I'm just curious

[ViciousCurse]

I call up friends or family who are willing to come check on my rats frequently. If they're people I really trust, I tell them they can interact with my rats, but just don't take them out of the cage. I don't want a rat or two slipping away.
None of my friends or family have time/space for my massive rat cage, so they generally have to come to my house. I leave an overabundance of food, fill up water bottles and water bowls, and make sure everyone is good to go before I have to leave. I've never had a vacation over three days, though. I dislike people and have no need to be gone longer than a week LOL. (forever alone, have no friends, typical anti-social person).
Usually whenever I'm gone on week-long vacations, it's usually just me who's gone and I have my mom and friends frequently check up on them, especially if I have an elderly rat. I'll instruct my mom to fill up water bottles, water bowls, fill food bowls, and just make sure everyone's in good health.

 

[Nadia]

What do you do with your rats when you go on vacation and can't take them with you? Do you leave them with a friend?

I actually don’t want to go on vacation because of my rats and dogs lol but if I had to then definitely a friend and if my friends couldn’t make it then no vacation

 

[ViciousCurse]

Oh! If you have a small cage (ie, not a DCN like me), I suppose you could leave them with a trusted friend or family member. Typically then I'd really have that friend/family member get to know my rats beforehand. I want someone to at least have a general idea of who my rats are, how they act, etc. etc.

 

[ViciousCurse]

I actually don’t want to go on vacation because of my rats and dogs lol but if I had to then definitely a friend and if my friends couldn’t make it then no vacation

I don't go on vacation because of my bird and rats

 

[Nadia]

I don't go on vacation because of my bird and rats

Lol it’s so bad right? Especially because I’d rather send my 3 kids with their dad because I’m thinking... vacation with 3 toddlers or home alone with all my 4 legged babies lol but they never let me off

 

[Ratmama17]

4 girls: Immie, Juno, Pax and Freya. Immie was surrendered to a local pet shop in a 10 gallon tank, I had to get her out of that situation! Juno, Pax, and Freya were from a lady on craigslist who was having an "oops" litter. They haven't learned their names, instead they come when I make a clicking noise with my mouth. Immie is a mystery girl, but I think she's getting into being a senior rat. She's a bit slower than when I first got her and she's losing some weight. I just recently took her to a vet to get a lump checked out. J,P and F will be one in June.

I feed the girls at night, about a cup for the four of them, this last them through the nigh and the next day. The young girls are very active and don't get overweight. They also get veggies and fruit about 3 times a week. They also get baby cereal, dried fruits, noodles, seeds, and the occasional small animal donut (from the pet stores). They also love baby food!
I clean the bowls every other day. and I have a bird waterer that I use as a water bowl, in addition to water bottles, they like to drink from the water cup and sometimes get excited and stick their faces in!

All my girls poo pretty well in their litter boxes, which I change every 3 days, and I use Yesterday's news in the litter boxes. I use fleece for bedding, and i'm currently working on sewing some new cage liners using U-Haul pads for absorbency. I currently change the fleece 3 times a week, once is just a quick change, only replacing fleece, the next is a change and spray down of the levels, the last is replacement of fleece, and spray down of trays and of toys and hides, when I do the cleanouts the girls get to run around my room (generally resulting in them getting into the snack basket). I'm hoping that the U-Haul pads allow me to change the cages less often.

The cage itself is a DCN, has baskets and space pods and tunnels and hammocks and a silent spinner, several cardboard box houses and an igloo. 3 litter pans.

Since I'm currently in school the girls don't get as much time in their actual play space (the master bathroom) as I'd like. I let them run around my room during cleanouts, but about once or twice a week they get to play in the bathroom with a cat tree and tunnels and box castles, etc. I play with them in the bathroom for anywhere from 45 minutes to an 1.5 hours depending on the day.

I'm way too lazy and impatient to try to train the girls. They just try to steal the treats from me and each other. I've tried spin and jump and it results in their confusion and my frustration.
They do get to scavenge though, I hide cereal around the cage a few times a week before I go to bed and they make it a game, I also have a bird scavenging wheel that they love.

I get the best pictures when I give them food or when they're sleepy. I've actually done 2 photo shoots with them and they turn out well when I use baby food to get them to stay where I wan them for a minute.

 

[_ratowner]

Since getting my rats, I don't want to go on "vacation" either. I don't trust ANYONE to look after any of my pets. I fear that they will do it wrong. My pets are my whole world and I do not want anything bad to happen to them. Other people don't know my pets like I do and other details like what foods they like and dislike, or their routine, or medical needs, and so on. Also, a lot of people are comfortable around rats so that's a downside.

 

[Petunia]

hire a sitter or get a friend to come in and feed, water and check on them

many people who have rats will trade off rat sitting

in the US at least, there are pet sitters who know how to care for rats and other so called exotics, and some vets will board your rats, esp those on meds, but it's a lot more expensive to do that (I think around $30 a day vs $15 per pet sitter visit vs $5 to $10 per day to have someone take your rats into their home for daily care, vs a free trade situation

 

[Noel]

What do you do with your rats when you go on vacation and can't take them with you? Do you leave them with a friend?

Hello! I'm pretty new too. I have 2 male dumbo rats, Rinky & Bingo. I got them last year and instantly fell in love! I do have Rinky litter boxed trained, but Bingo is the stubborn one! I bought them a six story 52" Yaheetech cage from Amazon. I was using the litter box, but decided to take it out because the bottom of the cage is bars with a sliding tray on the bottom that comes out so I can clean it. Taking the litter box out gave me more room for their toys too.I actually clean the tray every day with vinegar & water. I also wipe down their shelves everyday too. My girlfriend said she would watch them the times I go away, which isn't much. I feed my babies 3x a day, morning, noon, night. I have Rinky sitting on my shoulder where he just holds on & likes to go around the house with me. Bingo is in training. I just bought a little bowling set to see if I can teach them that. If I throw a little ping pong ball or pom pom, they fetch it for me! Hope I helped somewhat.

 

[Petunia]

Noel, that cage has a wire floor, which is not good for rats to be walking on, do you have it covered with something solid?

 

[Noel]

Yes, I have a thick matt on the one side with some toys. Then they use the other little area that is uncovered as the bathroom, which has a tray under it.

 

[Petunia]

oh, good!
the wire grid spacing seems kind of big, based off the photos I've seen, I'd watch to be sure none of them are getting their feet stuck in it. it's so easy for them to twist an ankle, etc

 

[Noel]

oh, good!
the wire grid spacing seems kind of big, based off the photos I've seen, I'd watch to be sure none of them are getting their feet stuck in it. it's so easy for them to twist an ankle, etc

I also watch & check them everyday for any kind of trauma or scratches. I love mty babies! Thaanks for being concerned.