# Free range rats!



## Bullymastiff (May 6, 2010)

Interested to know how long daily everyone else lets their rats free range for? 
and where do you let them? 

I have 2 russian blue dumbo rex boys of 15 weeks old, they have a ferplast furet tower cage which they are currently only using half of, i plan to get the other half in use next week when their new hammocks and toys arrive. 

They free range in the morning for anything from 2 hours-7 hours if im in all day. They come out in the living room and can go where they like, but usually stick to the sofa next to their cage and the floor around there! 
they are getting braver by the day though!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Wow a whole tower just for 2 boys! You do realise that cage can hold around 16 rats!

Right my lot get free ranged an hour in the morning and an hour at night in there rat room.
And sometimes on the bed.

There very lazy and spend most of the time to and throw to the cage and my spare Jenny cage I have, they use this as a play time cage.

But yeh 2 hours in total.


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## donna.n (Apr 22, 2011)

My hubby has made a board to cut one half of the living room off for our 2 to run around in. We've still got boxes in there which they love climbing up and goin on the clothes horse thingy. Their out for an hour in the mornings or maybe more if they suddenly go quiet I know their asleep. They come out for most of the night wen hubby's home cos we both play with them.


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## Bullymastiff (May 6, 2010)

blade100 said:


> Wow a whole tower just for 2 boys! You do realise that cage can hold around 16 rats!
> 
> Right my lot get free ranged an hour in the morning and an hour at night in there rat room.
> And sometimes on the bed.
> ...


I know haha i went a bit overboard when i bought them, to be honest i didnt realise how big it actually was until my other half got it home 
But i dont want anymore ratties im happy with my 2 and couldnt afford the time and money on anymore!

How many rats have you got if you have a 'rat room'??!
edit duh it says in your signature! loads of rats!


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## Bullymastiff (May 6, 2010)

donna.n said:


> My hubby has made a board to cut one half of the living room off for our 2 to run around in. We've still got boxes in there which they love climbing up and goin on the clothes horse thingy. Their out for an hour in the mornings or maybe more if they suddenly go quiet I know their asleep. They come out for most of the night wen hubby's home cos we both play with them.


My two went asleep the other day as i was staying in all day i just left them on top of the cage and checked on them every now and again! 
Theres not much trouble they can get into in my lounge, tv wires are in the wall, its only really the dog, but shes not bothered by them at all.


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2012)

My lot get around 30 mins in the animal room (I have a few groups so they take it in turns) and then they get about an hour/hour and a half in the front room with me in the evening


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

Mine are in the utility room and are out for about 2 hours every evening, more if I have the time. Its an absolute tip which the rats love as they rummage through shoe boxes, laundry basket and their new favourite is my playstation 3 box which they have made a second nest in!

They also love to climb on my "rat box", which is the huge plastic box with all my rat necessities in. But I drink a lot of capri sun and keep the boxes for nest boxes after every clean out and I have about 5 in the rat box and its like a great climbing frame for them! They really are fantastic pets aren't they? :thumbup:


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

My lot get an hour a day minimum free range then the rest of the time I almost always have at least one rat hiding in my hoody or having a snuggle with mummy. They did get longer free range when I was down to just a lone female and the males, I used to free range them together so they got 2 hours, but now there are young fertile females I have to free range seperately.


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## bewitched (Jun 9, 2010)

Mine all get a minimum 1 hr free range in the rat room and 15 mins shoulder riding every day. Then any extra ontop of that depends what shift I'm working. it can range from an extra half hour to 2 hours. If we didn't have Lula I'd bring their cage into the living room and just leave their door open


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## Petitepuppet (May 30, 2009)

Mine get out for at least an hour a night. If I didn't have 3 groups then they would be out for longer...Usually carry my special girl, Bee about with me so she gets more out time then the rest.


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## Maltey (Nov 29, 2011)

My rat cage is on top of the stair box so when I'm home I usually just leave the door open and let them run around on that- until they learn to get down! 
Since I'm in my last couple of weeks of uni I've not had much time to devote to the group as a whole, but they've been coming out onto the bed with me individually or in pairs (easier to manage) for an hour or so a night, in addition to their free-roaming.
Normally they'll have their mini free-range (around the box) and then I get the group out for an hour or so and the individuals or pairs for an hour ish.
I don't really have a work schedule so I just kinda get them out whenever I'm free!


