Creating a Good Set-up for My Rats

Rats are smart animals who need enrichment to keep their busy brains happy! When setting up a home cage for your rats, this 'enrichment' factor is very important.

The following information should help you achieve this for your rat(s).

On this page, you’ll find recommendations for:

A good cage
Places for rats to hide/sleep, toys and other enrichment
Cage substrate/nesting material
Food (including food and water bowls)

Where to shop

Petstock
Animates
NZ Rat Rescue
Facebook Market Place is a good place to look for cheaper, second-hand items. Just make sure you clean them properly, as the smell of other rats can cause stress.

A good cage

Rats require a large cage. They need lots of space to run around and climb. Mice cages are not suitable, as they’re far too small.

Important: Make sure the cage has good ventilation, as rat urine produces ammonia vapours that can hurt the respiratory system of rats and humans. This is also the main reason why a fish tank or plastic bin/container is not appropriate for rat homes. Their closed sides prevent sufficient ventilation.

A large wire cage with levels is good, like the ones below:

Approx cost: $200. You can find out more here.

Note: This one has a wire mesh floor which can damage rats' feet and legs. You can easily fix this by covering the wire with fleece or cardboard. Fleece blankets can be purchased from the Warehouse and from thrift stores. These can easily be cut to the size you need. You can also buy more than one of these cages and connect them together to create a bigger space!

Large bird cages are also ideal for rats. They provide lots of room for housing and enrichment. An added bonus of bird cages is their height means your rats will be at a better level to observe their environment.

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Places to hide/sleep, toys and other enrichment

Rats love toys such as sleeping boxes, hammocks, tunnels, running wheels, untreated wooden blocks to chew and/or suitable balls. Rats are also prey animals, and so, no matter how big the cage is, they need comfortable places to hide, like huts or tunnels.

Some of our favourites include:

Kaytee Comfort Wheel 30cm - Giant (for Rats)

The smaller ones are not suitable for rats. These are available from Animates.

Savic Sputnik Hanging Pet Bed XL

Rats love sleeping in these! They are available from Petstock.

Living World Dome Medium

These can be filled with paper towels or shredded paper to create a cosy nest for rats. They are available from Petstock.

Hammocks

Petstock sells a range of hammocks you can mix and match to provide some levels and variation to your rats home.

Nibble and Squeek Hammock Nibble and Squeek Cube

Bird beds can provide a cozy place for your rats like this one here.

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NZ Rat Rescue sells hammocks made from polar fleece. These are quite sturdy and will provide good warmth for your rats.

You can also make these yourself using polar fleece blankets and clips or hooks — NZ Rat Rescue sells hammock hooks. If you know how to sew, there are some great tutorials on Youtube for making rat hammocks!

Rats will chew these, so they'll need to be replaced eventually.

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Lexi & Me Guinea Pig Tunnel

There are many tunnels avaliable online. This one from Petstock extends to 90cm and can be bent in to different shapes to accommodate your enclosure!

Living World Knot A Rope Perch

These can be connected to any part of the enclosure. These ropes are a great way to create levels and climbing entertainment for your rats.

These can be purchased from Petstock and come in many sizes.

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Chew toys

There are a lot of different chew toys for rats. From experience, favourites include:

Kaytee Wodden Knot Mini Nibbler from Petstock.
Nibble & Squeek Coffeewood Gnaw Natural from Petstock.
Kaytee Perfect Chew for Rats from Petstock.

You can also get creative and use household items, including paper towels, toilet rolls, and cereal boxes.

Cage substrate/nesting material

Rats must be provided with a dry bedding 'substrate' such as recycled paper litter, which is available from pet shops and the Warehouse.

This is ideal for cages like this one. If you purchase a cage with a wire bottom, then litter can be put in the tray below to help with odour control.

The substrate must be changed and cleaned weekly or more often when necessary. Choose a dust-free substrate to avoid dust irritating the rats’ airways.

TIP: When the substrate is changed, place a small amount (e.g., two tablespoons max) of the old substrate back in the cage to provide a ‘home’ smell (this makes cage changes less stressful, and the rat(s) don’t feel the need to immediately renew their scent markers).

It is essential that the rats are provided with nesting material, such as hay, shredded plain paper or plain tissue (as inks can be toxic to rats). Nesting is an important rat behaviour, and the nesting material provides important thermal insulation for comfort.

You’ll likely already have paper towels and tissue around your home. Rats love ripping these up to create a nest! If you work from an office (or know someone who does), you should have access to a paper shredder – shredded paper is a fun nesting material for rats.

You can also cut up a fleece blanket and add small rat-sized blankets to hammocks, tunnels, huts etc., to give them a comfortable, warm place to sleep.

Food (including food and water bowls)

Like our own daily diet, a good one helps us feel healthy and happy; the same goes for rats. Rats generally need their diet to be about:

75- 80% carbohydrates,
15 - 18 % protein, and around
4 - 6% fat.

Most seed mixes are too high in fat and protein and should not be their staple diet. Lab blocks are good – just ensure you’re feeding the rats other food.

