This cage set up is so cool 😍

I guess I'm lucky, I have one of the laziest rats...he chooses to avoid leaving the hammock and pees with his bum out of the hammock 🤦‍♀️. I guess it's better than a soggy hammock 💁‍♀️

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

Lol I have seen this before. Another good reason to have a litter tray directly under the hammock

@craftygiant6231

4 жыл бұрын

My girls do this *and* pee their hammocks. It can't be comfy or nice but I haven't found a way to stop them yet

Thanks so much; this is my favorite rat channel. Using the shelf as a litter tray makes a lot of sense and is easier to change than corner boxes.

Wow, great information. Now I understand why my dummies are making dirty mess of all their cage shelves. They literally organized their own toilet right next to (and sometimes inside) the running wheel. But still use the wheel for running sometimes, lol. What I don't understand is why companies advertise cages for rats with all these shelves that are too small to install proper litter bin. I thought they were supposed to play on these surfaces. Now I don't know, should I remove these shelves completely?

That makes sense! I think providing them less surface area probably does get them to go to the bathroom in the litterbox more.

Thanks for posting this! My cage has a full mesh wire second level, and I ended up putting a few flat trays on that level with paper litter and corn cob. I had a piece of fleece before but it was stinky even being changed every day. Thanks also for mentioning pica, etc. Mine will eat the shavings or corn cob, etc., from time to time and I was wondering if it was OK!

All my rats do in their litter tray, it put food they dont want to eat in there. Egg shells, various bits, stuffing they pulled from the hammock.. and they then always poop next to the litter tray. Always next to it, not in it..boys are crazy.

@IsamuRatCare

3 жыл бұрын

They are taunting you...

I very much appreciate your approach in expressing care for rats. This is the first video of yours Ive found and glad Ive found it. My first rodent freind was a butterscoth patch white rat I rescued at a local construction site where I was working(great story). Before that I hated all rodents, as my only exposure was on a farm and ...well you might get the gist. Its been ten years since my first freind and out of longing for a pet and the inability to keep a cat or dog, I got two rats due to my history. I will be watching all of your videos. Thankyou very much for sharing.

@IsamuRatCare

3 жыл бұрын

They are definitely life changing pets, really wonderful. I hope the videos don’t bore you too much, I’m still amazed people actually watch them lol

@maryoleary5044

2 жыл бұрын

@@IsamuRatCare please don't think that! You're vids are SUPERB!

This helped so much! I have 11 rats: 8 girls and 3 boys (the result of keeping female and male rats together, they are now separated in big cages) They poo and pee everywhere and since I use fresh, hand-cut grass as bedding it's hard to spot clean and there's just so much poo! I will take out any levels I have in my cages to make it more active for them and to help with the litter training.

Oh my gosh, all this time I was wondering why my rats sometimes ate paper or cardboard. Never knew about pica!

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

It’s definitely an interesting one, they do so much we don’t fully understand. I love watching them and learning

@bpgk2007

3 жыл бұрын

I didn't know this either.

A tremendous amount of valuable knowledge in all your videos - thanks for sharing. These are facts learned by true experience. I also your website as the ONLY reference.

I’m getting three rats soon and this really helps. Thank you for the information

i have a large paint tray as a litter box for free roam and one in the cage. i do have two corner trays they do use them but they like to use them as a bed or dining table bless them

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah simmer of mine used to use corner litter trays as giant nests. I don't mind them just don't think they offer enough space for the rats to use as a big rectangular tray

@HB-hb5rx

3 жыл бұрын

Same I often find mine curled up sleeping in the corner litter pan I have...but there’s also pee and poop in there so it’s very frustrating lol! I’m going to try the flat surface tips in the video! Thanks!!

Loving the hair!

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. It's a bit of a work in progress but I do like a change now and then

Fantastic and very sensible video, thank you!!

That’s a really cool cage.

How on earth do you get them to stop peeing in their hammocks. Their litter tray is directly underneath their hammock but the laziest one actually went over to the rope type ledge and pee'd on that. I was/am miffed.

Can I ask where the best place to buy the Perspex pieces from, to prevent the litter being kicked out? Have you just drilled a hole in and fastened with nuts and bolts? I’m so thankful for all your videos and knowledge. I’ve learnt most of what I know from you, thank you for being awesome and taking time to share your wisdom with the world. I literally would have been lost without you x

Simple solution, I love it. Thanks, just followed you, loving your video's 😁

This is really lovely and informative

Who'd have known?!? I was so excited to see the first boy jump from his bed over to his litter box and onto his pee rock & back to bed! 😆 lol I don't ask for much! I ❤️ 🐀

I'm so happy you made this video!

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. It's one I've been meaning to for a while

is there anything we can do about pica? my new baby rats have been eating the paper based cat litter and i don’t know how to stop them

I didn’t know rats specifically had pica. I actually have a cat that has pica. I have to make sure I don’t leave anything out that he thinks is edible.

