined all the walls with sealed wood and then wire for them to climb, cut huge holes in the doors and replaced it with wire, and built shelves, tunnels etc inside.
She then built a track around her room with the see through tubes for them to run through! it was awesome but I think my OH would kill me!


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

A tank isn't an ideal place for rats to live in, they are prone to respy infections & the enclosed environment of a tank can exascerbate this due to ammonia levels from their wee building up, it's also hard to give then lots of climbing places & hammock hanging places too


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

PoisonGirl said:


> Oh, I hadn't thought of that.
> Maybe I will have to keep my eye out for a cage... It's soo expensive for one big enough for rats where I am.
> 
> My friend at school had rats, and she built them a cage inside her built in wardrobe! It was 7ft tall, 5ft wide and 3ft deep, she lined all the walls with sealed wood and then wire for them to climb, cut huge holes in the doors and replaced it with wire, and built shelves, tunnels etc inside.
> She then built a track around her room with the see through tubes for them to run through! it was awesome but I think my OH would kill me!


lol! wow! that sounds awesome!


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Have you looked on ebay for cages? I always look on there for rat cages (even though I can't have any yet  lol no harm in looking!! )


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## Littlerat (Nov 18, 2009)

Rats love climbing around on bars so a barred cage isbest to keep them in. Barred cages are also good because you can hang toys, hammocks and tubes from the sides/roof which is essential for the rats mental stimulation. petworlddirect is a great place to go for cages, or ebay/preloved.


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Thanks I will have a look, it would need to be really cheap or free though, as I don't see OH agreeing on my spending loads on a cage when he doesn't even want rats again! Lol

He wouldn't let me have another dog yet so I'll just be telling him I'm having rats. Lol!

I actually think I'd prefer a cage that I can slide the tray out of the bottom to clean it out.. might be a bit easier then give it a full clean once a week -in the shower with petsafe spray to clean all the bars etc as I found my boys always had the bars dirty! Lol


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## Acacia86 (Dec 30, 2008)

When i was fostering the 5 rats, 4 of them lived in home-made cage. Made from an old shelving unit thing. It was about 6ft tall, 4ft wide, and 3ft deep. 

It was amazing, loads of things for them to do, hammocks, hung up toys etc, and a wire fronted door. 

But wooden it stank  it did have lino on the floors and walls but they ripped it up and he didn't put anymore.


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## Littlerat (Nov 18, 2009)

You can get pet safe paint or plastikote to paint the wood with so it doesn;t soak up the pee


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