Rat hammock: how to choose, do it yourself and equip?

Decorative rats, like other pets, need comfort and coziness. Therefore, you need to take a responsible approach to the issue of home improvement for rodents. In addition to toys and eating areas, it is necessary to organize a resting place in the cage. You can use a hammock as a bed for rats. This article will discuss how to choose the right ready-made option, as well as how you can make a hammock with your own hands and equip it.

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 to play. It's no secret that rats jump with pleasure, crawl on ropes and climb hills. A hammock can be considered an additional attribute in a cage for games. Since you need to climb on it and you can sway slightly.

If we compare a hammock with other methods of organizing a berth, then it has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include saving floor space, since the hammock is suspended at some distance from it.

Decorative rat hammocks vary in shape, size and material used to make them. Various types of dense fabrics can be used as material. 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. Hammocks also range in size from small to large. There are products that are designed for several individuals at once.

When choosing a ready-made hammock in a pet store, you must first of all pay attention to its quality. The product must be reliable and durable, otherwise the rodent may fall and get injured. To make the animal comfortable in the bed at any time of the year, it is advisable to purchase several hammocks.

In summer, it is best to hang a cotton bed in your pet's cage. In such a hammock, rats will not be so hot. In winter, it is better to use closed models made of thick and warm fabric. The size of the bed should be selected based on the area of ​​the cage and the number of rodents in it.

It is not necessary to purchase a ready-made hammock for your pet at a pet store. Store products are not always of good quality and reasonable cost. From available tools, you can make a good and reliable model of the right size. When manufacturing, a number of recommendations should be taken into account.

• There is no need to try to save free space in the cage and make a bed that is too compact. It is better if the width of the hammock is 2 or more times larger than the rodent.
• It is best to use metal objects, such as paper clips and chains, as fasteners for the product. Such attachments will be more reliable than a simple rope that a rat can easily gnaw through.
• The fabric from which the hammock will be made must be not only durable, but also safe from the point of view of toxicity. If it was painted with harmful dyes, then the pet can get poisoned. It is best to use natural types of fabrics rather than synthetics.
• Metal parts can only be used as fasteners, but not in the form of the main canvas for the couch. 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 the rodent will be uncomfortable and uncomfortable on such a hammock.

Using old denim clothing is one of the easiest ways to make a decorative rat hammock. 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 bar of old soap;
• metal chain or paper clips.

It will take no more than 10 minutes to make a denim couch. It is best to use old wide mens jeans. Measure 25 centimeters from the bottom edge of the leg and mark the cut with a piece of soap. Then you need to cut a piece from the leg and start making fasteners.

The number of staples in the chain will depend on how high you plan to hang the hammock. The materials used must be strong enough to support the weight of the decorative rat. Chains or paper clips are threaded through a single layer of jeans at the four corners of the cut piece. After that, you can place the bed in the cage and attach it to the metal bars. The rodent can sit on the bed both on top and inside the pant leg itself.

Under a hammock for a rodent, you can remake a hood from unnecessary things.In this case, the process will take a little more time and effort than making a denim bench. In addition to the hood itself, you should first prepare the following things:

• stationery scissors;
• a sewing machine or regular 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 must be sewn up. A hooded 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 sewn together. The finished product can be attached to the cage using sewn-on thick rope ties or on a chain of paper clips.

You can use a single piece of fabric to make a hammock. You can buy it in the store or use old unnecessary things. For example, you can fold a pillowcase, sheet, or towel several times and sew the edges. If the material will be purchased from a store, it is best to buy fleece or cotton fabric. Select the size of a piece of fabric in accordance with the dimensions of the cage and the animal. As a standard, you can use a canvas of 30x60 centimeters. In addition to the base for the hammock, you will need the following things:

• needle and thick threads;
• stationery scissors;
• fittings (grommet with washer) for edging holes;
• a hammer or special tongs and a hole punch for installing eyelets;
• hooks designed for shower curtains in the bathroom.

From the two narrowest sides of the rectangular piece, you need to bend 1 centimeter of fabric and sew the folds. The sewn ends should be joined together in the center of a piece of fleece or other material. Next, you need to sew the long edges. The resulting canvas must be turned inside out through the hole in the center.

The eyelets must be installed in the four corners of the piece of fabric. Then hooks are inserted into the holes reinforced with fittings, after which the hammock can be hung in the rodent's cage.

Not all rats like hammocks, and some animals just need time to get used to a new thing in a cage.

Some animals can use the hammock not for its intended purpose, but as an item for games. You should not scold your pet for this; you also do not need to try to make him sleep in a hammock. For whatever purpose the animal uses the product, it must be washed periodically, as the fabric will be heavily soiled. Decorative rats have a good sense of smell and can react violently to odors. To prevent the new thing in the cage from repelling the animal, it is best to put on it some kind of toy or a piece of cloth that the pet has already come into contact with.

You will learn more about how you can make a hammock for a rat with your own hands in the video below.