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Mini Mischief Rattery
Our Facilities
We use a variety of cages, both purchased and homemade, depending on the life stage of our rats.
We use kiln dried pine as a substrate as it provides great absorption and odor control. For their diet, we feed Mazuri rat blocks as their staple with a mixture of foraging seed and fresh produce to add variety. For enrichment, we add plenty of climbing ropes, hammocks, baskets, ledges, and wooden toys.
Maternity Cages
For pregnant does and litters up to 3 weeks old, we use either our rack system, bin cages, or occasionally wire cages like Prevue 528. The type of maternity cage we use depends on the mother rat and which setup we think she'd do best in. Some rats prefer more enclosed spaces while others like more room to move around. Some momma rats are extra mischievous and need to have their motion restricted more while pregnant for their own safety, in which case the rack system with its lower heigh works great.
At around 2 weeks, we add some enrichment to these cages as "training wheels" before transferring them to the larger grow out cages.
Grow Out Cages
Once litters begin to explore their cage more and try to climb (around 2.5-3 weeks), we move them over to a larger grow out cage where more enrichment is provided. This gives the babies a chance to practice their motor skills and learn to navigate. We use Prevue 528's and 110 qt or 50 gal bin cages as our grow outs, depending on litter size and what type of setup the mom prefers. These cages are also used to house "overflow" babies waiting on adoption.
Adult Housing
For our main breeding colony and hold-back babies, we have two double-wide critter nations with boys on top and girls on bottom. This is where we house most of our long-term residents. We also have 3 Prevue Ranch cages for slightly smaller groups. Above these cages is a free roam area we call the "roof-top play area" and the entire room has been rat-proofed so bold individuals can explore the floor as well.
All of our rats are litter box trained and get free roam time outside their enclosures several times per week, sometimes daily.
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