Rat's are wonderful, adventurous creatures that have key housing requirements to live a fulfilled and happy life. This post will guide you through setting up an enriching environment for your rats to thrive in.
Step One: Choosing a suitable enclosure.
There are a few essentials to consider when choosing a suitable rat enclosure:
Rats are fossorial animals, which means they dig, tunnel and burrow. A good width and depth to the base of the enclosure is essential for them to exhibit this natural behaviour. At a minimum, width 80cm X depth 50cm.
Rats require a different set up to those of mice or hamsters and need far more ventilation to help circulate airflow and prevent respiratory infections. Therefore they must have enclosures such as cages with bars or hutches with large meshed areas for allowing airflow. Tanks are not suitable enclosures for rats.
Cleaning should be relatively easy in that substrate can be changed out and surfaces can be wiped clean. You do not want to use something that has untreated wood for example that will soak up urine and create an ammonia build up. No amount of wiping down will remove urine that is soaked through. Therefore, any wood that is part of the enclosure must be coated. You also need to consider the thickness of the wood used as rats love to chew through wood.
Bar spacing must not exceed 15mm for kittens or small adult rats.
In order to interact with your rats and have access to inside of the enclosure, you need to consider the size of the door. Larger doors will also be your best friend when cleaning and setting up your rats homes.
I have listed some examples of recommended cages below, to get you started.
Coco Large:
Width: 100.00 (cm)
Height: 70.00 (cm)
Depth: 54.00 (cm)
Available from: www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk
Suitable for 2-5 rats
Mamble 100:
Width: 100cm
Height: 64cm
Depth: 54cm
Available from: www.therange.co.uk
Suitable for 2-5 rats
The Coco Large and the Mamble 100 both have lovely deep base trays for filling with diggable substrate (I will list suitable substrates further on). There is no need for any adaptions to these cages, they are ready to fill up and go. The images can be deceptive with these cages, don't underestimate the size of them, they are huge, metre wide cages!
Midwest Critter Nation:
Width: 91.4cm
Height: 99.1 cm
Depth: 61cm
Available from www.Amazon.co.uk
Suitable for 2-6 rats
(If extended with perspex to the bottom shelf, suitable for up to 8 rats).
This cage is also available in a 2 story double version, which is suitable for around 12 rats (or up to 14/15 with the perspex extension).
The Midwest Critter Nation is a great, sturdy cage with nice big double doors which are easily removed for cleaning. This cage does however require some adaptions in order to make the base deeper for substrate. I have included an example of an adapted version (my cage). To do this I measured each side, inside the cage and ordered custom made perspex sheets from www.theplasticpeople.co.uk. The great thing with this option is you can drop the base of the cage to the shelf underneath.
This cage does come with a hefty price tag (around £200 brand new for the single) as it is imported from the U.S. However, you can often find them on Facebook Marketplace for less. We recently picked one up second hand for £100.
Little Zoo Ventura
Width: 93cm
Depth: 68cm
Height: 158cm
Available from: www.mydegu.com
This cage is available in 2 options Single or Double.
Single: suitable for up to 7 or 8 rats
Double: suitable for up to 14 or 15 rats
This cage comes with quite a nice depth base tray already for substrate. However, I personally prefer a bit deeper for our rats. Like the critter nation above, I would adapt this slightly by adding perspex sheets to increase the depth of the trays for more digging.
Pet Planet Rat & Ferret Cage
Width: 96cm
Depth: 63cm
Height: 159cm
Available from www.petplanet.co.uk
This cage will require some adaption to create a base tray deep enough for digging.
Suitable for up to 11 or 12 rats, this can be increased by extending the base of the cage downwards with perspex. We have this cage extended down to a makeshift shelf across the bottom bar of the base stand, this gives us room for around 13 or 14 rats in this cage.
Savic Royal Suite (XL)
Width: 115cm
Depth: 67.5cm
Height: 153cm
Available from www.ratrations.co.uk
This is a total mansion of an enclosure and is suitable for a larger number of around 18 rats.
This cage also comes with a nice depth base tray, however I would personally increase the depth for digging, with perspex as above.
Step Two: Choosing substrate, litter and nesting materials
There is a difference between substrate, litter and nesting materials and I have listed further information on each of these below to help with understanding what they each are.
Substrate
Substrate should be excellent for digging and burrowing. As mentioned above, rats are fossorial animals and it is paramount to their wellbeing that they are given opportunities to express this natural behaviour. Can you put your hand in to the substrate and make a tunnel without feeling the floor of the cage? if no, you will want to make that substrate deeper.
Suitable substrate must be absorbent and work well for soaking up urine. The substrate should not turn soggy or dusty when wet. It should dry well and remain in tact.
Substrates should be unscented and free from any toxins. Rats have very sensitive respiratory systems and scents can cause them harm. Therefore any of the substrates marketed at 'odour controlling' or 'lavender scented' etc are completely unsuitable. Phenols in wood are also toxic to rats so it is crucial that any wood shavings used are kiln dried as this process removes the phenols.
Substrate should not be dusty or too fine, dust can cause respiratory infections in rats. Always look for 'dust extracted'.
