Rats Moving House
At last, we have completed work on the shed, which included putting in insulation, plywood, electricity, fittings and lino flooring to make the space “rat-proof”. Thanks to John Clegg for all his hard work installing the plywood, which was a huge task because of our garage sized shed. It looks fabulous, and the rats LOVE it, as do I!
The shed is split up by a four foot chipboard wall, accommodating our bikes, and general storage in one side, and the other portion is devoted just to the ratties! Now my boyfriend who has been suffering silently with his allergy to the rats, can breath freely in his own home at last! Hooray!
We have bought a frost control fan heater to warm the space during the winter months, and it works beautifully. The heater is thermostatically controlled, which is a must if you have pets outside. It gets very cold in the winter months up here in bonny Scotland, so I wanted to ensure the boys were warm enough. A rat thrives at temperatures not below 7 degrees C but I have the heater set to kick in at 10 degrees C minimum, which has proved to be just right.
In fact the rats seem to prefer the cosy space of their new home and are always waiting at the top of their cage for me, ready to come out and play. Even Pip, our shyest rat bounds around the floor and does little excitable “hops” everywhere. I found that the cardboard tube from the lino flooring is just the right size for male rats (even the fatter ones!). I have cut it into three pieces and made large holes here and there for the boys to run in and out of. It might be an idea to ask carpet merchants and fitters if the could spare a tube or two, for anyone who owns rats.
Today my rats have been mostly eating broken up rice cakes.