This this this. Rats should definitely come out multiple times a week, especially when they're young, but not being able to do absolutely every single day you have them, especially for hours, is so very valid. For me for example, one big issue can sometimes be the noise they make, as well as the noise of the room itself (our fridge is kinda broken and super loud and audible in the free roam area). I'm autistic and very sensitive to sound and wear ANC headphones a lot, but that's not an option in free roam, the girls would 100% chew them. So some days I have to decide between letting them out and having a meltdown later or taking care of my own sensory needs. Soma days that means skipping free roam, others it's just doing it for a shorter amount of time. On good days with lots of time in the other hand, they'll get several hours to enjoy outside too, keeping the balance with those days where they can't come out for long or at all. And I think that's working pretty well

I already knew this before getting them, but honestly everytime I tried they didn’t want to come out, one girl is amazing and will come out a lot but the other two not so much. They just don’t like it, but I’m trying my best to get them out more and more without them feeling uncomfortable

It's funny because when I let mine free roam, within a couple of hours they're all laying in their cage sleepy

Mine are quite small, I got them less than a week ago and I feel like sometimes they just don't want to explore. I definitely don't want to force them out tho. I built a cardboard wall that I can sit in and they can climb on my legs and arms if they want. But they are still quite shy and tend to hide when I pick them up and put them outside

It works quite well for babies but once they learn to jump out once they can never be contained 😂

@@Emiology same for gerbils tbh, Timon managed it once and that was the end of that 😂

@@PetConnectionInternational Timon is such a cute name omg😭😭

@@casluvs They were called Timon & Pumbaa because they "dig a tunnel, dig dig a tunnel" 😆

What did y’all name them?

Thank you that's so kind!

What’s their names? If you don’t mind me asking.

I’m sure maybe you’ve already explored this option, but Pinterest has saved my life. I go on there and look up “naturalistic rat cage”, get so many ideas, see how their cages flow, helps so much :)

Put chew toys everywhere so they don't chew up the carpet. And squirt them with a water bottle when they chew the carpet. No, it won't hurt them but they'll understand that it's a no-no and move on.

in my opinion the fence needs to be about 1,2 meters so the rat can't jump over it, also if they are able to climb up the fence they will get out regardless :D

I did that for a little while but then they figured out how to go down into the couch.

How did you do this without them jumping down on the floor?

@@kitsunexoxo6309they just didn't jump off the bed at all because it was too far down but if you're worried you can make a cardboard barrier or put a tall pen next to the bed

(They we’re fine, they wandered slightly out but not one rat was hurt)

I know this is a bit late, but she explained in one video that she uses some kind of varnish so they don’t stain it.

I did a long time ago! I don't have an agility kit anymore though

@@Emiology ah fair enough! I did actually think it sounded familiar when I was typing x

If it needs doing I either just use pet safe disinfectant and a sponge on certain areas or I have an upholstery cleaner that would work

Rats do better in higher humidity of around 50-60%, having dryer air would probably worsen any breathing problems!

@@Emiology ok oh thank you! I'm so glad I didn't buy one. Should I get a humidifier? Or does that depend?

I would! Either take them out or varnish them as they’ll stink very quickly. They’ll be fine if they chew it as they’re not ingesting it, but anywhere they chew will then become exposed and need covering so it can be a bit of a pain

@@Emiology thank you so much, that’s super helpful :)

Is it possible? Yes? Should it be done? No

My old rats used to be trained to come when I shook their treat jar but I forgot to carry that on with these ones and it is a bit of a nightmare getting them back in. If you free roam them before they get fed their main food and they hear you throw it in their cage that usually helps them to come running back in

If you feel your room is secure enough and she will come back, but I don’t personally risk it with my fancy mice because of their size

emi has two very good videos about bonding with rats, you should check those out i found them pretty helpfull :) in short my opinion is you should give them a few days to settle in before you start picking them up (if they are scared give them about a week, if they're pretty confindent 2 days are enough). while they're setteling in you can let them sniff your hand and talk to them a lot so they get used to you. in my experience if you wait to long (more than a week) to start picking them up they will fight you a lot about it. So once they're ready you wanna pick them up a lot, about ten times a day, i do it like this: i let them sniff my hands and touch them, then i pick them up very confindently and very firm (if a rat ist bitey i recommend starting with garden gloves on so you won't get hurt) and i hold them for abbout 10 seconds, put them back and then immediatly reward them with a treat. in my experience if you do this every day for a couple of weeks your rats will let you pick them up without a problem. my recommendation for when to start freeroaming would be to just open their cage and if they come out they're ready for freeroam :D

@@deineoma6244 Thank you!!!

