Where to put the cage

[sawyer_gota_gun]

I was thinking about putting my rats Ferret Nation 142 right next to my bunk bed so that I'd literally be inches away from them when I'm lying in bed but would they throw stuff on my beds?  I'm not sure how messy rats are really.. and I suppose it depends on the indivdual rat as well, right?

Does anyone else have their rat cage right next to their bed?

[Suebee]

Though the boys I have are pretty quiet now, I have never, and would never keep them in my bedroom, period. They are most active at night, and I need my beauty sleep!

[sawyer_gota_gun]

Noise doesnt bother me. I've lots of animals in my room including 3 hamsters that are noisy on their wheels but i like to hear them running on them. its almost soothing lol.

[ratgirl2]

it would really depend on the rats.  My boys are fairly clean, but they do tend to get food outside their cage on occasion.  It always seems to be the cheerios...LOL.  I guess they don't like them as much as I think    If your rats seem to be clean, I wouldn't see it as a problem.  However, I did have a cage full of girls who would back their little butts up against the cage bars and pee out onto the wall, that was pretty nasty, I wouldn't put them anywhere near my bed 

[jesirose]

I'd be more worried about noise - they are active at night and will keep you up - a HUGE reason why critters are a bad pet for kids. They're too noisy at night, I keep mine in the office with the door closed and I still hear the damn wheel lol.

[ratgirl2]

my 4 year old has a mouse in his room, who runs in his cage all night long and Patrick just loves the noise.  He lays there and watches mousie run until he goes to sleep.  When I was young, I ALWAYS had critters in my room.  I think I started with hamsters when I was 8 years old or so and all through my childhood, I was basically never without some sort of small animal making noise in my room.  It was always to quiet without the noise that I couldn't sleep. 

[jesirose]

Okay...but most kids aren't like that, and you see far too many parents giving away their kids hamsters and such because they don't play with them or the noise keeps them up

[slynx]

Our cage currently sits at the foot of our bed, which is working out well.  I like being able to hear my girls at night, though we did need to fix the squeaky wheel to make it quieter (we fixed it by applying olive oil, so instead of "squeak squeak squeak" we hear "lick lick lick" all night long).

In the past, having the cage in the bedroom didn't work so well.  One of my girls went through a phase of throwing cage items heavily against each other, with enormous crashing sounds, which was pretty disruptive.  And later, my Bug would fill the wheel with food, poop, sticks, and wooden blocks before going for her run.  I can sleep through the "patter patter patter" of the wheel, but not the "clunk CLONK clunk CLONK CLONK 'ouch!' CLONK scrape clunk" of Bug's activities.  So yes, I think it depends on the individuals!  Also, if the rats are young and/or new to each other, they are more likely to spend the whole night chasing each other around and wrestling.

If I were you, I might try them beside the bed but I'd make sure there was an alternate space available.  That way, if they are too disruptive or messy, you can move them to the other room.  Just because they are cute doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to sleep through the night!

[wickedrodent]

I currently have my boys outside my room, in the hallway. Its perfect, I think. My boys make a bit of noise at night, but not much. I don't have a problem with it because I am a heavy sleeper. I guess it depends. If you are a light sleeper, its probably not a good idea.

[sawyer_gota_gun]

I have a few places in my room I could put them just in case next to my bed doesnt work.
I actually dont think I could sleep if I DIDNT have animals making noise in my room so no problem about that 

[Anesthesia]

Oh goodness.  Our boys have their own bedroom that has no other purpose besides being a rattie room.  At night, we shut their door because they're so loud.  They wrestle and chase each other a lot in the middle of the night so sometimes they still wake us up and we have to get up and shut our door too.    I don't see how I could ever sleep if they were right next to our bed.  I had mice as a child and they were in my room and never bothered me.  I dunno.  Try it and see if it works... if not, move the cage elsewhere. 

[sawyer_gota_gun]

the only place i can have them is in my room because my family would never let me put them anywhere else and thats not any room out there anyway.
So its either next to my bed or against the wall that faces my bed which is about 2 ft away.

[Troter]

In the past, having the cage in the bedroom didn't work so well.  One of my girls went through a phase of throwing cage items heavily against each other, with enormous crashing sounds, which was pretty disruptive.  And later, my Bug would fill the wheel with food, poop, sticks, and wooden blocks before going for her run.  I can sleep through the "patter patter patter" of the wheel, but not the "clunk CLONK clunk CLONK CLONK 'ouch!' CLONK scrape clunk" of Bug's activities. 

haha, couldn't help but giggle at bug.
My boys stay in my walk in closet. Now that the weather is hot, their door stays open. I like to keep them in my room because, a) I hear them running around and I can't help but smile at all the fun I know they're having and b) I like to be able to hear the noise, just in case something sounds wrong.

For example, yesterday, I dropped my ratties off at a friends, while I"m away for a little over a week. So, my cage has a 4 pieces. The plastic bottom, the bottom cage piece (with door), a top cage piece, and a "lid". So, I took out the top cage piece. The lid didn't realy fit on, but I thought I could get it on well enough to hold them. I was wrong. I woke up when the managed to pop the lid off. I can't afford to have an escape. With this weather, all doors are open, and I have a cat that wouldn't mind a rattie treat. So I was able to go right in there and fix it (ahhh, the joys of binder twine). They're close enough I can hear them, far enough away they don't keep me up. Just perfect...

but, for you, it's really all depends on you and your rats. No two people are the same, and no two rats are the same.

[WS]

My rats are right in the "great room" -- which has the kitchen/dining/livingroom sort of all combined. This way they can see everything going on and can be in the middle of things.

They ARE really also close to the master-bedroom and I can hear them shuffling around at night and making noise (and when little, peeping and squeaking and playing)  -- but those are, to me, happy sounds.    -let's me know they're alive and well.


I don't give my little ones wheels so it doesn't bother me too much.