A good diet is a quality low-protein dog food such as Nutro Lite, along with other grains such as rolled oats, dried veggie pasta, pumpkin seeds, puffed wheat, and puffed rice. Always supplement dry food with a little fresh fruit and vegetables daily. Healthy, balanced leftovers from your dinner every now and then are ok, too!

Keep the rotation of food interesting for rats. They can be bored by having the same thing over and over again.

Some food is really bad for rats: onion, citrus fruits, walnuts, rhubarb, grapes, raisins and chocolate. Avoid sugars and high-fat foods such as dairy. Rats like sweet and fatty food, but it can cause health problems if they eat too much of it, so only use these as treats and rewards during training and/or play.

There are many different types of dried food for rats, and you'll soon figure out which ones your rats do and don't like. From experience, favourites include:

Premium Quality Rat Food from NZ Rat Rescue.
Vetafarm Origins Mouse & Rat Food from Petstock.
Supreme Selective Fortified Diet For Rats from Petstock.

Pet shops sell a range of different water bottles. Our preference is to give rats access to both a water bottle and a water bowl (i.e. if something goes wrong and the water bottle gets blocked, it's important that your rats can still access fresh water).

D-cup Feeders (found in the bird section at pet shops) work really well as water bowls as they can be attached to the side of the cage (making it harder for rats to tip these over). You can purchase these from Petstock and NZ Rat Rescue.

Want more inspiration? Check out photos of approved rat cages here.

As rats are super sociable animals, only having one rat should be avoided. Solo rats can get ‘depressed’ and show abnormal behaviour. Therefore, here are some top tips for introducing a rat to other rats in your household:

Introducing rats to other rats should always be done slowly and with patience. Even though rats need the company of other rats, allowing them to sniff around at their own pace and use their sense of smell to recognise others means they can take in all the ‘information’ they need – e.g. where the other rat(s) have been, what they have been up to; just all-round rat ‘news and gossip’ about each other!

A rescue rat that has been brought up alone can find it difficult to communicate with other rats and may need a much longer introduction.

Some rats that are territorial can also be happier in a smaller group with less to defend. Remember - there is no ‘one cage fits all’ approach to rat housing. You’ll need to monitor and respond to any of your rat(s) needs to create the perfect set-up for them.

Here are some tips and tricks that you can try out to create the perfect setup:

Use a new ‘neutral’ cage to house them together – otherwise, the rat that has lived in the cage you are using may defend their territory from new rat(s) and show unwelcoming signs of aggression.

Keep them in their separate cages near each other - within sniffing, not biting distance, and they should slowly become accustomed to each other. You can also swap the rats around, putting them in their fellow rat’s cage and vice versa so they can get used to each other’s smell. This can take a matter of days or a few weeks.

If you do not see any of the following signs, they are ‘ready’ to be introduced into a ‘neutral’ cage together:

Raised or fluffed up fur, wagging tail from side to side and looking to approach other rats’ side on.

Once housed together - adult rats may still display high aggression toward each other. This should stop once they establish a dominance relationship. Don’t be alarmed!

But do look out for ‘fighting’, which is a clear sign that these particular rats cannot live together as one or all may get hurt.

‘Fighting’ behaviour to look out for includes:

An attacking rat has raised fur
One rat hides from the other
Aggressive vocalisation
One rat injures another

This ‘fighting’ behaviour can happen when the rats involved cannot reach a stable dominance relationship. This means they should not be housed together as there is no escape and nowhere to hide if stuck together.

Note: Have a water spray bottle and a thick towel at the ready to rescue the situation in case a fight does break out.

You can help reduce this aggression behaviour if you:

Avoid anything that alters the smell of an individual rat (including too much handling), as this may cause your rats to over-investigate their cage mate more, which could lead to aggression.
Provide enough feeding resources such as water bottles and food bowls so that all rats can access them, and they don’t need to jostle or share if they don’t want to.
Provide multiple enrichment resources that can act as places to hide and escape too, such as tunnels and shelters, and other visual barriers to help break up any aggressive encounters.
Provide a multi-layer cage with multiple exits, so the different layers and exits can also act as places to ‘hide’ and escape to.
If aggressive behaviour continues, even within a usually stable group of rats, this could indicate that there is an illness problem. For example, rats can show aggression when they are in pain. Please check the health of each of your rats and contact your vet immediately for advice. Separate your rats until your vet has given them the ‘all clear’.

Harmonious Living:

Once rats accept each other, there may still be some scuffles, but they should be mild and random.

Note: Please always monitor your rats' living arrangements and don’t leave strange behaviour unchecked.

Once happy together, you can help your rats' living arrangements along with a couple of reward tips:

Hand feeding your rat(s) treats in equal amounts. This hand-feeding can also help bring your rats physically closer together and create shared and rewarding experiences together and with you!

Additional toys and hammocks can be added to their cage when you are confident that no rats are being ‘cornered’ by another. More toys and hammocks mean they can enjoy more enrichment together or separately.

As sociable, playful creatures, rats need, at the very least, an hour outside of their cage each day to play and interact with you and their environment. This also helps them create a social bond with you.

