Give to your rats!

Step 3: Give to your rats!

Put the tube in your rat's cage and watch them have fun! They will gnaw the tube and paper towel plugs to get at the treats within. The paper and cardboard are non-toxic and the rats can use the shreds as nesting material afterwards as well. It takes my rats about 5-10 minutes to access the treats. It encourages teamwork as well, as they will quickly discover that they can open the tube faster while working on it together than they can from repeatedly stealing it from each other. :) Enjoy!

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emr71 says: Oct 5, 2008. 9:48 AM

those wood chips will give your guy a respiratory infection, tho

Mahekun (author) says: Oct 5, 2008. 10:28 AM

My rats' bedding is made of hemp, not wood. It contains no oils or chemicals that are harmful to rats, such as those in cedar or pine.

vettech88 says: Nov 19, 2011. 10:10 AM

That's a great alternative to commercially available beddings! However, careful with the quantity of paper towel/TP rolls you give your ratty. The glue isn't particularly good for them. Once in a while shouldn't be a problem, however.

stetson nall says: Feb 20, 2010. 9:18 AM

nice cage

jany says: Aug 9, 2008. 2:52 PM

Gosh, great idea for the rat! My Elmer loves it. Hey, I love the cage, too. What does the bottom sit in?

Mahekun (author) says: Aug 9, 2008. 6:07 PM

Thanks! I ordered the cage from Martin's Cages. Google them and you should find their site. They are cheaper than most cages because you assemble it yourself. They're designed just for rats. The bottom is a thick plastic container, similar to a cat litter pan. I've had the cage for 5 years and it's in great shape still.

tnielsenhayden says: Oct 17, 2009. 12:53 PM

Martin's cages are great -- cheap, durable, attractive, well ventilated, and easy to clean. Also, if you pay attention to their footprint dimensions, you can bash them together to expand your current setup.

I'd definitely recommend their hamster cages for hamsters that have gotten too big for Habitrail tubes.