Rat Questions- Please Help

[MarkS]

Two or three would be better, but four works for a while. The main problem with 10 gallon aquariums is that they're too tall so they have poor ventilation that traps the ammonia from rat urine to where the air quality becomes poor. This doesn't happen as easily with short tubs.

[mweippert]

i just started up my colony about a month ago and went with ten gal tanks becaue i already had them. then i took the advice to use one of the stickers above about the rubermade tubs it is nice because i can still see my rats whenever i want without disterbing them throug the hardware cloth. my rats look and smell a lot better. bigger is better less smell less time cleaning cages.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

SO if I use Jumbo cat litter pans I can house 4 females together?

I house 2 females together at all times and my males rotate between each tubs.

[Chris Rossi]

OK SO what Ill do is make a rack that holds 6 Jumbo cat litter pans. The first one will be for 2 Males the next 2 will hold 3 Females each. Ill have another one for more females or males. The last 2 will be for the babies. How does htat sound? My other question was, should I just like get some rats from PetCo or should I get some AFS.

[Chris Rossi]

How bad do the rats smell, to bad to keep them in my bedroom?

[Jenn]

They don't smell as bad as mice but I still wouldn't keep them in my bedroom. Maybe just a pair as pets, but not a breeding rack. Just me though. I'm sure lot's of people have rats in their bedrooms.

[Chris Rossi]

Well that is really the only place my parents might let me keep them, thier is no room in our garage, how loud are they at night?

[littleindiangirl]

You really wont know till you try. We had our rats in our bedroom for close to a year, I got used to the smell, so on most days I didn't smell anything at all except when it was close to cleaning day.

I also cleaned a lot in the bedroom, had automatic air fresheners, and an exhaust fan running 24/7. We also put an occilating fan in the corner of the room to keep air moving, and I hardly ever noticed anything. The fans weren't initially for the rats, but rather for the heat generated from Chris's electrical equipement, but it really helped. I like my house cold!

As to the noise, I slept right through it, but my bf Chris didn't always. He said they were loud or something, and I don't really remember them making any noise. I sleep like the dead though.

[Chris Rossi]

Ok then I wont here anything. When I fall asleep you cant wake me up eaisly. I like my room cold to.

[Jenn]

You are asking all the right questions Chris. My rats woke me up when the were in the next room! I have had to get up and shut the bedroom door in the middle of the night. Rats are nocturnal. When you are getting sleepy they are waking up. I quess it depends on how well you sleep.