Socialising with each other and their humans and allowing them to interact and exercise in a safe environment - provides rats with great enrichment for their smart brains. Watching your rat(s) ‘free-range’ outside their cage. can be a fantastic way for you to know all their likes and dislikes as well as the behaviour traits and quirks that each unique individual has.

Creating temporary or permanent playgrounds for your rat(s), outside their cage and inside your home, can be fun for humans, too, especially for kids.

Whatever you build, please ensure the area:

Is safe for your rat(s), including away from anything or any other animal that may harm them this includes electrical wires, sharp objects and/or poisonous house plants and other materials/products they may chew on.
Is able to contain typical rat behaviour such as chewing, tunnelling and toileting without causing any damage to your home or damage, injury or death to them.
Factors in the fact that rats are agile and fast movers, which makes them excellent ‘escape artists’, and so your designated area must be safe from harm should your rat escape. Block all ‘rat-escape routes’, such as gaps under doors or walls.
Removes other pets, or even anxious-with-rats people, from the room so your rats(s) have the space and freedom to enjoy their time outside their cage.

Some great rat playgrounds can include:

A children's playpen.
A bathtub.
Plastic storage boxes that can include ramp construction up to their cages so they can run back and forth and retreat when they no longer want to interact or play.
A bed or other furniture where you can set up rat tunnels and ramps etc., and lots of other toys and enrichment.
Note: waterproof sheets and other sheets may be needed to protect your furniture, but still your rats may chew and tunnel and cause damage. Please never blame your rat(s) for their natural behaviours that could cause destruction when you ‘free-range’ your rats from their cage.

Some great rat enrichment for ‘playgrounds’ can include:

Tunnels.
Toilet paper and paper towel tubes.
Blank Paper to shred (paper with ink can be toxic).
Ramps and blankets to scurry around in.
Fleece scraps to hide under.
Snacks to nibble and forage for.
Bonding pouches to hold your rat(s) from a low height.
You - as a human ‘jungle gym’!

Get creative and watch your rat(s) accept and reject what they please.

Note: Food and water must always be included for your rat to access at all times. As must litter boxes. Do not keep these critical items in a closed cage away from any make-shift playgrounds you create.

When returning your rat(s) to their cage:

Beware of rats and their great scavenging skills! They may have picked up small items left lying around and taken them back to their cage for ‘storage’.

These can include nuts, bolts, screws, marbles, poster pins, buttons etc. and even small toxic food items.

Note: Please ensure any of these ‘contra-band’ items are removed from their cage, so they do not harm your rat(s).

Finding out which games your rat(s) enjoys can be a great way to understand their individual needs. Here are some suggestions to gauge how your rat(s) likes to ‘play’ with you, alone or with others. If all these games happen outside of their cage, then your rat(s) will quickly learn that their cage is for eating and sleeping, and they can have fun and make a mess, outside the cage, with these games:

Pea fishing - fill a medium-sized bowl (or start with a shallower container) with room temperature water and add a block of wood or an old book to act as a platform, should your rat need it, to fish for frozen peas dropped in the water.

Hiding Treats - use toilet paper or paper towel rolls, or other containers that rats can dig out or climb on to release the hidden treats. Cut the treats up small, as rats are smart and may unlock many treats that you hide.

Mazes - create simple and complex mazes that will stimulate your rat(s) smart brain with old cardboard boxes, toilet paper and paper towel tubes for tunnels. You can use anything that is safe for your rat to make any maze hard or easy to solve.

Digging Places - create a digging box for your rat(s) to dig away in. Plastic containers are good to contain any mess they will create by digging. You can use dirt, stones, plain paper and also small shells.

Hide and Seek - add boxes or other containers in your rat(s) cage so they can use them as hiding places when they play with other rats. If you want to join in on the fun when your rat is ‘free ranging’, then try hiding behind a chair or couch and popping up from time to time to pretend you are on the ‘look out’ for them and duck down again. Your rat(s) will quickly catch on and ‘find you’.

Wrestling - gentle, play wrestling with your rat(s) by using a finger or your hand can be a fun way to bond with your rat(s). To start off, try only wrestling them with one finger if they are wrestling with other rats. Then as they start to feel comfortable with you joining in, play away. Remember you are much bigger than them, so always be gentle, even if they start to enjoy the play and get boisterous.

Shredding Paper - Always use plain paper, as some inks can be toxic and cause itching and burning or illness when ingested. Find a big box, fill it with torn-up paper and build little mountains for your rat(s). You could also hide some treats there! Your rats might dig, chew, play or even sleep in these paper mountains.

Teaching tricks - this is a great way to bond and communicate further with your rat(s). Their smart brains can see them catch on quickly to tricks, especially when they receive a treat reward! Rats can be taught how to come when they are called, climb on your shoulder or even offer up a paw and more. Remember to only go at your rat(s) pace. They may not like the trick and find it boring and/or frustrating, so you shouldn’t force them to repeat a trick even if you would like them to.

Something missing?

If there's a question you still want answered, let us know.

Where to shop

A good cage

Places to hide/sleep, toys and other enrichment

Cage substrate/nesting material

Food (including food and water bowls)

Something missing?

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