Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Dumbo Rat Care - All About Cages

By Tom Parker


A cage is quite literally just a closed off place that contains your pet rat. In order to make it a home, you will need to make it cozy, inviting, and stimulating for him.

A rat needs his private area of rest just as much as we do. Nest boxes in pet shops have a wide variety of designs you can choose from. You can also create your own using a hard cardboard box, a plastic box with a hole, an upside down bowl with an opening, or a pipe...just to name a few options. Be creative.

Be sure to give your dumbo rat some sort of bedding material. There are many options to choose from, with some of the best being shredded cloth and strips of paper. Wood shaving are acceptable too but just make sure not use use cedar or pine. These types of wood have toxins that may harm your rats.

You must also change your pet rat's nesting material regularly as these can smell of urine and can cause infection or harm to your pet rat if left unchanged.

Just like people, rats also need to move around a bit. A great thing to give your rats is a large exercise wheel which they can use to stay in shape. One thing to keep in mind with this, however, is that wheels made of metal wires can cause harm to their delicate feet. Instead, opt for a plastic wheel.

A great way to feed treats to your dumbo rats is in a special fully-enclosed vessel which they have to gnaw through to get to the food. Bear in mind, this is just meant to be used for their treats as a game, not the actual food they need to eat every day to survive. Because your rats love to chew, they will greatly enjoy both the process and the reward with this creative cage embellishment.

And lastly, the most important items inside your pet rat's cage are, of course, his food tray and water bottle. Without these, you'll likely have a very upset dumbo rat on your hands!




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