My nine female rats are doing fine and behaving like little angels. They haven’t tried chewing out of the screen, and I let them stay out atop their habitat and in the glass terrarium for at least 14 hours every day, without hitch or hiccup.
They haven’t tried to get down onto the floor. (One of them ended up on the floor somehow, but she quickly ascended the screen and got back atop the habitat. She wasn’t at all happy on the floor, because she knows cats hang out there.)
My cats’ reactions
My cats find the rats intriguing, but they aren’t interested in eating them. And the rats haven’t shown any interest in getting to know the cats better, so I’m not forcing them to. If it happens, it happens. But I doubt it will. The rats find the cats a bit unnerving, which is probably a good thing; it keeps them from descending to the floor.
My rats daily activity
Except for two to three bursts of enthusiasm during the daylight hours, the rats sleep wherever they happen to be when they get tired. They sleep most of the time.
Some go into the box in their rat habitat; others sleep in the tube that leads to the habitat roof and the way out; others sleep in the bird cage atop the habitat or on the screen cover that is over half of the terrarium; others sleep in the terrarium.
I put them all in the rat habitat at night when I retire for the evening, but I don’t bother during the say when I take a nap or go for a walk. If I go anywhere for any length of time, I put them in the rat habitat, though…
This is the main rat habitat — a converted ferret condo.
The hardware cloth atop the screened terrarium is an added layer of protection for them.
They can come and go from underneath it anytime they want.
Two sleeping in the bird cage right now.
Unexpected noises and movements upset them
They’re very friendly with me, but the slightest unexpected noise, or grand movement, sends them scurrying either for their rat habitat, into the birdcage, or the vivarium/terrarium. They feel safe and secure in those places.
Most of them will scuttle to me now whenever I call them to come see me, and climb on my hands and arms. They prefer to stay connected to their habitat, though, and that’s good. So if I try to lift them away from that, they sorta panic and want to be taken back, so I return them immediately. I want them to know they’re in control of their little lives and bodies: I’m just their helper and friend, not a prison warden or tyrant! They like climbing on me, but they don’t like being controlled. They’re very much like cats in that way.
They don’t mind at all going back into their habitat for the night. That’s about the only time they don’t object to me lifting and carrying them. I tell them I’m taking them nighty-night and they let me pick them up without struggle or scurry.
Half of them love to have their backs and/or faces rubbed lightly. They almost go to sleep when I do that (like my goats).
I find cats and rats and goats a lot alike. Maybe we mammals are all more alike than we are different. We want to feel (and be) safe, well-fed and sheltered. We like having companions, as long as the companions are equals and not autocratic rulers.
Makes perfect sense to me!
