Bonding with Max our rat

[alevasseur90]

Hi I'm new here, and we've had our 2 rats for about a month. We got Leonard first and he quickly warmed up to us, and he will come sit on my shoulder. But Max is a still a little skittish around us. I had them out for thier out of cage time and for the first 10 to 15 minutes Max hid underneath the tv stand? Also where can I get toys and stuff for them while outside of their cage to play with. Also we're trying to find a multi level glass cage because we have cats. Thanks

 

[Ace8670]

As for the bonding Jorats told me to try alil forced socializing get a hoodie with a shirt underneath cause their nails scratch and put him inside your hoodie for about an hour a few times a day the first 15 minutes or so he will squirm and try to get out after that he should settle down and he will think of you as a nice dark warm place to sleep and get use to your smells as for toys hmm I look around at pet stores and find lil ball cat toys rope dog toys and even the ferret toys its a hit and miss sometimes Bobo my big guy loves the doggie rope toys and my lil ones love the lil cat bell balls as for the ferret toys its a 50/50 it just depends on your rat I also browse Goodwill and their hard plastic baby toys like the ramp for putting balls in my rats like to climb up on it or even the little wooden ABC blocks I just try to be creative and try to keep I mind if they chew it up is it going to hurt them? As for the cage you talking about an aquarium? There is some additions you can buy for the tops of tanks for small animals I don't think they are very big and the top part is still wiring cage or there are metal and glass cages sorta like this http://www.ideas-4-pets.co.uk/articles/ ... -rat-cage/

I personally not a big fan of the glass due to I think it offers poor ventilation but safety first right?

 

[alevasseur90]

It is an aquarium I don't want my cats reaching thru a wire cage and eating them :/

 

[jorats]

Glass cages and aquariums are really not ideal for rats. It traps the ammonia smell in and it can cause respiratory issues later on.
I've always had cats and rats. Make sure your wire cage is only 1/2" apart so the cat's paws can't get through. Make sure the cage is up high so the cats can't reach or knock it over.
With a wired cage, your rats can hear you, smell you and interact with you more and this will help them become more socialized as well.

 

[alevasseur90]

Is there a certain brand that you reccomend?

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Depending on your budget my favourite cage is the Midwest Critter Nation

 

[jorats]

Martin's cages are also pretty good. For two rats, I'd recommend R680.
http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/rat/
If you do go with a martin's make sure you get it powder coated. It's a must with rats.