[Angry_J]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

According to this book, wild rats are responsible for an estimated 25% of structure fires.

That said, I've never had a rat escape *yet*. Snakes - that's another story.

 

[KayRatz]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

snakes are escape artists.

 

[Crispen]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

Edit: By the way, I don't think this forum has 100 active members. So I don't think you'll get all those votes

Oh :lol: well its going quite good so far...

Thanks everyone who has voted and commented so far by the way

KayRatz: My dad is worried that the rats will escape, get in the walls, chew wiring and thus start a fire...but most of his arguements for not getting rats are in fact based on NO real knowledge or information... :roll:

 

[phaidraft]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

No escapes here.

 

[KayRatz]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

Edit: By the way, I don't think this forum has 100 active members. So I don't think you'll get all those votes

Oh :lol: well its going quite good so far...

Thanks everyone who has voted and commented so far by the way

KayRatz: My dad is worried that the rats will escape, get in the walls, chew wiring and thus start a fire...but most of his arguements for not getting rats are in fact based on NO real knowledge or information... :roll:

Any rodent can do that -_- But I've never heard of pet rats "getting in the walls." Seriously, at least if they escape we aren't introducing a new species...

 

[lovinmyworm]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

I've never heard of a pet rat getting into the walls. I don't see why they would though either. Wild rats get into walls because they chew through them in order to get to food. Your pet rats know where the food is... it's in their food bowl. They don't scavage for food like wild rats do! If anything a wild rat will climb back into their cage with their friends where their hammocks are the very second they are hungry or thirsty. Yes if they smell it they will come, but they don't go out and activley look for food all the time like wild rats do! Your dad's fears are unfounded. Tell him that comparing a wild rat to a pet rat is like comparing a pet dog to a wolf. There isn't a comparison. Yes the same manerisms, a wild rat will clean himself the same as a pet rat, but a wolf will lick his butt the same as a toy poodle will....... doesn't mean they are the same!

 

[Forensic]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

Mine haven't ever escaped, unless you count hiding under a futon during 'out' time escaping. (The look on his face when I pull him out was hilarious though.) I think if you're careful about the safety of the cage them getting out shouldn't be an issue... and there are ways to find/catch a missing rat...

 

[Meliss]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

My one rat koi escaped once- but it was my fault we had to give my girl Tara her medicine and opened the roof of the cage to get her- and I guess we didn't secure the roof down tight enough when we put tara back and we found Koi in my moms closet underneath some clothes.

 

[shinzo-chan]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

My rats have never escaped, ive left the cage door open a few times and they just ignored it, theyd go back in by themselves if they were hungry anyway.

Ive had mice escape before, when i had them. They did half chew a few wires and nibble some paper though, but the damage was minimal. They were escape artists before i got a proper covering for their tank, lol.

 

[tialloydragon]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

My one rat, Tori, escaped a few times in the middle of the night because she could fit through the bars of my old cage. I discovered she was out everytime because she jumped on my head while I was sleeping and started licking my face. It was really cute, but ultimately stressful being woken up out of a sound sleep three consecutive nights. A new cage with 1/2 inch bar spacing solved that.

My alpha, Nyah, and Tori got out one time during a top-level wrestling match, when they took a tumble and knocked the door open on the way down. Once again I was woken up by Tori licking my face and then Nyah's pudgy frame running across my back. I keep my bedroom door closed so it was just a matter of scooping them up and putting them back in. I lock my cage with a miniature padlock now.

 

[clarry]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

One thing I have to say which is slightly irrelevant-I had a rabbit, he was THE most amazing animal and I miss him like ****, he was a house rabbit and very much trained and proofed to my whole house, although he managed to get the phone wire/t.v wire etc and eat them. I left his cage unlocked (closed just 4got to lock) 3 or 4 times in th 3 years i had him, every time I came home he'd eaten all my barbies, had a very fun running around and throwing my toys (although he still peed in his tray) but STILL we came home the next morning to him being in his cage with minimal damage done. My rats seem to be the same, I have been irresponsible and left the cage open a few times for a few hours BUT they have never left it, apart from ONE time. I trust them, so when I am not sure if they want to come out I leave open the door and go out of the room for about 2/3mins, if when I go back they are hanging out waiting for me I will get them out, being sure they are not tierd, if they are where I left them, I think they are just awake because I woke them so will just shut the door. Once i 4got i left the door open and Moscow got out, he walked about one foot in 10 mins, I wouldnt worry with boys, they are too lazy!

 

[BoyzRcrazy]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

No escapes yet, as I am a new rat mommy. I love my Martin's Skyscraper and Petco Rat Manor! But I am a complete and total airhead, so leaving the door open in the future might well happen. (Admitting my problem is the first step in overcoming it!) :wink:

 

[Suzuks]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

One of my boys figured out how to escape from their cage which is on top of a dresser a good 4.5 feet off of the ground. I used to leave the door open all the time cause I figured there's no way he'd make it down - but he did.

He managed to be loose for a whole day until I found him . . . apparently, he couldn't figure out how to escape back INTO his cage - he managed to climb all the way up the dresser again but couldn't get around to the front of the cage on his own.

I scolded him - and me. and put him away.
crazy rattie.

 

[kancerr]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

one of my rats has escaped because the doors arent properly closed. 2 of the doors are against a wall with some books and what not holding them closed. ive bumped into a couple times and one of them has crawled out but ive always noticed it before they got off the side of the cage. never any real problems from it.

 

[kaylaface]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

lol My two younger boys only escaped once, because I didnt't latch the cage. I didn't think they could get out of it, but the litle smarties did it anyways. One lifted the door open and the other crawled underneath and waited for his brother to get out and then fallowed suit. XD They were on a mission to get my cheese bread.

 

[Crispen]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

OK thanks everyone for votes and comments!

 

[AlienMando]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

Rats are NEVER going to burn your house down. Your dad's claims have no basis.

Knock on wood anyway! Anything is possible, a chewed wire could spark on a rug or on built-up dust or even a candle could get tipped by a curious rat.

My neighbors car engine caught on fire this past winter, due to rats chewing through the wires.

Remember after all, a cow once burned down an entire major city. I think a house for a rat isn't completely out of the impossible range.

Its nice that at least no one has had any 'major problems'!

 

[lostbutnotforgot]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

I have always been freakishly careful with my dear rats as if they escape they will become toys for my sister's cat. They still try though! Amazingly, if I leave the door open for to long it's my big scaredy rat that is the first who tries to make a break for it! They all know a name (not necessarily their own) to come to when they're out, and always come to it, without fail (so far). I have checked and double checked every place they could try to escape in their cage and watched them closely at first to make sure they couldn't get out, especially since they're in a cage that is for ferrets, not rats.

A long time ago, back before I was even the owner of 'my' rats they lived outside (it was a covered patio, but was still basically outside) and one time the door was left open to their cage and one of the rats inside did get out into the great outdoors, and we thought she was gone forever ( and technically she should have been), but I did manage to find her under a bush by calling her name and she was just fine, thankfully.

 

[Stace87]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

A long time ago, back before I was even the owner of 'my' rats they lived outside (it was a covered patio, but was still basically outside) and one time the door was left open to their cage and one of the rats inside did get out into the great outdoors, and we thought she was gone forever ( and technically she should have been), but I did manage to find her under a bush by calling her name and she was just fine, thankfully.

Awww that's lucky you found her!

 

[Lucara]

Re: Help me get Rats, have yours escaped? (Aiming for 100 vo

It would be a miracle if my rats could figure out a way to open up the 2 latches to the front of their cage to escape =P