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Mine free range in the bathroom, only safe place for them as there are holes in kitchen floor/skirting and hundreds of wires behind tv in the livingroom. 

A few times I have let them free range around the floor while I had a shower :lol:


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## Petitepuppet (May 30, 2009)

PoisonGirl said:


> A few times I have let them free range around the floor while I had a shower :lol:


I do this too


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## LynseyB (Jan 30, 2012)

We're lucky to have a rat room in our house 

I put my computer in there to give even more incentive for us both to be in and out the room a lot. 
I like to sit on the floor with them and will go back and forth to my computer while they cause general chaos. If I have to leave the room for brief periods I can lock them in (we have 2 cats) and let them get on with it.

The room is full of cardboard boxes with holes cut out, tubes etc so they have loads to explore


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## DumboRatLove (Mar 6, 2012)

i have a largish downstairs bathroom, but i need to separate certain areas, anyone know where i can get 2ft high board because i cannot find anywhere that do- online it is 'dollar store' and in homeware stores i can find nothing. 
i started in the bathtub until they get used to me, echo is a bit nervous still


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## rattiedee (Jun 3, 2012)

My guys are out with me loads, at least half of the day a minimum of 2 hours. I cant let them run free just yet as our room isnt secure enough, plus they arent trained yet to come back when asked. We have had Sheldon escape and it took me an hour to trick him into a spare cage and catch him 
However, once the vivs have been moved and I have finished training them they will have full run of the room. 
You have a brilliant cage, I would love the Tower! I've just bought an abode for my 4 girls, which is brilliant, hoping to pick it up real soon and hope to get another for the boys, if not I'm aiming for a Tower :thumbup:


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## Ratty man (Apr 15, 2012)

rattiedee said:


> My guys are out with me loads, at least half of the day a minimum of 2 hours. I cant let them run free just yet as our room isnt secure enough, plus they arent trained yet to come back when asked. We have had Sheldon escape and it took me an hour to trick him into a spare cage and catch him
> However, once the vivs have been moved and I have finished training them they will have full run of the room.
> You have a brilliant cage, I would love the Tower! I've just bought an abode for my 4 girls, which is brilliant, hoping to pick it up real soon and hope to get another for the boys, if not I'm aiming for a Tower :thumbup:


I have a tower on it's way, I just hope it lives up to expectations.


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## rattiedee (Jun 3, 2012)

Ratty man said:


> I have a tower on it's way, I just hope it lives up to expectations.


You lucky lucky man. They are great cages hun, I had a huge one for a ferret I rescued, wish I hadnt of parted with it to be honest :mad2: I hope your as happy with yours as I was with mine :thumbup:


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## Ratty man (Apr 15, 2012)

My tower arrived today


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

How is it?


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## Ratty man (Apr 15, 2012)

Can't use it yet as my ratties are still to small.

It's to house my 9 female babies and they need to grow a bit more first as i'm worried they will squeeze through the bars.


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## Sophie_xxx (Feb 21, 2009)

My 3 girls get about an hour a day of free range play in my bedroom, during of which I sit on the floor and let them come to me for cuddles and playtime. 
They're not too bad when it comes to chewing things but they do have a habit of stealing little bits and bobs and stashing them, usually under my bed


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## Katiii (Sep 30, 2018)

Bullymastiff said:


> Interested to know how long daily everyone else lets their rats free range for?
> and where do you let them?
> 
> I have 2 russian blue dumbo rex boys of 15 weeks old, they have a ferplast furet tower cage which they are currently only using half of, i plan to get the other half in use next week when their new hammocks and toys arrive.
> ...


well i give my rats freerange 5-7 times a week, about an hour a day. sometimes more, sometimes less. should i give them more? cause it is really psychologically stressful for me, as i have many illnesses.


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## Katiii (Sep 30, 2018)

Sophie_xxx said:


> My 3 girls get about an hour a day of free range play in my bedroom, during of which I sit on the floor and let them come to me for cuddles and playtime.
> They're not too bad when it comes to chewing things but they do have a habit of stealing little bits and bobs and stashing them, usually under my bed


yeah i do that too, i hope it is enough for my four girls


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