Enrich Your Pet Rat's Living Space.

Provided by: Rat Lovers' Market Place - Jan Martin

The rat's living space is where he spends the majority of his time. In the wild, rats spend much of their time foraging for food and building nests. Activities, such as running, jumping, climbing, digging, and gnawing, are also important occupations for domestic rats, although most live in cages. An enriched cage environment should provide the necessary space and arrangement to support the rat's normal activities. For example, rats are "edge-users"; they like to stay close to walls and huddle into tight places. But rats also need to have room to stretch and stand upright on their hind legs.

According to studies performed with captive rats in laboratories, rats prefer an elongated, rectangular-shaped cage rather than a square cage. To allow for stretching and standing, the cage should have at least 9 inches of space between a solid bottom floor and the beginning of the ceiling or next level.

Wire floors cause foot problems in rats, and are generally considered unhealthy by veterinarians. The floors on all levels of a cage should be solid rather than wire mesh.

Because rats are "edge-users", the amount of open space within the cage is not as important as the use of space; rats prefer additional cubicles and walls inside the cage.

Most commercially available cages are not designed for adult domestic rats, but they can be easily modified. With just a few modifications, a plain cage can become an enriched environment that provides the activities and security a domestic rat needs. For safety, start with a cage made from one inch by half-inch, powder coated wire. Remove or reposition any shelves that are too low to allow an adult rat to stand upright. Cover wire floors with Plexiglas or hard plastic to create a solid surface.

Additional "edge spaces" can be provided with any number of commercially available cage accessories, such as Chinchilla Bath Houses and corner litter pans (designed for ferrets). Hiding, playing, and nesting areas can also be made from children's toys, or household/hardware items such as large, plastic jars or PVC tubing and joints.

This is an excerpt from "Keeping Your Pet Rats Healthy: Enrichment", the first in a three part series of articles on enrichment for pet rats. The complete article is available from Rat Lovers' Association.

Rat Lovers' Market Place offers high quality pocket hammocks and cage accessories to enrich your rat's living space, as well as the very best food and nutritional products to keep your pet rat healthy.

Copyright 2001, Rat Lovers' Association

About the Author:

Rat Lovers' Market Place
Lab blocks, treats, nutritional supplements, cage accessories and miscellaneous supplies suitable for domestic rats.