Here is a non exhaustive list of suitable substrates:
Kiln dried and dust extracted wood shavings:
Pureflake Extra
Bedmax
Littlemax
Snowflake Supreme
Aubiose
Dust extracted cardboard:
Greenmile
Finacard
Walmsley Squares
Pillow Wad Eco Nest
Ecobale
Bioactive / Coco Soil
This is a great substrate option as once you are set up, it requires little maintenance. In order to have a thriving bioactive set up you must ensure that you have the following:
Natural (pesticide, fertiliser and toxin free) coco coir blocks expanded in fresh clean water.
The soil must remain damp, you should be able to form a ball in your hand of the soil.
In order to keep the soil mould free and clean, you must have 'clean up crew' bugs in the soil such as springtails and isopods. Without them, any food or faeces in the soil will become mouldy and the soil will need to be removed.
Before deciding to go bioactive, I would highly recommend joining the Facebook group 'Naturalistic and Bioactive Rat Set Ups' for lots of further information before committing to a bioactive enclosure.
Litter:
Litter is exclusively for use within litter trays in the rats enclosure, this should be a dust free, unscented, absorbent, paper based pellet. This is best for odour control and absorbency, it is also not harmful if ingested by the rats. I would recommend either of the following products and this is what we use here for our rats litter trays.
Back 2 Nature paper pellets
Breeder Celect paper pellets
You'll also need a litter tray! I generally use plastic baskets as I find them easier to clip on to the bars. You can buy large litter trays from most pet stores, just ensure that they are plastic and easy to clean, big enough for rats and not grated on the bottom. It is also worth considering that rats do love to kick their litter pellets so having 'poo guards' is a good idea. You can get some from the following store:
www.minipetz.co.uk
Bedding
Bedding is a great way to provide your rats with extra enrichment that they can play with, build nests with and forage in. Bedding serves a different purpose to litter and substrate in that it is purely for enrichment purposes (though it can also help keep them warm in the winter too).
We are very big on the use of bedding here and love watching the rats pick bits up and move them around to make their home their own.
Some examples of suitable bedding (when dust extracted and unscented) are as follows:
Meadow and Timothy Hay
Barley Straw
Toilet roll
Tissue strands
Tissue paper
Shredded newspaper
Fleece offcuts
Teabag bedding
Step Three: Climbing Opportunities
While rats are fossorial animals, they do also enjoy climbing and exploring every inch of their home. This is where ropes, branches, cargo nets and perches come in.
Here are some examples of great climbing items to use in your rats cages and some ideas as to where you can buy them.
Branches & parrot perches:
Branches and perches tend to be naturally textured and are great for exercising all different muscles as they climb and balance. They can also act as excellent structures for burrowing under.
Branches can be purchased online or naturally foraged. If naturally foraging be sure that the branches are thoroughly cleaned and left to air dry outside for before using them. You need to ensure that the wood is safe for rats (remember phenols are toxic!) so pine, spruce, cedar etc is not safe unless it has been through a kiln drying process. You will often find toys made of these materials but the manufacturing process removes the phenols. In their natural state, these woods are unsafe.
You also need to ensure that the branches you are foraging have not come from trees that have been treated with pesticides or anything else toxic or harmful.
Some safe woods that we tend to stick to are:
Bamboo. (NOT lucky bamboo)
Hazel
Apple wood
Mangrove wood or thoroughly weathered driftwood
Java
Ash
Willow
If you are ever unsure do the research before putting the woods in the enclosures. The Naturalistic and Bioactive Rat Setups Facebook page has lots of information on safe woods as well as lists of those to avoid.
Purchasing branches: This is a great option as it saves you all the cleaning and they often come with something to attach them to the bars. Some of our favourite places to buy branches for our rats enclosures are from the following stores:
Rustic Ratties
Northern Parrots
Reptile Centre
Furry Natural
Something to consider with using wood in the cage is that it will soak up urine, we tend to jet wash our branches and dry them out, then alternate them between cage cleans. This keeps them from building up ammonia and they stay smelling fresh.
Ropes & Cargo nets
Ropes are a great addition to your rats enclosure and offer excellent climbing and exercise opportunities. One thing to consider with ropes (and anything fabric in the enclosure) is loose threads, make sure you check for them regularly and cut any that pose a risk of catching toes, paws or in the worst cases excess threads can pose a risk of strangulation. Keep them nice and tidy and your rats will enjoy them safely.
Ropes do soak up urine but most of the time they can be put in the washing machine. We wash ours inside a pillowcase to minimise tangling and fraying. Then we air dry them before putting back in the enclosures.
