The Rat Room - A Room Just For Rats!

 

One of our dreams has finally become a reality - we have a Rat Room (dubbed Ratropolis, of course!). 

Our Rat Room is a large room in our basement. The full size of the room is 18 ft by 12 ft, but currently the rats only have access to half that space (10 ft by 12 ft), as part of the other half is currently in use and not rat safe. The other part of the other half is dedicated to storing rat things (extra toys, food, hammocks, towels, blankets), so everything we need for the rats is in one convenient place.

Storage space on the other side of the room.

The Rat Room has a cement floor, a drop ceiling with florescent ceiling lights, and some cement walls and some wood walls. There is a ventilation fan that runs on a timer that keeps the air circulating. We also have two air cleaners running to keep the air fresh and clean for both rats and people. There is a sump pump in the room, but we have blocked it off with a wooden wall.

Patio Love Seat Near the Cage and Across from the TV

Because the Rat Room will get more use if it is people friendly, we added a small love seat with end table. We chose a piece of inexpensive patio furniture, since it will be more durable, easier to clean, and hard for a rat to get lost inside or underneath. Also, the cushion covers are removable and washable.

For entertainment, we have a TV on a banquet table, connected to an X-Box 360 (mainly to connect to our media center PC/Cable) and a Roku player. All wires and cables are off the ground and safe from rattie mischief. Under the banquet table, we have a large storage box with rat toys not currently in use (the rat toy box).

TV, XBox, Roku, and Two HEPA Air Cleaners

 There are a number of things still to be done. Right now, we have a U-Haul furniture pad on the floor. I would like to get a second one and line them both with fleece for a thicker and softer pad to play on. And it would be nice to add pictures of our rats, past and present to the wooden walls. I ordered some mice wall decals for my son's birthday and he can decorate the room with those when they arrive. I also have ordered a ramp that will allow the rats to exit and enter their cage as they please during supervised play time.

But in the mean time, the rats are really enjoying the extra room and the many places to explore. They seem to appreciate their freedom. We appreciate being able to let them out without constantly having to be on guard - wondering what is the next trouble they will get into. Of course, they still must be supervised, but they really can't get into any trouble of significance in this room.

Below are some pics of the rats having a good time in their new room.

I can't believe they let me back here!

This is not allowed. Leave it to Jo to find a way to get into trouble.
We moved the box they used to get onto the side of the cage and climb up,
so no more rats on top of the cage.

Burt takes a bite out of the love seat.

Look what I found under the cage! Why isn't this out?

Casper has a look around. He loves to explore.

Casper needs a rest. His lungs can't handle too much activity.

Okay, ready for another go!