I watched this a while ago and forgot about it. I got my rats a week ago and I put the litter tray under the hammocks so I guess my subconscious remembered lol! They got the hang of it in three days although they still pee everywhere

@IsamuRatCare

3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant going

Is it okay to put, say, a house/hide inside the litter tray? I’ve been trying to figure out my cage layout, and there are a few houses that fit best if I put them on one of my two levels, so I’m hoping it will work to just put them in the litter trays so that the litter is essentially the substrate of that level. I can’t imagine that being a terrible idea, but then I’m not sure what would or wouldn’t confuse a rat! Also it may not matter since I think I’ll probably be following your basic approach of “they’re rats, it’s their cage, they can poop or pee where they like and it’s my job to keep things reasonably clean”!

@Denise8508

4 жыл бұрын

I am wondering the same thing

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

Yep this is absolutely fine, as long as they've still got spaces to use it as a litter tray. I actually also frequently put a small but if litter at the bottom of nesting boxes and such too. Help absorb any accidents

@jasroman6949

4 жыл бұрын

0 Q

Hi where are you Perspex bits from please? Really informative video, our girls have been peeing on the top shelf… this helps so I guess shelves out and more ropes etc in 👍🏻

how do you conveniently place a litter tray if they sleep in a box on the bottom? They kind of just poop everywhere not in one area, mostly right in the middle of the cage

This is a great video thank you. I am about to adopt three new Rats for the first time since I was I kid. So about 20 years ago. So many things have changed in the knowledge that’s out there and my husband is really worried that the new pets are going to get stinky. I’m hoping that I can litter train these new rats but they are about 5 to 7 months old. they’re not babies I suppose anymore. Do you think I can litter train at that age? and the way you “lazy litter trained” how much of a smell does that give off in your cage?

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

Definitely. They may not be quite as good as those raised that way but rats of all ages are excellent at learning so give it a go. Worth watching my "my rats smell what do I do" video too as that may help.

@lizzyreid1648

4 жыл бұрын

Isamu Rat Care Thank you so much. But how is the smell on your cage? Is it pretty well contained? And I will watch that video right away

@MyPerfectMischief

4 жыл бұрын

Lizzy Reid I have 9 rats in my cage and I would say that overall, the smell isn’t really that bad, provided you’re using a good litter. There is a distinct rat smell, which personally I don’t mind, and you only notice when you first walk into the room. It “disappears” almost instantly, and I don’t smell it anywhere else in my apartment . If you watch her different substrate videos, hopefully that can give you a better idea of what to use. Fleece is the worst at concealing odor, but is good for nesting material in baskets and such. Make sure you NEVER buy anything that’s scented. It’ll be a little trial and error until you find something that works for you. Since you’ll only be starting off with three rats, your natural rat odor will be much less than someone like myself who has triple the amount.

@kevinandtaushajohnson6932

2 жыл бұрын

@@IsamuRatCare Hi, I've been looking for your "my rats smell what do I do" video & I'm not having any luck. I don't have this problem (yet, lol) but I want to learn all I can about them. I'm a new rat mom of 2 boys (rescued rats) although they were not planned, they have stolen my heart & I want to do everything I can for them. Your videos have helped me a great deal, they are Amazing, Please Keep Making Them! 😊 Thank You!

I do the same and it works great

I have been told that litter training is the best way to stop your rats from pooping on your bed or on yourself 😅 is that true? Or is there a better way to stop them from doing this? My guys are super lazy and will poop in their bed rather than leave it 😩

Your videos are so incredibly helpful. What soil do you use at the bottom? Coco coir? Thanks ❤️

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

Currently yes, there’s a video on it as a substrate in the substrate serious (bioactive soil)

I know you posted this two years ago, but I was hoping that you'll still answer!! Do you know where I can get a litter tray? I have a box, but they always try to get behind it and knock it over. I looked on amazon but couldnt find anything like this, could you please help??!

my rats have almost mastered pooing in the box but they will not pee in it even with the rock, and they still pee and poop inside their beds, how can i fix this because the smell is so strong it is giving me headaches and sinus trouble even with near daily cage cleans

@GlowingGirl37

11 ай бұрын

I am also very worried that the pee or ammonia smells in their beds will cause them respiratory problems

hi i was wondering if you could help me please. Can i use vicks vapour rub or olbus oil in an atomiser in the same room as my rats as they are in my room. Im struggling to find an definitive answer anywhere. We havent used any as we dont want to poison my boys. Sorrg i know its not related to the video. Thank you

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

I probably wouldn't, they are quite harsh smells and could irritate there respiratory tract. If you've got a cold and need it for you just put a couple drops of olbas oil on a tissue and keep it close as that shouldn't bother them

