Cage Location

[Zesana]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and had a question.

A little background, I had rats growing up and am finally able to add them to my life again but it's been so so so long since I had them that I have questions lol. I don't have them yet but am preparing so I can get them in the next month or so.

My main question is where I should put their cage. I live in a decent sized one bedroom apartment (already double checked with my landlord that he will allow me to have rats). Anywho. The living room is set up with an open plan with kitchen, living room and dining room all together. I use lysol in the kitchen. If I were to keep their cage in the living room, there is a spot by the chair I always sit in that is sort of close to a window, and I live in a cold climate. I would move my chair and put the cage in the corner so not directly by the window. This is also the most used space. My husband and I hang out in the living room and listen to music and do our hobbies. Our tv is actually in the bedroom because we don't use it as often. I read somewhere that you don't want your rats cage in a room that will have loud music so that concerns me.

My other option is the bedroom. Which has a ton of open space, because it's just the closet, bed and a small dresser with the tv on top.

I want to do what is best for them and am doing as much research as possible.

So where do you guys think is best and is the thing I heard about loud music true or not or somewhere in between?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[SQ]

Welcome to the forum!
(It would help if you added your location - country and at least province/state in your profile, as this can make a difference when people respond)

Please check out the Reference Thread as it contains links to good info, including info for people thinking of getting rats. https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

It is best to have the rats in a room where you spend a lot of time so they will be part of the family and have a lot of interaction.

Scents are not good for rats and can irritate their respiratory systems and cause illness (I am not talking about good smelling food). You would not want to have scents, or chemical smells around them.
Drafts and changes in temp more then 5 degrees F can cause stress and illness as well.

Rats have poor eye sight (some worse then others) but have very sensitive senses of hearing and smell.

The critter nation cage has small bar spacing and is on wheels. This would allow you to move them temporarily into the bedroom if you felt you needed to. The critter nation is one of the cages often recommended for rats.

It is also good to keep rats in an area when there is air flow as opposed to being enclosed in a room. Sleeping in the same room as pet litter boxes might make allergies or breathing problems worse. for some people

 

[ViciousCurse]

My rats are in my bedroom (I basically live in there since I'm a recluse), and I always have fans going on to keep air circulating. Stagnant air allows odor to build up, which can be dangerous to rats, especially if there is a ton of ammonia. Don't use scented candles, aerosols, or even those plug-in scents, as this can be bad for their lungs (just like what SQ said).

My rats are in a CN, and it's nice to have those wheels lol, especially when I get behind where the cage sits and vacuum the floor.

I'm allergic to my rats (not severely), and having odor build up can be very irritating to my lungs, which is why I clean their cage regularly and get rid of anything that smells foul, i.e. cardboard boxes. Depending on how allergic you are to rats, this may be the deciding factor.

Personally I wouldn't recommend loud music with your rats until they're used to you and the environment they live in. Loud noises, sudden movements, etc. frighten rats, especially the shyer rats, which can cause them to become even shyer.

 

[Zesana]

Then the bedroom would make the most sense, because it is quieter as well as there are no scented things. I do keep a wax melter in the living room. We dont blast music often, but once in a while we like to turn it up when a good song comes on.

 

[ViciousCurse]

If anything, you can always have the rats' cage be in the bedroom, but have their free time area in the living room. Just make sure that it's secure and rat-proof and that they are being supervised. Some rats like to lay in their human's lap and sleep, but not all rats are like that.

Another thing to consider is whether or not you and your SO can handle/tolerate rats moving around at night. I grew up with hamsters, so I'm used to the all-night-long noises. My guys will eat, drink, play, etc. at night. About midnight, that's when they really start moving around and continue being on the move until early morning.

 

[Zesana]

I have my favorite chair in the living room, if I put their cage by that then they will always feel included

 

[jorats]

I've kept rats in the main room and in the end, in a bedroom and I can say that my rats who lived in our living room were more outgoing, friendly, curious, loving then those who were kept in the bedroom. But sometimes people have no choice but to keep rats in a bedroom like I did in the end. I had dogs and this was how I kept them apart. But I really do feel rats do better living where everyone lives too.

 

[Zesana]

That makes sense. I have space for a cage in both areas. But if I put it in the livingroom they will be next to me and my favorite chair that I am always in. I like the idea of having them next to me for most of the day. Will the be ok with semi-loud music from time to time, I like it when I clean.

 

[SQ]

I think the living room is best for the same reasons as mentioned by Jorats.
If you get a critter nation cage, you can always wheel it into the bedroom when necessary.

 

[Zesana]

I think the living room is best for the same reasons as mentioned by Jorats.
If you get a critter nation cage, you can always wheel it into the bedroom when necessary.

That makes sense. I do have my favorite chair that I'm almost always in when I'm in the living room and I can put their cage right up next to it so I can talk to them and see them.

 

[Kay O.]

I keep my kiddos in my home office. I'm in there at least 8 hours a day. I've upgraded to a CN on wheels so I can let them hang out with me in other places in the house =)