How I spot clean my Rat cage | Clean with me! 

I have so many questions because I think I might get two rats in 2-3 years. But I noticed something strange with your cage and it made me wonder something. How do you connect items to the cage and do you need 6-10 inches of bedding Also, do rats need wheels for energy and where do you get your cage hopefully somebody replies with the correct answers?

sorry this was for Emi but can you try to answer

​@@anyways_.g Well, I mean I can try, but as I don't live in the states nor the UK, I can't tell you where she got the cage from. I think it's from critter nation? In germany/europe there's a similiar one from Savic. She explains a similiar setup in detail in the video "Naturalistic rat cage tour!" which was uploaded in december. In there you can clearly see the way some of the items were connected. Most perches or ledges are usually connected via hanger bolts, where one flat washer is placed on the bolt inside the cage and one outside. Then it gets secured by a wing nut. Most sold perches come with these washers/nuts/bolts, so if you don't diy it, you don't have to worry about it. But you can buy those in sets on amazon. You might be able to see it in certain shots of this video, but she connects the ikea hanger and some other things with shower curtain hooks from ikea to the cage. Again you can find a lot of other alternatives to connect your items to the cage. In hardware stores you get metal hooks in S shapes for very cheap, hooked screws etc. You might even be able to use cable ties if your rats can't chew on them, same goes for rope. I recommend looking up how some bird cages were setup. As for the bedding: I don't really know. Bedding can be quite enriching but I don't know whether it's needed like for gerbils or hamsters. Unlike hamsters they do not spend most of their time underground and they probably would prefer to sleep in a hammock. As you measure in meters/centimeters in germany, I don't know how high 6 inches would be, but the bedding in emiologys setups aren't higher than the height of her rats. It's more for the purpose of digging or foraging. Wheels for rats is also debated on RU-vid. If they have a lot of other enrichment and a lot of floorspace/free roaming time it probably isn't needed. And the wheels would have to be massive in order to prevent their backs from being bend (you also have to keep their long tails in mind). I guess depending on the breed even those for degus or chinchillas would be too small. Hope this helped a bit!

@@minzkaffee2440 this didn’t help a bit sorry..... this helped A LOT thank you so much! You helped me so I’ll try to look back at this when I get my eat in 2-3 years and I’ll try to get something. One last question do they need sand baths like hamsters or do they need dust or pellets for there potty?

@@anyways_.g no sorry this is a while later but just in case you see this even if theres only a tiny chance of you seeing this i think its still worth saying NO dont give them sand baths it is very dusty and would probably result in a respiratory infection so don’t ever give them a sand bath no matter how little dust they arent suitable

Cage smells suspiciously a lot less since he died and stopped peeing on all the places he shouldn’t have been 👀

I would recommend niteangel products! Especially their wheels and multi-chamber hideout.

Please, PLEASE put a comma after hamster. Otherwise it sounds like u r making pepper out of ur hammy

@@Jodiescox not really because there’s a capital on Pepper and capitals are on proper nouns.

I would love to but where I live niteangle products are really hard to get a hold of

@@Itsnot_Rose16 Oh…Where do you live? You can also watch Erin’s animals she has a lot of tutorials on making hideouts and even has one on making a multi-chamber.

Shes the only one i trust honestly! Been following her guidence for years now and somehow she still teaches me new things

You need to get her to research rats and I suggest that you research them too. (This is not a deep clean video btw). If she doesn't know how to clean the cage she shouldn't have rats, please make sure she educates herself on them and thank you for teaching yourself

Mice are very different from rats in a lot of ways, don't count on rat videos for what to expect.

@@screwytb They did say they were watching mice videos, i'm sure they know X )

@@screwytb I've watched all of her mice videos! I also watch her rat videos although I would never want to own rats. I have 5 hamsters and mice care is pretty similar to them 😊

All the wooden items I can get varnished to stop pee soaking in but when they get particularly bad I’ll rise them in the shower, spray them with white vinegar and then pop them outside in the sun to dry ☺️

@@Emiology thanks ! can you recommend a varnish that's safe if chewed on ?

@@Emiology hiya what do you have in their dig box if i can ask

Mine will occasionally go through phases of sneezing when they’ve had any stress or had slight changes. As long as they don’t have any other symptoms I usually leave them to it unless it persists for a long time or gets worse

It might be stress, it has been going on for a few days but she does these weird squeaking sound like a mix of maybe a cough and a sneeze. I have been keeping an eye on her and if it gets worse I will take her to the local vet.

RU-vid honestly sucks most of the time

Usually just tissue and pet disinfectant, when I do a proper deep clean of it I’ll use a cloth and just wash it

They don’t really touch it or chew it!

Just any dust extracted hay is safe, doesn’t have to be great quality. I think the brand I have is pillow wad ☺️

@@Emiology Awesome, thank you! 😊

It’s a Ferplast furat, I got mine second hand but you can buy it online

You should! Everyone starts somewhere!!

