Back to Cages
Covering Wire Floors and Levels
Most cages come with wire somewhere that the rats are having to walk on and although that in itself causes issues like trapped feet leading to broken bones as well as the potential of sores from standing on wire all the time the issue is how to fix this problem.
In most cages the wire is used on the base of the cage and under that is usually a plastic removable tray that catches the debris that is suppose to fall through the wire. Although in thought this is a great idea, in theory with rats it has its downfalls. We do NOT recommend you remove the bases of the cages which can then leave fairly big gaps from which rats can escape. The wire is there for a reason and we respect this and ask everyone to leave it there even if it can be removed. Instead of removing it we have some ideas that we ourselves have had great success with as well as some idea that we have yet not needed to try.
Firstly you can cover the wire with a couple of sheets of newspaper which will protect your animals feet for a little while unless they decide to rip it up which is quite common. You can also use the newspaper on the levels if you have wire exposed there also. We normally use bulldog clips to hold the paper on shelves in place. If you find that your rats rip the paper all the time and they are walking on wire still you can try the next idea.
As well as newspaper to cover the wire you can try some polar fleece blankets or material over the top of this. This works really well on the shelves also and you can just bulldog clip the newspaper and fleece together. The best part about the polar fleece is that it does not have threads when it gets chewed so there is nothing that rats can catch their claws or tails in. Secondly it can be washed and reused over and over again. You can buy fleece blankets at your local discount store or go to your local material shop and they are bound to have a variety of colours and patterns if you want your cage all matching. Polar fleece also makes awesome hammocks and bedding.
If the polar fleece sounds like too much work try some cheap door mats. We found some really sturdy door mats at our local hardware store. The top is a heavy duty material while the backing is rubber. The mats do not slip because of the rubber backing while the heavy duty material on the top is easy to rinse clean so the mats can be reused. Some rats do like to chew the corners of the mats which is why I still use newspaper under the mats but I have found them the best solution for this problem.
Canvas or non slip material has also been tried by other people and they have had great success. We personally have not tried this because the rats tend to like chewing these products which doesn’t make it very cost effective. While these items are not being chewed they are easy to wipe clean and reuse.