DIY Rat Cage - 3

We used part of one of the shelves from the bar to make an additional shelf to give that little bit extra floor space. Also, since both shelves didn't go all the way to the back, I was slightly concerned that if a silly ratty jumped at the top, he would fall all the way down two levels...

We cut the vinyl flooring to size and used it to line all the shelves. Then we used the electrical tape to cover all edges to try and prevent urine and cleaning products to get into the corners and cause the wood to swell.

 I ordered myself some antipill polar fleece from ebay and Mum had some self-adhesive hook & loop (velcro) so I cut out 2 pieces of fleece for each shelf. I will most likely make a 3rd, but I am waiting for more fleece to arrive as I ran out. This means When one is being washed I have a spare.

So, all that is really left to do is re-attach the doors, and decide where everything is going to go and put in place the hooks.. how exciting!

And here is a cutie pic of the boys snuggling in their newest toy:

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So Proud!

Last night when I cleaned the boys cage (they're still in the old cage as the new DIY unit isn't quite finished) I decided to try out the litter tray. They have always had Biocatolet filling the whole bottom section, and although they tended to stick to one corner, they did sometimes stray.

I bought them a litter tray for when they move into the new hideout. The picture above isn't the exact one I got them. This time instead of filling the whole plastic area, I used some of the leftover polar fleece (used to line the shelves in the new house) to line the plastic base of the cage, and just put fresh Biocatolet in the litter tray, with a small handful of the soiled litter.

I have also now moved the cage into my bedroom as that is where the new unit is most likely to go, so I thought they could get used to living in my bedroom in the current cage before moving into the new hideout. However, the corner the used to use as "poo corner" is the corner nearest my bed! So I put the litter tray in the furthest corner and hoped they would smell the litter and not just go in the corner they normally do.

Well, I woke up this morning (minimal disturbances from them in the night) and there were no messes to clean up from the fleece. I was worried that they may have just held it in rather than go somewhere new, but then Elvis got up to see me for some cuddles, and when he was back in the cage he went straight over and used the tray!!

I am so proud of them, I expected that it would take some training and keen eyes on my part before they learned, especially with it being in a different corner, but my babies are so clever!

Let's hope it lasts and they don't get bored of being good ;-)

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DIY rat cage - 2

The bar was obviously a home-made job, we got it appart mostly by pulling out pins! We saved the front section to use to back the display cabinet, and also kept the shelves from inside the bar as they were good sizes that might be used later on. The rest of the bar got  chopped up and taken to the tip, along with the glass from inside the doors...

Next, we measured up the backing against the unit, and BF cut it out for me. We removed the lights from the unit, and pinned the new backing on.

I bought two sheets of mdf for under £10 each from B&Q, as well as some electrical tape, hooks, cable clips and some vinyl floor tiles. BF found a 3 for 2 bargain at tescos for some cake cooling trays that looked a good size to use as bars in the doors. We worked out we'd need 4 trays for each door, and only need to cut the top trays.

We taped over the inside of the doors just in case there were any bits of glass dust inside. We then used the cable clips to attach the cake cooling trays to the door frames. We marked where the top trays needed cutting and my Dad used an angle grinder to cut them to size.

DIY rat cage - 1

Finally, we've started on the new "grotto" style cage for my ratties. I've spent ages trying to plan, deciding whether to buy a display cabinet or start completely from scratch and just buy bits of wood. Well, I got pretty lucky. I was browsing the Friday Ads website and came across a display cabinet that was only two minutes away from me, for £15!

The unit was pretty much perfect! And for only £15! I was expecting to have to buy a new unit or wood and spend around £50. Mum is happy too, because at the moment the rats cage is on top of the bar (it was already here when we moved into the house) which mum hates. So with the rats moving home, we can get rid of the bar, which also means if there's anything handy making it up, I can use it for the new cage.

So, now I have my basic unit. It comes in two parts, the bottom part I will use for storing all my ratty things, and the top part will be their new home. I need to remove the glass from the doors and replace with some suitable material. There are two shelves already fixed into the top unit. There are also display lights at the back of the shelves which will obviously need to come out, but this means the shelves don't go all the way to the back of the unit, so I don't need to cut into the shelves, bonus!

I don't think the unit is a particularly nice colour, but beggars can't be choosers! Also, the back of the unit isn't very strong, so I will need something to support it. Whilst deciding how to destroy the bar, a thought hit us, the stony effect on the front of the bar could look quite nice to back the unit and lighten it up a bit. Waste not want not!

So, next step...destroy the bar!

More pics of my rats (recent)

Well I added pictures of Elvis and Jules when I first got them, end of 2008. Here are some of them a year and a half on.

Elvis:

"I pose for yooou"

Just Chillin'

 

And Jules:

Look at that cute little tongue 

"Ah, human germs, must clean"

Aren't they adorable. I can't wait to get their new home finished. Pics to come soon...

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Meet my boys

Here is a photo of when I first got my darling boys, in November 2008. Jules (left)is a cinnamon, and Elvis is cinnamon/pearl.
I am still finding it hard to believe they were really this small! They have grown so much. I need to upload some more recent photos, they don't look like the same rats at all!




Ah, scary camera, hide!

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My First Blog

Wow, I've finally done it...

I've always wanted to have a blog, I'm not sure why, I guess I just like the idea of keeping track of what I've been up to, and if other people find it interesting then that's great!

I guess I need to start by saying a bit about me. My name's Hannah, I live near Chichester on the south coast of England. I have two gorgeous male rats and they are the reason I have finally started a blog. I am building them a new cage and wanted to have some kind of record for what I did. Having it online means that maybe, just maybe, this might help someone else with the same intentions. I am sure this blog will end up including much more than just things to do with my rats. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

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