Rat bedding - natural behaviour vs sleeping bags?

giantmutantbroccoli

I've been trying different types of bedding out for my rats, but I'm a bit stuck. I like the little sleeping bags/hammocks you can make for them, as they're nice looking, and don't create a big mess for me to clear up later. But having tried my ratties on more 'natural' style bedding they certainly seem to have more fun with it. I've tried dust-extracted hay - ended up all over the floor outside the cage, but they really seemed to like it - and safe newspaper (no toxic inks) which they absolutely love.
Is there some sort of washable alternative, like the sleeping bags, that allows them to engage in natural rat behaviour like nest-building/throwing their stuff all over the cage but can be cleaned and re-used afterwards?

In other news, I made a rat kong
Okay, actually I made a waterbomb
http://www.instructables.com/id/Origami-Water-Bomb/
out of mat brown paper (so there's no bleach in the paper) and put a few little treats in it, but Penny and Psycho went absolutely mad for it! Eventually they unwrapped it - I thought they'd just chew through the paper, but no.

ymakesmile

I have my rats on shredded paper which they love and costs me nothing! Recycling all the way I have always found my rats love hammocks, and rather than pay a fortune for ones in the shops. I just use old towels or things like that and then attach metal hooks to the corners which can be easily clipped to wherever you want them in the cage. They can then be washed every couple of days or so and easily replced with some other suitable towel etc when it gets too grubby.Cardboard boxes are always a favourite too and they will spend ages moving paper in there into balls and getting themselves comfortable. Another great idea is to put in a cheap box of tissues and they can pull all the tissues out and then use the box to sleep in, hours of fun! Or just put a cheap loo roll in. I would definitely have some sort of 'bedding' down for them as well as hammocks as they love to nest and build etc.

giantmutantbroccoli

One of the advantages of where I work is I get lots of these little cardboard boxes that you get disposable gloves in - they love them!
I've also been known to nab the (empty) industrial -sized cardboard toilet-roll tubes from the staff loos.
The sleeping bags are pretty easy to make, I find. I tried putting a hammock up (used an old flannel) but they didn't seem interested - but then only Penny could reach it, Psycho's a bit of an elderly gentleman and not up to climbing about any more.
I guess I'll stick with the newspaper, they seem to like that. Out of curiosity, have you tried composting it afterwards? I was thinking of giving that a go, but I wasn't sure if rat doings would be alright?

ymakesmile

I'm not sure about the composting part to be honest, I barely have a garden so I'm no green fingered expert hehe.

robert_harper_2000

I would be careful using hay, they can catch mites etc. I use to use Yesterdays News cat litter or Bio cat litter for the base and hamster bedding for them to sleep in. Plus they would nick any socks of mine on the airer when they could! lol

giantmutantbroccoli

I use biocatolet as the base, but they don't really nest in that. Hamster bedding? Is that just those cotton wool type things? I've tried that, but they didn't like it at all. I may just have strange rats though.

Thanks for the tip-off about the hay. I figured it'd have to be clean because it comes from a pet suppliers, and it says it's dust-extracted - it hasn't made them scratch or anything, so I think they're alright.
That does explain why my old rats used to get itchy though - I used hay from the barn across the way as emergency bedding when staying over at my parents.
Do you think it's worthwhile treating them with frontline, as I've been using hay bedding recently? I have some for small animals just in case, it says it's safe for rats but I don't want to use it if it's not necessary.

robert_harper_2000

Well I think most pet shop hay is dust extracted but I don't think it would 100% be free from mites. The hamster beeding we used was Safebed not the cotton wool type one but the short strands. We also use to hang the longer stranded hamster bedding from the bars and they would run around collecting it. We never treated them with any of the frontline type treatments so not sure about that.

Oh also give them raw pasta and a hard boiled egg - as a treat. Ours went mad for it!

giantmutantbroccoli

Ah right, I think I now what you mean - that's the stuff that's like paper, isn't it?
I think I'll stick to the newspaper then, it's pretty much free

I give mine breakfast every morning, they get a corner (tiny corner, lol) of my toast crust. Today it was maltloaf - damn near caused a riot!
They also get ferret malt paste, which is brilliant for training them to do stuff. Although all I've trained them to do is come to me when I call.

robert_harper_2000

Also try dog rawhide and if you can find them Bonio dog biscuits!

emmas42

Bah! Mine ignore malt paste
I just made my lot a bunch of cheap hammocks out of an old pair of jeans :rotfl: Chopped off a leg, cut in into three and hung it! They seem to like them and at least I can bung them in the washing machine when they have peed all over them (and they will...)

One of my fave sounds is ten little rodents all crunching on pasta twirls at once :heart2::heart2::heart2::heart2::heart2:

buttercuplch

The best thing for my two seems to be old tee-shirts cut in half to make a triangle and tying that up, they love it! (Spend hours tying up these elaborate hammocks for them) And then I give them all the socks that can't be paired up - sometimes I give them an entire newspaper in the cage as well for them to nest in, it is hilarious watching them trying to carry something so much bigger than them! Will definitely try making a water-bomb now too, thanks.

I've also found a surprise treat for them: I accidentally froze an egg once, cracked it open and gave it to them. You know in Chickenrun where the rats try and steal from the chickens? Clearly based on fact. Obviously its very high protein so is a very occasional treat, but they go crazy, and I think they enjoy it being cold as well.