I’m sorry for your loss. Unfortunately it’s impossible for me to say but could be connected to her getting out, could just be a coincidence and she had something else wrong internally

@@Emiology ok thanks you’re always really helpful

Same please! 😁 I want to make sure that I get the correct type for their sensitive noses.

In their cage they do, but they go back to the cage for that

@@Emiology I bet that stinks up the whole place.

Not really

Unfortunately that’s just the cost of sending orders to the US, the shipping is based on weight and there’s not much I can do about the price 🥲

@@Emiology I figured! I’ll just save up for the special goodies sometimes, of course my girls must have the malt paste :) thanks!

Sorry for your loss, no it’s never okay to keep them alone you’ll need to either get more asap or rehome it to someone who can keep them with more rats

You could put a baby gate on your door just for the added level of protection / ease of getting in without your dog. I’ve seen ones used for front doors where it folds open and you can open your door without the dog going through

@@Emiology ty for the advice :D

It depends how your time is split, if you’re one day there the next day not, as long as the parent who’s house they live at is okay to just check their water and throw some food in they’ll be fine having lots of attention and enrichment on the alternative days 😊

@@Emiology thanks a lot! i will try my pets to try and visit the parent their at after school. though its a bit difficult due to my parents living quite far away from each other. Also i love your vids and im excited to try and have rats!

@@Emiology im mostly at my mom's which is where im planning on having just two to start with. My mom and dad have a week each, my mom have a full week and my dad had a tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday and saturday. think i would be able to be available tuesday, thursday and friday for about 2-3 hours after school. Could that be good enough for them? it would leave them alone for wednesday and saturday which my mom would feed and water them.

Have a tube you coax them into then into a carrier ☺️

Thank you so incredibly much for responding to me! I will try this as soon as I can!

@@Emiology Hi again! This didn’t seem to work too well. They looked at it a few times, but ignored it. They seemed to have zero interest in going in there. Is there something else i’m supposed to be doing?

@@RaticalRatsI'm having the same issue as u. did u find a solution?

@squid2400 Hii! Sorry for the really late response, I have been busy. As for your question, I did find a solution. I was able to squeeze the rat cage through my doorway and into my bathroom (right across the hallway). I have the double critter nation and it just (luckily) barely fits through. I use a small tile to block off the bottom so my cats cannot accidentally hurt the rats in any way. I also keep this tile in the hole whenever my cats are allowed in my room (almost always). Let me know if you have any other questions and again, sorry for the late response.

Yes you can, but young / baby rats need same age company

@@Emiology So it would be best to have the same age (mine is 11weeks now) as mine and not a younger one?

it would be best to get two youger rats and introduce them to the rat you have now, rats do better in groups of 3 or more then in pairs

It's pretty easy to tame them- at least I think so. the only downside is you have to wait days... maybe months and give them LOTS of attention. stick your hand in their cage maybe an 30 minutes to an hour every day when you can (treats are recommended). get them use to your voice defenitely. and after a few days of them settling in their surroundings, gently hold them. keep doing it until they start to calm down in your hands (they shouldn't give up from exhaustion, they should relax).

So i don't know how long you have your rats but if you don't have them that long maybe you just need time, anyways i have tamed a lot of difficult rats and i'm happy to give advice :) so i start with giving them a lot of treats (small treats so the don`t get chonky) and talking to them while they're in their cage, i do that a lot so they get used to having me around. i let them sniff my hands and touch them very briefly and then reward being touched with a treat. basically i just sit in front of the cage for hours and talk to them and when they come up to me i touch them and them give them a treat immediatly. when you notice that they're calm around you it's time to get used to getting picked up. you wanna pick them up a lot, about ten times a day, i do it like this: i let them sniff my hands and touch them, then i pick them up very confindently and very firm (if a rat ist bitey i recommend starting with garden gloves on so you won't get hurt) and i hold them for abbout 10 seconds, put them back and then immediatly reward them with a treat. in my experience if you do this every day for a couple of weeks your rats will let you pick them up without a problem.