Our rats chewed up the plastic ball to run in, the water bottle and other things.?

Question

I know we'll probably need to get a metal wheel, but what about the tubes that they can go into? How can they get exercise?

Answer 1

Don't use a plastic ball for the rats to run in. It can severely damage their backs. They should get most of their exercise in out-of-cage time. Just be sure to seal up any place they can crawl through, pick up electrical cords and the like.

You don't want tubes either - rats will get too big for those kinds of things. You need as large a cage as possible as well since they are territorial. The cages with the tubes are hamster/mouse cages and not nearly large enough for a rat.

Get the solid plastic wheel so that the do not injure their feet. In all likelihood they will not use it - in 20 years of raising rats I have only had 3 that liked the wheel for anything besides sitting in. They nibble things but they will not destroy it.

As for the water bottle, there are special water bottle holders that have a metal protector for the plastic near the mouthpiece if you are using the kind that hangs inside the cage. Otherwise, you can also mount the bottles outside the cage so that the mouthpiece extends through the bars.

Answer 2

Catsangel 777!

Your rats are a rodent and need something to chew on. Their teeth never quit growing and if you do not give them something to chew on they will grow untill they can no longer eat. Keep them supplied with small chunks of wood. When they chew one up give them another. Good luck!

Answer 3

LOL! sry in a way thats funny! ok, lets get serious, you can get chew proof water bottles and im not sure about the tubes! here is a great place for toy ideas!

: http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm

Answer 4

Your rats are probably bored, and bored rats tend to turn destructive (voice of experience here!). Give them lots of different toys (parrot toys are perfect), see here for more toy ideas: http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm - you'll want to switch the toys around more or less randomly maybe once a week or so, so they don't get bored with always having the same old toys.

Try handling them as much as possible: maybe they want your attention, and are getting frustrated when they DON'T get it. At the very least they wouldn't be bored if they got lots and lots of attention every day.

You could also try providing your rats with vegetable bones (the ones for dogs) - my girls loved these - just look for ones that don't contain lots of corn. If the first ingredient is corn, that usually means it's the main ingredient. Corn has little to no nutritional value, and animal-quality corn can contain toxic mould.

The plastic balls are actually dangerous: they're hot, confining and scary to the rats, plus they can lead to spinal damage from the arched position the rat has to walk in.

A good solid plastic wheel (something like a Wodent Wheel) is much better - provided the wheel has a MINIMUM diameter of 30 centimetres.

Wire wheels are also dangerous: ratty toes, tails and nails are at a constant risk of getting caught in the spokes and either torn off, broken or degloved (having the skin torn off, an excruciating injury that requires immediate vet care and painkillers, plus usually amputation).

Tubes are usually safe, but they're a pain in the rear end to clean (more personal experience).