Just curious, as I take my rats outside alot and on car rides.. what is too cold, or too hot for them? Will the wind effect them at all? Is it a good idea to let them play in the grass? My rats love being in the grass... Lucy hops through it likes she's part rabbit... she never just walks, it's hop then stand straight up on her hind legs to search around.
weather
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i haven't heard anything bad about grass, but be careful of bugs they might eat, especially spiders, some of which can be poisonous. and if you can take them out on a cloudy day or later in the evening might be better, as the bright light can hurt their nearly blind eyes. 
good luck keeping track of them!
good luck keeping track of them! Be careful pesticides haven't been sprayed on the grass recently. Around here, people usually put up little signs in the yard to notify about pesticide application, but it's hard to know unless it's your own grass. Also, if your neighbors use pesticides, it can migrate onto your lawn.
be careful with what other animals live near you too. if there's hawks in the area a hungry won't be put off if you're nearby and they see the plump little rat running around at your feet. i saw one snatch a mouse off the top of its cage with two people in close proximity (America's Funniest Home Videos--i don't know why anyone thought it was funny personally...).
on that note however, my rats always loved going outside and playing and burrowing in the grass. i live in the city now and have many more rats then i did back then so i'm looking into finding or making a play pen for them outside that is easy to out up and bring down, transport and that they can't jump out of but all the while being large in floor space so they have lots of room to run. ideally i would want it to be large enough that i can fit inside too so they can climb and run and hide with me as their jungle gym. its a bit harder to make that sort of idea a cost effective reality though...
on that note however, my rats always loved going outside and playing and burrowing in the grass. i live in the city now and have many more rats then i did back then so i'm looking into finding or making a play pen for them outside that is easy to out up and bring down, transport and that they can't jump out of but all the while being large in floor space so they have lots of room to run. ideally i would want it to be large enough that i can fit inside too so they can climb and run and hide with me as their jungle gym. its a bit harder to make that sort of idea a cost effective reality though...
sand is more likely to carry mites, i've heard, so be careful there. if you wanted to make them their own sand box, you can freeze the sand for 6 months at a time to kill off mites and bugs living in it, but that's probably unreasonable. also, i know that neighborhood cats sometimes poop in large outdoor sand areas, so your ratties could catch stuff like listeriosis or whatnot from poopy sand. i wouldn't let them play in outdoor sand, personally, but a homemade sandbox probably wouldn't hurt.
also, i know that neighborhood cats sometimes poop in large outdoor sand areas, so your ratties could catch stuff like listeriosis or whatnot from poopy sand. i wouldn't let them play in outdoor sand, personally, but a homemade sandbox probably wouldn't hurt.that's the one i was thinking of! thanks, lol.
i ran to get the mail just now and the bright sunlight caused picasso (who was riding on my shoulder and i figured she'd stay under my hair, but you know what assuming does) to nearly walk right off my arm and fall onto the ground. she got so disoriented, so i held her and she just snuggled into my chest with my hand around her. just thought i'd share since i'm always the one worrying about the bright sun on their little eyes and then i'm the tard who takes my poor creature out to the mailbox, so case in point there, ha ha.
i ran to get the mail just now and the bright sunlight caused picasso (who was riding on my shoulder and i figured she'd stay under my hair, but you know what assuming does) to nearly walk right off my arm and fall onto the ground. she got so disoriented, so i held her and she just snuggled into my chest with my hand around her. just thought i'd share since i'm always the one worrying about the bright sun on their little eyes
and then i'm the tard who takes my poor creature out to the mailbox, so case in point there, ha ha.I've always wanted a pair of rattie sunglasses for that purpose - then I could take them out on bright, summer days. They could be like little aviator goggles, and strap on their heads under their chin and behind their ears (like they'd actually stay on for 2 seconds).
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