Some great examples of ropes to use are as follows:
Homemade plaited fleece
Parrot cargo nets
Thick sisal rope
Thick hemp rope
Large dog ropes
Security barrier ropes
Curtain tie-back ropes
Some great places to pick up ropes are your local B&M, Wilkinsons, The Range, Home Bargains etc or some of the following lovely small businesses:
Rustic Ratties
Pepper Roos
Hayley Hammocks
Rat Rations
Northern Parrots
Step Four: Places to sleep
Hammocks, Baskets, Beds and Hides
Rats love to snuggle up and snooze during the core hours of the daytime and it is important that they have access to comfortable places that they can feel safe and rest. You don't want to overdo it, rats usually snuggle together to sleep so one or two beds between 3-4 rats is plenty. It is important that the enclosure is mostly active, with some sleeping areas rather than the opposite. Below is some examples of comfy bed ideas for your rats:
Hammocks:
Hammocks are a great way for your rats to kick back and relax in their home. Here are some great places to purchase rat hammocks:
Happy Rat Hammocks (Facebook)
Furry Kind Creations
Pepper Roos
Spoilt Rat Hammocks (Etsy)
Hayleys Hammocks (Facebook)
Demented Squirrels (Etsy)
Cosy Beds & Burrows
Rat Rations
Home 4 Rats (Facebook)
Baskets:
Baskets are great alongside hammocks as they add diversity to the cage in terms of sleeping areas. We love to put storage baskets or hanging flower baskets in our rats enclosures filled with bedding. You can often pick up baskets at your local B&M, Wilkinsons or grocery stores etc.
Beds & Hides:
Beds and hides are a great way for rats to block out the day light and snuggle up with their pals. You can purchase some really lovely ones from the following places
Furry Kind Creations (pictured)
Ada Art Guinea Pig Beds (Facebook)
Demented Squirrels (Etsy)
Pepper Roos
Cosy Beds & Burrows
You can also buy plastic Sputniks from most pet shops, these work as great hides and are easy to clean. Make sure you go for XL for rats!
Step Five: Toys and Enrichment
This part is my favourite when it comes to setting up our rats' enclosures as I really enjoy seeing them play and interact with things in their homes. Toys don't need to be expensive, you can make your own with things around the house. I have listed some examples of inexpensive materials that you can use to make your own toys at home:
Cupcake cases
Paper straws
Paper cups
Toilet roll tubes
Cardboard parcel packaging
Treats such as cheerios, pasta, barley rings
Coco peat pots
Newspaper
Pumice stones and loofah
Egg boxes
Natural jute rope
Tissue paper
Rats love to destroy things and forage so any of those materials would be great, why not layer them up and the rats can tear off their bedding materials too! For a bit more inspiration on what you can use for enrichment in your enclosures, have a watch of this video I put together for Rat Awareness Week 2022: https://fb.watch/eI4jkHmBQN/
Where to buy safe rat toys?
Unfortunately a lot of big chain pet stores have little knowledge on what is suitable for rats and they often sell things that will do more harm than good. Avoid anything that says 'edible wood' as this tends to be sugar soaked sawdust that rats cannot digest. Plastic toys also don't offer much enrichment so I would save your money and avoid those too (unless they are something you can reuse as a foraging toy).
Below I have listed some stores (not an exhaustive list) that are run by either people with rats and those that are passionate enough about rats to ensure that they have thoroughly researched the suitability of the materials and toys that they are selling. We have also tried and tested toys from all of these stores.
A Rat's Tail
Rat Rations
Clydes Critter Climbers
Creating Mischief (Facebook)
Furry Natural
Pepper Roos
Northern Parrots
Mini Petz
Lil Rat Lords (Etsy)
Ratcessories
Ratatat Toys
Boggle Buddies Store
Squeak Box UK
Step Six: Running Wheel
Running wheels are a great way for your rats to get lots of exercise when not in free roam. However it is very important that the wheel is the right size. Like the toys, a lot of large pet stores sell wheels that are far too small for rats. We recommend 14 inches for does and 16 inches for bucks for comfort.
We recommend the following sellers of rat wheels (we have wheels from both stores and they are excellent).
Tic Tac Wheels
Speedyhog Wheels
These stores sell either plastic or metal wheels which are easy to clean. I wouldn't recommend a wooden wheel as it will get an ammonia build up.
Step Seven: Food and Water sources
Water bottles:
It is strongly recommended that you have more than one water source available for your rats as bottles can get clogged up, it is much safer to have a few attached to the enclosure so that if one does stop working they have others. It is also a good idea to attach a water bowl to the cage, though make sure this is refreshed daily.
We tend to stick to the classic de luxe bottles that you can find in most pet stores, we use large and medium bottles but as long as they are kept topped up you can use any. Large and medium lasts the best in our groups and we don't have to worry it will run out while we aren't home.
Food Sources:
We strongly recommend scatter feeding instead of bowl feeding so you shouldn't need a food bowl although they are handy to have for wet meals or mixing medicines.
By scatter feeding, the rats can exhibit natural behaviours by searching and digging for their food. This encourages exercise and helps to prevent overeating and selective eating.
Miscellaneous items
If you are anything like me you will spot random items whilst you are out and about shopping and you'll end up bringing them home for your rats to play with!
Some of my favourite miscellaneous items are:
Wine Rack
IKEA scarf hanger
Bird foraging feeders
Plant pots
Bamboo garden edging (Wilko)
Willow garden edging (Wilko)
I hope this has been helpful for you with setting up your rats homes. For some more inspiration and ideas, check out our rats homes over at https://www.marigoldrats.co.uk/our-rat-s-home