Cages and Bedding for Pet Rats
Learn About Rat Cage Options for Rats
Rats are among the best "pocket pets" out there, thanks to their intelligent and social nature. Bringing home a new pet rat can be a wonderful experience, though many new rat owners find themselves with many questions about rat cages and rat bedding – a big element of rat care.
Rat Cages
Rat cages should be rather large, preferably with multiple levels. Rats love to climb and run around inside their cages, so the more room, the better.
To avoid escapes and entrapment, cage bar spacing should be between 1/4 inch for small rats, and 1/2 inch for large adult rats.
If possible, avoid a cage with wire flooring, as small ratty toes tend to get caught, causing injuries to a pet rat. Unfortunately, many large cages that are suitable for rats have wire floors. To avoid injury to a pet rat, wire floors must be covered. Ramps can be covered with fabric, that can be secured by piercing holes in the corners of the fabric and using plastic zip ties to hold the fabric in place (be sure to cut off the excess zip tie plastic!). These ramp covers must be changed every one to two weeks, or more frequently if dirty.
To cover large flat areas of wire flooring, place a section of newspaper over the floor. This floor covering should be changed daily and the paper will also provide entertainment to the rats, who will likely rip the top layer of paper to create a “nest.” Do not cover floors with wood, as the wood will absorb urine, posing a respiratory hazard to rats.
Another flooring alternative for large areas involves large tiles, which can be placed over the wire and wiped down daily.
Also, fish tanks should not be used for rats, as they provide poor ventilation, which is especially dangerous to rats due to their extremely sensitive respiratory systems. Fish tanks also have few climbing opportunities for rats, resulting in boredom and a bored rat is usually an unhappy rat.
Rat Bedding
Wood chips should never be used for rat bedding. All woodchips contain oils that are inhaled and cause damage to the rat’s sensitive respiratory system. Contrary to what many misinformed pet store employees and websites may say, there is no “safe” woodchip bedding available for rats. Pine, cedar and all other types of woodchips are dangerous and deadly to rats.
There are two types of bedding that are considered safe for rats: paper-based bedding and fabric bedding. CareFresh and other similar paper-based bedding products are safe for rats and convenient for humans, who can throw away soiled sections of bedding daily, with a full cage bedding changed required twice weekly. The main drawback to CareFresh is that it tends to be rather expensive over time.
A less expensive bedding option involves fabric. Use T-shirts, old sheets, pillowcases, and old soft clothing items as rat cage bedding. Avoid fabrics with a loose weave and avoid towels that have a loop weave, as these fabrics tend to snag rat toes and nails.
Using fabric bedding for rats is far less expensive than CareFresh bedding, but the one drawback is that fabric bedding must be laundered. On an average week, two rats will create about 1/3 to 1/2 of a load of laundry.
Whether a rat owner opts for a paper-based bedding or a fabric bedding option, it is vital to change the bedding daily. Rat urine contains ammonia that will accumulate and place strain on the rat’s respiratory system, causing illness, discomfort and premature death in rats.
Rats will also enjoy recreation inside their cage. Wheels should be avoided due to the high potential for injury, but rats will enjoy other simple cage accessories, such as a large PVC pipe, cat toy balls, sticks for chewing (more interesting than traditional chew blocks), and a “high wire” for climbing.
Related Reading
Readers who found this article helpful may also be interested in reading Signs of a Sick Rat and Benefits of Keeping More Than One Rat, along with Mycoplasma and Respiratory Infections in Rats.
Rats Need a Proper Cage With No Woodchips!
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