so this is mostly for the boys. i recently got a critter nation, and im facing the no bedding problem, as it gets everywhere. im a little late in the game for them with litter training, as one is nearing 3 years old, while two more are 2.5 yrs. i put a litter pan with a pee rock in there, which they've marked. ive been diligent with putting stray poops in there and stuff but their favorite thing to do is relieve themselves right where they eat! its disgusting! its gross because i literally wake up every day to poops MASHED on their food bowls. its like they crap and then move their food bowl over it, i dont know. but poops are caked on the floor and food bowls every day. i know theyre urinating too there. i clean it every day, sometimes a few times because i cant have poops mashed on their food (and they go in the bowls too!). ive tried moving their litter pan to the food spot and putting their food elsewhere but no luck. ive also put food in multiple areas of the cage in case one of them is just trying to dominate the food, but again, no luck. someone help me lol.sorry for all this potty talk! on an unrelated note, does anyone know why i can't make separate paragraphs on my phone? i know people don't like reading a wall of text. thanks!
scarletbegonias
rats are "going" where they eat?
Rats like to eat and poo at the same time, its one of those mildly annoying things. Its not unhygenic for rats, as they are also a species that eats there own poo on occasions if there short on certain nutrients and have a high fiber diet. They also use urine to mark what foods are safe in the wild.
For your own benefit thoguh you may be happier moving to scatter feeding. Rather than using a bowl hide the food around the cage so they have to look for it. If you can make a digging box to go in there thats a great place to scatter feed in. Or you could make kick trays for your critter nation, like I have for my savic royal suite (similar type cage) and use a proper substrate over the floor. Thats much better for scatter feeding and the rats getting to dig and be ratty.
For your own benefit thoguh you may be happier moving to scatter feeding. Rather than using a bowl hide the food around the cage so they have to look for it. If you can make a digging box to go in there thats a great place to scatter feed in. Or you could make kick trays for your critter nation, like I have for my savic royal suite (similar type cage) and use a proper substrate over the floor. Thats much better for scatter feeding and the rats getting to dig and be ratty.
I can't do separate paragraphs on my phone either, I don't think it is a fixable issue.
As for the pooping issue you could make guards for the pan so you can put bedding in there without them being able to kick it out and make a mess. Maybe long strips of plastic or plexi glass, you can cut it to the right size and maybe put a wedge in the corners. Cause I imagine it would be a lack of bedding issue.
I can't seem to get my girls to use their litter box either and they are really young. They would much rather hoard their toys and food in the litter box rather than poop in it.
As for the pooping issue you could make guards for the pan so you can put bedding in there without them being able to kick it out and make a mess. Maybe long strips of plastic or plexi glass, you can cut it to the right size and maybe put a wedge in the corners. Cause I imagine it would be a lack of bedding issue.
I can't seem to get my girls to use their litter box either and they are really young. They would much rather hoard their toys and food in the litter box rather than poop in it.
the scatter feeding is a good idea. im not offended by them not pooping in the litter pan, but i figured i could give it a shot. i could get a pan of some sort and go back to bedding. i dont mind cleaning the poop, im well versed in poops of all animals but these boys are crazy! though, when i had bedding, they still did this, somehow, but it wasnt as bad. the boys aren't chewers like the girls, so i really wanted to give fleece a shot. hah they always get their own way 
And this is the ultimate welcome to rat ownership, the first sight of a rat pooing and eating simultaneously, hopefully in the litter box. My rats consider their litter box both a lavatory and a diner. I am just happy they are pooing there and not all over the place. If you look closely, you will even notice that rats do a poo face. It's rather hilarious. All this may seem a bit icky to us, but you can be sure your rats are as happy as pigs in s**t, literally .
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haha well at least someones happy about this situation. they seem real proud of this. the thing is, it wasn't always like this. sigh
Rats will mark their food instinctively to designate it as a safe food for other rats. In some cases, they even eat their feces.
Feces/urine and food with rats just end up mixed no matter how you slice it!
Feces/urine and food with rats just end up mixed no matter how you slice it!
You could also get a large, shallow bin and put bedding and their food in there. It would cost less, and it's easier to clean.
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