Decorative rats, like other pets, need comfort and coziness. Therefore, you need to responsibly approach the issue of arranging housing for rodents. In addition to toys and eating areas, it is necessary to organize a place for relaxation in the cage. As a couch for rats, you can use a hammock. This article will discuss how to choose the right option, as well as how to make a hammock with your own hands and arrange it.
Why do you need a hammock?
Domestic rats need a comfortable place to sleep and rest. A hammock is perfect as a sleeping place for a pet. However, many rodents also use this item as a place for games. It's no secret that rats are happy to jump, crawl along the ropes and climb up the hill. The hammock can be considered an additional attribute in the cage for games. Since it needs to be climbed and you can swing slightly.
If we compare the hammock with other methods of organizing a berth, then it has its own advantages and disadvantages. The pluses include saving floor space, since the hammock is suspended at a certain distance from it.
If we talk about the cons, it is worth noting that not all rats will like such a berth.
Varieties
Hammocks for decorative rats vary in shape, size and material used to make them. As a material, various types of dense fabrics can be used. As for the shape of the hammock, the simplest option is a solid canvas.Products of a more complex shape are made in the form of tunnels, square houses or multi-storey suspended structures. Sizes of hammocks also vary from small to large. There are products that are designed for several individuals at once.
Selection recommendations
When choosing a ready-made hammock in a pet store, you first need to pay attention to its quality. The product must be reliable and durable, otherwise the rodent may fall and be injured. To make the animal comfortable in the bed at any time of the year, it is advisable to purchase several hammocks.
In the summer, it is best to hang a cotton bench in the pet's cage. In such a hammock, the rats will not be so hot. In winter, it is better to use closed models made of dense and warm fabric. The dimensions of the bed should be selected based on the area of the cage and the number of rodents in it.
How to make it yourself?
It is not necessary to purchase a ready-made hammock for the pet in the pet store. Shop products are not always of good quality and reasonable cost. From improvised means you can make a good and reliable model of the right size. In the manufacture should take into account a number of recommendations.
- No need to try to save free space in the cage and make the bed too compact. It is better if the hammock is 2 or more times wider than the rodent.
- As fasteners for the product, it is best to use metal objects, for example, paper clips and chains. Such fastenings will be more reliable than a simple rope, which a rat can easily bite through.
- The fabric from which the hammock will be made must be not only durable, but also safe, in terms of toxicity. If it was stained with harmful dyes, then the pet may get poisoned. It is best to use natural types of fabrics, not synthetics.
- Metal parts can only be used as fasteners, but not in the form of the main canvas for the bed. The metal mesh is stronger than the fabric, the animal is unlikely to gnaw and ruin it, but it can injure the pet. In addition, the metal is too hard and cold material, so on such a hammock the rodent will be uncomfortable and uncomfortable.
For the manufacture of a hammock, it is not necessary to purchase a special fabric. The lounger can be made from old clothes or knitted from woolen threads.
From jeans
Using old denim clothing is one of the easiest ways to make a hammock for decorative rats. In this case, you don’t even need to pick up a needle, thread and sew. All you need to make a hammock is:
- unnecessary jeans;
- stationery scissors;
- ruler or measuring tape;
- a small piece of old soap;
- metal chain or paper clip.
To make a denim bed, it will take no more than 10 minutes. It is best to use old wide men's jeans. From the bottom edge of the leg, measure 25 centimeters and mark the cut with a bar of soap. Then you need to cut a piece from the trouser leg and start manufacturing fasteners.
If there are ready-made metal chains, you just need to adjust their length, removing unnecessary links. If paper clips are used, then 4 fasteners must be made from them, connecting with each other.
The number of staples in the chain will depend on how high the hammock is to be hung. The materials used should be quite strong so that the fasteners can support the weight of the decorative rat. Chains or paper clips are threaded through one layer of jeans at the four corners of the cut piece. After that, you can place the couch in the cage and attach it to metal bars. The rodent can be placed on a lounger both from above and inside the leg itself.
By analogy, you can make a hammock from an old sock. Such a product in shape will resemble a narrow pipe and, due to its small size, may not be suitable for all rodents.
Out of the hood
Under the hammock for the rodent, you can redo the hood of unnecessary things.In this case, the process will take a little more time and effort than when making a denim bed. In addition to the hood itself, you should first prepare the following things:
- stationery scissors;
- sewing machine or ordinary needle and thread;
- metal wire of large diameter, which will serve as a frame.
If the hood was originally attached to a jacket or jacket with a zipper, then it must be cut off. To create a hole for the wire, the uneven edge must be bent 1-1.5 centimeters and stitched well. A metal wire is inserted into the hole, after which the edges need to be sewn up. A hood hammock is usually made in the shape of a bag. For this, the edges of the hood, which were located closer to the face, are stitched together. The finished product can be attached to the cage with the help of sewn ties from a thick rope or on a chain of paper clips.
From a piece of cloth
To make a hammock, you can use a single piece of fabric. You can buy it in a store or use old unnecessary things. For example, you can fold a pillowcase, sheet or towel several times and sew up the edges. If the material will be purchased in the store, it is best to buy fleece or cotton fabric. The size of a piece of tissue must be selected in accordance with the dimensions of the cell and the animal. As a standard, a canvas of 30x60 centimeters can be used. In addition to the base for the hammock, the following things will be required:
- needle and tight threads;
- stationery scissors;
- accessories (grommet with washer) for edging holes;
- a hammer or special forceps and hole punch for installing eyelets;
- hooks designed for shower curtains in the bathroom.
From the two narrowest sides of a rectangular piece, you need to bend 1 centimeter of fabric and sew the folds. The stitched ends must be connected to each other in the center of a piece of fleece or other material. Next, you need to flash long edges. The resulting web through the hole in the center must be turned inside out.
At the four corners of a piece of fabric, grommets must be installed. Then, hooks are threaded into the holes reinforced with fittings, after which the hammock can be suspended in a rodent's cage.
Useful Tips
Not all rats like hammocks, and some animals just need time to get used to the new thing in the cage.
If the pet does not show much interest in the bed, you can try to lure him with a treat. It’s not worth taking a rodent in your hands and forcibly placing it in a hammock - this way the animal will only get scared.
Some animals can use the hammock not for its intended purpose, but as a subject for games. Scolding a pet for this is not worth it; trying to make him sleep in a hammock is also not necessary. For whatever purpose the animal uses the product, it must be washed periodically, as the fabric will be very dirty. Decorative rats have a good sense of smell and can react violently to odors. So that a new thing in the cage does not repel the animal, it is best to put on it some toy or piece of fabric with which the pet has already been in contact.
You will learn more about how to make a hammock for a rat with your own hands from the video below.