Hiya! I'm a new rat mum to two 8 week old boys. Im in desperate need of advice. I've been litter training since I got them 3 weeks ago. I dont have a multilevel cage like you, but rather a guinea pig style cage. Im using corn pellet litter (as I didn't have much luck with paper towels that someone advised me). As you suggest, they are in convenient and easy to reach places. I started by putting the poops in and any wet substrate, im also using the pee rocks. I've managed to get them to pee 90% of the time in the litter trays, but they still do their poops everywhere else about 50% of the time. I was putting them in the litter areas regularly and doing word association "go to toilet/good boy" for when they're in the litter tray. And I was treating them whenever they successfully used it. However, I was advised that if they are still not getting the litter training, to remove the substrate as they "prefer comfy places to go toilet". Is this the wrong thing to do? I know you said that they like flat surfaces to go to the toilet and honestly since removing the substrate, the litter success has been hit and miss. They seem to use the litter tray when I'm around but then abandon it when I'm not there. At times they both are very hyper so I'm not sure if this is influencing their litter training. They like to play fight each other when they're going to the toilet. I want to put the substrate back in, but I'm worried it will undo the litter training as previously they preferred to use the substrate instead of litter tray and it was costing me a lot in substrate as well as making it impossible to find all the poops and wet patches. Any advice would help please. Thank you.

@Lexi-vp5kk

3 жыл бұрын

Not the vid creator but maybe i can help. First, your cage doesn't sound very rat appropriate. Rats LOVE to climb, they prefer vertical space over horizontal. Also, don't remove the substrate. Oddly enough rats like to pee on smooth surfaces, so they're more likely to go on the bare floor if it doesn't have substrate.

@VikkiH1993

3 жыл бұрын

@@Lexi-vp5kk Hi thanks for your reply. Its been a month since my original comment so I kind of have figured out stuff through trial and error. I appreciate that my cage isn't wholly rat appropriate but unfortunately I'm not financially in a position to get a vertical cage at the moment. The upper cage space that I do have has been pretty well utilised for climbing, with platforms, hammocks, a horizontal rope, ladder pathway and hideaway treat toy. The ground floor has two corner litter trays, a water dish (for play), a dig box, hideaway, tunnel, and food bowl/water bottle. While I appreciate you saying not to remove the substrate, up until today I had it removed (because I was advised by another YT channel and 2 rat care blogs), and quite honestly, they're completely litter trained now. Having no substrate makes it far easier to spot clean where they have accidents (during the initial training) and to find poops, which (I think) has contributed to how quickly they've taken to training. Its meant that the only place in the cage that smells like a toilet is their litter area. And for some reason (and I have trial and errored this) they just love to pee in substrate! Maybe it's just my little weird rat pack, but hey ho! I would happily put fleece on the bottom but unfortunately because my cage isn't a vertical one, there's nowhere for me to clip the fleece, if you see what I mean? I have just put the substrate back in the cage (as of today actually) as they had trained completely (with no substrate and 2 litter trays and I have noticed already 1 lot of poops outside the litter trays, so I'm going to continue positively reinforcing/treating litter tray poops for the min. I reeeeeally don't want to remove the substrate again, I feel so mean! But I was having to change all the substrate daily and with the width of my cage it was working out to around £40 a week's worth. And unfortunately I can't afford that atm. My cage is a bit wider (maybe another 8 inches) than the one in this video and around half/two thirds as tall for your reference.

@VikkiH1993

3 жыл бұрын

@@Lexi-vp5kk Actually, its just one rat, he's my dumb/hyper rat bless him. Hes super affectionate but dumb compared to my other rat haha especially with puzzles/treat toys. He does everything by smell instead of thinking about where he should poop. And I forgot to save some of my old litter poops/pees, so its on me really! Will just work with him for a bit. My other (smarter) rat Sammy is still using the trays 😆. He actually thinks back to where he went to the loo last or just takes himself to where the trays are. But Roo (bless him) is a bit more like "can I smell where I last went? No? I'll start a new toilet here then" 😂😅

@IsamuRatCare

3 жыл бұрын

Have you thought about taking out the middle base and fastening the two cage sections together, it would add a nice amount of height whilst giving good floor space too

where did you get the large branch above the litter?

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

From my garden or a friends, I’ll be honest I’ve had some of them for so long now I can’t really remember them all. I have quite a collection. Check out one of the cage set up videos to see them all

Don't you think this method might make them more prone to being "messy" when free roaming? I'd like my rats to use their litterbox when free roaming.

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

Mine tend to take themselves back into the cage if they need to loo so wether it encourages that or the rat’s just prefer it I don’t know, but I don’t have an issue with droppings on free range

@Pepperoni290

4 жыл бұрын

@@IsamuRatCare Alright thanks! I didn't mean to sound condescending btw, I'm just a new rat parent with a lot of questions!

@IsamuRatCare

4 жыл бұрын

You really didn’t come across that way don’t worry

how to stop my rat from peeing on my pillow. i dont care about anything else. he knows "no" and i always scold him but he does it again after a few minutes

@IsamuRatCare

3 жыл бұрын

Have you tried providing him a litter tray on the pillow? Also is he fully peeing or just leaving a few small drops eg marking

the video was 1/2 over before she got to the subject

@IsamuRatCare

3 жыл бұрын

I do like to waffle 😉, but more than that there’s often a lot more too a situation and I do think understanding that is important in making good decisions as an lever, the why is sometimes more important than the what. But I do know how I do things is very much not for everyone, there are some lovely channels out there where the people doing then get to the point a lot quicker. Emiology is one of my faves