I have so many questions because I think I might get two rats in 2-3 years. How do you connect items to the cage, and do you need 6-10 inches of bedding Also, do rats need wheels for energy and where do you get your cage hopefully somebody replies with the correct answers?

this was marketed for emi but can you reply bc idk

I have so many questions because I think I might get two rats in 2-3 years. How do you connect items to the cage, and do you need 6-10 inches of bedding Also, do rats need wheels for energy and where do you get your cage hopefully somebody replies with the correct answers?

this was marketed for emi but can you reply bc idk

Yes, adult rats can easily kill a baby that young. They need to have same age company at their age otherwise it messes up the development, but also need to be at least 8 weeks old and 18-200g roughly before being introduced 🙂

I’d say for older rats it’s more beneficial than for younger ones, but i can’t imagine it’s bad to do it for rats of any age. Up to you really!

Some rats just take a while to warm up, and it's best to keep going with the positive reward system and hanging out with them in their freeroam. A good thing to do though is to every time you go by the cage give them a bit of food as this can teach them that you're nice, and also end every encounter with them on a positive note by giving them a treat. Another thing is that rats enjoy likable treats like yogurt and baby food, and it can help them to bond with you if you give them the treats off your fingers, also because they can't run away with the treat. I'm sure that they'll learn to at enjoy your company eventually :) Good luck!

Non bio detergent

Rat rations!

Non scented baby wipes, or just tissue

If you go to my naturalistic cage tour video they’re all linked 🙂

@@Emiology Thank you for replying! I actually found that video straight after, what you do is awesome thank you so much

@@justinswain8129 are you calling emi dumb?

@@justinswain8129 nothing I’m just saying that it’s kinda mean to call someone who works hard to make videos about care for us dumb and she only made a small mistake for not adding it. I’m not trying to start a fight, I agree it’s a tad annoying it hasn’t been mentioned but don’t be hateful.

Clean and safe (small animals) from pets at home is good, I’ve used it for ages and had no issues :))

@@phoebe_- okay this is is helpful! I’m gonna do my research though since I don’t want to risk it but that’s great that you have found a goood one :))

Either tissue or non scented wipes

1/2 water 1/2 white distilled vinegar is always good for deep cleaning!

@@jayvon96 thank you so much!!

Rat warehouse I think!

Thank you 😊

50% white vinegar and 50% water solution, sometimes I will use a pet safe spray though as the vinegar doesn’t always make the room smell great 🤢 and either tissue or non scented wipes

I have both, but water bottles are harder to clean and more difficult for them to get a long drink from

@@Emiology gotcha! 😊

@@ScreamQueen9 I use both because occasionally I see my rats go to the bowls and take little baths, it's so cute the way they wash their faces. 😂 They also enjoy drinking the water by scooping it up in their little hands, so cute. 😊

Just any dust extracted one!

@@Emiology Ok thank you! I love your rats and watching your videos. I have 5 rats myself and they are all super sweet!

also yes i know you’re not the deciding force on rats or something but if you could give your thoughts on it it would be helpful :)

It’s okay but I avoid it, they’re usually over priced, not that suitable and for me if I’m avoiding buying animals from a chain store because they’re unethical I don’t want to support them financially in other ways. Almost everything in a big store you can find online instead, but if you can’t, one little purchase won’t hurt ☺️

@@Emiology thanks so much! i think i’ll try to buy most stuff online, but i won’t stress over one stray purchase at petco every once and a while (as long as it’s not ratties or other pets) :)

They won’t be pooping in other places in the cage

I’m not against breeding rats for snake food if it’s done ethically. I don’t really advise keeping them in bins because that’s when respiratory issues can occur, but even if you have the top meshed out and can put a hammock on the mesh it’ll give them a place to sleep that they can’t move. I’d also recommend having a male group and a female group, it’s not good to have the males in with any babies and to breed the females back to back.

@@Emiology Tysm for the help, honestly didnt expect it. I know that they can get respiratory issues so i bought a tall bin and i have mesh on the lid and all sides so its bassicaly like a cage. Again tysm!

That’s good! Being able to give them toys and enrichment while they’re alive is way more ethical than mass bred feeders

A lot of items will come with hooks and strings so you can hang from the top of the cage or the side, sorry if that wasn't the exact question. For me personally I think at least 3-4 inches of bedding is fine but you might want to have a dig box for them. I dont think you really need to have a wheel, I put one in my rats cage and they did not use it. If your rats will use it then that's great but you will need a pretty large wheel! I hope this is all the correct answers! Good luck with your rats!

@@hannahbitner7195 TYSM

You are so welcome! If you have anymore questions feel free to ask I would love to help!

@@hannahbitner7195 To add, the wheel should be 16 inches minimum!

She uses non scented baby wipes, or just tissue (she replied to others)

Yep

@@Emiology oooh my boys will thank you later 🐀🐀

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yT1I2q5zo-k.html

What bedding do you use?

@@Emiology i use recycled paper pellet bedding for the 2 litter boxes and aspen and timothy hay in the bottom. They also have a sputnik and a wicker basket at the top of the cage that they like to pee in. I line those with paper towels and change them daily when I put in fresh water. Thank you so much for replying!

I used to have to when I had a smaller cage

@@Emiology I have a single critter nation :)

Longer term for elderly rats it can be if they can’t move to clean themselves but most rats just groom it off

How long has he gone without food and water?